Lorna Allison has faced all sorts of design challenges over the years; she first qualified as an interior designer in 2100 and now fronts Glenwood Interiors on Darlington's Yarm Road.

But she and her dedicated team recently turned their attention much closer to home and have just completed a total redesign of the showroom they work in every day. Glenwood Interiors reopened with a fresh new look last week, and Lorna is thrilled with the result.

"Due to our continuing success and a growing demand for The Little Greene Paint Company range, we decided to invest in a beautiful contemporary unit that got us all stirred up to change the look of the whole store," she says. The team got together to consider a few different options and the result is a bright, welcoming space, with feature lighting, painted units and bespoke tables and units. Flooring supplied by Alan Jenkins from the Carpet and Decor Centre in Barnard Castle underpins the whole scheme.

Lorna and colleagues Zoe Wilkinson and Helen Hodgson all have extensive interiors experience and are looking forward to welcoming customers to the new space to spend time looking through the extensive range of wallpapers, paints, fabrics, and now giftwares too.

The interiors store on Yarm Road is just part of the family-run Glenwood empire, that has been in Darlington for more than four decades. There are three Glenwood stores in town, all offering different aspects of DIY and design, and the operation has grown to supply to retail, tradesmen, councils, schools and a dedicated wholesale operation at Blackpath Faverdale. "We are very proud of all our achievements over the years," says Lorna.

Lorna loves going out the meet clients in their homes, so she can get a proper feel for the space and how they live in it. "We have a varied and diverse clientele, bringing lots of different challenges that we love to tackle to create the outcome the customer is looking to achieve. Whether it is a multi-million pound hotel, restaurant, public house, mansion or three-bedroom semi, we relish the opportunity to do our best for our clients."

At present she is working with a returning customer who has just moved house. "The main challenge here is dressing the very large arched windows, but I have a good knowledge of the style this family aspires to achieve."

Lorna's own home is contemporary in style. "It suits my way of living; I like to mix texture and pattern creating a relaxed designer look." More generally, greys are still popular, but under threat from blues, says Lorna. "And going on to spring, we will see delicate blush pinks and textures coming though."