| Wednesday, April 7, 2004 New company is 'Bella' the ballA lot of people who have ever hired a decorator are familiar with the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Unfortunately, some decorators have a little trouble with their “beholding.” Fortunately, Fayette County has a new company that doesn’t tell their clients what “they should like.” Bella-Bella, owned and operated by Kelly Baker and Kathy Becknell, is a homeowner’s best friend. “We don’t want to decorate a home that the owners don’t feel is lovely to look at,” stated Kelly Baker, who is one half of the decorating duo. “We want our clients to love the look of their home and also feel like their personality is reflected in the decorating.” “We spend a lot of time just visiting with our clients before we even move the first piece of furniture” said Kathy Becknell with a smile. “Kelly and I would not like it if someone came into our homes and started telling us how wrong every thing was. We want our clients to have their tastes respected.” “We usually end up as friends with our clients so we only refer to them as clients for about the first 30 minutes,” added Kelly. Kathy jokes that what she and Kelly do a lot of times is to become “clutter consultants.” “We sometimes go into situations where we have a great room to work with; the client loves the ideas, but has a lot of, shall we say, stuff?” she said. “Kelly and I are there to help the homeowner let go of a few things. Boy, could we tell you some stories!” “Our goal is to work with our clients and not just for them,” said Kelly. “We want to include the homeowner in every step of the process and we truly enjoy that working relationship. We feel that we are creating beauty in their home with their permission. That builds a lot of trust and when we recommend something that they have not considered before, they are much more willing to give it a try and they love it!” Kelly and Kathy have empathy for the stressed-out mom who has become “creatively challenged” and has no energy, or even desire, to start a decorating makeover. “Let’s see, at last count I have four children and I believe Kelly is holding at five, right?” Kathy said, getting a big laugh out of Kelly. “Yep, five, and that is it for me,” Kelly said. Creating Bella-Bella came from the idea that there was a need for an affordable decorating service in the area, where clients felt relaxed and actually enjoyed the process of transforming their homes. “The name Bella-Bella came from the Italian word bella which means ‘pretty,’” said Kelly. “We want everything we do to reflect the beauty of what God has created in nature and bring that concept of beauty into our client’s homes.” With Kelly’s expertise in corporate America and Kathy’s nursing experience, both ladies have developed great communication skills and attention to detail that they incorporate into the Bella-Bella. “One area that we realized we were both gifted at,” said Kathy, “is friendliness that we both naturally have but was refined and honed in our previous careers. We love making and keeping friends.” Asked what specialties that Bella-Bella can offer, Kathy replied, “We specialize in paint color selection, furniture arrangement, accessorizing, and overall organization. We also love to decorate for special events such as birthdays, showers, parties, or weddings.” Client (turned friend) Teri Harper, married mom of four with one on the way, stated after having her bedroom redone, “This is the first time in many years of marriage that when I walk into my bedroom I can completely relax! The changes in my home have made a positive impact on our marriage and our whole family.” Drew Greenberg of Fayetteville had Bella-Bella decorate her home for a large holiday party. ”Everyone thought the house was holiday perfect,” she said. “A guest at our party said our home looked like it was straight out of a magazine! I was very pleased with the quality of the service.” Both Kelly and Kathy have a love of pretty things that ultimately make families feel good. They know firsthand if Mommy’s happy, then everybody’s happy. “Another goal of ours at Bella-Bella is to create beauty by transforming a home (room by room) and, many times, with using the items or furnishings their clients already own and love,” said Kathy. “By the way, the New Year (as well as the spring) is a great time for an updated look to your home,” said Kelly, giving a quick commercial. One interesting thing that was noticeable during this interview was that Kelly and Kathy look so much alike. “Even though we don't think we look that much alike, a lot of people ask us if we are sisters,” said Kathy, clearing the air. “I have even been called ‘Kelly’ at church.” Kelly added, “Kathy and I were introduced by a mutual friend (at our church) and now our friendship has blossomed into Bella-Bella and we both feel so blessed to be Bella-Bella.” Kathy quickly responded with a laugh, “Yeah ... we are pretty-pretty!” For an appointment with Bella-Bella, call 770-719-8735. The company offers gift certificates that are a unique way to show someone you care.
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