Ariene Bethea, owner of Dressing Room Interiors, has a knack for finding beautiful home goods from different decades, styles, and cultures — and somehow blending it all together in one look. It’s a skillset that’s come in handy even more so recently, with people spending a lot of time at home.
Bethea has a brick-and-mortar and online shop where you can buy vintage and handmade housewares and furniture that she’s curated, or you can schedule a consultation to work with her one-on-one for various home design projects.
Courtesy of Ariene Bethea
Background: Bethea started selling her vintage finds on Etsy in 2009. But with most of her online customers coming from larger, far away states, she established her Charlotte presence at popular popups like Girl Tribe and VTGCLT, and eventually opened a booth at Slate Interiors.
She launched her design services, from bookshelf and coffee table styling to paint selection, in 2011. And in 2019, she opened her own shop at 2120 N. Sharon Amity Road.
Coronavirus impact: Bethea said she’s seen an increase in traffic for her design services because people are spending more time at home, from people who need help setting up their home offices to tackling other home design projects.
“People are looking around and realizing where there’s holes,” she says. Whether people want to invest in better lighting or more seating in their livings rooms, people want their homes to feel better.
She’s also added more items online and started offering curbside pickup and virtual design consultations.
Storefront: Bethea turned what used to be a balloon service operation into a shop that feels like someone’s home. The idea is for customers to feel like they’ve walked into their most stylish friend’s house.
“I have shoes and handbags around, so you feel like you came to my house and get to buy what you like,” Bethea says.
Items rotate often, but in general you can find home accessories for $20-plus, and larger items like furniture can run over $1,000. She has accent chairs, a dining table, artwork, lamps, baskets, mirrors, dressers, and more for sale.
“I just purchase things I love and make them work together,” Bethea says of how she approaches stocking her shop.
Right now you have to schedule a private appointment and wear a mask if you want to shop in-person.
Design services: Bethea has been working her design magic since 2011. Here’s a breakdown of her current services.
- Color consultation: Every designer I’ve interviewed says a fresh coat of paint can transform a house. Bethea can help you pick the right shade/color for your home, and offer design advice. ($125)
- Styling services: Bethea will come to your home and help you figure out where to hang your art, how your furniture should be positioned and style shelves and tables. She’ll also give you advice on what to shop for next. ($140)
- Interior design consultation: Pick 2-3 rooms to focus on, and Bethea will give you as much design help as possible in an hour. ($160)
- New homeowner consultation: She’ll devise a floor plan, recommend furniture, and create an inventory list of items needed to complete the design. ($235)
Here’s a look around Dressing Room Interiors:
Fun fact: Bethea and her husband dreamed of owning their own businesses next to each other, which is what led them to the Sharon Amity property. He runs his own chiropractors office next to Dressing Room Interiors.
Courtesy of Dressing Room Interiors
