Introducing Wicked Local Belmont's newest community blogger

Introducing House Proud in Belmont. Interior Decorator Sue Morris, known as "The Design Coach," specializes in working with budget-minded clients. Morris, who has lived in Belmont with her family for 16 years, is a former textbook editor who returned to school in 2002, taking courses over a few years toward a Certificate in Decorative Arts.

The Design Coach was born during those years, as friends and friends-of-friends started asking Morris for help with their decorating dilemmas. She works in an informal but organized way as a consultant for clients who are looking for anything from a few paint colors to whole-house updates.

Visit wickedlocal.com/Belmont/blogs/houseproudinbelmont to learn more.

How did you get interested in decorating?

I think my interest in decorating started when I was very young and would create houses for my Barbies out of cardboard boxes! I spent a lot of time decorating those houses. Much later, when my husband and I bought out first house, I found that I really loved the decorating process. I truly enjoyed going to the paint store or the fabric store to pick out colors or fabrics. To me, drawing a floor plan is a good time. As I talked to other people, I realized that not everyone enjoyed the process... in fact, many of them found it painful.

What do you love most about decorating?

I love seeing how something as simple (and inexpensive) as a gallon of paint or a new light fixture can really transform a room. Since I have a home office, I spend a lot of time in my house, and I know how important it is to feel comfortable in your own home, and part of that is knowing that your home looks the way you want it to. That doesn't necessarily mean it looks like a home in a decorating magazine, but your home should reflect your taste and what feels comfortable to you. I love helping people realize that goal.

Was there a project you worked on that you are most proud of?

If so, what was it and why are you proud of it? My favorite project to date was actually my own home -- our summer cottage in RI. We practically rebuilt the whole house two years ago so I had to choose finishes -- from paint colors to light fixtures, tile, counters, and so on -- from a distance and often very quickly. I chose about 30 light fixtures over the course of one weekend. It was nerve wracking at times, and as with all construction projects, it went on much longer than we anticpated, but it was also very gratifying. Decorating a beach house is so fun because you tend to use a more whimsical approach and often choose materials and fixtures that you might not consider using in a full-time house. Our house ended up being featured in Builder and Architect magazine a year ago.

Why did you want to have a community blog?

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Introducing Wicked Local Belmont's newest community blogger