Page 14 - North Haven Magazine Issue 19 Summer 2021

Meet Interior Designer by Marisa Hexter
Ramona Eldridge

All the way back to her youth, Ramona Eldridge was always an artist. Originally in-
tending to become an architect, Ramona studied at the Rhode Island School of De-
sign for architecture but did not feel ready for the commitment at that point in time.
A couple of years down the line, she found her real passion was designing interior
places. “What I really liked was working with colors and fabrics and molding spaces
that people could touch and see and feel rather than the exterior of a building.” She
ended up going to school for interior design, where she obtained a promotional
degree.
er first job was with a kitchen and when she was younger and still spends
Hbath dealer and designer. There, a great deal of time in town, spend-
she created renderings by hand draw- ing time with her family. “North Haven
ing plans and perspective drawings with means home,” she says, “The people
a team of 5 to 6 designers. Gradually, are awesome in North Haven, so gener-
she became a certified kitchen designer ous and giving. I like giving back to the
through the National Kitchen and Bath community, I think it’s really important to
Association, working her way up in this give back.”
specialty. She then became a profes-
sional licensed interior designer through At Design House Interiors, Ramona says,
the National Council for Interior Design “We love to work with our clients. We
Qualifications, which gives you a state become friends with a lot of our clients.
license in interior design for the state. Ramona Eldrich interviewed by local television It’s a really enjoyable process to work
Ramona is a Kitchen and Bath Interior together...creating a home that they can
Designer at Design House Interiors. in Wonderland books and drawings, as love.” When asking about the trends for
well as integrating Johnny Depp’s “Mad this year for Kitchens and Bath, Ramona
Hatter” character, Eldridge was able to says lighter woods, Scandinavian style,
put together a whimsical display for the and painted cabinets are what is popular
drive-through event for parents and chil- now. “Get a really good painter to paint
dren to enjoy. The display had teacups your cabinets and change your counter-
hanging from tree limbs, moss teacups top” is her advice to changes to make
on the tilted table, and lots of black and in your kitchen. And as for the color of
white stripes among many other items the year? Try Urbane Bronze which Ra-
in the display, “It was a lot of fun, and mona says is a “really rich, warm color
you DO NOT say no to Jill,” she laughed. that invites you into the space.” In the
“She’ll get you next time.” end, Ramona Eldridge is passionate
about not only designing new spaces
Ramona Eldrich & Jill DeChello Ramona, with her two partners, also de- but also how each room makes the cus-
signed the Magical Elf House for Jill for tomer feel. “Design really impacts your
This Spring, Ramona also participated in two years. “That was a whole other ex- well-being and your ability to move daily
the town’s Spring Fantasy event, host- perience,” she says as it was more expe- in your space and it should be a space
ed by The Landing of North Haven. Jill riential. “We wanted to create little mo- that functions really well and a space
DeChello, the Editor of this magazine ments of surprise, little quirky things.” In that you should love both to look at and
asked if she would like to participate to the Magical Elf House, people could get to be in. And, my lesson for the day, if
design a set and Eldridge thought, “This up close and walk through and around Jill asks you to do something, do it! You
could be really fun, it’s a total fantasy...I it. Ramona’s favorite part of design sets meet great people and walk away with a
would get to do outrageous things that like these two is the fantasy element and warm fuzzy feeling.”
you don’t get to do in interior design.” had “a total blast” creating and partici-
For the set, she was asked to create an pating.
Alice in Wonderland table. Through re-
searching Lewis Carroll’s original Alice Ramona was a North Haven resident

14 North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2021