Job: Interior designer, east Cobb County
What I do: "I design beautiful spaces," said Daniel DeSantis, 40.
The owner of Daniel DeSantis Interior Design works primarily in homes, designing single rooms and whole houses or consulting on projects to select colors, furniture, accessories, finishes and fixtures.
Daniel DeSantis often shops at The Painted Monkey in Roswell for furnishings, antiques and artwork for clients of his interior design business.
DeSantis starts in a client's home, looking at existing pieces.
"I like to include these in the project," he said. "Most people have something they want to use. I use it in a different fashion to create a new and different effect."
He said a large part of his job is choosing colors. "It's a small aspect, but one of the most daunting and one with the most impact."
The right color can set off a special piece of artwork or furniture as well as work with fabrics in the room. "The selection of the perfect wall color can change a whole room from ho-hum to spectacular," DeSantis said.
DeSantis also looks at the home's architecture, the uses of the room and the client's needs. Clients often don't have time to make the many decisions in the process, he said.
"Clients rely on me to create and implement a design plan," he said.
That may include shopping for art, antiques, fixtures, floor coverings or furniture. Clients sometimes participate in the shopping expeditions.
"It's a fun process," he said. "I like to make it enjoyable for them, take the stress out of it."
DeSantis said he usually works on homes that are priced at $600,000 and more, but he also has worked on smaller homes and condos.
He either charges an hourly fee or a flat fee beyond costs, depending on the job.
While many of his projects are redecoration jobs, DeSantis said he also works with builders in new houses to select things such as tile, flooring and finishes.
What got me interested in this: "I can't remember when I wasn't interested in this," DeSantis said.
He recalled that, as a child, he would pore over Architectural Digest magazine, and his favorite television show was "This Old House."
He said his family was artistic and focused on the home.
Best part of my job: "The opportunity to be creative," he said. He said he enjoys finding design solutions that exceed the client's expectations. "It takes a lot of creativity to do that."
The ultimate compliment is when clients' friends tell them the project "looks just like them," he said.
DeSantis
Most challenging part: Assessing someone's tastes and desires, as well as dealing with client couples who have different ideas about a single project. "I'm often a mediator," he said.
What people don't know about my job: "The huge amount of planning and implementing that's involved," he said.
He said he often deals with people who are experiencing changes in their lives, such as a new house, an empty nest or a new marriage. So the decorating process can become very personal, he said. "It's a big leap of faith when people invite me into their home to do this personal thing."
What keeps me going: "The opportunity to transform a space, see the end result and see the intangible impact — how people react and how it changes their lives," DeSantis said.
He said that, when people are proud of their homes, they become more confident and happier, and that disseminates into the rest of their lives.
Preparation needed for this job: You need a natural talent and flair for design, DeSantis said, as well as the ability to listen. You also need patience, the ability to plan, a positive outlook and top-notch organizational skills. And you need empathy for what the client is going through — "a good bedside manner," DeSantis said.
He has a bachelor's degree in marketing from Dowling College in New York, is a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, and apprenticed with interior designers in Manhattan and the Hamptons in New York.
He also worked for an interior design company in Atlanta. He has operated his own design company for about seven years.
- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.