Christine Rae
ASPM, CASPT, IAHSP, I.R.I.S. ODDAA, W.C.R & IDS affiliate,
IRN, CIM, P.Mgr
Operating from St. Catharines, Ontario, in the heart of the Niagara
Region, Decorating Solutions (Niagara) Inc. is owned & operated
by Christine Rae.
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"After twenty years in Executive Business Management
& Sales, it was time to pursue my passion for interior
decorating. I am one of those people who have a natural flair
for décor, have helped friends & family over the
years, took courses and read books & trade periodicals,
but had not dared to dream far enough, to think it could be
a business. As they say "the universe will conspire to
bring about those things which are to be" a series of
events caused me to look at where I was in life and where
I wanted to go.
My belief is, that most people know what they like; and or
have nice things, sometimes they just need help bringing those
things together, to make their home "feel" right.
Martha Beck's book suggests the decor in the house is a direct
reflection of how we feel about our life! I knew I could help
people!
As a result I flew to New York to train with the pre-eminent
Interior Designer, Lauri Ward. Lauri is featured in countless
news & magazine articles, appeared on Good Morning America,
Inside Edition & the Oprah Show, author of the best selling
design book "Use What You Have Decorating" &
"Trade Secrets from Use What You Have".
My business journey began.
Developing the business plan for Decorating Solutions, &
moving beyond traditional decorating services, I wanted to
offer a “move in” service to home buyers, which
led me to think about helping people prepare their homes for
sale. Researching the industry, I discovered there is only
one place to train & certify; with the founder and creator
of "Staging®" Barb Schwarz of Stagedhomes.com.
Training in North Carolina & Seattle I certified in the
skill of preparing a property for sale (Staging®) and
then looked at the opportunity to bring the Accredited Staging®
Professional™ Course to Canada. Successfully completing
an 82 hour intensive one-on-one instruction in classroom instruction,
presentation skills, & curriculum content, to teach the
Accredited Staging® Professional™ course, obtained
the designation: Certified Accredited Staging® Professional™
Trainer.
In addition to continuing to build my decorating & Staging®
business (Staged2Sell™ ); I now teach Realtors®,
decorators/designers, & people wanting to start their
own Staging® business, throughout Canada, the North Eastern
United States & the United Kingdom. Decorating Solutions
(Niagara) Inc as of November 2002, Carole Zwiers (Simply Designed
by Carole) completed their certification as Accredited Staging®
Professionals and will provide Staging® services through
Stage 2Sell™. November 2003 saw the opening of a store
location in Lewiston NY, where we plan to build a Staging®
business with the help of Julie Dana ASP™, decorator/redesigner.
Her business "The HomeStylist" will work with Staged2Sell™
to provide Staging® Services to Erie County.
Interspersed through out my education in this field I have
gained knowledge and experience in the Chinese art of Feng
Shui. I am continuing my studies to master certification level,
with Feng Shui Master & teacher Jami Lin, in Fort Lauderdale
Florida. The techniques learned are applied throughout my
decorating & Staging® work."
- Christine Rae
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Christine is writing a book & 2005 will see the introduction of
new products and services to her business, including decorator training.
"Throughout this journey I never cease to be amazed at the wonderful
& talented people I meet, & the opportunities which are presented
to me. I am grateful for every experience and look forward to the
honour of working with you".
- Certified Interior Refiner (CIR),
- Accredited Staging® Professional™ (ASP),
- Accredited Staging Professional Master (ASPM)
- Certified Accredited Staging Professional Trainer (CASPT),
- Graduate of the One Day Decorator programme (ODDA)
- a (soon to be) graduate of the Sheffield School of Interior
Design,
- Certified in Management (CIM),
- Holds a Professional Management designation (P. Mgr) from the
Canadian Institute of Management.
Christine is also:
An affiliate member of The
Interior Design Society
A member of The
Interior Redesign Industry Specialist (I.R.I.S.)
A graduate of the Interior
Refiners Network
A charter member of the International
Association of Home Staging® Professionals on the Executive
for the local Chapter
in Toronto
A member of the Canadian
Redesign Association; Redesign Directory, Association of Professional
Organisers
An Affiliate of The
Women’s Council of Realtors
The Director of localNiagara.com
A word from Christine about the Decorating Solutions Team
Linda Woodland
Executive Assistant
Linda provides exceptional customer service and administration
at the Decorating Solutions main office. She is amazing the way
she can juggle telephones, fax, email and admin happening all
at the same time while remaining calm and courteous.
Clients & Students often comment to me how accommodating
and helpful she is, that she is a great support to our company.
Linda is more than a right hand, she is the backbone of the whole
operation.
Decorating Solutions benefits by having Linda as a part of the
team because she emulates customer obsession, a goal we strive
for, always going the extra mile.
Ary Van Eyk CMA
Accountant
Ary has the most difficult job for a growing business. Ensuring
dollars stay in the bank, taxes and bills are paid on time, and
providing the balance a business needs most.
We are very fortunate to have his Accounting expertise and powerful
negotiating skills available to us. He is kind, considerate, firm
and very supportive.
Lee D Rae, ASP™
Road Manager & Assistant
Lee is our most recent addition; his main duties include driving
to training locations, organizing location and set up for class,
order product, inventory, helps with registration at the class,
services the tools/ products table, assists class with "muscle"
when needed. He is set-up man for Staging work too.
Lee's easy smile, customer service and willingness to be flexible
makes him a valuable addition to the team.
Angela D. Brooks
Graphic Designer/Web Developer
Angela implements the marketing ideas of Decorating Solutions.
She provides technical solutions making everyone's job run smoother
and easier. From our extensive always changing website, to our
marketing material, her web and graphic ability is incredible.
She never ceases to amaze me.
In a nutshell: Solutions driven and customer satisfaction obsessed!
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