Meet Melanie Serra

Melanie Serra is principal of Interior Revivals Inc., a Home Staging and Interior Redesign company and founder of The Home Stagers Guild, an association that supports and trains other staging professionals in the industry. She transforms residential interiors from ordinary to extraordinary by rearranging existing furniture and accessories. The concept known as interior redesign–also called “use-what-you-have decorating”–is fast becoming the most sought-after design service in the industry.

One of the early pioneers of the trend, Melanie has been reviving interiors for 15 years and has worked with clients in Dallas, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

In 2006 she founded the Home Stager's Guild, a certified training program in Home Staging and Interior Redesign (www.thehomestagersguild.com). Recently she became a consultant and was named the Atlanta instructor for the Dewey Color System. She will be working with homeowners in this new color methodology as well as training other designers and stagers to become color experts in this exciting new program.

Melanie’s credits include photo stylist for Omega Studios of Dallas Texas, where she supervised set design and production for the JC Penney Home Furnishing Catalog. She has been a design and product consultant for many major manufacturers in the interior surfacing industry, such as Duron Paints & Wallcoverings, Nevamar Decorative Laminates and Prince Street Carpets.

Melanie also works with the real estate community staging homes for resale. She has been praised for increasing the average market value of a home by 20 % with her “staging” techniques. As Member of I.R.I.S., (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists), Melanie received her certification for C.I.S.S., (Certified Industry Staging Specialist). She also received recognition for best design in four categories at the 2002 National Redesign Conference, and was awarded the “Best Art Arrangement Award” in 2003.

Melanie is a published author who writes about decorating for the Dunwoody Crier, a local Atlanta newspaper. She has received editorial coverage for her work in the Philadelphia Times Herald and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and is often featured in Atlanta Home Improvement and Atlanta Life magazines. She's been on television, as a guest redesigner for Jacksonville's The Morning Show. Melanie is an instructor at Emory University Center for Life Long Learning, where she teaches a course on "Decorating To Sell". She is a professional speaker on the topic of "Use What You Have Decorating," and "Home Staging."