When it comes to home décor, striking the right balance between function and aesthetic can be a challenge. That’s where interior designers come into play. The Main Line-based mother-daughter duo of Blair Britt and BettyAnn Kraft are the owners of Bella B Home. Together, they transform small and large spaces alike to perfectly suit their clients’ needs.

With backgrounds in the corporate world and fashion industry, they meld business with fresh, update styles. In addition to home decorating, the pair help prepare elegant parties and tablescapes that create warm, inviting atmospheres, something they bring to all of their work. Here, they offer advice for decorating and insight into their unique process.

Start with an idea. When meeting with their clients, both Blair and BettyAnn love to see ideas to get the process started, whether that’s a photo or an entire inspiration book. “We can build on that,” says BettyAnn. But they recognize that not everyone has a set of ideas going into a project. When that’s the case, they listen to their clients’ needs, ask questions, and go from there. “We listen to what they want and try to create their dream and bring it to life. We build from their words,” she adds.

Find the right elements and aesthetic. They take their clients’ preferences and create rooms that can stand the test of time. “It needs to be timeless,” Blair says, adding that she likes to keep things like the primary furniture, wall coverings and window treatments neutral, letting the accessories and accents add a colorful pop. “If a client wants to change accessories in six months, we can add those small pieces and make the room different” she says. This is true of some clients who like to change things like throw pillows and area rugs seasonally. “You can add art, pillows or color without having to change your core pieces,” she says. That comes with a practical element, too: “Those core pieces are what you spend your money on,” Blair says, so they should be able to transition and last.

Present the options. One of the things that makes Bella B Home so unique is the way in which Blair and BettyAnn present an option to their clients. Unlike other interior decorators who rely exclusively on photos or their own preferences, they give clients a full preview of the potential transformation and a full scope of the budget. That comes in the form of storyboards, 3-D drawings and floor plans. They create an entire picture, from an aerial perspective to a standard one, so clients get the full vision. They also include the fabrics and actual furniture they plan to use. “People are floored—they can actually see the design. They’ll get that piece of furniture in that color and fabric,” says BettyAnn, which makes it much easier to visualize and therefore commit to.

Customize with materials and accessories. Blair and BettyAnn customize everything from banquettes and settees to lighting and fabrics. “We’re crazy about chandeliers and one wall has to have a pop of color. We’re huge proponents of peel and stick wallpaper. You can peel it off in a year and there’s no damage to the wall.” One of the most dramatic ways to improve and customize a room is with window treatments, which are extremely important in the currently popular two-story living room. “They’re one of our specialties,” Blair says. “There are a million different ways to make a window come to life. Window treatments pull the entire room together.” Whether that’s bold patterns or color, or something understated, the proper material and length are powerful in transforming a room, making it feel luxurious. “We take so much pride in the materials we’re using.” They sift through thousands of options to find the right one for each client.

Update as necessary. Because they use a mix of neutral colors for core pieces, rooms don’t need to be updated frequently. Blair recommends freshening up every seven to 10 years, making small swaps with accessories in between.

Whether updating an entire house or a single room, Bella B Home is there to help through the entire process. Both Blair and BettyAnn say that open, honest communication between all involved parties is crucial to achieving the perfect results. “We want our clients to feel like a part of the process, to be excited. They become family,” Blair says. The entire process, from first phone call to consolation through the final reveal, takes between 12 and 14 weeks. Throughout those weeks, Bella B Home makes the process painless, with stunning results.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, call Bella B Home.

Bella B Home
(267) 255-2791

View more examples of Bella B Home’s best work