Wellington The Magazine-August 2016

Susan Rubin Of Beyond The Barn Specializes In Equestrian Design Services

By Julie Unger

Susan Rubin of Beyond the Barn Decor Services is not new to the Wellington community. In fact, she isn’t new to the equestrian community, either.

“I am a lifelong equestrian. As a little girl, I used to dream of living in a place where people rode horses, walked around in their britches, and there were paddocks and barns everywhere. It was a fulfillment of a dream to move to Wellington in 1999 and open up a business,” she said.

While she focuses on her décor services nowadays, Rubin also once ran a store called Beyond the Barn. The store catered to equestrians through a unique collection of gifts and home furnishings, all with an equestrian theme. In one corner, she did design and decorating. That niche is now her primary business.

Yet Rubin isn’t someone who just fell into the design business. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and has continued her education through multiple design courses. “I really love working with people to help them nest in their homes,” she said.

As an equestrian — dressage, specifically — Rubin understands the equestrian lifestyle and all the aspects that go along with it, from early-morning risings to having somewhere to relax between barn work.

Many in the community know Rubin from Beyond the Barn, but her design work goes much deeper than equestrian furnishings and accessories.

“I’m more of a relationship decorator. I get to know who my client is and what they want to reflect in their home,” she explained.

Often, interior decorators have a specific style. The homes Rubin decorates, she said, have an air of casual elegance and truly reflect the story of the life, interests, collections and trips of the owner, in an easy, balanced manner.

“I think everyone’s home should tell a story, and it should be a reflection of who you are,” she said.

Rubin works with her clients to find something they truly love, and often will go shopping with them, so an entire room can be designed around a piece that speaks to the owners.

“The whole process is really great,” she said. “A great part at a job is at the very beginning, when you walk into a room listening to the client say they don’t like this, or they like that; what they’re dreaming of or what they want to have. The whole slate is empty. There’s nothing on the drawing board, and the wheels start turning.”

Rubin describes the process as a jigsaw puzzle, combining items the client already has, or truly adores, and adding different items to bring everything together.

“Figuring it all out, that’s a favorite part,” she said.

Production and installation aren’t like they are on television, she explained, because you never know what might happen. Unforeseen complications can always alter the schedule.

“My favorite part is having it done, having it clean-pressed and ready, and having the client show up and doing the reveal,” Rubin said.

Rubin has an extensive network of subcontractors she works with that she has found over the years and vetted — people she trusts to maintain the privacy of her clients.

Havensafe Farm in Wellington, just one of Rubin’s many projects, originally started with a tack room and expanded to the house, additions to the house, landscaping, a covered arena and more since 2008.

Rubin provides concierge services for her clients where she works every step of the way with the owner. She can even create a certain ambiance for parties and enjoys finding special items.

One item she is proud of finding is a set of elegant heat lamps that don’t look like heat lamps, don’t make noise and still provide heat for the client. She has renovated a 1920s chandelier, wired it and found candle-like bulbs to make it a part of the home with an Old World look.

“I offer full service. I will bring pattern selections, things as needed, right to the client’s home. We will do site trips, as needed, to customize it as much to what the client needs,” Rubin said.

Whether it is renovating a barn, a room, a bathroom, or some combination, the sky is the limit, because Rubin can do it all. She isn’t just an interior designer.

“I like to think of myself truly as beyond,” she said.

Though many of Rubin’s clients prefer privacy, she was able to share a few: Betsy Juliano’s Havensafe Farm, author Tammy Hoag, June Brody, the original Two Swans Farm for Carol Cohen, Hope Greenfield and more. She has worked in the Palm Beach Polo Golf & Country Club, the Aero Club and more.

“What I’m most grateful about is the repeat business, the continued trust, the referrals,” Rubin said. “That brings a lot of joy to my life, that I know I am making a difference in someone’s life and they’re entrusting me to other people and saying, ‘Hey, you need to give her a call.’”

For more information about Beyond the Barn Decor Services, call Susan Rubin at (561) 333-5255.

Wellington The Magazine-July 2016

Design Visionary Dougie Mutch Roots Herself In Wellington’s Timeless Equestrian Lifestyle

By Allyson Lagiovane

Douglas Mutch — affectionately known as Dougie Mutch — spent her childhood coloring pictures and daydreaming of fairytales, but she was also obsessed with horses. Unlike most kids’ creations, her drawings were designs for barns, her fairytales involved no princes, and it was her passion for horses that guided her on a journey she never thought she’d take.

That same passion turned her life into a whirlwind of success in the interior design industry. “I still remember, my entire childhood when I was supposed to be doing my homework, I’d be designing barns,” Mutch recalled. “And I remember, my mom would say, ‘Are you doing your homework?’ and I would say ‘Yes Ma’am!’ But you know, I wasn’t.”

Mutch followed her passion for interior design to Virginia Commonwealth University, where she graduated as a licensed interior designer. She made the move to Wellington in 1981 and immediately delved into her career at a local design firm.

From working at Palm Beach Design, located at Palm Beach Polo & Country Club, where she designed a field-side VIP tent for Prince Charles using her grandmother’s furniture, to opening her very first firm, M. Douglas Mutch Interiors, Mutch’s functional and timeless equestrian designs caught on fast in the Wellington community. “I have a blessed life, I really do,” she said. “But it’s only because I feel like I have a wonderful work ethic, and one of the things I truly believe is that you are only as good as your last job. It’s about being able to do the best you can for your customer.”

Mutch always dreamed of opening her own interior design company, and at an imperfect time, the perfect partner walked into her life. Despite the fact that she was in no position to hire anyone, the fairytale played out, and Susan Elhilow became Mutch’s trusted business partner.

“Beautiful lady, bright, smart, vivacious and energetic, the whole deal,” Mutch said of her. “I wasn’t in a position to hire, but she wasn’t going to say no, and it’s the best relationship I could ever imagine, truly a fairytale story.”

With Elhilow by her side, the pair started Gracie Street Interior Design, Mutch’s current interior design firm in downtown West Palm Beach.

Gracie Street prides itself in the ability to design for the equestrian lifestyle, creating an aesthetically pleasing space while maintaining its functionality.

“The lifestyle really comes down to the same thing at the end of the day,” Mutch said. “I really learned that when it comes to doing interior design for people who are passionate about horses, whether it’s a farm or a house, you don’t have to explain the lifestyle because it’s something I know.”

Mutch also knows how to spend her time giving back to the industry that has done so much for her. From the very beginning of her career, Mutch worked alongside Winter Equestrian Festival founder Gene Mische, designing the VIP tent at the Polo Club, completely pro bono. She later teamed up with longtime friend Mason Phelps Jr. when the National Horse Show moved to Wellington, and they designed the first-ever, and now iconic, Jockey Club.

She continued to give back through her work at the United States Hunter Jumper Association, bringing in donations for the new USHJA headquarters in Lexington, Ky. She brought the history of the USHJA to Kentucky in a modern style, incorporating posters and paintings donated on permanent loan by people across the country.

When the National Horse Show made the move to Kentucky, it was Mutch who headed the design operation. “I was challenged with the task to bring the history of the National Horse Show to Lexington, and bring Lexington to the National Horse Show,” she said.

The entertainment areas were the work and vision of Mutch, designing the rider’s club, the Taylor Harris VIP Club, and the one-of-a-kind Gracie Street Garden.

“At Madison Square Garden there was the MSG Club. I was joking when I brought up calling it the GSG,” she said of the Gracie Street Garden. “Then when it actually stuck; I was greatly humbled by that. It’s huge to me. I do all this pro bono, because it’s my way to give back to this industry.”

Mutch has been in Wellington for 35 years and has rooted herself in the warm climate and the rich equestrian culture. These days, she spends her free time riding her 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Gracie Street’s Yes I Fly. After years of hard work, she has finally been able to add her passion for riding back into her life.

“I’ve been in this industry for so long, and I am blessed to be able to do what I do for people who do what I love the most,” she said. “My two passions are combined, and it’s just so rewarding.”

For more information about Dougie Mutch and Gracie Street Interior Design, visit www.graciestreet.com.