Villa Rouge Brings Design Downtown

Step through the bright red door of Villa Rouge and prepare to be greeted by a treasure chest of home goods, from animal print pillows and paintings of electric guitars to tables that look like they've been carved out of bark.

The colorful interior design shop, nestled between a Thai restaurant and a law bookshop at 714 Villa St., is owned by interior designer Alicia Takahara. The Sunnyvale resident–who used to live in Mountain View–understands the risk she's taken by opening a store in this economy and restaurant-heavy downtown Mountain View.

"Somebody asked me, 'Why are you doing this in this economy?' and I said, 'To stimulate the local economy,'" Takahara said. "You know, people are staying in their homes and I can come in and refresh their room or get it ready for the holidays."

Takahara, who holds a degree in design and worked at a remodeling company for 17 years, decided to launch her own interior design business five years ago. Her new store in Mountain View gives visitors the chance to get ideas for their own homes as well as purchase furniture, decorations, and smaller gift items, like jewelry, for friends. She hopes to transform the store by adding "vignettes," which re-create individual rooms.

Services vary greatly in price, starting at around $150 for rearranging furniture to several thousand for complete make-overs. For those on a budget, Villa Rouge can provide a shopping list of items to a client after evaluating their space.

Takahara's style is somewhat eclectic and on the contemporary side, but she doesn't try to impose her vision on her clients.

"Because I work with what you have, I try to get to know you," she said, "I try to not influence you, basically, on my style."

Prior to Villa Rouge's arrival, the property was occupied by , a second-hand clothing store. Revamping the place to fit her needs wasn't easy, Takahara said.

"When I got it, it was yellow walls and orange crown molding and the floors were cement," she said. "Being in a cinderblock building as a designer is quite the challenge because you can't just walk up and put something up," adding that they had to come up with clever ways to hang items on the wall.

Government officials are happy to have Villa Rouge move in.

"Villa Rouge adds to the vibrancy of the downtown," said Tiffany Chew, Mountain View's business development specialist. "Part of what makes this downtown successful is the diversity of businesses...downtown has attracted a lot of independent retailers."

But Marco Azuela, owner of a couple of doors down from Villa Rouge, worries that rent increases and lack of ample parking spaces may drive businesses out of the Castro Street vicinity.

Although he has been at the Villa Street location for 14 years, he's considering relocating to El Camino Real. There, he feels he'll get more business and a better deal on rent. The nearby post office attracts many visitors who take up valuable parking spots, he said, and the building itself needs repairs which he is unable to afford.

Nevertheless, Takahara is optimistic about her business' success.

"The feedback has been really positive," she said. Villa Rouge celebrates its grand opening on Sunday, Nov. 6.