Stars of Design:

Melissa Brewer; CEO M'elle Decor

NA: You have developed a builder showroom with an incredible reputation as a builder expert, can you explain a little on how you got into this field and a brief description of what you do?

MB: I was blessed to begin in the retail floor and countertop industry for the first (9) years and expanded into full interior design through remodels, custom homes, and conversions in Washington State, Oregon, and Hawaii. I have a major in Interior Design through Family Studies and a minor in Accounting. Our appointments can be very intense and are mostly relationship based so a keen sense of reading others’ emotions and managing their budgets is crucial. Moving into the builder industry in Southern California (6) years ago, I was introduced to a concept that encompasses an initial plan that is duplicated to encompass multiple homes with the ultimate goal of creating enough selections for a homebuyer to feel as if they’re purchasing a semi-custom home as well as meeting all construction dates at the job sites. Creating a program that benefits the homebuyer as well as creating a profit for builders allows everyone to see a value in the builder design process.

NA: When a client comes into your showroom, how do you start?

MB: Following mutual introductions, we don’t normally jump right into product selections. Stories are usually shared to learn the buyer’s lifestyle wishes and budget expectations. We spend a lot of time getting to know the family members that will be enjoying the benefits of our design selections. At that point, we’ll usually narrow down the showroom selections to a handful of choices so as not to overwhelm our clients. Meeting their budgets and style preferences we can give them a range of products to stretch them from the norm and still be within their means.
NA: What style is your home? How did you get to that decision?

MB: Laughing…my home is all about comfort and low maintenance! If there’s such a style as country beach cottage…that’s me. I like the reclaimed 7” beach silver woods with autumn slates, painted brick walls, and overstuffed white furnishings. I like the sparkle of polished chrome lamps with clear acrylic and white accents and sexy offices of white leather and polished chrome. It’s ironic that I’m so into whites. Our design worlds are based so much on color that a room of white allows me to freely play with extreme colors and soft neutrals.

NA: Do you have a favorite style that you wouldn’t do in your home? If so why?

MB: I absolutely love soft modern urbanism. The simplicity is appealing to me. I like to mix textures such as natures woods and slates with glass and metals. If I could discipline myself to live in this simplicity without my flurry of clutter…I’d love this style in my own surroundings. HOWEVER…the “beachy” cottage forgives me of this tidiness!
What is you favorite product and why? I really like the reclaimed woods that we’re seeing more of this year. We can find a “green” story in its history because the wood has been taken from temples in China and reused in the US. There are a lot of knot holes, color variations, and uneven edges that make it nearly impossible to maintain (so I don’t have to!!!) and I would venture to say that it couldn’t be matched if you were trying to duplicate an area because of its rareness and individuality. It can be found in light painted greys to deep chocolate espressos.

NA: What do you think has been your greatest success story?

MB: I have two: my son and my naivety. I have been blessed with a son that has grown me up these past (14) years into a centered and extremely focused mom and business person. We set our goals and our sights early and we’ve been accountable to one another. My naivety conveniently blindfolds me prior to jumping in and taking on the world because…I never knew that I couldn’t. My son and I have incredible family support and a strong (overly competitive) will to succeed. We motivate each other to be better people. We play hard and we laugh loud. Life isn’t worth working this hard unless you’ve got someone at home cheering you on and helping to guide your way!

NA: What are your plans and goals for Melle Décor in five years?

MB: Let’s just focus on these next (5) months!!! Actually, I hope to have grown M’Elle Décor to expand into other local markets such as Washington and Oregon. I hope to hire the right people and get out of their way so we can all make great money; be proud of work; and play really really hard!

M'elle Decor

850 E. Parkridge Ave #110

Corona, Ca 92879

www.melledecor.com

951.279.2341

Smith & Fong Plyboo

Smith & Fong Plyboo

Resource Day: Plyboo

Plyboo product from Smith & Fong takes bamboo to another level. Not only does this product have a spectacular design and style but it is green and sustainable. Please view the link to their site:

Plyboo® History

Smith & Fong was founded by two friends in the spring of 1989. Since then we have dedicated our efforts to developing new uses and applications for bamboo. With imagination and technology bamboo is being manufactured into flooring, paneling, and plywood. The base material for all our products is "Plyboo". Plyboo is our term for laminated bamboo and is a registered trademark of Smith & Fong Company.

Timber Bamboo

Growing and Harvesting Fast growing and long lived, our timber bamboo grows to a height of 40 feet with a diameter exceeding 6 inches and matures in 5-6 years. Bamboo is a grass and from an environmental standpoint, this is important. Unlike traditional hardwoods, bamboo when harvested does not require replanting. Mature bamboo has an extensive root system that continues to send up new shoots for decades. Our bamboo is grown in managed forests in China. Harvesting is done by hand, minimizing the impact on the local environment. By working with bamboo and understanding its growth patterns, bamboo farmers are able to maximize timber production while maintaining healthy forests.

Manufacture of Plyboo®

All our products are made from Bamboo strips. Bamboo is hollow in the center and we are working with the wall thickness of the stalk. The wall at the base can be more than an inch thick and will taper over the length of the stalk. We are milling a flat strip from the core of thiswall. These strips are then boiled in a bath of boric acid and lime solution. The purpose of this bath is to extract the starch that attracts termites or powder post beetles. Boric acid and lime are a natural non-toxic repellent, used to insure that our products will come to you pest free and will continue to be so throughout the duration of their product life. The strips are kiln dried and sanded to a smooth surface for laminating. The strips are then laminated edge to edge to create a single-ply panel. These panels are then laminated again to each other to create a multi-ply bamboo plywood. Our products come in two colors, natural and amber. The natural color is the color of the bamboo untreated. The amber color is derived from a heat treatment process that darkens the bamboo, giving it a warm tea-stained, amber tone. Smith & Fong believes strongly in both educating the public about the products we manufacture as well as supporting our community at large.