Smitha Zachariah loves to play with textures, colours and light. Space for her is like a canvas. You guessed right Smitha is an interior designer.

After a course at Shristi School of Design and a Masters in Textiles from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Smitha started SZ Design. However, it wasnt designing clothes but interior designing that captured her heart.

A lot of textile and colours do come into my designs, says Smitha. In fact, most of my work is textile oriented.

It has been three years since I got into interior designing, a decision made out of sheer passion. But, today, I look back and see that I have learnt a lot on the job. All I need is an empty space and my brain starts working. First its the natural light that I want to play with.

Smitha elaborates about how she adapts her designs according to the spaces she works with. If I am working on an old building then I try to bring in a modern twist to it by using bright colours. I like to experiment with straight lines too; the colours I choose are dependent on space. I choose earthy tones for heritage properties. When it comes to modern properties, I try to create designs with vivacious colours such as hot pink, green or blue.

About her work in the city Smitha says that the most challenging space for her design was the Bombay Attic, a lifestyle store. It offered a small space. My challenge was to bring in the wow factor, for which I again brought it colours and textiles. I am also fascinated with prints on textiles. The mens lifestyle store pudulifestyle is the other project she worked on where she used large black and white pictures against pale walls. Besides this she has also designed residences and corporate offices.

The reason, Smitha says, she is fascinated with design is because for me it is all about lifestyle. For me style is all about colour. The core point is that I enjoy what I do. Ten years down the line I see the same fire in me for design.

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Space is her canvas

Photo by Pieter Estersohn/Architectural Digest

Calling interior designer Sara Story's family home in Texas Hill Country eclectically inspired might be a bit of an understatement. Though San Antonio's Lake|Flato Architects, who also built a home for Story's father two decades ago, made basing decisions on the site a primary concern, Story worked with them on the project, drawing the heavy limestone aspect of the sprawling compound from the renovated farmhouses of Provence, France, where her family often summers. The living room (above, left) is anchored by a steel fireplace surrounded with panels of eggshell veneer by Chapeau Design, while the master bedroom features a Marc Phillips rug, a vintage Pace Collection bench from Lobel Modern, and custom nightstands, also by Chapeau. Architectural Digest recently toured chez Story, which has singular architecture and savvy decoration on display in equal measure.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn/Architectural Digest The kitchen is stocked with custom-made Wyeth counter stools, a Gaggneau fridge, Dornbracht sink fittings, and a range by Lacanche.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn/Architectural Digest The children's bedroom is decked out with a chartreuse curtain of Toile de Tours cotton-viscose by Georges Le Manach, the Chow Chow rug by Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs, and the 'About A Chair' chair by Hay from Karkula.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn/Architectural Digest A sandblasted concrete-paved loggia connects the children's wing to the main house. Story designed the sofas and lounge chairs herself, and brought in Mood armchairs by Bivaq from Karkula, a Gloster Bloc sectional sofa, and Boffi's Air ST ceiling fan. For more from Story, check our her work on the 2013 Kips Bay decorator show house.

Sara Story's Sprawling Texas Retreat [Architectural Digest] All Sara Story coverage [Curbed National]

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The Printed Page: Tour Interior Designer Sara Story's Enticing Texas Retreat

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The West Australian Sharon Wiley. Picture: Robert Duncan

The brainchild of interior designer Sharon Wiley, Seven Willow Designs is dedicated to showcasing her carefully curated goods, an artful selection of beautiful, unique and individual pieces sourced locally and nationally.

Having qualified as an interior designer 15 years ago, Ms Wiley's background and previous role as a designer for ID Interior Designers explains her educated eye.

"I then took a break to have my son and I worked for myself, renovating units and apartments in the Maylands and Mt Lawley area, alongside working extensively as an interior designer predominately in the Hills area," she said.

"Then, with a gentle push from friends and family, I decided to open up my own interior design/lifestyle concept store - and Seven Willow Design came to life."

Ms Wiley's criteria for editing her stock is simple. "I opened this store to showcase not only my interior design ideas but also my overall design philosophy of working with beautiful, unique and luxury products," she said.

"Every piece needs to be crafted with quality and possess a unique design element."

The selection is a kaleidoscope of homewares, art, gifts, exclusive soft furnishings, custom-designed furniture, women's clothing, accessories and a small selection of children's gifts - grouped like islands of styled vignettes.

"Most of my clientele are women wanting stylish, beautiful pieces of furniture, luxury, unique cushions or quality boutique pieces of clothing in soft silks or natural linen fabrics," Ms Wiley said.

The store stocks its own range of hand-poured soy candles (literally produced around the corner), which are made from organic soy and burn for 70 hours, alongside divine Aquiesse Portfolio Collection candles. While she loves each and every piece of her stock, Ms Wiley has a few top picks.

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Designer style in Mt Lawley

Choice Designs Inc., plans a grand opening after turning a warehouse space into its new designer showroom to showcase its new line of HGTV furniture.

The business has moved to 3223 Carroll Road behind the Shiloh near Carroll High School and the grand opening is scheduled for April 16 for the locally owned, interior design firm specializing in residential and light commercial design projects.

We moved out here in December and have spent the last several weeks turning this incredibly large warehouse into a designer showroom. The new showroom is approximately 12,000 square feet with 35,000 square feet of warehouse space, said Jennifer Ford, showroom manager.

Ford is the daughter of owner and founder Carma Reincke. Choice Designs, is a family-run business that's been serving northeast Indiana for 33 years.

One thing prompting the move to a larger facility was the collaboration with HGTV and the business's decision to expand into furniture.

We talked with them and they were really excited about having a designer showroom in northeastern Indiana. Because we have the HGTV furniture line we needed a bigger area to show off larger dining room vignettes and the expanding furniture line, said Ford.

Featured HGTV items include full bedroom suites; dining room sets; chairs; occasional tables and sofas.

Everything you would expect for your home, she said.

Besides finding the perfect piece, Choice Designs, can help with ideas during a remodel or, even when it is time to sell a house.

Remodeling is one of the largest portions of our business. So many people call us and just need a little bit of guidance on a kitchen remodel or a bath remodel even a room addition. People ask us about tearing out carpeting and installing hardwood floors that are so popular now, We really work in the capacity of a general contractor in so many of these cases, said Ford.

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Choice Designs Inc. is on the move

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Involving your child from an early age when decorating his or her room is important for a number of reasons, according to a former northeast Kansas interior designer.

With more 37 years of experience in the interior design business, Jolayne Hawver, of Ozawkie, said she enjoyed consulting and decorating childrens rooms.

I used certain games that would show me what their color preferences were, she said. That would give me some insight into what they preferred. I was letting the child be the client. I had a lot of really good results that way.

Hawver said a child cant obviously have input into how his or her nursery is going to be decorated, but starting as early as possible to involve your child in the decorating decision-making as they get older can pay off in many ways.

If theyre part of the process and their preferences and personality are put in that room, they are going to respond to that room better, she said. They will tend to keep it cleaner longer and do better in school. They just seem to grow more.

Theres no one right answer in decorating a childs room, Hawver said, as their tastes are going to change as they grow up, especially in the teen years.

However, for the preschool years, Hawver suggests using shelves with containers that store toys within reach.

You want them to be able to access them easily and put them away easily, she said. Having fewer toys is better. A few well-chosen toys is the best way to go. Their room stays uncluttered and they have room to play.

Other budget-friendly storage solutions that can grow with your child, Hawver said, are wicker baskets, plastic containers and buckets. She said these containers will eventually wear out but they can be used to store different things as your child gets older.

Another way to decorate on a budget is using chalkboard paint to allow your child to draw with chalk on his or her wall. As your child begins to draw or paint, taking their art and putting it in inexpensive frames allows you to change out their art as they get older.

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At Home Living: Decorating a child's room through the years