Business Spotlight: Bayport Interior Designer Offers Insight on Creative Space Design

Each week Patch stops in at local businesses, new and established, to check in on new products, trends and overall business activity. We also love to profile home-based businesses which are as important at Main Street retailers and stores.
This week we met up with Kaleidoscope Color Consulting, run by Mary Nolte, and got the lowdown on her company and services.


Full Company Name - Kaleidoscope Color Consulting
Location of business -  Home office, Fairview Avenue, Bayport by appointment or at our showroom 892 Lincoln Avenue, Bohemia (next to Cooky's Deli)
Owner - Mary Nolte, Interior Designer
Owner's hometown  - Huntington Township
How long in business -15 years
Professional Background - Interior Design with a specialty in Color Consulting

How did you get into the business area?
I had decided to study interior design during a trip with life long friends to Frank Lloyd Wright's home & studio in Chicago.  At that time I had been trying to decide "what to be when I grew up" (a 40-year-old mother of four children).  My friend said "you should do something to use your creativity."  To follow Frank Lloyd Wright's path in architecture was too much for me to commit to so interior design was the next best thing...and better path for me.

Why did you choose the location that you did to setup your business? 
I am fortunate to be able to locate my business and home where ever I feel most comfortable.  After living in Huntington Township since I was four years old, and not needing the large house that I had raised my four grown children, it was time to move. I searched all over Long Island and even considered Brooklyn. When I found an adorable little house on a lovely block, I knew Bayport was the new home for Kaleidoscope Color Consulting, Mary Nolte  Designs and me! Bayport is charming,  people are very friendly, conveniently located with easy access to highways, great place to run, ride my bike or take a leisurely walk and has beautiful Sayville to the west and lively Patchogue to the east.  Oh yeah, this is an article about Kaleidoscope Color Consulting not how much I love living in Bayport.

What is the nature of the business?
Mary Nolte Designs is a full service interior design firm doing business with both residential and commercial clients on Long Island. Everything from ceiling to floor and wall to wall is a simple all inclusive way of describing what we do.  Kaleidoscope Color Consulting specializes in helping people select paint colors for their homes or businesses. While working in the Design Center of a popular Long Island paint store it became apparent to me that there are many people who could use this specialized service.  I have helped many Long Islanders beautify their homes and offices with color...and more.

What service or product do you offer that competitors may not?Kaleidoscope Color Consulting works to assist clients with the overwhelming task of picking colors of paint and/or any elements in the space. Most often Interior Designers are not interested in taking small jobs such as a consultation.  We love consulting with people who would otherwise feel that they are not able to hire an  interior designer or don't want the full involvement of a designer. Whether it is full service furnishing a whole house, just a room or window treatments, we provide specialized service to help our clients figure out what they really want through building a good relationship  and  understanding their personalities...then we create the space that suits them best.

What is one thing customers don't really know about design service or how good design plays into a business or home -- something they tend to only learn once they use a business like yours?  
The best compliment that I can receive and I hear often is "I love "it" and I would have never thought of "it" on my own." When selecting color lighting is of the utmost importance. Besides lighting the hue (color), saturation (bright or dull) and the value (light or dark) are the main variations that contribute to making the proper color decisions to coordinate with items in the room and create the atmosphere desired. Additionally,there are so many things to take into consideration when doing interior design. The way a room looks is only a part or the decisions that need to be made. The selections must be the proper materials to perform appropriately for the people using the space. Durability, availability, size, proportion/scale, texture,maintenance and safety are  a few of the things that need to be taken into consideration when designing a space.

What's the biggest challenge in running a small business?
Running a SMB is very challenging. Many SMB owners wear many hats.  Besides my Interior Design and Color Consulting hat, which I love to wear most and suits me best, paperwork, bookkeeping, scheduling,  marketing, etc. hats are important but a challenge for me.  I kid around with my clients by telling them, "When I have my night cap on,I don't charge for the time I wake up with an idea for your project in the middle of the night."