Darla Harmon:Â Interior Designer
A BIT ABOUT DARLA
Hello, my name is Darla Harmon, owner of Red Couch Interiors. My story is one of a stay-at-home mom, who loved those years with my 5 children. As my children grew and started heading off to college, I began to spend more time pursuing the things I love: cooking, family time, and of course--decorating. It was then that I enrolled in an interior design school and my studies began. I have absolutely loved it, and have since enjoyed serving numerous clients by helping with both staging and design. I would love the opportunity to work with you and help make your space feel like home!
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I N C A S E Y O U W E R E C U R I O U S . . .
The name Red Couch Interiors came into being on a long drive as my husband and I were brainstorming business names. At one point, he asked me, “What’s your favorite color? I have always loved the color red, and I knew I wanted to use it in my business name! For the rest of the drive we tried pairing it out with many words, but finally we landed on Red Couch because it brought to mind a big, cozy couch that would be comfortable and make a beautiful statement. No, we do not incorporate red couches (or red anything) into every single design--but we make sure to marry form, function, personality, beauty, and comfort into every room so that it fits who you are and how you live!
FEATURED IN
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Dossier: Darla Harmon - Red Couch Interiors
by SA Woman | April 23, 2021 | Interior Designers | The Dossier
What’s your favorite type of design project?
I love a fresh beginning that comes with a new build but also love the challenge with a remodel.
How do you help clients find their decorating style?
Magazines and Pinterest! Clients mark everything they like. I see a pattern, and that’s their style!
How much should I budget for a design project, and how much time should I plan to complete the project?
Budgets will vary from project to project and client to client. I often help the client come up with a budget. The same goes for a time frame; it varies.
What do you feel is a priority for clients when planning a design project?
The planning stage is where all ideas are created. By the end of this stage, the client should have an excellent understanding of the design/style so that there are little to no changes. Changes cause more time and money.
What trends are you looking forward to? What trends are you happy to say goodbye to?
“Grandmillenial: a spin on grandma’s house with a modern twist.” Goodbye, everything white, hello color!
How would you define your design style?
I lean more traditional, cozy, homey but love mid-century.
Decorating shows – love them or leave them?
Love them for inspiration, leave them for false expectations. TV really is magic.
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Exploring Life & Business with Darla Harmon of
Red Couch Interiors Staging & Design by VoyageSanAntonio | November 21, 2022 | Local Stories
Hi Darla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today.
So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I have always enjoyed interior design; even as a child, I would play house in my basement, and whatever I could find to make a living room, I would rearrange it to make it feel cozy. My goal was to make it look like a living room. At that time, I didn’t know what I was doing or that it was called “interior design.”
Then as I got into my teens, my mom took me to an interior designer to make over my room. I remember thinking about how fun is to create a special space for someone; picking out colors, fabrics, and furnishings to make someone happy sounded like a great job! I then got into the retail world, managing stores like Lerner’s and Kid’s R Us, but I never thought of interior design again until we fast forward about 25 years. During these 25 years, my friends always asked me to help decorate their homes, and of course, I would do it and have a great time. Now my children are all heading off to college; some have graduated and done their own thing. What about me? It’s my turn! So at 50, I enroll in an online interior design school, The Interior Design Institution, out of San Francisco! I so enjoyed it! Soon after graduating, I started my own small business, Red Couch Interiors Staging and Design.
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We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Any start-up/small business has a challenging road. There are always bumps, even when you think you have arrived. The key is to learn from what has not been smooth, keep an open mind about the changes you might have to make, and learn to re-invent yourself but stay true to your passions. Yes, I have had to do all these! Interior design is unnecessary. It’s a want, and because of this and especially in this day of financial difficulties, it is hard to find jobs. This is one reason stages do my prices. The client can pick how much they want to spend. I want everyone to have an opportunity to work with an interior designer if they wish to! In the beginning, some of the struggles were helping people understand that interior design is not just placing some fake plants in a corner. It’s creative. It’s listening, finding the exact piece, whether it’s art, furniture, or wall color. It understands the layout of the space, where the light comes in, it’s much more than people think, and it comes at a cost. I read this quote a while back.
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Meet Darla Harmon
by Canvas Rebel | October 2, 2023 | Stories and Insights
Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
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I learned Interior Design by attending an online design school called Interior Design Institution, IDI. It is out of San Francisco. I did this later in life, when my kids started to attend college. I have 5 children, so when the first 3 were heading to college I thought what am I going to do with my time? I still had two kids at home but the 4th was just about on her way to art school in Chicago. So while my 5th was finishing up high school I made the decision to go back to school for interior design. While I would study and take test online I would physically need to put designs together, price out items and make a budget. I would laugh that Lowe's was my library! The lessons would teach each aspect of design. You then had to implement what you learned with this make believe family using the knowledge you just learned from the lesson. My final test was, and I got to choose, was finding a client and redecorating a room in their home. I put it out on Facebook that I needed a friend who was willing to let me come in and change a space in their home. Many of my friends did volunteer but I choose the one with the most work to be done…I wanted the challenge!
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