BoxeDesign takes interior decorating to the Web

Business partners in Mich., Va. join forces to enhance your home

Interior design partners Deanne DePyper and Maria Loveless reside in different parts of the country. DePyper lives in Michigan, and Loveless, who is married to DePyper's cousin, lives in Manassas.

Starting her career as a muralist in people's homes, DePyper constantly found herself envisioning design changes to match her art. Loveless, working as a faux-finisher, had similar thoughts.

A little over two years ago they joined forces and, using the strength of a third party -- the Internet -- they began BoxeDesigns as a Web-based interior design service.

"Most of our work is done online," DePyper said. "The Internet is our shop window, and we have clients in Chicago, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Georgia and Minnesota. We would never be able to do that with just a storefront."

The process begins with a questionnaire and a phone consultation. Clients e-mail their photos, blueprints and preferences. Through a collaborative process, an initial plan is developed and then refined through several iterations based on the client's vision.

"It's very easy to get personally involved," DePyper said. "We talk to the clients so much on the phone it becomes more of a personal relationship. [But] they don't have to clean their house before we come over."

Once a vision has been established, a physical box of materials is sent with the design plan. It includes fabric swatches, design boards, a furniture layout, samples and a cheat sheet of all items and the best places to get them. BoxeDesigns has its own contractors ready to execute if needed.

The company's jobs range from 8,000-square-foot homes with an empty palette to providing the right accents to rooms already furnished.

Annette Weber of Ashburn was tired of her unfinished home. She contacted BoxeDesigns with specific needs for her alcove, living room and fireplace.

DePyper and Loveless suggested a floor mirror for the alcove with two candelabras set in front to capture their reflection. Weber's fireplace mantel wasn't working with its trio of vases. BoxeDesigns selected a molded vase with rectangular shapes flanked by hurricane lamps. Flowers were replaced with bamboo. Weber's wall of photos popped when Loveless suggested a simple black frame for all of the pictures.

"They don't shove their ideas on you," Weber said, "and they suggest affordable items from stores like Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. They listened to me and worked with me until I got the look I wanted. They are very easy to work with."

Collaborating remotely also helps keep the overhead costs down. DePyper and Loveless will design a plan, provide clients with the details to realize it on their own if they desire or acquire and ship items and ensure full implementation. They provide cost-effective choices.

"We are generally around 50 percent cheaper than most traditional interior decorators," DePyper said. They are also more flexible. "No space too small, no space too large."