The empty building on the corner of Williamson Avenue, across from the McEwen building and next to Eleonore’s Hair Design will soon no longer be lacking business. Cynthia Huffines & Associates, an up-and-coming interior design company, is moving in and expected to open their doors on Nov. 29.
Established in 2000, Cynthia Huffines & Associates is a company dedicated to redesigning and refurbishing homes, and has completed many projects up and down the East Coast from Naples, Florida to Manhattan, New York.
“It’s much bigger than picking out a paint color for somebody,” Huffines said. “It’s really getting into their lives and their hearts and creating a safe space.”
Huffines currently operates out of her home in Burlington, but the new design studio in Elon will showcase her work physically, and offer potential designs to old and new clients including Elon students, parents and faculty. This will allow clients to find inspiration outside of online images, and get a feel for what a design will truly look and feel like in their respective homes.
“Having a variety of businesses in the downtown [area] encourages residents and visitors to come downtown, which improves the business environment for every business,” said Kathleen Patterson, Downtown development administrator for the town of Elon.
The business will bolster Elon’s economy further while also spreading Huffines’ business.
The space the studio will be inhabiting is one of the oldest buildings in Elon, and is the only building that has been continuously in use since its construction in 1891. The building itself was bought by Elon University, but is often leased out for new business opportunities.
“Ms. Huffines and her team are going through the process to renovate the space to meet her needs, which is the construction you see currently going on at the site,” Patterson said.
The space was demolished on the interior and the reconstruction was completed in August, according to the Huffines & Associates web page. Final setup is being completed now to prepare for the upcoming opening.
“The front of it, when we’re finished with it, will look as close to the original storefront as I possibly can do,” Huffines said. “I was very, very fortunate to get [the building] when Elon moved out. And I want to bring it back to its original state of beauty again.”
Cynthia Huffines & Associates offers two main services having to do with interior design. The first option is a half-day at the customer’s home where Huffines and her team will rearrange furniture already in the home to create whatever atmosphere the client desires. The other service offered is full interior design meaning Huffines’ group will have an initial walkthrough of the home, and then offer recommendations of various furnishings that could best fit the client.
“I do everything from picking a paint color for a bedroom, to doing entire homes that take three years to build,” Huffines said. “I can put lamps in somebody’s home or new artwork. I also can rearrange what you have.”
Cynthia Huffines & Associates believes that the opening of an office space and design studio in Elon will allow the company to continue to grow while staying true to Ms. Huffines’ overall philosophy.
“People come to me because they want their home to be beautiful and be a sacred space and a reflection of who they are and not necessarily look like a designer’s been there,” Huffines said. “So I pride myself on being more than just a decorator.”
Cynthia Huffines & Associates’ opening in downtown Elon is sure to be exciting both for the Elon community and for Huffines herself.
“I’ve just been wonderfully busy and blessed with clients that [my business] has been growing like crazy,” Huffines said. “I’m totally stoked about being a part of the Elon community.”