How did a Gentleman's Bedroom come to be part of this year's Showhouse?

The Loudoun Arts Council decided to use the theme of an 18th-century English manor house, based on the model selected by builder Van Metre.

The Apsley model was named after a grand English home owned by the duke of Wellington, who collected paintings, porcelain and sculpture from all over the world.

"My original concept was to present the room as a little boy's room. 'Take Me with You' was the theme I started with," Aleem said.

"The council liked my concept and asked me if I would 'age' the concept and upgrade to a Gentleman's Guest bedroom. They explained that they had already received concept boards for three of the four upstairs bedrooms, which are all female-based. They wanted something strongly masculine. I chuckled because the smaller boy's room concept is a spin-off of a plan I had for moving my 2-year- old son Marvis to his big-boy room at age 3."

"Based on the 18th-century theme, I used deep colors in the furnishings for the Gentleman's Bedroom," Aleem said. "The focal point of the room is a wall painted in a fine wine color to create a warm backdrop to the ultimate place of rest. The remaining three walls are painted in a masculine light roast color. One of the feature pieces is a console table with four faux ivory tusk legs. Faux leather cornices top off the look, and a grand camel-back upholstered headboard creates true luxury."

Aleem said she has been doing hands-on decorating projects since she was 10 or 12 years old. Watching and learning from her mother, she enjoyed sewing and applying faux finishes to walls. She pursued a successful career in software engineering and testing for six years. When her husband, Marvis, was able to relocate the family back to Northern Virginia, however, Aleem took the opportunity to stay home with her son. She also started doing research to find a career she could pursue from home.

Aleem and Hambley are newcomers to the interior decorating world. Hambley opened the regional office for Decor & You in Tysons Corner in February 2003 and Aleem opened a studio in her Lansdowne home in October 2003. Prior to joining the Decor & You franchise system, Hambley managed a direct mail procurement division of a large financial services company. Both made a career change to have more control over their lives. Aleem also wanted to be available to her toddler son.

"It won't be long until Mavis moves into the room that I designed originally," Aleem said.

As a member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Aleem received an invitation last summer to submit a concept board to the competition. To put together her entry, Aleem sought help from Hambley. They presented their designer board at the unveiling party for the Designer Showhouse last October.

Aleem said her biggest challenge was designing from a blueprint.

"I am a visual person and I like to take clues for design interest from the rest of the house, client's treasures and/or views from windows," she said. "Just having a floor plan and seeing the other designer's concept boards during an unveiling party made me a little anxious. We have placed all of the orders for the items and are waiting for delivery dates. The room will be set up in mid-April."

Aleem is able to keep tabs on the progress of the Showhouse, which is in her Lansdowne community. Both she and Hambley rely on support from their families.

"Sandra's husband has always been a huge visible support for her and the other designers," Aleem said. "My husband, Marvis, is always willing to offer a 'man's perspective' when I'm designing rooms for clients. My son knows, he is allowed to bring me papers off the fax machine and play with the drapery hardware samples. I still limit his support to about five minutes a day."

"Decor & You offers an opportunity for people like Mona to become entrepreneurs," Hambley said. "We look for people who have some business background and a passion and a flair for style. Our training program gives them the advantage of a proven business plan, advice and support."

Hambley is thrilled by how the Baltimore/Washington market has embraced Decor & You.

"It is exhilarating to be the leading Decor & You region in the country," Hambley said. "Both clients and the interior decorating and design community have responded very positively to us. Taking part in the Designer Showhouse is a major recognition for us."

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Source: Times Community Newspapers