*The article below recently ran as a feature in SW Spotlight Magazine!
How do you fit your favorite things after a move from a rambling northern home to an efficient Florida beach condominium? What happens when the moving van arrives and treasures look dull and lifeless in the bright light through the full wall of glass windows?
Those are just two big questions that Barbara Hyman Interiors may tackle in the creative realm of Barbara Hyman and her partner, Barbara Greco, “the two Barbs.” Their range is as infinite as individual clients who seek their “dream homes” with little or lots of help. “I call interior designers the practical luxury no one can afford to go without,” said Hyman.
Hyman and her husband vacationed in southwest Florida first, and then they bought a vacation home and planned their move if Florida jobs beckoned. The job offer arrived in 2004 for her spouse and they moved to Bonita Springs, leaving Hyman’s successful interior design business behind in Pennsylvania.
“We hated the winters,” said Hyman. “Here the weather is conducive to the activities we enjoy. I love the beaches.” Before long, Hyman’s design referrals in Bonita Springs started to look like an interior design business.
She helped a few friends with no intention of building a major Florida resource base. That required locating the right trades people with impeccable quality. She needed carpenters, faux finishers, general contractors and more resources for a quality business to succeed.
“When you do your own interior decorating and walk through showrooms, you only see a small portion of what’s available in different woods, colors, sizes, fabrics and designs. An interior designer helps avoid costly mistakes, saving time and money with unlimited choices to find exactly the desired look,” said Hyman.
It may surprise a homeowner to discover some faux wall finishes are unique and less costly than high-end wallpapers and Hyman knows an expert faux finisher.
Her extensive resources today are tested from over ten Florida years providing interior design by referral, specifically in the Bonita Springs, Naples area. She listens to clients. No project is too small or too large. The two Barbs are flexible, each supporting the other’s clients when needed and sharing the same passion for creative design.A favorite project included selecting antique pieces from a man’s northeastern home as part of a total design for his Moraya Bay beach condominium. Several pieces were repurposed to fit the light-filled, Gulf view rooms.
One bedroom became a billiard room that was tastefully blended with the rest of the condominium. Walls received faux finishes with patterns, colors and textures from nature’s palette that transitioned from the condominium to the beauty outside. Starting with an empty condominium shell, the finished home fit the owner’s Florida lifestyle.
Hyman helps her clients achieve their design dreams by adding her passion, creativity and design expertise. Visit www.barbarahymaninteriors.com or call 239-495-4692 for an appointment.
