Beach interior designer has a showroom full of ideas

VIRGINIA BEACH

Cathy Walsh possesses a special ability to walk into any home and instantly know where each piece of furniture should be placed.

“I’ve always had an eye for color, design and space,” said Walsh, an interior designer who has worked on everything from commercial to residential, shipboard to hotels, restaurants to hospitals redesigns.

A marine biologist by education, Walsh is passionate about helping others enjoy and make the most of the space around them.

Her store’s motto is “Let us help you love your home!” And Walsh lives by that, noting that it’s the client she is aiming to please.

“At the end of it all, it’s not my home,” said Walsh, who lives in Croatan. “My concept of design is laid back. I work for the customer.”

Walsh took the plunge into retail-store ownership a year and a half ago when she opened The Sterling Seahorse on Pacific Avenue.

The boutique, which houses Walsh’s interior-design business on one side, also features an array of beach-friendly decorative accessories on the other.

Whether you are searching for residential or commercial interior design services, space planning, downsizing, staging, designer fabrics, wall coverings, upholstery, window treatments or floorings, The Sterling Seahorse has it in its working design studio.

And if you’ve been seeking out home furnishings, area rugs (indoor or outdoor), lighting, artwork, unique coastal fine gift items and other types of assorted home décor, you’ll find it on the boutique side which offers an array of transitional and contemporary pieces.

The daughter of a Navy pilot, Walsh and her husband, Tom, also a retired Navy pilot who now flies for FedEx, have lived all over the world, but spent the past 22 years residing in Virginia Beach.

“I’ve always felt this area has had so much more potential than is provided,” said Walsh, who brings in items from around the globe.

The Sterling Seahorse also features one-of-a-kind sterling, sea glass, shell and stone jewelry, which Walsh explained was incorporated because of the shop’s name – a nod to the marine biologist within her.

“I like providing ideas and products to enhance people’s lives, help them love their environment and their home,” Walsh said.

That’s what led Debra Saunders of Norfolk to stop by the shop one day on a whim. After seeing what was inside, Saunders has become a regular.

“I bought some really cool, eclectic pieces for my living room,” Saunders said. “I’ve enjoyed shopping there because it’s not your average, everyday store.”