Some people just can’t decorate a room to save their life.
If that shade of green you painted on your living room wall just doesn’t match the pillows on your couch and if you’re constantly tripping over that poorly placed ottoman, you’re in luck.
Oxford resident Jay Rogers started his own interior design business, JDR Interior/Exterior Design and Decorating, and is more than willing to help.
Rogers, 43, had been working for a steel-stamping manufacturer for 25 years and decided to pursue his real love, interior design, a couple of years ago.
He had helped family and friends redesign their homes and wanted to broaden his horizons.
‘People always ask me why I didn’t do anything artistically (before),? he said. ‘I guess now’s the time.?
In this day and age when staying in one field of work for a lifetime is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, Rogers admits he was a bit ‘scared? to start a new career in his early 40s.
‘I don’t know how things are going to work out, but hopefully they will,? he said with confidence.
Rogers completed all of his courses through New York’s Sheffield School of Interior Design from his home and became officially certified December of last year.
Sheffield is among one of the largest interior design schools in the world.
Courses include training in all phases of decorating, including furniture arrangement, color coordination, window treatments, flooring, wall treatments, lighting design and accessorizing.
Rogers had to design specific rooms sent to him by the school and sketch out colors, fabrics and lighting for a specified budget.
The school would grade the work and send him a cassette tape with their remarks and his grade.
The first thing Rogers does before decorating a room is to get a feel for the room.
‘I try to picture how the room would look in my mind with certain colored fabrics, how the room’s laid out,? he said. ‘I’ve always been able to put a picture in my mind.?
Rogers offers a free 30-minute consultation with his clients to find out their life-style and the function of the room they want redecorated.
He urges clients to look in magazines for ideas, but will also put his ideas into the plan.
‘You (sometimes) do have to talk them out of something you think’s going to look ridiculous,? he jokes.
Rogers also offers exterior design for those looking for a nice deck or an enclosure for a jacuzzi tub.
The best advice Rogers can give to those who want to make a change in their decor is to not be afraid to ‘ask for advice.?
For a small fee Rogers said he can create a design plan for do-it-yourselfers or even just rearrange furniture to be more conducive to their life-style.
‘You don’t have to have a large budget, it just depends on what you want to do,? he said.
For more information on JDR Interior/Exterior Design and Decorating, visit their website at www.jdrinteriordesign.com, or call Rogers at (248) 628-8905.