About Venice Living Furniture & Interiors
Our design studio and retail store is nestled on E Venice Avenue in historic Venice, FL. From our beginning, our passion has been to design inspired rooms that exceed our clients’ expectations. Founded in 1963 as Ralph’s Interiors we have grown into a complete home furnishing store and a full interior design studio with experienced designers on staff. Clients across Southwest Florida count on Venice Living Furniture & Interiors to assist them in outfitting their home or condo with the highest quality furniture, décor, lighting, accessories and more. With our creative eye and artistic flair we help bring your ideas to life so you can experience beautiful, functional spaces for you and your family to enjoy!
Gayle Rector, President/CEO
Gayle Rector has been involved in interior decorating since 1963 in the Venice/Sarasota area. Gayle is actively involved in residential and commercial projects from Longboat Key to Boca Raton. A dynamic and sought-after speaker, Gayle is well-known for her seminar “The Top 10 Mistakes in Interior Decorating.”
She offers a wide range of seminar topics and is available to speak for clubs or groups. She has been honored to be recognized by the design industry in publications such as: Spectacular Homes of Florida (a coffee table book), Sarasota Magazine, Venice Gulf Coast Treasures, and Harbor Style Magazine. You may have even seen her on cable channel 21 on “At Home with Gayle,” which featured design ideas and decorating methods for the Florida lifestyle.
Missi Youngblood, Lead Design Consultant
Helping her father renovate homes for resale and investment while growing up, Missi Youngblood developed a passion for design. Realizing that professional success hinged on education, she studied interior design, received her degree from Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, and was hired as a commercial designer with a turn-key Atlanta firm upon graduation. After a few successful career-building years in Atlanta and South Carolina, she relocated to Florida and joined the team at Venice Living. From 2002 through 2009 she owned The Dream Home Coach in historic Old Englewood Village.
Serving clients from Sarasota to Boca Grande, including the Keys, she worked with developers and builders as well as individual homeowners and investors. In 2009, she returned to her home state of South Carolina and continued her design work from the South Carolina coast to the North Carolina mountains until her recent return to Venice. Her work has been recognized by Sarasota Magazine, SRQ Magazine and South Carolina Home & Gardens Magazine. Missi is a member of the Interior Design Society (IDS) and has won numerous awards in international design competitions.
At Venice Living Furniture & Interiors, what you get is what you’ve always dreamed of having!”
Lee Swain: Showroom Manager
Bio coming soon
