Since 2007, Cecilia Mariotta, a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in interior design, has been coordinating a project that aims to provide a comprehensive and engaging overview of interior design and decoration to professionals, young people, and the general public—those without formal training but with an interest in the field. Decoracion.com.uy, therefore, aims to be many things: a source of information on design trends, events, and concepts, but also a provider of useful services for users. “We aim to showcase interesting projects and designs and present them in an engaging way, so that visiting the site is not only educational but also fun and of general interest,” Mariotta summarized in our interview with her.
-What is Decoracion.com.uy?
-This is a website about interior design and decoration that launched in June 2007, five years ago. It features articles on topics of general interest, always related to interior design, and aims to introduce people without specific knowledge in the field to this broad area of interior design. We also publish articles on trends, new furniture designs, new materials, and so on, aimed at both the general public and professionals seeking the latest in design.
-Why did you want to start with him?
-As a student, I found that there was no Uruguayan website to turn to if you wanted to see new things or find out what was happening in our country in terms of interior design. This made me wonder: why not create one myself? That’s what we’ve been working on ever since. We’ve come a long way and received a great response from our readers, which tells us that many people were thinking the same thing I was. The feedback we get is very motivating, and it keeps us looking forward, always on the hunt for new ideas and new challenges.
-Did you start on your own, or was it a team effort?
-It’s a project I started with my partner, who’s a web developer. He handles the technical side of the website, and I take care of the editorial content, interior design, decorating, events, and so on. It’s great because we complement each other technically and in our approaches—he’s much more pragmatic, and I’m much more of a dreamer, as is often the case with designers. It’s great to have that different perspective, both from a professional standpoint—from someone outside our field—and in terms of a more practical vision, which many of us designers lack.
-How long did it take you to get it up and running?
-It was a process that took several months, from the moment the idea first came up until we managed to turn it into what it is today. In any case, we’re constantly evaluating the site and looking for ways to improve it, so I wouldn’t say it’s a process with a clear beginning and end—it’s more of an ongoing evolution.
-Who works there?
-Currently, there are three of us: one person handles web development, another writes the articles, and I oversee and edit the articles, manage social media, create content, cover design-related events, and coordinate the project as a whole.
-What are your goals for the site?
-My long-term goal is for Decoracion.com.uy to become a leading Uruguayan resource for interior design online, catering to both designers and individuals, and thereby attract young people and others who may not be able to or wish to pursue formal training in design, but who are interested in learning about it on a more practical and functional level.
-Are you just looking to provide information, or do you also want to offer useful tools for designers?
-Both. We aim to provide information on the latest trends, design events, and concepts, but we also offer directories of designers, services, and home decor stores, which can be useful for both designers and non-designers.
-Are you also looking to entertain users?
-You could say that, in a way, yes—mainly because we aim to showcase interesting projects and designs and present them in an engaging way, so that visiting the site is not only educational but also fun and of general interest.
-What are the strengths of this site?
-Decoracion.com.uy is a website with a long history that has established itself among our audience as a place to discover new ideas and find answers to our decorating questions. In 2009, the site was selected as a finalist in the "Contate algo" contest, organized by ORT University and Observa, which confirmed that we were on the right track.
-On the other hand, what would you improve about it?
-I’d love to be able to cover much more ground, have more people working on the project—writing articles and covering events—so we can give our readers plenty more material to read and enjoy.
-How would you rate the education you received at ORT? Do you think it gave you the tools you need to, for example, develop this kind of project?
-It gave me many tools to approach design from a critical perspective, helping me appreciate new trends, designers, and projects. This is thanks both to the professors, who helped us see the value of design in all its forms, and to the constant push for better design at every stage of our projects, which enabled each student to develop their own personal style while also appreciating the styles of others.
-What is the site's primary target audience?
-The site is intentionally aimed at both amateurs and designers. We don't take a strictly technical approach to the topics we cover; instead, we aim to share the latest trends and designs that might be of interest to everyone.
-What are the challenges facing Decoracion.com.uy?
-The biggest challenge is growth. I would love to have more people working on the site and to offer our readers an endless array of options when reading or searching for information on a topic.
Interview published in June 2012