Appointments: My First Step To Success: Carrie Foran - Artful ways lead to a successful future; Michelle Rushton meets CARRIE FORAN,director,City Interiors.

Byline: Michelle Rushton

I REMEMBER painting murals on my bedroom walls and decorating the house for my mum when I was a little girl,'' says Carrie Foran,director of City Interiors.

From a young age,Carrie had a passion for fashion and art. Every week, she would take a trip into town to indulge herself in fashion stores,magazines and exhibitions.

In 1989,Carrie completed her City and Guilds qualification in fashion design and manufacture and found herself a job at a fashion store, where she eventually worked her way up to managerial level.

During her maternity leave from work,Carrie started designing soft furnishings for friends and family,and soon this was to be the path that would set her up for her own interior design business.

It was through word of mouth that Carrie became known for her outstanding design work,and, from 1995, she started to attend courses, seminars and workshops to learn more about interior design.

Carrie attended the NEBS supervisory course, where she gained knowledge on issues such as health and safety and the different laws and regulations for managing a business.

Having worked with three other interior designers,Carrie had gained enough knowledge and experience to set up by herself,and embarked on a business venture,never to look back!

She never stopped attending business and art courses and completed a lot of background research into the interior design market,attending exhibitions, tracking suppliers and exploring possible competitors. Now,Carrienot only specialises in interiors and soft furnishings but is also a supplier of modern and traditional art,furniture design and flower arranging.

Three years later,Carrie has built herself a very impressive name and portfolio,completing work for footballers, soap stars and investors. However,as Carrie says: ``Nothing is easy. I found my passion and I put a lot of time and energy into it. I am really lucky to be able to do what I enjoy most every day. But there are down sides,I remember having to work until 3 am Christmas morning, rushing around,having had no sleep to meet client demands.It's certainly not a 9-5job,but I'm glad I did it!''

The future holds lots of exciting projects for Carrie, who plans to be a significant element of Liverpool's regeneration for the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.