Two Wichita design businesses plus one new space equal a lot more collaboration

The coronavirus pandemic caused people to start working from home, and a lot are continuing to stay there.

Designers Wendy Mayes and Vicki Flores are taking the opposite route.

The two had always worked from home, but they decided to open a storefront together.

Mayes still has her Wendy Mayes Design, which focuses on kitchen and bath renovations, and Flores still has Designs for Life.

Now, both businesses are at 3211 E. Douglas between Reuben Saunders Gallery and the Crown Uptown Theatre.

“We collaborate together on a lot of projects,” Mayes said. “It’s just kind of easier to work together this way.”

They like the area in part because it’s close to a lot of their suppliers, and it’s in the Douglas Design District.

“There’s just a great life here,” Flores said.

The space isn’t a showroom.

“It’s a space where we can have our clients and guests come in and just sit and be comfortable and chat,” Flores said.

She’s an interior designer who specializes in what’s called “living in place.” That’s when a home is designed for people who are aging or have special needs.

Both Flores and Mayes have multigenerational homes and incorporate features into their designs and layouts to make it easier for anyone of any age to use a home.

“I’ve just become passionate about it,” Flores said.

The two can show their work via a video monitor, and Flores said they can do a lot of preliminary design from a distance.

She said a lot of people are interested in remodeling their homes right now.

“People are still thinking about it while they’re at home.”