A passion for painting
NEW looks are her business and for decorator Steph Howles that means creating forever homes for customers – and transforming the industry by calling for more women traders.
Part of AkzoNobel Dulux’s professionally approved Select Decorator Scheme, Steph’s Show Homes enterprise scooped top awards for use of colour and exterior work last year.
A prima donna of painting, wallpapering and putting clients at their ease, she takes them right through the process, from navigating design and colour options to a super stylish, mess-free finish.
“I help customers be positive so they celebrate their own choices and don’t get lost in a fog of tester pots and swatches,” says Steph. “Start with your favourite colour, there’s always scope to build in variety.”
Working independently in Warwickshire with her grandson and apprentice Joel, the average Show Homes’ project ranges between £1,880 and £2,000.
Clients find her through referrals and social media. “They’re really effective so there’s no need for me to have a website and sales remain strong,” she says.
Turnover is forecast for £45,000 plus this year.
The number of women working in construction is edging up with females now 15.8 per cent of the workforce – when Steph began four decades ago there were barely any.
Wanting to follow in her decorator dad’s footsteps, she told her ambitions to a careers officer at school who dismissed them and steered her towards catering and unhappiness.
By chance she took on a decorating job to help someone out and never looked back.
“I then worked to gain as many qualifications and skills as possible,” she recalls.
As well as her passion taking her overseas, and appearances on TV’s Changing Rooms, that initial rejection later spurred her to take up a wider role, campaigning for change that would benefit the industry.
“The perception today is women are reliable, tidy and take care over details,” she adds.
Most requests are for wallpapering, staircases and halls, where ladders are required.
However, the turning point for Steph was making the grade 20 years ago to become a Dulux Select Decorator, a high-grade accreditation scheme with rigorous vetting that now includes 450 firms.
“I wouldn’t have progressed as I have without it,” she explains.
As spring approaches and thoughts turn to sprucing up homes, softer hues, such as Dulux’s colour of the year – gentle blossom pink Sweet Embrace, pictured below left – are tipped as top picks.
Ever-practical Steph’s prize money will be spent on tools: a dust-free sander and a sprayer that deals with tricky stair spindles in a trice. With her passion for decorating undimmed, she says: “My big goal is to show others what a great career it can be.” You can find Steph’s Home Solutions on Facebook.