Denise Willard grew up in southern Virginia, but has lived in the D.C. metro area since 1989.  For over a decade, she has transformed the homes of clients in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia.  The combination of her southern roots and urban lifestyle can be seen in her transitional design style, which combines the comfort and hospitality of the south with the flair of the big city.

Denise obtained her undergraduate degrees in MIS and Marketing from the University of Virginia in 1989 and her International MBA from Georgetown University in 2001.  Prior to launching Decor by Denise in May of 2002, she enjoyed a successful career in strategic marketing where she held high level management positions for several large information technology and defense firms.  While managing her corporate responsibilities, Denise spent her evenings and weekends working with her real "love," interior design and decorating.  For several years prior to forging out on her own, she apprenticed under an area architect and residential interior designer to hone her interior decorating talent.  After more than five years working after hours to fully develop her raw talent, Decor by Denise was born.

In addition to her design apprenticeships, Denise has completed professional training in all core aspects of interior decorating, including the newest trends in redesign and feng shui, and she is a certified real estate staging professional, as designated by Realty Enhancements International. 

Denise's interior decorating philosophy is that everyone deserves a beautiful home--"no matter how small the interior or how large the budget."  With this mantra as her guide, Denise treats all clients the same no matter whether they own a one bedroom condo or a 15,000 square foot home.  Denise believes that each client deserves personalized attention and thus she has intentionally kept her design team small.

To ensure she adheres to the highest professional standards, Denise maintains memberships and affiliations with the Interior Design Society (IDS), Better Business Bureau (BBB), International Furniture & Design Association (IFDA), Realty Enhancements International (RES), the Interior Arrangement and Design Association (IADA), the Washington Design Center (WDC) and the Interior Design Directory (IDD).

Denise's own personal design style is simple, but elegant.  She likes clean lines, but loves to mix-it-up by adding an eclectic and international flair.  Her interests are varied, but her passions are well-defined and run deep--interior design, animals and helping those who are less fortunate.  She has special "soft-spots" for any charitable organization involving the care and welfare of animals, children, women and the elderly.  To this end, Decor by Denise and Denise personally have worked with several charitable organizations, to include:

• The ASPCA and local animal rescue organizations to help abused and neglected animals
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to help children overcome abuse and neglect in their homes
• Knockout Abuse to help stop domestic violence against women
• Knights of Columbus to help feed shut-ins and the elderly during holidays
• The Literacy Council to provide tutoring services to immigrants so that they can obtain literacy for citizenship