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You may have seen interior redesigns on HGTV’s Decorating Cents, Oprah, other television shows and in home magazines. If you have you know it is a sensible, cost-effective way to transform your space into one of balance, harmony, and tranquility.

For more years than I want to admit, I’ve been attracted to interior design. Even as a very young child I made little homes from cardboard boxes and “decorated” them. Mother patiently allowed me to rearrange the furniture and accessories in our home countless times and experiment with colors in my bedroom. My father was a part-time carpenter, luckily for Mom because she always had ideas for new things for him to build. I was his helper. Not surprising then my fondness for wandering the aisles in places like Home Depot and Lowes. Yes, I own - and even know how to use - a router ;D.

I grew up in Wisconsin in a small village surrounded by farms. One grocery store, two gas stations, and the post office were the extent of commerce there at the time. There were 45 kids in my high school graduating class. While acquiring an Associate degree in Fashion Merchandising, my favorite classes included Textiles, Advertising, Display, and Interior Decorating. My professor for the decorating class, a designer from Chicago, pulled me aside at the end of the course and encouraged me to consider it for my work. I moved to New Jersey in 1980, across the river from New York City. Eventually I stumbled into working for a major oil company and although I longed to do something creative, I somehow became successful as a computer nerd. Twenty-two years later, after several moves and corporate mergers, I found myself burned out in Houston, TX. An opportunity came to leave the company with a package. I took a deep breath and jumped!

Months went by as I played at home decorating, sewing curtains, painting, reading home magazines, and I was addicted to all those home-decorating programs on television. I also enrolled in a home-study course in interior design from Sheffield College, NY.

At the end of 2003 I moved back to Georgia (I had been here from 1994-1998 also). While surfing on the Internet one day I found the I.R.I.S. (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists) website. Eureka! I knew this was something I was already trying to do but without the formal training. Within minutes I was enrolled to learn from Debra Blackmon in Bakersfield, CA. A wonderful teacher and nurturing soul, Debra also encouraged me to make this my new career. And so, finally, started McRae Interior Redesigns . . .

Linda with Rebecca Cole and Robert Verdi, stars of the hit TV show "Surprise By Design" on the Discovery Channel.

Hello!

I'm Linda McRae.

Welcome to McRae Interior Redesigns.

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