New ownership announced for Decorating Den
With the retirement of Carol and Jacques Gagnon, Decorating Den veterans Judy Underwood, Allied ASID and Cliff Welles, ASID, have assumed ownership of the Decorating Den design studio.
The studio will remain at the Sanibel Promenade on Tarpon Bay Road, and the team of five experienced designers and office manager Bobbie McGlynn will stay in place.
“Carol and Jacques have been our friends and colleagues for more than 18 years,” said Welles. “We know their entire team very well, so the transition is a natural for them, for us, and our long term Sanibel/Captiva clientele. We eagerly look forward to providing our usual great service and fashionable, affordable furnishings and designs to residents and island investors alike.”
Welles and Underwood have served as the Florida Regional Directors for Decorating Den since 1993, with design studios in Sarasota, Bradenton, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs/Estero, and Naples, plus Miami, Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale, Weston, Parkland, and Boca Raton on the east coast.
“The designer team is excited to introduce new ‘looks’ into our local studio library,” said Underwood. “We are creating additional space for new lines and sampling to serve our Sanibel/Captiva clients even better.”
Long-term team decorator Cindy Malszycki stated, “We’ve known this was in the works for several weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited to have such experienced leadership take over our studio. We literally have access to the entire home furnishings market right from our offices, and we bring it all to our clients’ homes. And if necessary, we’re experts in ‘long distance’ decorating for absent owners.”
Malszycki noted that investors still have time to get rental properties refreshed for the upcoming “season,” and that the growing number of new buyers of existing single-family homes will benefit from Decorating Den’s incredible global resources and experienced design team.
Underwood’s work has been featured in shelter magazines and several hard-back design books, including the recently published “Decorating The Professional Touch!” by Carol Donayre Bugg, ASID, DDCD. As certified designers with the Sustainable Furnishings Council, the Decorating Den promotes ecologically-friendly furnishings for both homes and commercial spaces.
Originally from the midwest, Welles and Underwood have been in South Florida for 25 years, and now both reside in Southwest Florida.
Decorating Den will remain open during minor renovations in September, and a “grand re-opening” of Decorating Den Interiors/Sanibel is scheduled for October. For more information, call the studio at 472-6551.