The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
A Denver-born home stylist and the director of design for local home-staging company Guest House, Bret Sundberg has long known the healing power of a space that’s been configured with intention. She also knows firsthand that interior design services feel inaccessible to most people in her community. So, this February, Sundberg relaunched her design service side gig, the Fourth House of Homes, into a full-fledged creative network and affordable design studio. Here, Sundberg shares her vision for the rebrand and how she hopes to bring the benefits of design to all corners of Denver.
5280 Home: Why is accessible interior design important to you?
Bret Sundberg: Interior design has always felt like a luxury. I grew up on welfare. I didn’t have the finer things. But at the end of the day, good interior design creates a space that makes you feel like you. Everyone should be able to experience that, regardless of their economic status.
- How Country Singer (and Part-Time Denverite) Dustin Lynch Is Prepping for His First Red Rocks Show
- Fun Things to Do in Denver, November 5 to November 11
- 16 Awesome Shops for Buying Local Gifts Around Denver This Holiday Season
- Luchador Taco & More Brings Mexican Street Eats to Whittier
- LoHi’s Jacques Gives Denver Diners Exactly What They Want
- Outdated Laws Forced Nadine Bridges To Marry Her Wife 3 Times—a November Ballot Initiative Could Finally Seal the Deal
- These Ski Outfits Designed in Littleton Are Made for Fun
What does accessibility look like at the Fourth House of Homes?
I offer three main design packages [starting at $150 per room, plus a 30-minute consultation for $30]. I’m helping clients lay out their spaces or clear out clutter; we’re thinking about lighting and room orientation—it really empowers them.
How do you approach designing a space with a client?
I approach everything based on how they want spaces to make them feel. Do you want to feel calm and relaxed? Do you want to feel energized? When you start there, you take away a lot of the noise that surrounds interior design, all the trends that are constantly changing.
Your rebrand includes new opportunities for community engagement. What’s your vision?
I’ve always been a Black female creative in Denver, and it’s been hard to find like-minded people in similar fields. So, one aspect will be community-based [interior design seminars and pop-up retail events]. It’s about bringing together creatives and entrepreneurs—especially within the Black community, and specifically Black women—who have gifts to offer.
Save The Date
Stop by RiNo’s Urban Sanctuary on June 11 for the Summer Art Market, where the Fourth House of Homes will offer wellness products, plants, art, and mini design consultations.
