WS Chronicle

When I walked into her house, the living room layout was a clear sign that this woman has taste and class. I first noticed a tall silver statue near the window and below the statue was a glass table with a beautiful floral arrangement like those you would find in fashion magazines and celebrity mansions. On the floor were a variety of animal print rugs in different shapes like a puzzle – It was extremely creative! You must see my interview on YouTube to appreciate how classy and creative she decorated her fireplace; it was eye-popping.

“I used to watch my mother decorate our house. It didn’t have to be a holiday for her to rearrange the bathroom, kitchen and living room. She loves to decorate and it rubbed off on me,” said Lashonda Stone Minor. Lashonda is the CEO of Mansion House of Designs in Winston-Salem. She continued, “Our goal is to be a one-stop shop. We do all the planning and design, with a large inventory of glassware, flatware, china, centerpieces and more. We use preferred vendors to provide audio and lighting, so our clients are completely satisfied.”

The talented and creative CEO said her company takes their client’s vision to the next level.

“Most clients have an idea of what they want, but they don’t know where to start and pull everything together. When they tell me what they want, I can already see it in my head. Mansion House of Designs will go above and beyond and custom-build a lot of our pieces. We don’t go to a store to buy something and just set it on a table. We build our pieces from scratch, so when that client sees it, they won’t see it again, because I don’t duplicate my designs. We do that to make sure our designs cater to each client individually. We love giving them more than they were expecting. That’s what separates our company from others.” The company has made custom pieces for Winston-Salem State University for the past two years.

Mansion House of Designs has gained national attention as well. NBA basketball star Tarrance Kinsey was referred by a former client and asked to decorate his 15,000-square-foot Florida home. “He flew me to Florida and I met with his mom. She tried telling me what he wanted to do with his house, but she couldn’t, so I looked around and immediately got a vision. I had six months to complete the project before he got back in town. I had to do all the measurements of the house, then select the furniture and things of that nature. It was a huge challenge, but I love challenges and it turned out fantastic. He loved it.”

That was a great networking project for her business, but it wasn’t what she considered her biggest project. It was one that was truly endearing and life changing. It was a project for the nonprofit organization The Living Room Heals that redesigns rooms for selected cancer patients. “They bring in designers and we go into a cancer patient’s home and they choose a room they want revamped.” You must go to our YouTube channel hear the rest of this heartwarming story.

Lashonda Stone Minor can walk into an empty room and create a masterpiece design that we can only dream about. “It’s a God-given talent. I wasn’t taught to draw or paint like most designers. I asked God to show me what I’m supposed to do in life, and he showed me. I was blessed with this gift as a child.”

Her first project was in 2003 for a friend’s wedding and at that time she had no experience or education in decorating. All of that changed in 2013 when she received a bachelor’s degree in interior design and that’s when the magic began. Her family is very supportive. Lashonda’s husband Julius Minor is her business partner, best friend and biggest supporter. “I couldn’t do this without him. We push each other to be great.”

To see the entire interview, go to Winstonsalem Chronicle YouTube channel. For contact info for Lashonda Stone Minor and Mansion House of Designs, call 336-926-2556 or visit www.mansionhouseofdesigns.com.