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May 20, 2009
 Professional interior designer Laura Olejniczak is one of those fortunate few who have managed to transform her life’s passion into a successful business.
“I was an accountant by trade and I’m still a controller for an aviation firm while I grow my business,” said Olenjniczak, owner of The Staging Pros in Warminster. Interior design has been a lifelong passion, but I never felt I had found the right venue or had the right education of work experience to turn it into a career. I was interested in brushing up my skills when I found Temple’s program.”
Olejniczak said the Interior Design Certificate Program offered at Temple University Fort Washington, “fit me to a T.”
“The courses covered the depth and breadth of interior design in a program that I could complete in a relatively short amount of time at an affordable price. Between work and family I didn’t want to commit a lot of resources — time and money,” she said. “It was the perfect budget, the right timeframe, and a wonderful diversity of courses. I started in September and was able to complete all the required courses by December!”
Temple University Fort Washington offers the Interior Design Certificate Program certificate for homeowners who want to make the best design decisions for their interiors and for those individuals who are contemplating entry into the interior design industry. The Interior Design Certificate Program is a 30-hour program, which includes five courses on each of the most crucial areas in the design field.
For the first time, Temple University Fort Washington is offering the certificate program as a 1-week intensive course, which will from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, July 13 and ending Saturday, July 18. The intensive program will provide all five required certificate courses at a discounted price — Fundamentals of Design and Layout, The Effective Use of Color, Fabrics and Materials, Furniture, and Lighting and Accessories. The final day, July 18, will also include a field trip to ProSource, a wholesale flooring showroom, from 1 to 3 p.m.
 “Several of the members of the Bucks County Stagers Association, which I belong to, had completed the program and raved about it in addition to raving about the instructor, Kristine Robinson,” Olejniczak said. “(Robinson) is extremely knowledgeable in the field and has a wonderful presence in class. As adult learners, we’re, of course, there to meet our personal goals, but we want the educational experience to be fun too. From layout and furniture, to construction, fabric, and lighting, she encompasses the whole design process — it provides you with a tremendous amount of educational and knowledge in a short period of time.”
Interior Design program instructor Kristine Robinson’s enthusiasm and desire to mentor future designers has been clearly evident in all of her courses from the very beginning. Starting out teaching just a few classes in the Interior Design Certificate Program, she now teaches all of the necessary courses and several of the electives.
“The program has continued to grow year after year, offering both the Interior Design Certificate Program and Advanced Interior Design Certificate Program. The classes are a mixture of homeowners interested in doing some things around their houses and people interested in interior design as a career,” Robinson said. “About half of the people entering the program are exploring second careers. For some, the courses are a starting off point to continue their education while for others it’s the beginning of opening the own business — a course on starting your own business is part of the program.”
Building on the success of the Interior Design Certificate program, Temple University Fort Washington’s Certificate Program in Advanced Interior Design was developed for those who have completed their Interior Design certificate and/or have at least one year of practical experience in the design field. The series provides an opportunity for hands-on experience and individual professional attention from the instructor. To earn the certificate, participants must complete three required courses and two elective courses.
 Several courses that meet the requirements of the Advanced Interior Design program are being offered in June. The Business Side of Interior Design will be offered for two Tuesdays on June 2 and 9 while Fundamentals of Kitchen Design will be offered for two Thursdays on June 11 and 18. Principles of Window Treatment Design follows in Wednesday, June 24. All of the June courses are offered in the evenings to further meet the needs of working adults.
Olejniczak began her business, The Staging Pros, in June 2008 with a strong business background from 30 years in the accounting field and a solid foundation in interior design after completing the Temple certificate program.
“We specialize in staging homes and interior design,” she said. “For example, if someone has a home ready to sell, they will bring me in as a fresh set of eyes,” she said. “I set about de-cluttering, depersonalizing, and ensuring functionality to get the home looking its best — emphasizing the assets, not the imperfections.”
Olejniczak has also co-founded a non-profit organization called Deserving Décor. The charitable organization is comprised of decorators, home stagers and other volunteers who donate their time and resources to furnish transitional housing for homeless families in Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties. Donated furnishings and home decor items are used to provide creative, inviting living spaces for families in crisis.
“It was challenging," she said. "We started with nothing and very limited resources but with a lot of creativity and a lot of  patience, we’ve been able to build something special and give back to the community.”
Robinson said the interior design industry is constantly changing and offers plenty of opportunities to develop a truly unique approach to the field.
“The wonderful thing about interior design is that there are so many things you can do — from paint to furniture, to fabrics, to antiques, there remain a lot of jobs out there for interior designers with the right skills,” Robinson said. “My business has not slowed down; what a lot of my clients are doing is, instead of moving into their next house, staying put and updating their current home. I think how you feel about the spaces you live in affects your outlook in general — when you wake up every day in a room that you love, that is going to change your perspective on the day ahead.”
For more information on Laura Olejniczak and The Staging Pros, visit www.thestagingpros.com. For more information on Deserving Décor, visit www.deservingdecor.org. For more information on Kristine Robinson and Robinson’s business, Robinson Interiors at Sycamore Cottage, visit www.kristine.robinson.org
Temple University Ambler and Fort Washington offer hundreds of non-credit programs each semester. The Spring 2009 Non-Credit Course Guide is available online. Pick up a copy today, call the Office of Non-Credit and Special Programs at 267-468-8500 or visit www.ambler.temple.edu and click on Non-Credit Programs.
For questions about non-credit programs or to suggest new courses, call 267-468-8500.
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