Photos courtesy of Karen McPherson.

by Shannon Bowman-Sarkisian

February 2011 — There’s a sense of euphoria that comes from giving new life to your home and furniture — that’s what designer Denise Dolan believes. A Bay Area native, Dolan grew up in Berkeley and attended the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. After graduating, she landed her dream job as a window stager at I. Maginin & Co. and Saks. Dolan later moved to Hawaii, and then went to Oregon, where she opened a store that specialized in refurbished furniture and high-end clothing. Her love affair with creating beautiful, custom-made pieces from existing materials flourished in Portland.

After returning to the East Bay during the tech boom of the 1990s, Dolan continued working as a buyer and stager for premium furniture stores before eventually settling on the Coastside in Pacifica. However, like many people in the Bay Area, she had to reevaluate her career when the industry crashed. “Nobody was hiring in furniture anymore,” says Dolan, “but life had to go on.”

And so she combined her love of furniture staging and repurposing to create Denise Dolan Designs, a one-of-a-kind interior design business that specializes in helping people reinvigorate their homes. Dolan is often hired to stage homes that are on the market. “A lot of people are in dire straits right now. They have to sell their homes,” she says, “I reuse all of what they have and repaint things they thought they’d have to throw away. I try to make the experience positive and fun — we change paint colors and hang up artwork to give the house a whole new look.” She also mixes her own paint when needed — combining paint from her own stock with her client’s leftover paint to get just the right shade.

Dolan’s clients want to revitalize their homes for a variety of reasons. Some want their kitchens to be beautiful and practical, some want a serene space of their own, and others suffer from depression and need an uplifting environment. “The driving force is making people happy,” she says. “It gives me great pleasure to make people content in their surroundings.”

Because Dolan reuses what you already have, the design process is both earth-friendly and budget-conscious. Say Dolan, “I try to always make it clear to my clients that I don’t just come in and buy new furniture. It’s not going to cost an arm and a leg. Mostly what I do is move furniture.” In fact, Dolan prefers it this way. “It’s kind of boring just going in and buying everything. This is more fun. It gets the creative juices flowing.” Clients can be involved in the process if they choose — Dolan gave one client an easel to paint the artwork that will adorn her redesigned home. She works with couples to ensure that their home represents both people, and helps homeowners unclutter their living spaces.

Repurposing goes beyond interior design for Dolan. She also creates birdhouses, pillows and other household items with her good friend Sophia Beroni — the two call themselves The Salvage Sisters. Everything they create and sell is made from found material. They scour garage sales and antique shops looking for that almost-perfect piece that needs a second chance and a new coat of paint.

It’s difficult to tell if Dolan loves designing or repurposing more — she speaks animatedly about both and obviously enjoys her work. Recycling, being budget-conscious, and going green tend to be viewed as tedious responsibilities like brushing your teeth or doing laundry. But Dolan reminds us that these challenges have an upside. “I’m having more fun working using my creativity — making something out of nothing,” she says.

You can reach Dolan by phone at 650-581-1671 or by e-mail at DeniseDolanDesign@yahoo.com.