Local interior designer helping make homes both beautiful and safe
Arlene Bobb says she finds that many clients want to stay in their homes as they age.
BALA CYNWYD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Interior designer Arlene Bobb says a home should reflect the owner's personality and she encourages her clients to take risks with design. She added an accent wall in the dining room of her own home in Bala Cynwyd, PA to bring life and color to the space.
Bobb says she works to show clients "things they hadn't thought of," while also satisfying their needs and dreams. But she also fulfilled her passion and took a risk.
After teaching and raising kids, she embarked on a second career by starting Arlene Bobb Interior Design with much success.
"I started my business in 1998," said Bobb. "I went to Moore College of Art."
There, she learned interior design, but she also studied art at the Barnes Foundation. She works primarily in Philadelphia and on the Main Line and has won awards for her residential designs.
"I do all the design work," explained Bobb. "We look at different suggestions."
She says clients get to see many samples to help them decide on everything from lighting, to different fabrics for furniture and window treatments.
"Then we go to color palettes," she said. Bobb says her goal is "to make them feel good about their space."
And now, Bobb can also make a client's home safer. During the pandemic, she became a Certified Living in Place Professional.
"We don't want to ever have a mat in a bathroom," she said. "This is a trip hazard."
She says she finds that clients want to stay in their homes as they age. "Some of the things are really important to do so that that can happen," says Bobb.
She recommends older clients install grab bars and curbless showers so they don't have a step to manage to get into the shower. This is helpful for people with limited mobility or for someone in a wheelchair.
Bobb says these adjustments need to be addressed for older clients, so they won't fall in their homes. And she says now it's very doable since the design world has recognized this need and is creating these necessary details to look beautiful and add to the design of a room.
She says her greatest reward is making her clients happy.
"I really enjoyed expanding my business to help clients that really need these features," said Bobb. "To make sure that they're safe."
For more information about Arlene Bobb Interior Design, visit: https://arlenebobbinteriordesign.com/
