The Beauty Pro Book Club: 4 Reads to Inspire Growth and Success
Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!
by Anne Moratto
My Other Life: Cindy Walston, decorator
“Interior decorating is a lot like doing nails. You create, you have your own style and technique, and there’s a before and after. Your interior space can give you confidence and make you feel good about yourself — just like beautiful nails!”
by Staff
July 6, 2011
2 min to read
“Whenever people would come to my house, they’d tell me, ‘You should be a decorator,’” says Cindy Walston, a 25-year nail industry veteran. Now based in Portland, Ore., she lived in Rio Vista, Calif., at the time. “I had a large vintage home built in the early 1900s. It was what I was most proud of and that was what propelled me to become a decorator.”
Walston landed an opportunity to work with a local design company as a freelance decorator. “I worked on many homes, even businesses!” she says. She became certified in the field, but says you really just have to have an eye for it. “Scale and balance should come naturally to you.”
Eventually she and a friend opened a country antique store that also housed her decorating office. “At this wild time, I managed to work long hours at the salon, cramming all my clients within a three-day work week,” she recalls. “The rest of the week I was at the store, consulting on homes, or doing store displays after hours.” That was until her husband dropped a bombshell. They had to move for his new job.
“So here I am now in Portland. I bought a house and you guessed it — I’m decorating!” Walston is also in the process of opening a home-based salon. “I love French country decor. My home is very colorful, but my salon will showcase French whites, distressed glamour, and vintage furniture. I have never been a fan of the traditional nail table, so I will have a vintage French console table with curved legs. Once again I’m bringing my two loves together — decorating and nails.
“Interior decorating is a lot like doing nails. You create, you have your own style and technique, and there’s a before and after. Your interior space can give you confidence and make you feel good about yourself — just like beautiful nails!”
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