Design by the minute

Growing up in Hauula, Noa Santos didn’t have much opportunity to put his design skills to use in his parents’ home.

"No one in Hauula thought of interior design. If they’re putting in a chair, it’s just because someone wants to sit there, not because it looks good," he said.

There was nary a nod as to whether that particular chair would convey a sense of taste or prestige, or raise a twinge of envy among those invited into the home.

Things are a little different in Manhattan, which Santos, 23, now calls home and where he is changing the way people think about interior design by making it affordable for a younger generation of DIY dwellers who don’t care for the hand-holding of old-school interior designers and don’t mind putting a little sweat into their nest-building endeavors.

Last August, Santos introduced his "50 for Fifty" service to the New York market, a simple formula entailing 50 minutes of work for $50 that is winning him accolades in the New York and trade press, and a whole lot of fans.

In a few short months, his client list grew from six individuals to 40.

Santos developed his concept, he said, after working for a Madison Avenue interior-design firm whose high-end clientele wanted work done for their homes in the Hamptons and Park Avenue, "those sort of places," he said, where the average bill for a single room was $150,000.

He found the traditional business model of high commissions and design fees excluded people around his age just starting out in life and without the extra money to pay an interior designer.

"New York City is an aspirational city for young people, and having beautiful surroundings is even more crucial because they tend to live in small, often not very nice apartments. This is a demographic no one has been interested in, but I found that the impact I could make on their home was far more rewarding than working with the high-end clients I had who were used to having everything done for them," Santos said.

"The impact was really invigorating. Just changing the place they live changed the way they lived. They were able to entertain more, they were more organized and much happier."

His business plan grew out of helping friends on the weekends. His first project was a SoHo loft. "It was great to work with a girl who has a distinct sense of style and knew what she wanted," which he described as "Chanel meets shabby chic."

Rather than coming in and "playing God" for the well-heeled, who he said were more concerned about prestige — hiring the most coveted designer — than injecting their own personality into the home, he said he loves working in a more cooperative way.

"Instead of giving everyone a specific, trendy look," which he found neither exciting nor challenging, "it became more of a partnership."

Working in 50 minutes is also a fun, high-energy task, he said. Individuals can use his services any way they want, whether on a consultation, picking colors, changing a layout or performing physical labor.

"We’ll go in and move furniture around, or, if there’s clutter, come in with trash bags and start throwing things away, if that’s how you want to use your time."

The 50 minutes can also be seen as a starting point. With a little advice, Santos said, a hands-on person working from his recommendations can finish the job solo. On the other hand, if a client is on a roll and wants Santos’ help completing a job, more hours can be added. He said 50 percent to 70 percent of his clients, after getting started, decide they do want more of his time.

SANTOS, who attended ‘Iolani School, said he didn’t grow up with the ambition to be an interior designer. Although he was artistic, kept notebooks full of pictures he liked and enjoyed watching HGTV, when he went to Stanford it was initially to become a doctor. But once he was there, he said, "I decided I would hate that life" and switched majors to architectural design and management science.

For those who do want to tackle their interiors themselves, Santos advises starting by thinking of themes and colors. "Think of what’s your objective for the space. It’s about thinking about the function of the space, deciding what story you want to tell. Are you going to use it to host dinner parties or cocktail parties? Is it going to be a private retreat?

"Then think about what assets you have in terms of furniture or accessories that will make your space unique."

Although rental apartments would suggest residents would not want to commit a lot of time and energy to a space they don’t own, Santos said the transience of apartment dwelling makes his clients more willing to experiment, and from his point of view, the bolder the better.

"It’s better to have people come into your space and love it or hate it than feel indifferent about it."

On the Net
» www.50forFifty.com