Gloria Dahl has been operating WR Interiors for more than 25 years.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
In this room refresh, Gloria Dahl picked out the stacked stone for the fireplace and the quartz countertops in the kitchen. She confirmed the client’s flooring choice was a good one and staged the room with appropriate décor.
“I was cleaning and rearranging both of my grandparents’ houses by the time I was 10 years old,” Dahl says. “One of my grandmothers would call our house after Mom picked me up to ask where I put things.”
Dahl grew up near Coon Rapids on White Rock Road. Her father named their home Windy Ridge Ranch.
“I loved that name, but it’s a mouthful,” she says. “In memory of my dad and my childhood, WR Interiors was born. I enjoy making people’s homes beautiful spaces they love.”
Dahl has lived in Iowa most of her life with the exception of two years in California, two years in Colorado and two years in Omaha.
Her husband, Todd Dahl, grew up in Bayard. They live on an acreage north of Guthrie Center in a house they designed and built about 15 years ago.
WR Interiors has been in operation for more than 25 years. Dahl currently has two full-time employees plus some part-time help when needed.
This room is an example of the work Gloria Dahl does for clients. In this newly built home, she picked out the wall color, shopped for the furniture and picked out the flooring. She also found the décor and arranged the room.
All jobs start with a $100 consultation. The next step might be $150 Purchase Boards, which give clients ideas of what their home needs.
Livable Staging is one of the most popular services Dahl offers. For the main area of an open concept house, the cost is $450.
“This includes moving all furniture and décor and hanging prints,” Dahl says. “We treat the home like a store and shop it. Most people have nice things to work with but might struggle with putting them together. Or they are bored with their rooms. We give them a new look working with things they already own. When we are done, clients always say how much they love it, and they wouldn’t have thought to do what we did,” Dahl says.
One recent client who wanted to downsize before a move asked Dahl to help decide what to let go and what to keep. Once settled into a new home, Dahl also helped organize things that made the move, and added some new items to pull the look together.
One of Gloria Dahl’s specialties is decorating front porches to match the changing seasons. This is the front porch of the home Gloria and her husband, Todd Dahl, built 15 years ago, all decked out for fall
“Research has shown staged homes sell about 80% faster than those that aren’t staged, plus staging often adds money to the final sale price of a home,” she says. “I have several real estate agents who ask me to stage homes coming on the market.”
Decorating for holidays and seasonal changes is another of Dahl’s specialties.
“I decorate front porches to match the changing seasons and for holidays,” she says. “I do a lot of interior decorating for Christmas and other special occasions.”
Dahl also designs kitchen and bathroom layouts, using a software program made specifically for cabinet designs.
“Once clients settle on a design they like, I ask them to shop with me to look at cabinet styles and flooring options,” she says. “If the client doesn’t want to do that, I can bring flooring, backsplash and cabinet samples to them. I usually try to bring three different bundles to give them options. Once they settle on the materials, I can help them find contractors to do the installation.”
And there’s more.
“Todd and I do like to stay busy,” Dahl says. “I’m also a real estate agent, we have a roll-off dumpster business called GR RENTAL, and we have a Black Angus cow-calf herd. People always say if you want to get something done, call a busy person.”
In late September, Dahl was decorating a home for a wedding, had a livable staging project going on in Urbandale, and was working on a staging for an upcoming real estate listing.
Dahl says she has been decorating and staging homes at Lake Panorama since she started WR Interiors 25 years ago.
“In the early days, I did a lot of painting, consultations and room restyles,” she says. “In the last 15 years, our staging options have grown significantly. Besides Lake Panorama and all of Guthrie County, we work in the Des Moines metro area. My business is my passion, and I am blessed to be able to do this every day.”
WR Interiors can be found on social media sites. Dahl can be reached via email at windy.ridge.flowers.interiors@gmail.com or by calling 712-210-6833.