My name is True Knowles.  For over ten years, I’ve helped my wife Mary Cynthia run our design business.  I’m the chief cook, bottle washer, furniture mover, window treatment installer, and bookkeeper.  Whatever needed to be done, I’ve been there.

Of my various duties, I look forward the most to meeting people in our decorating classes.  As a business owner, it’s a fantastic way to get people together in a “living lab”.

So, I’m the decorating roadie because I help Mary Cynthia set up and host the diy design classes.  I lug in the bins, set up the chairs and the blackboard, lay out the fabric and flooring samples—whatever needs to be done, I’m there.

I do it because what fascinates me the most about the business of interior design and home décor is one word:  people.

More precisely, I’m constantly fascinated by what people value.  Why do they like the things they like?  Why do they make the decorating choices they make?  What kind of impressions do people have of our family’s profession?

Me?  Well, being married to a veteran interior designer, let’s just say it’s lucky I have the same taste as her ;-).

All this is a way of saying this is your forum. 

Let’s discuss what interests you. 

Rather than spend endless hours browsing online archives, let’s solve your decorating dilemmas. 

Our mission is to help you become your own decorating hero, whatever that looks like for you.

In order to fulfill this mission, and save you time, money and hassle in the process, we employ the principles of classic design.  Classic design is not about a look; it’s about how to make the look you want come together.  The principles work, no matter your taste, style, or budget.

Our design firm’s fundamental philosophy states, “Do it once, do it right, and get on with your life”.  To us, “doing it right” means you, the diy decorator, creating the perfect personal expression of who you are right now, how you live today.

And what you value.

The beauty of classic design lies in its flexibility, its simplicity, and it’s “user-friendliness”.

So where are we?

1)    This is your forum.

Each of you have different goals and values for your decorating.
Every project matters, because you matter.  You deserve a beautiful home.
We can help by offering you interior design advice as our firm has practiced it, for over 50 years, for over 5,000 clients.
To do that, we need to have a common language, to explain abstract concepts of color theory, scale and balance, and design composition in a simple, concrete way.

That’s where Decorating from the Inside Out comes in.  We have distilled our interior design teaching and practice down to 125 pages, and are including our Color and Color Flow DVD with the book.

Quite frankly, once you’ve finished the book and watched the DVD, you’ll know as much about interior design as a second-year college design student.  And, you’ll be better equipped to solve practical problems on your budget, and your timing.