Photographer / Ellie Sophia Photography
After spending almost 12 years away from Zionsville, Dion and Suzanne Deason have again brought their unique brand of full-service interior design services to the Village. Located at 27 East Cedar Street, their new shop, Village Home Zionsville, offers a brick-and-mortar space the couple has filled with eclectic furnishings covering a multitude of styles.
“It’s a nice feeling to come back home,” Suzanne says. “People have been coming in to say hello and let us know they are glad we are back. We love how local residents support the Village, and how the Chamber of Commerce promotes the businesses in it.”
Dion says the couple enjoys the Zionsville’s sense of community.
“We could live anywhere in Indianapolis, but we chose Zionsville and knew we wanted to be right in the Village,” he says.
The Deasons’ prior shop, At Home in the Village, was housed in a historic church on North Main Street. It was open from 1999 until 2005, when the couple sold the building to artist Nancy Noel and it became known as the Sanctuary. The Deasons then moved to Dion’s hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina, and established a business called Design Elements. Upon the sale of their business in mid-October last year, Village Home opened its doors the Friday after Thanksgiving.
“It was always part of the plan to move back to Zionsville and be close to Suzanne’s family,” Dion says. “We started working on coming back a few years ago, but with a busy schedule of projects already in the works, timing was instrumental in completing previous commitments. Design Elements was in an 1840 antebellum mansion previously owned by the Mayor and was purchased by a business that wanted a historical property.”
Suzanne says the couple kept in touch with established Zionsville clients during their South Carolina stint.
“Other customers are from many places like Colorado, Michigan and Chicago,” she says. “We have seen them through second and third homes, and are now even doing their kids’ homes.”
Village Home offers a one-stop experience for anyone looking to redecorate one room or even an entire house – regardless of budget. The Deasons are adept at overseeing both renovations and new construction. They design plans, research and order products, handle scheduling, and oversee installation. Dion’s specialty is custom kitchen and bath cabinetry.
Inside the shop, customers can find items of many styles, ranging from a $17 hand-painted fish plaque to the Deasons’ own line of upholstered furniture produced in North Carolina. The store is designed and decorated based on the products and items that Dion and Suzanne would use on Interior Design projects.
“All the bases are covered – we don’t stick with just one style,” Suzanne says. “Much of our work is custom and we can order whatever the customer wants. We carry two custom upholstery private label lines that include sofas and chairs which are very popular, and so are our unique dining chairs and tables for dining rooms or kitchens. We don’t have a set, identifiable style. The rooms we design don’t look like us, they look like the customer.”
For the last five years, the Deasons have been purchasing homes in various neighborhoods, completely gutting, redesigning and renovating them. After completion, they fully furnish and decorate the homes, using them as a decorator ShowHome. All ticket proceeds were donated to the Humane Society of Greenwood, of which Suzanne was on the board of directors. Proceeds from the ShowHomes are contributed to the campaign to relocate the facility to a much needed new location. In the future, the Deasons plan on doing similar projects in the Zionsville area.
“We are very excited to be back in the community of Zionsville, and to be part of this historical village that has so much to offer,” Dion says.
