May 8, 2017

Meet Deborah Rhein of D.L. Rhein in Palms

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Rhein.

Deborah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been industrious. Growing up, while my friends were shopping Ralph Lauren and La Coste, I was combing through thrift stores looking for special pieces that could be morphed into something fabulous. I have always enjoyed the challenge of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

After college, I was a struggling actress/director/producer/waitress. One of my part-time jobs was assisting a famous floral designer creating couture arrangements for Saks Fifth Avenue and elaborate weddings. After these big events, there was a lot of waste which everyone else considered trash. Where others saw trash, I found treasure. And thus, DL Rhein was born. The bushels of left over flowers and greens became beautiful adorned picture frames, tea trays, aromatic framed mirrors, and the list kept growing. Each day, as I arrived home from work with a new batch of “trash”, I would sit on the floor of my apartment, with glue gun in hand and create.

After years of designing and manufacturing my own line and licensing my designs to other companies who approached me, I wanted to move my business to the next level. I love collecting and hunting for beautiful objects: old, new, antique, and vintage. Opening a retail space (12 years ago) allows me the opportunity to share these objects and to continue to search for new ones. I put my heart and soul into remodeling both my first and current family home. Even after being published for both of these projects, I never really considered doing Interior Design for anyone else. However, with the success of my retail store, it began to allow others to appreciate and gravitate towards my unique point of view. When one of my loyal customers asked me to “zhush” and help transform her home, I jumped at the chance. Since then, I have had the pleasure of continuing to evolve my business and become a full-service interior design studio to clients all over Los Angeles county.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always obstacles when you own your own business. From managing employees and contractors, to figuring out where the next great idea will come from. I think the reason I have survived throughout the years is that I have been willing to take risks and always had faith that when I jump, I will land. To some degree, you have to follow trends to keep yourself current. But at the end of the day, I follow my instincts and do what I believe is ultimately the best decision for my customers and clients and longevity of my business. We are constantly changing products, furniture and displays within the store and that definitely holds peoples interest and keeps them coming back.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with D.L. Rhein – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
D.L. Rhein is a specialty boutique and full service interior design studio. We have a gift for anyone and any occasion throughout the year and our customers appreciate that we always keep our products fresh and interesting. We are known for unique gifts and vintage wares that you won’t find at other stores. I travel all over the country and to Europe to search for the next great thing for our store and to source new items for my design clients. I am proud of the loyal following we have and that we know our repeat customers and clients by name. People tell us all the time that they love coming to our store because of the personalized service we offer, and that it is a place for them to get inspired and find just the right thing for themselves or when they are shopping of the perfect gift. The combination of our unique products and merchandising, monthly display changes, and friendly conversation sets us apart from the average retailer. In 2015, we won the Retailers Excellence Award for Best Store Redesign in the country.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Because our Interior Design business has grown tenfold over the last two years, we are currently working on expanding our store to incorporate even more of our one of a kind reinvented vintage and custom furniture pieces. We are working on several complete home remodels and that is exhilarating. Designing the schematics with hand painted renderings and then working with my clients to choose everything from the floors, to lighting and hardware, and then getting to furnish the finished product is what excites me the most these days.

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