Interior designer Erica Gelman loves nothing more than an opportunity to turn a bland, boring house drowning in a sea of various shades of beige, into a posh, show-stopping dream home worthy of a magazine cover.  

In fact, at just 29 years old, Gelman, who founded her business, House of Design, with her husband, Eric, in 2008, has made a successful career out of doing just that.

“I’ve always loved design. As a kid I used to ask my mom if we could go to open houses because I always loved walking through and seeing what they had done,” said Gelman, a graduate from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Toronto.

“I’m talking back before I was even 10, back when sponge painting was the biggest thing, I remember saying to my mom ‘We have to have sponge paint in our house too,’” she said, laughing.

But it wasn’t until she was working as a contractor with another design firm in Toronto that she got the urge to go it alone.

“I was doing mostly commercial design and… I just knew that that wasn’t going to be my creative avenue,” she recalled.

Although some of her peers might be intimidated by the idea of running a business in addition to working as a designer, Gelman said that concept appealed to her.

 “I’ve always been very business oriented,” she said, adding that her family has been running its own business in the automotive industry for 20 years.

 “I’m a Libra, so to me, that’s always been my balance; the creative and the business aspects… I really don’t feel balanced until I have both of them under control.”

Another important aspect of her job is being able to understand and connect with her clients, develop a trusting relationship with them, and ultimately deliver a space they’ll love.

“A lot of the times you might know that something is right for the space, and the client will say to you, ‘No, that’s not what I want,’ and it’s either because they’re afraid to come out of their own comfort zone, or they can’t envision it,” Gelman said.

“Sometimes it becomes a really big struggle.”

While the clients ultimately have the final say in how they want their space to look, “if you know that something is so right and so perfect for a space, usually the client will feel that from you,” said Gelman, who describes her style as tailored and classic.

“I don’t really like to stay too much on trends, I’d rather create spaces that feel timeless, and… it’s just really personal.”

Gelman isn’t afraid to take risks and go for a dramatic look. Featured in the Spring 2013 issue of Canadian Home Trends Magazine, Gelman designed a dining room using a mix of texture and dark high gloss colour.

In a blog entry she wrote about designing that space, she described how she put it together.

“Lush velvets and silks create an instant air of luxury within the space… The walls are painted in a matte finish dark charcoal, and the ceiling is done in the same colour, but with a high gloss finish. Contrasted with the white mouldings, eyes are instantly drawn up, into and around the space.”

Coming up with a bold, dramatic idea is one thing. Getting the client to give her the green light to go ahead with her design is quite another.

“You might have this brilliant idea walking through a space, but if it’s not how the client wants to ultimately live at the end of the day – it’s a matter of them being at their happiest in the environment that you created. It has to be a reflection of the homeowners,” she said.

Another challenge is being completely invested in a project and confident about your design. Otherwise, it could reflect negatively in the execution.

“My confidence level has grown immensely since coming out of design school, but I knew that that I had to ‘fake it until you make it,’” she said.

“Confidence level is huge, you really need to believe what you’re telling people.”

For those who dream of a design job, and think of it as little more than spending other people’s money on glamourous home décor, Gelman warns that her career is a lot harder than it seems.

“Unless you love it 100 per cent whole-heartedly, it’s a business that will really play on your emotions. Because design is really personal, and you have to be completely invested… you have to almost develop a thick skin about it as well.”

The countless number of reality design shows might give viewers the wrong idea about what her job really entails.

“It’s nothing like you see on TV. There is so much more organization and detailing… That’s something they don’t teach you [in design school],” Gelman said.

“You’re taught all the principles, and you’re taught elements. A lot of the times, people come out of school and they can formulate a really nice room, but to actually execute it is two totally different things.”

On the other hand, Gelman said she would love an opportunity to showcase her talent on an interior design show.

“My ultimate goal is to build an entire house from the ground up, and if somebody wants to document that, I would love for that to happen. That’s where my ultimate goal lies.”

For more information about House of Design, visit www.house-of-design.ca.

Gelman turned this bachelor pad into a stunning, sophisticated space for a young professional living in the Toronto Hunt Club in 2011.