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S M O K E S I G N A L S A D V E R T I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T


“People mistakenly think our services are for the wealthy, but the few hundred dollars our clients spend with us they’ll save ten-fold by avoiding mistakes.”


— RHONDA WHITE, RW Design & Exchange


Artful elegance is a family affair at RW Design & Exchange


T


he Avenue at Forsyth-based designer Rhonda White’s phone number is programmed into the cell phones of celebrities, athletes, builders, and homeowners from


all walks of life. But, her true love is getting to know her clients and surprising them with an unmatched level of communication and service. The six talented designers who make up Rhonda’s team don’t just help clients select custom furniture, window treatments, paint colors, or decorative accessories, they show up with the delivery team, making up a newly-delivered bed, fluffing the pillows, and adding fresh flowers, ensuring clients get that retreat-at- home look. “People mistakenly think our services are for the wealthy, but the few hundred dollars our clients spend with us they’ll save ten-fold by avoiding mistakes,” says Rhonda, from her showroom at the RW Design & Exchange interior design gallery. Their business is a family affair: Rhonda is head designer, husband Charles is their financial guru, Rhonda’s mother Dorothy Gillen is the artist behind all of the oil paintings hanging in the gallery, and daughter Danielle will be launching their wedding planning service soon. Local Flavor. Rhonda designs home interiors in Big Canoe, Chateau Élan, Reynolds Plantation, and Lake Keowee in South Carolina, as well as vacation homes in Colorado, California, Boston, and New York.


But Rhonda’s roots are local: she


was owner of an interior design company in Dawsonville before opening RW Design & Exchange gallery in The Avenue in Cumming. “Our style fits Big Canoe,” says Rhonda, from their grand showroom containing large-scale leather sectionals, tailored chairs mixing upholstered bases with leather cushions, elegant chandeliers with whimsical deer and pinecones, a 12-ft-long distressed barn pine dining table, linen-upholstered headboards, Persian rugs, and decorative accessories from lamps to vases to china to candles. Rhonda has designed homes for many Big Canoe homebuilders, including Dan Dejiacomo and Chris Vann. “Many of our repeat clients start in Big Canoe, then


I N T E R I O R D E S I G N


they’ll hire us to design their vacation homes in another state. We go out for a week and get everything done,” says Rhonda. “Our designers have a gift: they find out what you love, what you don’t,


tastes and lifestyle into what they want to accomplish.”


Getting It Right. Rhonda began designing homes in 1987, but was frustrated by the lack of quality furniture


at the forefront of their family-owned business. They enjoy involvement at all stages of the design process, from imagination to completion. Even if you can’t imagine it, Rhonda’s innovative team can dream, design, and install everything for you. “My whole family is extremely creative,” says Rhonda. Their designers can match paint in an hour, an important launching point for any design project, since the color scheme sets the tone for a room. Rhonda’s mother Dorothy was a fine arts teacher, and together, they can help you select a gorgeous oil painting from Dorothy’s landscapes, European farm scenes, and floral paintings. Rhonda handpicked her exclusive delivery team, known for taking impeccable care of your home and singing while they deliver. RW Design & Exchange is debuting the


gallery’s wedding planning service soon. Family and friends can drop into the gallery and select an heirloom gift, as well as take advantage of their wedding registry: a timesaving and unique service so clients don’t have to go to several different locations to find the perfect wedding gift. If RW Design & Exchange doesn’t carry the right gift, you can look through a book of the bride and groom’s registries at other stores, including their honeymoon destination, then donate money to the wedding bank, which will be given as a gift to the happy couple. Holidays at Home. What could be a


A soaring fireplace welcomes clients to RW Design’s showroom located in The Avenue shopping area in Cumming. The versatile design team can tackle jobs as large as home renovations and as modest as decorating homes for the holidays.


and really listen to gain insight into our clients. Our team integrates homeowners’


that was also a good value for her clients’ homes. “The hard part of shopping is finding the value, and we’ve done that already for our clients,” says Rhonda. She does all the buying for their business, selecting pieces from Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, England, and of course, here at home in America. Ninety percent of Rhonda and Charles’ homeowners order custom furniture, reflecting their clients’ preference of finding just the right piece that’s also a good value.


Accessories and furniture are available at The Avenue location along with the firm’s design services and client consultations.


RW Design & Exchange also searches for beautiful finds that are green and good for the environment. The firm is a member of the Sustainable Furniture Council and offers bookcases, tables, and chairs made from reclaimed barn lumber. These unique pieces reflect a design philosophy of offering art made in harmony with nature. Exceptional Service. Rhonda and Charles always keep outstanding service


better gift for the holidays than having your home decorated for you? While you’re preparing to entertain family and friends during the holiday months, Rhonda and family double their team of designers during holidays. They will deck your halls and your entire home for Christmas: fresh garlands on the banisters, twinkling lights on your porch, artfully trimming your tree, and creating a still life on your mantel. They decorate 15-foot trees in the Design & Exchange showroom, each overflowing with beautiful ornaments that make great gifts for teachers, family, friends, or even yourself. RW Design & Exchange is far more than an interior design firm: it’s a destination, a concierge, a designer, a wedding planner, and an art gallery, all from one talented family and team. Their distinctive touch and superior attention to every detail is why their business has spread so quickly through word-of-mouth. “Home is Where the Art Is” is their design philosophy, and it’s reflected in their clients’ mountain cabins, lake retreats, country homes, and city high-rises.


RW DESIGN & EXCHANGE 410 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 246 (The Avenue) Cumming, GA 30534 770-781-1625 E-mail: charles@rwhitedesigns.com Web site: www.rwdesignandexchange.com


OCTOBER 2010


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