At the age of 14, I was already into it . I was given my first antique item, a spinning wheel, by friends of my parents. Being an antique, the spinning wheel had a lot of tiny wormholes, so I painted it white to cover them up. (I've never ever painted an antique again, but I'm not afraid to paint wood - trimmings, baseboards, banisters - in a home if I feel it's the best decorating solution.) I loved to decorate my room with all the older furniture nobody wanted and even at that early age I started to be very particular about colours. I worked for many years in the corporate world, not knowing that I had talent and could follow my passion. Over the years I became an avid art collector and an interior decorator. I did my own framing, which evolved into setting up my own framing store. I organized art shows at my home and learned how to appraise English antique furniture and antique jewellery. But I was still working in the corporate world. After moving to Canada, my husband and I opened a retreat centre and I was in heaven. Together we renovated our house completely; in the guesthouse we renovated 8 bedrooms and the entire first floor. We created a yoga room, meditation room and a massage room for 3 therapists. As I said, I was in heaven. During my first couple of years in Canada I took courses in organizing, home staging, Feng Shui and Ikebana, which complemented my existing skills. After our guests asked me if I could help them with their homes because my European style appealed to them, I realized it was finally time to turn my passion into a business. That was the start of Staging for Success Inc. We sold the retreat centre after 12 years and I now work full time as an interior decorator and stager in Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. more... See more text