Ashley Ferguson worked part-time as an interior designer; Jyna Heinicke had a demanding job with a hedge fund company.

Despite their very different backgrounds, they saw the potential.

The women are now partners in Sunnyroad Designs, a company Mrs Ferguson started years ago.

She’s the primary designer, while Mrs Heinicke mainly deals with the operations and management side of things.

“I couldn’t ask for a better partnership,” Mrs Ferguson said. “I have been decorating homes for several years now and was on my own for a great deal of that time, but it wasn’t until Jyna came on board that things improved.

“Before, I was drowning because I’m not very good at the organising side of things or the accounting. I was doing as much as I could take on because I have three children and when I started my youngest was still only two months old.

“Now it’s more official because the children are in school and we’re working full-time throughout the week.”

Mrs Heinicke never imagined she would be involved in anything to do with design, but when Mrs Fergusson approached her she jumped at the chance.

“We decided it would be good for me to quit and I ended up handing in my notice soon after. I have been working with Ashley every since.

“We’ve been really gaining momentum. We haven’t done any advertising but we still get a lot of clients who find out about us through Facebook or word of mouth and call to ask us to look at their homes.”

The duo pride themselves on being able to recreate any living space — from bedrooms to patios.

“We get some people who are really interested in getting us to finish a room with accessories or those small details,” Mrs Heinicke said.

“But then there are those people who want us to come in and take away all their furniture and start from scratch.”

Those projects are some of the most rewarding, Mrs Ferguson said.

“Those are the design projects that are 100 per cent yours and the client’s vision. So instead of working around the pieces they already have, you get to have free rein.

“They come easier because I can walk into a room and imagine nothing’s in there. I envision what pieces are needed and where things should go. Then I start thinking about different styles of chairs and accessories and work to make that vision come to life.”

Designing a room around a single piece of furniture presents a different kind of challenge, Mrs Ferguson said.

“It’s still fun because we get to try to blend that antique piece with more modern elements to make it a beautiful space.

“We can accommodate any style. Some people are super modern or traditional. There are also all the in-betweens, so it just depends on the person’s taste.”

She said that many clients were afraid of bright colours and bold prints — and then they saw what she has offered.

“I love colour, that’s my thing,” she said. “I try to adds pops of colour to the pieces you can easily change versus the wall colour or couch.

“I like to keep those pricier pieces a bit more neutral and add the colour in the form of art, fabrics or rugs.

“If you add colours to the throw pillows you can change them so easily and there are such great deals on pillows in stores or online.”

Mrs Ferguson encourages people who like neutrals to use them in one or two rooms, rather than loading them up throughout the house.

She designed her own bedroom using different shades of white, and admitted it would have been a lot harder to do this in the living room, where her children and dogs play.

Mrs Ferguson said it was better to stick to dark colours for the sofa and rugs in rooms like that. Lighter hues can be used for the curtains and throw pillows.

“My personal home decor style is pretty eclectic,” she said. “I have a sofa that’s black with a few bright colours thrown in there with it.

“Growing up my mom had a black dining room. She was also a designer. I learned from her that you shouldn’t be afraid of colour and taking a few risks, but at the same time you have to try not to keep things too crazy like Mardi Gras.

“My house is very bold, but also durable because of our lifestyle. I also like adding some retro accents to each room. For instance, in my dining room we have these really cool emerald green chairs with seats in a caramel leather fabric.”

Both women said the job could be extremely rewarding.

“It’s such an emotional process for the client,” Mrs Heinicke said. “It’s their home and their space so there are ups and downs emotionally throughout the design process because it does take a good chunk of time, especially when we are redoing their whole house.

“You get to know them a lot and once you come back and see how happy they are, it makes us emotional. It’s a really satisfying experience.

“You’ve done something that makes someone’s life more enjoyable.

“The way I see it is people spend so much time in their homes you want them to love the space that they’re in.”

n For more information, e-mail sunnyroadbermuda@gmail.com or find them on Facebook: Sunnyroad Designs Bermuda.