Diane Hallquist is synonymous with interior design for discerning residents living in and around Indianapolis. Her work has appeared at the St. Margaret's Guild Decorators' Show House for 30 years in many Meridian-Kessler neighborhood homes.

After working part of her career for other retailers, she expanded her design services by opening the Blue Door, located at 6426 North College Avenue in 2002. Her love of vivid colors and penchant for distinctive lamps can be seen in the store, whose décor resembles a home in the area.

The Blue Door sells antique reproductions, lamps, candles, jewelry, mirrors, pictures, tabletop accessories, scarves, candles, mostly traditional and some contemporary accents. Their emphasis is on "timeless, not trendy." "We have a wide selection of lamps. We also have catalogues for chandeliers and sconces," she said. In addition, they have nice quality artificial greenery and berries created in customized floral designs by Charlene Harper, a design colleague of Ms. Hallquist.

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sunday. Design client services are by appointment when calling 257-9339. The Blue Door can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blue-Door/322985872441. Ms. Hallquist makes house calls and interviews clients based on their needs and has them visit the store. She recommends subcontractors for various services like carpet installation, drapes, painting and upholstery to her clients.

Discussing how her design career began, Ms. Hallquist said, "I came here right out of college and started with L.S. Ayres interior design department in their downtown store as a trainee. I moved to their Glendale store when their interior design studio opened on the upper level in the 1970s. I have a degree in interior design from Iowa State University in Ames," she explained.

"From L.S. Ayres, I went to Reifers Furniture store. After that, I worked for Ron Lucas interior design studio in Broad Ripple for several years. I went on my own in 1986 and opened my own business," she mentioned. Her shop was formerly located in the lumberyard building on Winthrop Avenue (south of Broad Ripple Avenue) and later on Ferguson Street near Connor's Pub prior to her current move.

Buying the current building (formerly Frank's Fiddle Shop) in 2002, she added a residential interior design area located in the back of the store after expanding the location. It is contains one of the city's largest design collections of fabrics, (carpet and upholstery) and wallpaper.

Growing up in a retail environment, she helped sell merchandise and tailor (sew) in a men's clothing store owned by her father until she went to college.

Jack Pomeroy was a senior interior designer who worked with Ms. Hallquist in Ayres' downtown store and now works with her at the Blue Door. Another former Ayres colleague (and friend) is Claudia Ryan, owner of Charles Mayer & Company at 5629 North Illinois Street.

Ms. Hallquist discussed some recent interior design trends: "Wallpaper kind of went out of fashion and now it's coming back in bathrooms, kitchens, hallways and dining rooms. It's kind of a personal taste and has been selling well lately. I'm seeing more refurbishing of items that customers have, refinishing wood furniture, reupholstery and adding new accessories, too," she said.

"The most rewarding thing is working with individual clients, taking what they have and enhancing it with new things that give them a new look. It's more of a guiding process. I like to take my clients' ideas and work with them, whether it's upholstery, window treatments or consulting with painting and room arrangement. I think the designer can help the customer in this way," said Ms. Hallquist.

"Every project is different. Some people might want help with accessories or upholstery. That's what makes each project interesting, dealing with individual tastes. I want it to be their home and something they want to live with," she added.

"I've done design work for clients' vacation (and second) home projects in Florida, Colorado and South Carolina in addition to some commercial work for apartments. Whether I do vacation or commercial work, some projects have expanded to designing a client's office as well. Commercial results have come along as part of the client's needs," she mentioned. "In new construction, it's nice to start with the blueprints and analyze what the customer wants. There are no projects too large or too small. Whether it's reupholstering one chair or decorating a large house, I can do it all. I learned that early on, that no project is too small for the client. They can become referrals for other clients," she noted.

An initial small project occurred when Ms. Hallquist created a customized shower curtain for a client, who was so happy with the result that she asked her to provide interior design services for her entire house.

Whether customers are looking for inspiring design ideas, a gift or home accessory, the Blue Door is open with distinctive possibilities for your residence at 6426 North College Avenue in Broad Ripple.