Fernand Roderick

Fernand began his creative life as an artist until the theatre world captivated him and sent him around the world from Europe to Asia and the Americas. His love for design started with theatre sets in creating moods for the story which continues today with clients worldwide.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
I strive to design unique interiors that will have a positive impact on my clients’ lives by offering a balance of creativity, collaboration and forward thinking with a structured, organized and detailed mentality; enabling them to deliver focused development, follow through and total completion to each aspect of the design.

Describe your relationship with your clients.
Great designs, whether personal spaces or commercial properties, begin with a comprehensive understanding of clients’ needs and expectations. My ability to develop client relationships are based on respect, trust, and confidence has been the key to my success as a designer.

Why should a designer work with an interior designer?
Skilled at creating beautiful designs under a variety of budgets, styles, timeframes, and requirements, I guide my clients through every phase of the design process. My mission is to assist both residential and commercial clients in creating timeless spaces. Whether classic or contemporary, across a vast range of styles, I balance colors, textures, and lighting to create a space that reflects my clients’ personalities and suits their design needs.

Vincent Paganelli

Vincent enjoys traveling and exploring other cultures which opens his mind to a world of opportunity and creativity.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is selecting fabrics and textiles as my background includes over 20 years of fabric experience.

Why do your clients adore you?
My clients appreciate my creativity and genuine desire to please my customers .I make sure to take care of all the finishing touches as well as complete the space, my design work allows the personality of his clients to shine in their homes.

Describe your relationship with your clients.
Honest, open genuine and their faith in my abilities plus my genuine desire to please my customers while also avoiding costly errors.

Why should customers work with a designer?
To avoid costly mistakes.

Ester Bedard- Stamford

Been with Safavieh 12 years, owned an antique store and an avid collector of antiques and antique dolls and has 6 children

What is your favorite part of your job?
Getting to know my customers and being able to satisfy their vision.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
Putting together and decorating my own home and my friend’s homes. I enjoy beautiful things.

Why do your clients adore you?
My honesty, kindness and my warmth- I am here to do the best for them.

What are your hobbies?
Organization, Staging and decorating.

Sandy Dabrow

Sandy is open to all concepts, styles, technology and people. She loves art, going to the museum and traveling; Paris, Italy, and Mexico among her favorite destinations. She also loves natural pieces of glass and stone and how they can add warmth to a room. Sandy has been with Safavieh for five years.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
Whatever is in fashion. I love color, new items, and upholstery in blues, greens and silvers.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
When I bought my first home I fell in love with the idea of interior design.

How is your favorite room in your home decorated and which room is it?
My living room is eclectic. Its an accumulation of a chinoiserie check, Hickory Chair sofa, antique xatan chairs and a Lucite table.

Why do your clients adore you?
I am honest, low key and not pushy.

What is one item in your home that you cherish and why?
I have four special Lalique pieces left. The rest I gave to all my children.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
Talk, talk, talk, and then talk some more!

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can help with sizes, especially in making things work in small spaces. I have a certain taste level and cannot sell furniture that I don’t personally like.

Iris Carias

Iris likes running and walking her dog. She speaks Spanish and has worked on projects both big and small. Iris has been with Safavieh for 4 years

What is your decorating style/specialty?
I really like to mix things up.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I like pleasing my clients and seeing their faces when a project is completed. Their expressions are priceless.

Why is Safavieh special?
We have styles and price points of furniture for everyone.

Why do your clients adore you?
I give them what they want. I create harmony because I’m patient, attentive and a good listener.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can clear up a client’s confusion. I am able to do this by guiding them and helping them select particular items and a color scheme.

What accessories are a must?
Window treatments!! They dress up and complete a room.

Melissa Sarhane

Melissa is Moroccan, she’s an artist and former custom design specialist for a rug company. Melissa speaks French, Spanish and English and has been at Safavieh for six years.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
Modern with a Moroccan twist and touch.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
Since I was 10 years old I’ve had a passion for art. Interior design is a marvelous extension and expression of my love for art and design. .

Why do your clients adore you?
I’m patient, responsible, charming and committed to assisting them with every aspect of their projects.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
I find that many people are afraid of color, so I always ask them, “Is there a particular color that makes you happy?” After that we talk about the many options for using it.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can help a customer to think outside of the box and expand the possibilities for their project.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
I make sure to take care of all required measurements and I do all the proper research for them.

What attracted you to interior design?
I started with rugs, custom coloring them. This experience got me excited to design from the floor up to the ceiling.

Stephanie Stephens Gans

An army brat, Stephanie relocated 16 times and says, “Our furniture never caught up with us.” Stephanie was first a textile designer, and now she paints watercolors.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
I knew when I was nine years old that I wanted to become an interior designer. I love changing lives by changing interiors.

Why do your clients adore you?
Oh, that’s easy. I am talented smart and funny!

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
I suggest to them, “Always think bigger than you can imagine,” and then I help them to do so.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
Working with a designer makes the process of interior design much more economical and offers a client many choices.

Natalie Brown

Natalie loves babysitting, adores her grandchildren and playing mahjong. Her husband is a representative of a leading furniture manufacturer. Natalie started working part time at Safavieh 11 years ago part time, which she says, “Grew into fulltime so I would stop eating and spending money.”

What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy working with my clients to help them create their own dream décor; especially in pulling a room together with just the right colors, furniture and fabrics.

How is your favorite room in your home decorated and which room is it?
My family room. It is casual yet elegant; leather sectional, swivel chairs, whimsical accessories. It’s a room where everyone feels comfortably at home.

Why do your clients adore you?
I listen to their needs and wants and then I guide rather than push them in a particular direction. I tell them, “This is your house, not mine. It needs to be what you love.”

Describe your relationship with your clients.
Well, I think my relationship with my clients is a good one because they keep coming back!

Kosh Palmer

Kosh has been with Safavieh for nine years. She was born in India, schooled in England and went to design school in the United States, an obvious indication of her love of traveling. Kosh is fluent in English, Hindi, and French.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
Mine is a modern approach to neo classic period style and design.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Helping clients to decipher the vision they have for their space.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
When I was 19 visiting the Hermitage in ST. Petersburg Russia.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can help them bring their vision to life.

What accessories are a must?
For me its antique candle sticks and candelabras.

Beena Ramachandra

Beena is an extremely caring home gardener who loves tending to flowers and vegetables almost as much as creating inspired interior home design. Beena came to US from India 30 years ago has been with Safavieh for six years

What is your favorite part of your job?
Making the people I meet happy.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
At the age of 16, growing up in India, I became more and more thrilled over wearing colorful scarves and exotic jewelry. It wasn’t long before I knew that I wanted to bring fashion to furnishings as an interior designer.

How is your favorite room in your home decorated and which room is it?
The living room is my favorite. It’s exotic, ethnic and filled with my mask collections that I have accumulated over the years while traveling all over the world.

Why do your clients adore you?
I listen to them.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can help customers avoid the problem of having a hodgepodge look to their home décor. With a little
assistance from a designer their ideas and décor preferences can work and flow together beautifully.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
I help them to avoid making basic mistakes that they may not consider; mistakes that could possibly take away from the look and feel they are trying to achieve.

What are your favorite pieces of furniture/ accent pieces?
I like accent pieces to complete a look. A great chair can add punch to a room. Wall art can make a huge
impact when entering a room and can really help to complete the entire look of a room.

What attracted you to interior design?
Colors. I love colors. I grew up with spice colors and like to amalgamate them together.

Dwayne Thomas

Dwayne says, “I am a jokester. I like to make jokes and make projects fun and enjoyable.”
When he’s not working with clients Dwayne enjoys going to museums.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
I like to design with a timeless aesthetic coupled with some current trends to keep it fresh.

What is your favorite part of your job?
The end result; when everything comes together, the furniture, rugs, window treatments, accessories, and the client is overwhelmingly pleased.

Why is Safavieh special?
We have unlimited resources and possibilities at Safavieh that can please everyone’s taste and style.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
My very first client purchased everything that I had picked out for them. That’s when I knew that I had discovered my passion

Why do your clients adore you?
I make it enjoyable for them to spend their money.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort
zone?
I tell them to open their mind to their own possibilities. I break them out of their comfort zone one step at a time.

Colleen Kiel

Colleen has been with Safavieh for nine years. “This is my third career. I was a magazine publisher, a singer and now I’m an interior designer,” notes Colleen. “I still sing in semiprofessional female chamber chorus that sings internationally, and have done so for the past 20 years.” Colleen also loves to swim.

What is your decorating style/specialty?
Modern but colorful.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Unifying all the elements of design into a beautiful interior.

Why is Safavieh special?
The beautiful furniture of course, and the rugs!!!!

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
A friend commented on my home and encouraged me to use my talent. Next thing I know I’m attending the Parsons School of design.

Describe your relationship with your clients.
Friendly but professional.

What is one item in your home that you cherish and why?
The view of the Hudson River.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer can bring a more cohesive flow to the entire look and feel of a room.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
By being creative and well organized.

Lisa Lavender- Chelsea

What is your decorating style/specialty?
Luxurious home decor that is effortless and efficiently beautiful. Each space has a language built by the formation of the space and lifestyle of the client.
The design is something that already exists, you have to visualize the context of the space and translate that concept into the expression of the clients.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
My Mother recognized that my creative abilities were more extensive than drawing and painting, that I had an intuitive ability to visualize a space. During high school I spent my summer jobs designing and decorating our house and her friends’ houses. She encouraged me to study Interior Design which led to my instructor seeing that gift needed to be focused on architecture. I’m more of an interior architect by training, balancing the analytics of space along with functionality and aesthetics.

Why do your clients adore you?
A relationship with clients is built on trust. Clients are drawn to my charm, wit, professionalism, and thorough product knowledge.They value my strong work ethic, and they know that I’m dedicated to giving them the end result they dreamed of as well as creating an enjoyable experience throughout the process.

Tell me something interesting about yourself?
I attended Parsons School of Design in New York City and hold a Masters in Architecture Degree. My passion for the creative process, attention to detail is what makes me proficient from the schematic design phase, design development through administration. I am passionate about taking risks to create new experiences for the good of others.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
The key to the design process is learning how to manage expectations, always emphasizing both the best- and worst-case scenarios. Clients trust me and know my loyalty is to the execution of their vision. I relieve the burden of them having to do all the hard work. Their trust inspires me to do my best work for them.

Regina Semeraro Manhasset

What is your decorating style/specialty?
With a strong background in lighting, I have grown to love the element of lighting. To me, lighting transforms a space.. it’s the jewelry in a room. Another specialty is color, I love mixing colors that are fun and bold and using them to accent and define a space while giving it personality.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Coordinating. I love working with various patterns and textures to create a story while enhancing the space.

Why do your clients adore you?
I think clients can sense that I am doing what I love to do. I take the time to let them know what works best. I also listen to their needs and styles without pushing my own style on them.

Describe your relationship with your clients.
I like to build relationships with my clients, get to know them so I can deliver the most appropriate style and design that leave my clients breathless.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
Many of my clients tell me they want to change their style and be more fun and daring but they are stuck. So, I guide them to make small changes and gradually add. Simple accessories would be a good start.. baby steps are always best rather than drastic changes.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
Many people have difficulty executing how they envision their space, not understanding how things coordinate together. I see a lot of fear in clients. With a designer, they can make choices with confidence with a designer if they do not trust themselves. Designers can think out of the box while assuring them of what works and what does not.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
When I take on a project, I provide direction, not leaving the customers to make their own decisions. If you show support and confidence, the customer will have trust in your guidance.

What are your favorite pieces of furniture/ accent pieces?
I love ottomans, I feel they enhance and fill in the space without taking over the room. When there are too many large pieces, the space can look overwhelming. Wallpaper is another feature that transform a room. There are so many fun patters and textures, I encourage all my clients to consider wallpaper as part of their design plan.

What accessories are a must?
Pillows, pillows and pillow! Another fun way to shape a space. Taking a neutral background and adding a few glittery and colorful pillows allows you to be creative. With accessories, you can change the color of your space easily over and over again.

Alise Vitale Glen Cove

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part is helping my clients make their homes look beautiful and a place they enjoy spending time.

Why do your clients adore you?
I am very patient and easy to get along with.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
I explain to them that they want their home to be unique and standout, make a statement, not look like everyone else’s house.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
Redesigning a home is a lot of work and can be overwhelming if you are not used to doing it all the time. Having a designer alleviates a lot of the stress because we walk you through it step by step and make it an easy process.

What are your hobbies?
I love to eat, I am such a foodie, hang out with family and friends, travel, hike, ski, dance, anything fun!

Maryvi Araujo- Glen Cove

What is your decorating style/specialty?
I personally love modern style with lots of light colors but work with all my clients specific tastes and styles.

What is your favorite part of your job?
I like making my clients dreams come true by designing their dream rooms and whole home.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
My mother is an interior designer so I have been designing interiors all my life.

Why do your clients adore you?
All my design work is complete from ceiling to lighting to floors. I also am very patient and take my time making sure the design is perfect.

Tell me something interesting about yourself?
I have traveled taking Design courses in Germany, Italy and the Dominican Republic. I do a lot of international design work. Design is my passion, and I give all that passion to every project I do.

What is one item in your home that you cherish and why?
My mother gave me a handmade rustic console and I constantly change the accessories so it always looks amazing.

How do you encourage clients to make bolder choices or step out of their comfort zone?
I let them know that every piece they choose is an investment not only is buying what’s beautiful, it’s making the right decision because that piece will make a big impact and I’m sure they will love it. I also customize each of my design work to make sure they fit each customer’s needs and styles.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
I can save a client money and stay under budget. Clients cannot image what the finished space will look like, but I can and guide them through each step.

What accessories are a must?
Mirrors and lighting are a must, they complement any style and make a space look elegant.

Scott Mattson-Norwalk

What is your decorating style/ specialty?
My style is classic/modern and contemporary

What is your favorite part of your job?
Designing interiors “It’s like painting in 3-dimensions”

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer.
It was when I was in the 5th grade we moved, and because my older brother got the larger room, my parents negotiated with me, that I could design my room any way that I wanted, because I got the smaller room. So basically, it was, Red shag rug / artistic lamps/ and a sleeper sofa instead of a bed. (it was the 70’s) and everyone was always in my room, which was a lot of fun.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
When a person works with a designer, the client is able to convey their desires and vision. When the designer is able to extrapolate from what the client has said, art is created in space. Art in the form of interior design, where people live and experience their lives, and memories are made. Home becomes art, and art becomes the Home.

What are your hobbies?
My hobbies are drawing, sketching, and painting.

Cecilia Stalgis- Bridgewater

What is your decorating specialty?
I love the challenge of helping a client find their own style if they are unsure. Or being able to read what my client is looking for.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is the planning stages, finding all the pieces to the puzzle to make it work and having a happy client in the end.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an interior designer?
I come from a family of Architects and Designers and have been around design all my life. I studied Architecture in Argentina for a while before moving to live in Europe. In the US I went to Parsons and I’m also a sculptor and paint so color and spatial awareness is second nature to me.

How is your favorite room in your home decorated and which room is it?
The favorite room in my house is my living room, it’s elegant but also welcoming. And has been evolving over time, so it reflects the way I live.

Why do your clients adore you?
My clients like that I listen, I don’t pressure them to make a decision and I try my best to make them enjoy the experience and be happy with their purchases.

Tell me something interesting about yourself?
I come from Argentina. I am also a sculptor and do oil painting and water colors. I have designed furniture, clothing, jewelry and gardens as well.

Describe your relationship with your clients ?
Think clients appreciate my personality, how much attention I pay to them and that I try my best to give them something special but that fits into their lifestyle.

What is one item in your home that you cherish and why?
An oil painting I got from a famous painter from Uruguay, I admired his work since I was a teen ager and bumped into one of his paintings in an auction.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
We are used to think of the project as a whole and can envision the end result and avoid costly mistakes.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
They can tell me what they want and I do the work for them or I help them find their style.

What are your favorite pieces of furniture/ accent pieces?
Love rugs and art work.

What are your hobbies?
Hiking, sailing, tennis, swimming, sculpting, painting, gardening, movies, art galleries, home improvement.

What accessories are a must?
Paintings and rugs are the things that makes a plain room more enjoyable. Other accents can be changes over time to make a room stay current.

What type of client benefits most from your style?
The one that benefits more from working with me is the one that gives me a bit of free reign and does not tell me everything they want… if you leave some space for a new perspective you may find out that the end project benefits a lot!

Irene Prieto

My name is Irene Prieto. A visionary and interior design artist. Form, light, colors, textures, and patterns make a space responsible for establishing harmony. I conceptualize everything, brainstorm, and make pivots if necessary to incorporate functionality and aesthetically pleasing spaces with a timeline and budget to meet my client’s interests and tastes. It’s what fuels me, makes me wake up in the morning to do what I love

Susan Zulauf- Paramus

What is your decorating style/specialty?
My relationship with my clients is quite easygoing and fun. I try to be a good listener and help them pull their rooms together by brainstorming ideas with them.

Why should a customer work with a designer?
A designer takes the hardship out of creating the clients vision and helps tie the home together in a cohesive way. Create a flow.

What accessories are a must? ?
I find artwork and photos are a must in a room. They finish a room and give it great individual character. It’s not just the sectional, chair and coffee table, which might be the base pieces in the room, but all the extra special touches that make it interesting.

Tell me something interesting about yourself?
I have my own licensing and freelance business, Zulauf Designs, since 1995. Gallery art, photography and decorative art for manufacturers. Then I’ve owned and run 3 craft galleries over the course of 15 years in Ridgewood NJ.

Megan Osborn

What is your design style/specialty?
My aesthetic is classic with a bit of flare. I am all about creating warm and inviting environments. I like to create fresh, cohesive designs that fulfill my client’s needs.

Why should a customer work with me?
With more than 10 years of experience working in the high-end furniture industry, I have a refined eye for color, I have a deep understanding of design, and a passion for transforming spaces.

Why do your clients adore you?
I am easy-going and friendly. I make sure I understand their needs, and together we create a space that they will love and appreciate year after year.

How do you make life easier for your clients?
I ensure all my projects are completed from start to finish by creating floor plans, selecting fabrics, finishes, accessories, and wall coverings all the way to furniture delivery. I will go to a client’s home to make sure the furniture is properly installed and the design is exactly how the client envisioned.

What are your hobbies?
I love spending time with my family in Upstate New York, I love swimming, downhill skiing, and watching Football.