Karie Cavallaro and her twin sister, Kristie Gardner, are very close. Cavallaro worked in Naples, Fl., for Norris Furniture and Interiors for more than five years and prior to that she and her sister worked together. When Gardner's family decided to move to Raleigh, N.C., last year Cavallaro wasn't far behind.

Cavallaro had made a name for herself with the company; she was one of their top producers in Florida and they respected her vision. Though Boyles Furniture, owned by Hendricks Furniture Group, offers some design services, Cavallaro's concept was to create a knockout showroom that offered full-service interior design packages.

Cavallaro and Gardner opened Interior Design by Boyles in March. Cavallaro is the director of interior design development and Gardner is the director of operations. Cavallaro focuses on the in-home projects and Gardner manages the business aspects and in-store design work.

The showroom is corporately owned and Cavallaro and Gardner are its employees, but it's their vision and design skills that set Interior Design by Boyles apart. The duo has the benefit of corporate marketing, buying and brand recognition while also enjoying the autonomy of running a business of their creation.

The footprint is 5,400 square feet, 2,500 of which features a handful of impeccably designed rooms filled with brands like Henredon, Century, Chelsea House, Fine Art Lamps, E.J. Victor, Ferguson Copeland, Habersham, Maitland-Smith, Marge Carson, Sherrill, original art work by Patsy Reeves and more. The rest of the space is a workroom filled with all the sample books, swatches and necessities of a designer's studio.

"This is a different animal," Cavallaro said. "Boyles has 50,000-sq.-ft. stores, this is a designer showroom."

Though customers can purchase anything from a lamp and wall decor to decorative accessories, rugs and furniture, Cavallaro said the core of business comes from interior design projects. Her goal is to reach $3 million in sales the first year.

"So far most of our sales have been to people familiar with the Boyles name," Cavallaro said. "But as we move further along, our design services will be the draw."

In fact, the marketing for the showroom won't focus on the showroom itself but rather on the services. An invitation-only mailing will announce the grand opening, slated for this month.

Interior Design by Boyles also is a resource for local designers. The showroom has the same Partners in Design program found in Boyles Furniture stores. Designers enrolled in the program can shop with their clients and leave the tasks of coordinating order entry, order monitoring, paperwork, inspections, deluxing, warehousing and delivery to the showroom. They receive a commission on sales in exchange.

The store concept not only differs from furniture stores in size and services but also in the breadth of its resources. Interior Design by Boyles has many exclusive lines and resources, something "that's bound to set us apart," she said. Original art and COM options also distinguish the product selection.

Cavallaro said when it comes to design projects Raleigh is quite different from Naples.

"Naples is a beautiful town, but it's very unrealistic," she said. "Customers there have three or four homes and they put the designer in total control of everything, it's like a mini Hollywood. The last home I worked on was $6.8 million. Raleigh has a more hometown feel, it's a good place to raise our kids."