Sooner or later, every home, no matter how beautifully decorated, will need to undergo a design refresh to avoid looking dated. With more than three decades of experience, Donna Grimes, owner of Serenity Design in Ship Bottom, has perfected the art of the refresh. Serenity Design is a complete home design center. Many of Grimes’ projects are new construction, where she works side-by-side with architects to design clients’ interiors from the start of the building process. “Clients are referred to us several ways,” Grimes explains. “Sometimes they are sent by the builder, other times by the architect, and still other times they visit the store on their own, when they find us through our website, Instagram or word of mouth from our long list of satisfied clients.” The need for a storefront stemmed from Grimes’ growing involvement in the design process. Her firm does it all, from start to finish, complete with partnerships with
preferred contractors to truly get the entire job done. “When renovating their homes, people don’t need to visit 16 different shops. My ability to buy direct from suppliers allows me to offer our clients a large selection of products at competitive prices,” Grimes shares about her storefront, which sells flooring and tiles, lighting, cabinetry and furniture, window treatments and smaller home accessories. However, you don’t need to completely rebuild your home to update your look. Grimes’ latest project in Beach Haven Park is a refresh on a design project she originally completed about 14 years ago. “It was a spec home. We personalized it with furniture, window coverings, area rugs and a few custom pieces,” Grimes says. Though the clients took pristine care of their furniture and home, the desire to freshen up the popular tan and cream palette of the early 2000s was a natural progresOPEN HOUSE MAGAZINE
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