CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/24236
b usiness THE INSIDER T Cindy Baker celebrates 30 years of designing and creating beautiful interiors | By Kelly Twedell he shelves on the walls of Cindy Baker’s new design room are packed with books of fabric samples. That’s no surprise since she says creating custom window treatments is one of her favorite things about interior design because it allows her to get to know her clients better. “I love the interactions with the customers. You get involved in their lives when creating a home for them,” Baker said. “I’ve become close friends with many clients.” Baker is the principal owner of CJ Designs and she recently set up shop at 1333 Morganton Road, after working at the Haymount House, as an interior designer for nine years. She came to Fayetteville in 1985 for the same reason that many women do, following a man in uniform. Baker studied interior design at Missouri State University and worked in the field Finishing Touches | Cindy Baker’s workspace is filled with samples of fabrics, wallpaper and trim. Left, The designer poses with her pampered pooch Scooter. in Kansas City before moving here and being hired at Haymount House. She was the catalyst in launching the interior design end of the Haymount House and eventually became a part owner of the business. As the business thrived, Baker and her partner Faye Riddle bought the shop in 1988 and renamed it Haymount House Interiors, adding furniture and accessories to their showroom. In 1994, after being design partners for about eight years, Baker and Riddle moved to Haymount Galleries, which is now known as the Stedman House. Baker left there in 1994 to launch CJ Designs. Her personal style is best described as colorful. She has never favored neutrals, not even when they were popular. “I love to mix a lot of patterns together,” Baker said. “There is an art to making sure they are coordinated well and I will look and look to find the perfect matches. In a large living room there can be six to eight prints.” In 2010 the “in” color was turquoise, so Baker found lots of accent pieces in that vivid color to use in clients’ homes. This year she says the new color trend will be CityViewNC.com | 29