To the untrained eye, it would seem that Lauren Clement has followed in her family's footsteps. Both her mother and father have been in business with Decorating Den since 1984; however, she initially was planning to go in an entirely different direction. When she was younger, Clement was not involved at all in her parents' business and went on to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology. "During grad school I had a change of heart and realized that what I wanted to do was interior design," Clement said. In March 2006, Clement purchased a franchise from Decorating Dens Interior, an international interior design company. She started and continues to run her business out of the basement of her house. Every room of the basement is fully furnished and serves a purpose for her company. "Having the company be home-based allows for low overhead," Clement said. More important than the costs was the flexibility it allows her. "Working at home allows me to be available to my clients and family around the clock." As a mother of one with another on the way, the location of her business allows Clement to cater to whatever issue is most pressing at the time. Realizing she isn't the only person who would rather have things done at home, Clement does all of her business at her customers' places. "We bring it all to them, which makes it really efficient," Clement said. She drives her white van with a big logo of her company on both sides, filled with presentation boards, to her customers' homes. Clement offers a complimentary initial consultation and helps her clients design their homes the way they want within their budget. Recently Clement returned from Phoenix, AZ, where Decorating Den's annual Dream Room contest took place. She walked away with first place in both the "Family Room" and "Children's Room" categories and received second place for the teen study room she designed in the "Miscellaneous" category, which includes "something that is not a main living space in the home," according to Clement. Her company is continuing to expand throughout the Loudoun County region. Through her strong rapport with clients, Clement has enjoyed many return customers when they need other rooms designed as well as having gained new contacts through word of mouth. "Clients become long-term clients and great friends," Clement said. "When I had Finley [her daughter] many of my previous clients wanted to see her and were there for me." |
