Interior decorators, like other professionals, labor under a set of commonly held beliefs about their profession. One is that an interior decorator is only for the super-rich.

Another is that interior decorators take huge markups on the items they want to sell to you. And the belief that scares homeowners most of all is that an interior decorator will come into your house, bulldoze your belongings into the street, and bring what she likes into your home-with a hefty price tag attached.

These are misconceptions that Burlington-based interior decorator Lynne Greene would like to leave in the past, along with lava lamps, shag carpeting, and avocado-colored kitchen appliances.

Unless, of course, the retro 70s style is what you're looking for. "My job is to interpret my client's dreams," this interior decorator says from her storefront shop on Cambridge Street. "If my client likes a certain style, such as French Country or English Cottage, I'm there to help her make sure that style is done well."

  My job is to interpret my client's dreams  

As a mother of four in a household with pets, she understands that Boston Interior Design and decoration must be functional, as well as attractive.

"Believe me, I live the gross lifestyle everyone else lives," she says with a smile. Greene came to the Boston MA Interior Design business from the unlikely profession of nursing.

In 1985, she and her husband built their own home. Greene discovered that she enjoyed the process of choosing upholstery fabrics and coordinating wallpaper.

"I invited some of my nurse friends over to the house, and they were impressed with what I had done," she says. "One of them said, 'You should be a decorator,' and that's how the idea took hold."

Greene started out with a class at Middlesex Community College to test her interest in the field. Deciding that she was on the right career path, she made the jump from nursing and purchased a Decorating Den franchise, which operated in the Woburn area. For 6 years she learned the ins and outs of running a business, and developed her decorating skills through training courses offered through Decorating Den's franchise headquarters. Eventually, she found herself teaching those courses, but something was missing for her.

  I needed to learn what made the difference between a $4,000 dining room set and a $40,000 dining room set, beyond the price tag  

"I needed to learn what made the difference between a $4,000 dining room set and a $40,000 dining room set, beyond the price tag," Greene says. The franchise did not offer this kind of training, so she worked for two furniture stores, Coombs Furniture in Wilmington, and Paine Furniture in Burlington. Today she draws on this experience to offer her clients the best value for their furniture purchases and Boston Interior Design. Greene tries to ensure they don't make costly decorating mistakes by buying furnishings that are totally inappropriate for their home environments.

In 1991, she quit the franchise business and started Lynne Greene Interiors a Boston MA Interior Design Company, working out of her home in Woburn. "My first client was building her house, and she hired me to consult with her on a room-by-room basis," Greene says. "It gave her a chance to see what I could do without making a huge investment up front to decorate her entire home." Greene still takes this approach, understanding that people can be fearful about what to expect from an interior decorator. She consults for an hourly consultation fee which can be applied toward the purchase of $1,000 or more through her shop for great Interior Design.

She says, "This way a client can test me out. If they don't feel comfortable working with a Boston Massachusetts Interior Design decorator, they're not committed to anything more than the consultation. And sometimes people just want me to come into their home, look at their rooms and give them advice. Most of my clients don't have a lot of time on their hands to hunt for the right sofa or to coordinate fabrics and papers. So that hourly fee can save them headaches, and five- or six-thousand dollars in Boston Interior Design mistakes down the road."

As part of her Boston MA Interior Design consultation, Greene prefers to meet with new clients in their homes during the glaring light of day when she can see all of the room's assets and any detractors. She understands that clients often have furnishings they want, or need to keep. Greene keeps these objects in mind when she begins to brainstorm for ideas to ensure they work in the final scheme.

Most importantly, she spends the necessary time to find out what style her client prefers. "Many times clients don't know what they like," she says. "But they usually know what they don't like. From there, I can develop some decorating schemes that work for their tastes."

Greene moved her Interior Design business to the cozy storefront shop she currently occupies in August of 1998. The calming smell of floral potpourri wafts through the air. Unique furnishings, such as an antique China cupboard painted with delicate flowers and vines, are displayed throughout the shop. Wallpaper samples decorate the walls and complement the furniture on display.

  And sometimes people just want me to come into their home, look at their rooms and give them advice  

For Greene, the shop is a dream come true. "People can walk in off the street and see what I can do. And with a shop, I can sell the finishing touches they want. Sometimes clients don't mind waiting for the bigger stuff, but they want those little things that make a home right away."

"I'm always telling them I can do everything right down to the last candlestick," she laughs.

Besides Home Interior Design, Greene also consults on commercial decorating projects. With one project for a family care facility in Wakefield, her nursing background came in handy, along with her understanding of form and function.

She says, "The facility had to project a positive image for both patients and guests. It had to be functional for the patients, who are dealing with medical conditions, but it also had to be pleasing to the eye for visitors. It was a challenge, but I like a challenge."

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