Designer draws on professional and personal experience to assist clients

• One of Dillingham's eclectic designs mixes new and existing furnishings and accessories

Dillingham says one of her favorite things to do is to take furnishings and accessories her clients already have and mix them with some things she brings in to create a new and eclectic look. Submitted photo
• Chris Dillingham, left, with daughter Carolyn, husband Joel, and son Tate

Chris Dillingham of Hello The House says her life as a wife and mother of two small children is a great reference when working with clients who have similar lives. She is pictured holding daughter Carolyn with husband Joel and their son Tate. Submitted photo

Talk about it

"Hello The House” is a unique but aptly appropriate name for Chris Dillingham’s design business.

When she describes what she can do for clients and how she does it, she kind of lets the house do the talking along with the homeowners.

Dillingham worked for almost a decade with a design firm in Ohio before moving back to Wisconsin. While she worked in advertising for a time, she always kept her hand in the business, taking two or three projects a year but recently she has decided to return to design fulltime with Hello The House. She and her husband Joel have two small children, Tate and Carolyn, and she says that experience has added another dimension to the work she is passionate about.

She works with clients to create “interiors for real life.” That can mean a variety of things according to Dillingham. The process begins with a consultation to discuss what the client is looking for — everything from a full remodel to a way to freshen up a room on a budget. She knows what it is like to do both.

She describes herself as a sort of personal shopper for clients and she promises clients that she will never mark up the cost of goods or services she provides. They only pay for her time. She also uses only local contractors, many of whom have done work in her own home and shops the area from antique to consignment to retail stores for pieces that will fit the bill. She doesn’t have a showroom so she says there is no pressure for clients to buy pieces she already has. “I’m just on the hunt for things that really fit for them.”

Dillingham says she likes to present clients with a variety of options to meet their needs. “I’ve worked with clients who say they have an extra $300 a month to work with and we work with them to make changes in phases. That often means bringing new things in and putting them together with things they already have or really love, all within their budget.”

Dillingham says her family, which not only includes small children but pets as well, makes her mindful of things like kid-friendly and easy care fabrics for furniture and other accessories as well as time and financial constraints parents deal with.

“We believe that life is just a little bit easier when you have a beautiful space to come home to at the end of the day. We work with our clients to make sure their home reflects who they are.”

To contact Dillingham e-mail her at chris@sayhellothehouse.com or call (715)381-6702 or check out the website at www.sayhellothehouse.com.

Tags: home and garden, business, people, home