When Arty and Bonnie Berko first moved into their Potomac home, they decided that designing the interior was a project that they could handle. Not only were they were wrong, they soon found themselves embarrassed to invite friends over to the space they had created. They decided to send out an SOS and were rescued by interior designer Kerra Michele Huerta.

“My goals were to find someone who was good at designing small spaces and for a good price,” said Bonnie Berko. “I also wanted someone who would pick out colors and items for my home, since I am so bad at it. I also wanted someone who could fix the mess I made when I moved in and painted the whole house in dull, boring colors.”

Huerta took one look at the home and understood what had gone wrong during the Berko’s do-it-yourself home decorating project.

“Upon meeting them, I noticed immediately that they were vibrant, colorful people living in a beige space,” she said. “That didn’t add up. After talking with them, I decided they needed an artsy, Bohemian space. I created the look by adding color to the walls, pattern and texture to upholstered surfaces, and mixing in various woods, metals and even grasscloth wallpaper for warmth and depth.”

Huerta says good interior design requires a keen ability to mix colors and patterns. “For the Berkos, I shopped internationally through Etsy and eBay shops to collect textiles that would reflect the worldly, Bohemian aesthetic I was going for,” she said. “Doing this ensures their space is unique. Also, much of the existing furniture was very neutral, so I pumped up the volume in the house a bit by painting several rooms in cheerful paint colors.”

ONE OF THE OBSTACLES that Huerta faced was working around the furniture the Berkos already owned. In the end, however, the fix was simple: keep the bones but give the pieces facelifts.

“The Berkos had a lot of existing furniture that they wanted to reuse, having made the purchases prior to hiring me to decorate their new space,” said Huerta. “By reupholstering some pieces and refinishing others, I made the furniture fit into their new space so it appears to have been purchased specifically with my new design in mind.”

The new design changed the Berkos’ lives: “Now I am not embarrassed to bring people to my home,” said Bonnie Berkos. “Kerra made my home cheery and bright, with fun colors and lovely furnishings.”

“She is really good,” added Arty Berkos.