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August 21, 2002
Willow Glen, California Since 1992 |
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
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Clutter-Free: Denise Rainoldi-Fenton, left,
and Lara Pai are the women behind Organize 2
Dezign, a Willow Glen-based business
that helps people unclutter their lives. "We
give places face-lifts," Pai says.
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Business clears clutter from clients' busy lives
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Amy Jenkins
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In the slow economy, both Lara Pai and Denise
Rainoldi-Fenton found their jobs in jeopardy,
but instead of letting it get them down, they
left their stressful careers to pursue their
passion for interior design.
The two Willow Glen residents quickly became
friends after they met each other a year ago
in an interior design class. They were
surprised to find out they lived only a few
doors down from one another, Pai says.
While busy with full-time jobs in the
software and airline industries, they worked
on interior design projects on the side. When
they realized they could combine talents,
they started Organize 2 Dezign.
"Right now people in the valley are holding
onto every penny, and many are afraid that
interior design costs tons of money," says
Rainoldi-Fenton, 47, who owned her own
software company. "We mostly do room
makeovers, so we're using all the client's
own things. Only occasionally, if they want
us to buy something, we'll do that for them."
Pai says, "We tastefully and affordably make
over rooms using what people already have,
but function and organization take priority
over beauty."
Both have been trained and certified by the
nationwide organization Interior Redesign
Industry Specialists (IRIS), where they
learned how to redesign a room by pulling
furniture and accessories from other parts of
a home. One client had a beautiful quilt
tucked away in the closet, Pai recalls. They
combined the quilt with pillows taken from
other rooms and changed the look of the bed
and bedroom.
"It is common that something beautiful is in
the home but people don't know how to apply
it or where to put it so it looks the best,"
Pai says.
Another service they offer is home
organization. "We clean up a client's space
for them so they can clear their minds and go
onto something else, like spending time with
their family," Rainoldi-Fenton says.
Depending on the size of a project, in
several hours or days the pair can organize a
house. They often find people have meant to
donate or throw things away but haven't
gotten around to it, Pai says. So the pair
will put things in boxes with labels, make a
list of where things are located, make
donations and bring back a receipt to family
members.
One of their specialties is organizing home
offices, Rainoldi-Fenton says. Having had her
own home office for 20 years, she knows the
importance of functionality and makes that a
priority in those projects. The pair also
tries to find a way to close off the office
so people can separate work from private life
at the end of the day.
Before they get started on a project, Pai and
Rainoldi-Fenton meet with clients to find out
how rooms in the house are currently being
used. Pai finds that people often say they
eat dinner at the dining table but in reality
sit in front of the television. So to make a
room both functional and beautiful, they
often place a bistro table in living rooms
near the sofa to be used for meals.
Whether they've made over a home or a law
office, each client has the same reaction,
Rainoldi-Fenton says. "They look around in
amazement. Sometimes they cry. It is pure
gratification when we see their faces."
For more information about Organize 2
Dezign, contact Lara Pai 408.497.3290 or
larapai@netgate.net, or Denise
Rainoldi-Fenton at 408.316.2508 or
deniseo2d@aol.com. The website is located at www.organize2 dezign.com.
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