Building / Renovating Your Own Castle
  More than 100 Reservations Made -
More than 51 People Comfortably Packed the Showroom

More than 51 participants comfortably packed About Interiors showroom Sunday, September 19 for Port Of Harlem's Build/Renovate Your Own Castle mini-symposium.  Samuel Jefferson, loan consultant and managing member of Araminta Financial Group,  inadvertently summed up the four presentations by saying, "It's all about you." Noted architect Melvin Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Bryant Bryant Michtell, opened the one and half hour session discussing the cost advantages of having an architect design and manage the building of your dream home.  Architects, he says, "insure that you will get the functional design you want and the full value on materials and labor." Genell Anderson, President of the AMAR Group, continued with tips for working with an architect such as your need to develop a close and personal relationship with the architect.  "The space that the architect is going to design for you in going to be your personal space; therefore, they really need to know you and what you want."  She ended her discussion on building regulations that vary by jurisdictions and will effect the design of your residential or commercial property. During his presentation, Jefferson stressed the uniqueness of each individual's financial situations.  I can only assist you, he says, "after I take a snapshot of your financial situation and see what your needs are."  He also stressed the importance of having a high credit score.  "It determines how much you are going to pay for the money I am going to get for you," he continued. H. Dawn Patrick-Wout, President and CEO of About Interiors, ended the afternoon with a slide show presentation on interior design.  She urged listeners not to fill every space in their house with items.  "Allow the room to breath," she counseled.   For lighting, she says, "recessed lights are popular."  For coloring, she concluded, "don't be afraid of color.  People of color afraid of color.  Isn't that interesting!"
	Melvin Mitchell
	Genell Anderson
	Samuel Jefferson
	H. Dawn Patrick-Wout