Mary Richholt | Interiors by Design

Interiors by Design has been a staple in local design since 1987. Interiors by Design is a full-service home furnishings and interior design studio. They assist with everything from flooring and color selections to furniture and accessories. “I love the fact that I’m in a retail space,” expresses interior designer Mary Richholt. Mary has been with Interiors for 23 years and loves being able to assist clients to turn a space into a home.

Recently, Mary took on a new build and worked closely with her client Clara, helping Clara realize her vision and turn her house into a home. “What’s cool about Clara is she had a very traditional house,” says Mary. “I like to visit with [my clients] and see what we’re going to bring into the new home. It was so fun to see how clean her taste has evolved because everything was very traditionally structured.”

Clara relied on Mary for her design choices, but she also had a clear vision for what she wanted. It was important to Clara that her new home would be a place she could entertain guests. “She came with a ton of ideas,” says Mary. One of these ideas was the small built-in bar with a wine rack. Interior Woodworks was the team that put together this bar for Clara. “Everything I threw at them, they figured out,” says Clara.

Another part of the house that is unique to Clara is the floating mantel in the living room. Clara explains, “For the fireplace, we took the mantel and worked around it because the mantel was something that was really important to our family. It came from my husband’s great grandpa, the original farmstead home by Richardton-Taylor.” Mary made sure to bring out the warm colors in the wood mantel with warm accents in the fireplace’s porcelain stone tiles. “It’s very traditional items set in a clean design,” she says.

One area of the home that Mary pushed Clara out of her comfort zone was the dining room. The statement wall with its bold wallpaper, while it fits the room perfectly, was not the first choice. “I think this was our eighth choice,” Clara recalls. “Our very first stuff was all black with texture. Mary said it was too much, so I think the wallpaper was most surprising because everything else I was like, yep I’m going to love that. Even as it was being hung, I kept staring at it.” Mary wanted to incorporate the warm fall colors to match the copper tones of the fireplace. “It just carries through. I think that’s important whether it’s a new build or remodel,” she explains. The warm colors also help make the space feel cozy. “You walk in here, and it’s home,” says Mary

Helping her clients create a home is what makes Mary so passionate about her work. “I get to get up every day and have people like Clara ask me into their home,” she says. “I seriously almost get teary-eyed. I’m helping them make it a home.”