Design experience: 22 years. Trained at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Perla Lichi Design in Tamarac, Fla., opened in 1992. I got so many calls from Sarasota, now I go there regularly for special appointments. My home is: Renaissance Venetian. My dinner parties: I cater. My kitchen is beautiful, but I don't use it. For my birthday we did a masquerade ball. Everybody had to wear Venetian masks. Prized collections: I have quite a few of Erte's bronzes. And I collect Barbies-over 600. I love fashion design, and they have such a nice body; everything looks good on them. On firing clients: When they contradict themselves it's best not to work with them, because I'll never get it right. There's got to be chemistry, and people have to be realistic. I'm not a miracle performer. A common mistake to avoid: Don't just put furniture in the room. You have to look at the floors, the walls, the ceiling. People don't need help having good taste; they need help putting it together. Exciting new trend: I'm really into Zen. Like Mediterranean, a little Asian flavor goes really well with the area. The difference between the coasts: I love Sarasota. I just finished a big home on Casey Key. I think the coasts are getting more similar, though I find the west coast to be more relaxed.