Restyling Central Texas
Allie and Ben Guenther Find Inspiration in Unusual Places
By STACY MOSER
When you get to know Allie and Ben Guenther, it makes perfect sense that on their first date they made an hour-long trek to an art museum. Not a bar, not a concert, not a movie. An art museum.
The two met in an art history class at Texas State–San Marcos in 2003 and recognized in each other a strong mutual interest in design. “On that first date,” Ben says, “we talked about our hopes and dreams, about being creative and working for ourselves and being entrepreneurial.”
Now, 16 years later, the two have followed their dreams, forging a successful business as interior designers, but with a twist. Their business concept begins with a whirlwind of activity in what they call One-Day or Two-Day Stylings—visiting a home, getting a gut feeling for what makes the homeowners tick and pulling design elements from anywhere in the house in order to “restyle” a room.
Allie explains that homeowners often overlook unique pieces of their own furniture or décor that simply need a fresh take, a new purpose. She says she examines the contents of cabinets and pokes through a home’s closets to discover objects, textiles or furniture that she can use to restyle a room.
The one-day restyling concept ignited the couple’s passion for hands-on design work—it was a natural fit. “We just realized that we loved doing it,” Allie says. “We are really good at it and clients absolutely love seeing the transformation of their spaces in just one day. They end up with a complete space they can be proud of.”
And Ben says that, no matter what a homeowner’s budget is, he and Allie can make a room exciting and fresh. “The goal is to create spaces that tell the story of the people who live there.”
“We are light on our feet,” Allie says. “We live in Salado, but we travel to clients all over Bell County and beyond. We try to be super-creative and thrifty. We find that clients are really happy for us to explore their house and play with their stuff. Things they’ve collected, things that they love.”
Once the couple determines what pieces can stay in a room and what ones have to go, they take the homeowner’s budget and hit local stores on a fast-paced shopping trip.
It’s not just their eye for style that makes the two a dream team, they acknowledge that Ben’s male perspective on a design transformation complements his wife’s feminine intuition and ability to see the big picture.
“When I was young, my favorite TV show was ‘MacGyver,’” Ben chuckles. “What I liked was that MacGyver would be in a pinch, time was of the essence, and he only had a few things to work with. He could solve the problem and make it work. I would watch episode after episode of that show. That’s how our styling is now—we’re given a select amount of furniture and art that’s already in the house and we have a short time period. We both have to focus and get creative, not overthink it too much and just run with our gut. It’s exciting. Allie is such a visionary, she can see the space finished in her head, but then I throw in my MacGyver mentality and figure out how to get it done.”
Allie laughs. “I’ll be talking to the homeowner and thinking about awesome ways to combine furniture and their favorite objects and Ben will be wandering around, looking at the foundation and walls and how things are constructed. He’s really into cord management, too,” she smiles. “That’s his thing.”
“We did a number of big commercial projects in the past,” Ben reminisces. “But it taught us that it’s not what we want to do too much. Getting involved in really long, extensive commercial jobs—our souls aren’t fed by that. It’s not exciting enough. We like to see results right away, we like to see our clients smiling at the end of the day.”
Allie agrees. “There’s not one day of the week that I wake up and think, ‘Ugh. We have to do this today.’ It’s a blessing and I feel so honored that people invite us into their homes and say, ‘I trust you. Do whatever you want to do.’ That’s so humbling. I never will take that for granted.”
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Ben’s Design Philosophy
“We don’t believe there should be too many rules. You should surround yourself with things that inspire you and make you smile. If you collected an object along your journey, we can make it work in your space. If you love it, that’s all that matters.”
“The term ‘staging’ means taking the personality out of a home, so anybody can come in and picture themselves living there. We do the opposite—we want to show a client’s preferences and what they find to be artful. Ninety-nine percent of the time, our clients have us restyle one room for them and then they invite us back to do the whole house. We’ve got that trust factor with them.”
Allie’s Rules of the Road
1. Edit Your Space
“Oftentimes, people have way too much furniture and it’s too big. They feel stuffed in a room. We edit out what doesn’t really belong.”
2. Group Like Items
“Assess what things you already have and group those items. People might have collections that are spread out all over the home. We’ll come in and group them together, showing them off and giving them more of a dramatic presence. Whether it’s paperweights or barware or Grandma’s books. Multiple, similar items can make a big impact.”
3. Bring in Greenery
“I’m a big fan of plants in a room for a pop of green. Some plants are easy to care for, but if you don’t want any, buy high-quality faux greenery or go outside and snip some rosemary. It will last for a week in a pretty jar. I snip branches of Crape Myrtle and display it in a big vase.”
4. Go Big or Go Home
“For big walls, invest in one large art piece that you love. There are so many fabulous artists in this area. For instance, Thingaderas in Salado is my go-to for playful objects and art pieces that have a one-of-a-kind feel. What better way to love on your home than by supporting local artists? It will make a big impact for them and for you.”
