By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA
Fifteen years ago Gisela Ryland moved all of her furniture out of her house and created a beautiful showroom full of her treasures.
“Gisela worked for a design company in New Orleans and then opened a design firm in Alexandria. When I married her son and we had the first grandbaby, she closed the design shop in Alexandria and moved here and opened one,” said Stacey St. Amant, owner of Flooring & Design Center, Inc.
“She came from Germany when she was 18 and went to school in New Orleans. When I met her in ’78 or ’79, she was doing kitchen cabinet design and she and my mother worked together,” said St. Amant.St. Amant worked with her mother-in-law in the design business. The showroom was full of antiques, crystal, and Persian rugs.
“She was there for five years and then she started doing a lot of big commercial jobs. We did about four of the hotels here in Sulphur, the Lake Charles airport, and the federal courthouse,” said St. Amant.
The two women stayed in the small building on Beglis Parkway for five years before moving to their current location at 1401 Cypress Street, in Sulphur.
St. Amant said that with each new job the business took a
natural turn in the direction of flooring.“Slowly we began to fill the showroom. As we took on more projects, everything started to involve flooring so we noticed how the flooring aspect began to encompass the rest of all the things we were doing,” said St. Amant.
After ten years of being in the same building, St. Amant and her husband have taken over the flooring end of things.
“We have been involved in flooring for 12 years. Gisela still does the design, but her end is a separate business,” said St. Amant.
Cathy Morton joined the team a couple of months ago and is excited to work with her best friend, Stacy.
“Our husbands install together and that’s how we met. We worked together at a flooring store in Moss Bluff,” said Morton.
The two women are trying to redefine what the business is known for. Many in the Sulphur area still believe it is a high-end design business, but St. Amant and Morton want to set the record straight.
“If you are building a $2 million dollar home or if you need carpet in your camper, we can handle it,” said Morton.
“We are trying to
send the message that we still do design, but that is not the forefront of what this business is all about. It hasn’t been for a long time,” said St. Amant.The two shared people’s reactions when they walk into the store for the first time. They believe many people are surprised at the large selection of flooring they actually have.
“We have a large selection of hardwood, laminate, ceramic and natural stone,” said St. Amant.
It is clear from their enthusiasm and their background experience that they love what they do. The business may be more flooring than design, but the two women love to assist in design decisions without additional cost.
“When people come in, we try to get a feel for what they are looking for. If they are building a house they lay out their blueprints and we get a feel for what they see in each room,” said Morton.
“I have a customer, a single man, that came in and he said he wanted wood almost everywhere. So he brings his plans and he tells me where he wants the wood. We picked out countertops, carpet, slate, kitchen granite, and all the paint colors,” said St. Amant.
“He doesn’t pay a design fee. He is just paying for the floors,” said Morton.
St. Amant and Morton are more than happy to help with design preferences and they know how to work with a budget.
Builders will come to the women and give specifics on what is needed, but they also include the budget they are working with.
“We are hard to beat price-wise,” said Morton.
“We still have the $12 square foot tile, but we also have a 99 cent square foot tile. If we have to come down, we can,” said St. Amant.
One of the perks of choosing Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is that it is basically a one-stop shopping experience.
The women have enough experience to know what they are talking about and they enjoy their work.
Morton says they are the ones that go out and measure the houses, and they also get an idea of the layout and design of the house by being there.
If the house is being built and the customer is making paint sample choices and other decisions the women will create a list for them.
“We will send them home with a typed list, and they can take it to their builder or we can deal with the builders ourselves. I don’t mind doing it because I’m just happy to have that man’s business,” said St. Amant.
Starting in the fall St. Amant and Morton are signing up for online classes.
“We want to be CID certified in interior decorating. We want our customers to know that something looks good because we have had the training and not just because we think it does,” said Morton.
“We use Gisela as a resource for design questions. She is here so we ask her advice about what works and why,” said St. Amant.
With so many resources at their fingertips, the women are hard to beat when considering their experience, talent and enthusiasm.
Whether it is flooring needs or design assistance, Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is the place to visit. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the project is with St. Amant and Morton helping, all creative needs will be met.
For more information visit Flooring & Design Center, Inc. at 1401 Cypress Street in Sulphur, or call (337) 528-1077.
