Irene’s Passion, Strength and Commitment to Success Rewarded Her with a Dream Career

Irene Tokstad's passion for Interior Design started at young age. She would re-arrange bedroom furniture and experiment with different paint colors because she loves to embrace a fresh look. She went on to pursue her dreams of becoming an interior designer and the journey to getting where she is today was not easy, but well worth the pursuit of happiness.

Growing up in Sacramento, CA, Irene and her family didn’t have a lot of money. She was homeschooled in a toxic environment. Home was not a happy place. It was a place of neglect, disorder and trauma. As a result, Irene grew up refusing to be a product of her environment. Irene and her sister made a pact as children to do better and be better and this commitment they made to each other has gotten Irene where she is today. It’s the voice in her head that says keep going and see all things through. In addition, Irene has always valued family and community most in life. She believes a happy family starts with a solid foundation. A foundation that is made up of an environment that you want to come home to, because after all, home is where the heart is.

Irene realized at a very young that she could create the family and home she dreamed of and wanted to help others do the same. So she went on to found a house cleaning business called Keep It Clean, Call Irene. As a result, she fulfilled her passion for serving the community by offering services that sustain an environment her clients desired to come home to. Furthermore, Irene is proud of the company she built and was an honored to be welcomed into a client’s home. So many of her clients became like family to her. She would assist clients with furniture layouts and surface selections. In addition, she went shopping with clients so that they could freshen up or even recreate their space.

Irene's was inspired to pursue a career in interior design. She wanted to take her passion for livelihood to the next level by recreating interiors from start to finish. As a result, Irene decided to pursue her dream of becoming a freelance interior designer. Consequently, resources for an affordable interior design and home staging education were limited in Sacramento, CA and then she got sick. In addition, treatment for getting her health back on track was what brought her to Portland, OR in 2013. On her road to recovery she met her husband who became her inspiration and support. With Irene's supportive husband, came along three amazing children and they are the light of her life!

In 2016 Irene decided it was time to get back into the workforce. So she worked a couple of temporary jobs but never felt valued or passionate about what she was doing. As a result, she started looking into affordable interior design education again and that is when she found Heritage School of Interior Design.

Irene immediately talked to her husband about quitting her job to go back to school. His response was heartwarming. He replied saying, “I remember the first day I met you, you told me your dream was to own your own interior design business. That you believed every home has great bones and just needs someone with a vision to get in there and recreate the space.” Without hesitation, Irene's husband supported her decision to pursue her passion for a career in interior design.

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At Heritage School of Interior Design, Irene established great friendships that will last a lifetime. In addition, the school connected her with countless vendors that generously share their extensive knowledge and experience. Stephanie and the instructors at Heritage truly provided intensive, quality hands-on education that empowered Irene to carve the road to success in her design career. As a result, Design Allure was born! Irene now services the community by providing interior design and home staging services to the Portland metro areas. In conclusion, her dream has always been to serve the community by supporting their vision of home and livelihood. She now does this by designing with innovation, integrity and passion so that together, we may transform any space into a sanctuary.

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IRENE Tokstad

With a loving husband and three amazing kids, Irene is committed to serving and supporting fellow community families of all shapes and sizes by helping them realize their home vision with innovation, integrity and passion.