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 ARTICLES ON DESIGN
Banker & Tradesman, continued
‘Professional People’
Dearborn said she doesn’t try to “super-impose” her style on clients. In fact, Dearborn explains that she dislikes
“over-designed” rooms.
“I feel an over-designed room is one where the designer is trying to make a statement with his or her personality -- not taking into
account the client’s wishes,” she said.
Instead, Dearborn’s design philosophy centers around a master plan that she develops for and with clients.
“I want them to understand that rooms come together in a home,” she said. “They need to work in harmony with one another.
If you have a master plan you know where you’re going. I equate it a lot to setting up a wardrobe. You need to buy certain pieces that are integral to your wardrobe
and then know how to put them all together.”
Dearborn also tries to be practical with her designs and strives to maximize her clients’ budgets.
“I think, in years gone by, people had the misconception that only very wealthy people hired an interior designer,” she said.
Nowadays, with housing costs so high, particularly in Massachusetts, younger couples are increasingly becoming aware that they “cannot
afford not to hire an interior designer,” she said.
About a decade ago, Dearborn was mostly helping middle-aged or older clients design their homes. Now, she’s working more and more with younger
professional couples who have higher incomes, bigger job demands, and don’t have the time and expertise to deal with design work.
“These professional people ... are now recognizing the interior design professional as being a professional. And as you would hire someone
to do your taxes who’s an accountant or hire a lawyer to handle a legal problem, they are hiring a professional interior designer to help them,“ she said.
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