By John Flood

Joe hu/town crier Design & Interiors owners Marcy Pucchetti and daughter Amy Randazzo, at left, celebrated their downtown Los Altos furniture retail store’s 25th anniversary last week.

Design & Interiors Inc., a furniture and interior design store, hosted a reception last week to celebrate its 25th anniversary in downtown Los Altos. About 100 people joined President Marcy Puccetti and the design staff for the festivities.

Bill Puccetti founded the store in Mountain View in 1981; the Los Altos store opened in 1983.

Marcy said that Bill, who died in 1999, was very knowledgeable about fine furnishings.

“My husband had a passion for the furniture, the design and the styles,” Puccetti said. “He romanced every piece of furniture he sold, relating that (enthusiasm) to his clients and enhancing their lifestyle.”

Today, one of Puccetti’s motivations is to continue the aspirations of her late husband.

“This store was my husband’s idea,” Puccetti said. “I keep it going for my husband because it was his dream.”

Design & Interiors has three locations staffed by 25 employees, including 12 interior designers, and a 12,000-square-foot warehouse in Menlo Park.

Puccetti, a Los Altos resident originally from Italy, runs the business with her 29-year-old daughter, Amy Randazzo.

“If she wasn’t interested, I don’t know if I would be here,” Puccetti said. “The people who live in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills pride themselves in shopping downtown. It’s very exciting to see how they support the community. This is a warm, friendly place.”

The store provides a full-range of interior design services, from the simple to the complex.

“We can work with clients from their blueprints (for a new house) or (if they are) adding a room,” Puccetti said. “Or if someone just wants to buy a sofa or a couple of chairs, we offer to go to their house and help them make the right decision.”

The process of working with clients starts with a conversation.

“We like to sit down, interview them and find out how they intend to use the room,” Puccetti said. “It’s very important.” Puccetti understands the local customer who comes to her store.

“Our clients are educated. They know what they’re looking for,” she said. “They may not know how to put it together, but they have ideas. And in most cases they’ve done research.”

For Puccetti, there’s more to interior design than being creative.

“You can be creative, you can be talented, but … if you don’t have rapport with your customers, it’s not going to work,” she said. “You have to listen to what the customer is saying and provide what they need. That’s what our business thrives on, satisfied customers and referrals.”

Design & Interiors is located at 170 State St. For more information, call 948-7360 or visit www.designandinteriors.com.