Sarasota Designer Launches Website Touting "Affordable'' Advice

Interior designer Sunny Utz has launched a website that she hopes will make design more accessible and affordable.

Packed with video, photographs and advice, ask Designer 99 provides free design tips and invites visitors to submit questions that will be personally answered for a small fee.

Utz says the idea for the site evolved naturally from her experience and her desire to help others. "For the vast numbers of people 'surfing' for affordable solutions and for those who have never had access to customized, professional design help, I knew ask Designer 99 could provide many inspired but always affordable answers," she says. "When I show a client how to personalize their space, they discover more about themselves, they find out what really matters to them. They feel empowered and experience themselves at peace in relationship to their surroundings. This fuels their creative spirit, calms their soul, doesn't break the bank and positively impacts their day. You can change your look and change your life."

Online clients needing specialized advice can pay for packages ranging from $.99 for one question to $9.99 per month for ongoing projects. Cost-conscious solutions can also include an analysis of a personal space from a downloaded photo.

Utz explains that the business model builds on itself. "The question-and-answer content will build a vital cache of important data to fuel future interior design and décor product development," she says. "This better determines what can be customized for my audience and featured on my site at a later point."

The site is not about pushing expensive solutions, she says. "The concept is not to sell you expensive home furnishings and charge high design fees but to offer inexpensive ways to redecorate.The sense of joy and comfort that can be created with just a few simple changes is remarkable."

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Sunny Utz, ask Designer 99