Biz News: Home-Based Business Reopens in Showroom

For 10 years, Totten-McGuirl Interiors was based from her Basking Ridge home, said Linda McGuirl, interior designer and partner for the interior design firm.

However, last September, the firm moved into a circa-1930s building at 912 Mount Kemble Ave. on the "Country Mile" along Route 202 in Harding Township. However, McGuirl said the partners delayed their official grand opening until the months of February and March, during which McGuirl said the interior designers will feature a variety of special offers for those who stop in.

The designers prepared their new space in conjunction with JS Audio Video, which shares the showroom with Totten-McGuirl, and the result is a mix of classic design with the latest in sound systems.

During a tour of the showroom, McGuirl pointed out the custom furniture, upholstery and cabinetry carried by the firm, including some pieces created by the two designers. William Totten, her partner — who lives in Manhattan and has an art studio in the Stirling section of Long Hill Township — hand-painted some of the floors, and glazed some of the walls.

The mix of classic and cutting edge is fully on display in the partners' design of a custom mirror, surrounded by a frame, that can be programmed to present a television screen within all, part or none of the mirror.

More technology is merged with the lighting and remote-control window treatments in the showroom. The partners also carry other brands of furniture for order.

McGuirl said that both of the partners are interior designers, but she mostly handles the business side of the firm, while Totten also is a fine artist.

She said Totten's work has been featured in major publications, including House & Garden and House Beautiful. Totten's hand-drawn room renderings also are a tool that the partners use to present their design visions to their clients, McGuirl said.

Totten-McGuirl's designs for kitchen and bath, window treatments including blinds and shutters, painting, art, accessories, upholstery and re-upholstery, floor coverings and wall-coverings has been published in many major magazines and hardcover books, McGuirl said. The partners' rooms have been featured in   Interior Designer Showhouses, including "Mansion in May" and "The Princeton Designer Showhouse," she said.