“You may have places which do kitchen and bath, but they don’t do flooring, so we are inclusive for everything,” she said. “We would be able to go to their homes after designing and provide a scope for their project based on ideas from the showroom. We would create their dream space and within their budget.” ~ Alyssa Unfred, managing partner of The Perfect Shade

MONUMENT • Shades of Amber has rebranded into something more “perfect.”

In business for 21 years, and with a retail location in downtown Monument, Shades of Amber recently went through a rebranding with the intent of becoming an inclusive home interior renovation and decor design studio. The business is now The Perfect Shade, a brand adopted about six months ago.

While the business still designs window coverings and home decor, and the retail location is still open and operating, managing partner Alyssa Unfred, daughter of owner Brad Unfred, said the company is now taking a new direction to focus more on interior design and home decorating services rather than a retail location.

Brad Unfred started the window coverings business after his wife designed the ones for their home in Loveland at the time. Soon neighbors started asking for her assistance designing theirs, and Brad joined in, offering installation as well.

When Alyssa joined the business at age 17, she fell in love with interior design and eventually attended what is now called Ensign College in Salt Lake City to study it.

“When I got back, we ended up deciding that’s what we were going to do, create a studio that meshed the two concepts together,” she said.

Alyssa Unfred was born and raised in Monument and her love of interior design is a direct influence of the family business. When she graduated from high school, she had no clue what she wanted to do for a career while her friends had already decided and were off to college. Her father asked if she wanted to work for him in a sales position in the retail store.

“I fell in love with sales and the customer base,” she said. “Our merchandiser had switched companies, so I headed up the merchandising side of the business, doing the displays and such. That’s when I realized I had a knack for it, and decided to pursue interior design.”

The concept for The Perfect Shade’s upcoming design center, which will be in the present location of the retail store, will offer a showroom to patrons featuring Hunter Douglas window covering displays, home decor and cabinetry, as well as other facets patrons would need to examine to design any part of their homes.

“We want people to be able to come in and know how their house is going to look just from our showroom,” Alyssa Unfred said.

Unfred said there isn’t a design center like The Perfect Shade presently in Monument, or even in Colorado Springs or Castle Rock, which offers design services for all trades in one location.

“You may have places which do kitchen and bath, but they don’t do flooring, so we are inclusive for everything,” she said. “We would be able to go to their homes after designing and provide a scope for their project based on ideas from the showroom. We would create their dream space and within their budget.”

Alyssa Unfred, now 21, said the greatest reward for her involvement in the business has been the response of the customer base when they walk into the retail location at 125 Second St. in Monument. She hears people often describe the location as their “happy place,” she said. While the store had to close at times due to COVID-19 pandemic prevention guidelines, the company was still able to sell by appointment.

However, the economy had changed so much during the pandemic, it was a driving force behind making the design center concept a reality, Unfred said.

At this time, the retail store is open and a variety of items are on sale in an effort for the business to move inventory before making the transition to the design center. Portions of the location are already being renovated.

For more information on the rebranding of the company and its new vision, visit its website, ThePerfectShade. net.