The Sky’s the Limit – Imagine Design by Barb
Barb Hedrick By Sara Coates
Barb’s Background
For the majority of her life, Barb Hedrick was dedicated to healthcare, despite knowing the design space was where she truly belonged. The Nashville, Tenn. native was a senior director of clinical information systems with companies such as Fresenius and U.S. Renal Care and recently as an independent healthcare IT consultant.
Back in 2009, Barb’s future husband, Eddie, started working for a local Danville healthcare company built by Dr. Frank Maddux called Acumen Physician Services (originally known as Gamewood and eventually bought by Fresenius). Barb was hired to operate out of the Nashville corporate office of Acumen, which is how she came to know Eddie. Nearly five years later, she joined him to make southern Virginia her home. Though the first six months were hard, she has grown to love small town life.
“The biggest downside is missing my kids,” she expressed, noting that her daughter, Kelly, was recently able to move here. Other than that, Barb misses the vast options that city life has to offer – things like a variety of grocery stores and unique restaurants. There’s also a lack of “cool, funky decor,” she continued, “but these things are slowly making their way to the area.” One reason Barb gets excited about design is the opportunity it gives her to help bring these things to life throughout her community.
Dedicated to Design
For years, Barb ran a design/furniture repurposing company on the side to help her get out of her head and do something with her hands, she said, with aspirations of eventually being creative full time. After struggling to balance family life and the corporate world, Barb spoke with her husband about finally making the switch. Thus, Imagine Design by Barb was born earlier this year, which is Barb’s very own professional, full-service design company.
Through this business, she provides consultations and services for all types of clients and properties with a mutual goal of transforming their spaces into beautifully functional representations of themselves. Whether this occurs through a one-time meeting or a more extensive experience where she plays an active role in selecting, purchasing, and placing decor, as well as managing third-party contractors, Barb has experience working with various budgets to maximize results.
Swift Success
Within two weeks of launching her business, Barb already had three jobs lined up. Some of her biggest accomplishments have been a beautiful break room for Rachel Schoonover’s Insurance office in Collinsville. Another was a kitchen and dining room design for Carolyn Harper in Danville. Dr. Jasminder Kaur also hired Barb to revamp the Perfect Smiles Dental office in Danville, hoping her patients would have a spa-like experience. Kaur was so pleased with the result that she asked Barb to complete a full remodel on her vacation home in Dunn. Barb did all of the painting, found and put together most of the furniture, and even stayed in the home overnight to see the job through.
In February of 2024, Wendy Tingen reached out to Barb about a unique design opportunity. After trying to start a revamp of her Hyco Lake home on her own, Wendy quickly realized she may benefit from some support. A mutual friend encouraged Wendy to see what Barb might have to offer. “Things just fell into place and we began working immediately,” the pair agreed.
Hedrick on Hyco
Wendy’s home makeover has been special because she desired a more “mid-century modern” design instead of leaning into the stereotypical lake house themes. Like Barb, Wendy is eccentric and whimsical, which has made working on this project fun for both of them. First, Barb helped contractors redesign the layout of Wendy’s kitchen to give her the freestanding island she desired. From there, Barb chose flooring, tiles, countertops, new appliances, and a custom range.
Once that was complete, Barb helped Wendy transition a previously useless space into a guest bath with room for her laundry to be moved upstairs. This quirky addition, which they call “the peacock room,” is one of their favorites. Details like the custom pour epoxy countertops done by Barb are what make these projects one of a kind.
Moving on to the master and guest bedrooms, Barb used furniture Wendy already had in other parts of her home to elevate the spaces in ways she hadn’t considered. While some pieces were saved in order to lower costs, others were kept to keep the home authentic and meaningful. Barb saved a couch that Wendy’s kids loved, a painting from their first home, dressers, chairs, and random accessories that tied everything together.
Passion, Skill, and Drive
People love working with Barb because her passion is evident, her skills are unmatched, and her willingness to go above and beyond shows in her final products. “The way I imagine spaces is an ability I can’t turn off,” she said, explaining that this was how she came up with the name of her business. “I would walk into places and think ‘imagine if this was this way or that way,’” Barb said. Now, she doesn’t have to just imagine.
“It can [still] be frustrating to manage things that are out of my control,” she said, and mentioned unpredictable bumps in the road like internet issues, weather complications, and scheduling difficulties with contractors. “But she’s really good at it,” Wendy interrupted to explain how gracefully Barb handles these situations. “Jesse [Moore of JB Moore Construction] was just praising her ability to do this today,” Wendy continued, “plus, whenever [Barb] notices something that needs to be changed or done, she just jumps in. A box gets delivered, she puts together the furniture that’s in it. A wall looks blank, she paints a picture and hangs it. A vent cover doesn’t match, she starts spray painting outside. She really puts her heart and soul into it. Those little things make a difference.”
Barb learned a lot in the corporate world that has helped her find success in her design business. “I have always loved working with people and being a problem solver,” she said, “being presented with a challenge that I have to figure out or help people see differently is what I’m good at.” Her previous experience with project management and product design also comes in handy when it comes to coordinating with subcontractors and handling high stress environments. Succeeding at this, finding what her clients want or need, and being able to see everyone happy with the end result is definitely what drives her.
The Future
Over the next year, Barb wants to continue improving the technology she can access. She has plans to invest in education and products that will help make her a better designer and give her the chance to offer new opportunities to her clients. “For example, I just went to a conference with Houzz – a platform for home improvement professionals, which includes software for architecture and interior design – in October,” she said.
Barb also hopes to find additional clients to provide a steady stream of business. “It can be hard not being from this area.” She mentioned that a lot of this business is all about who you know. “This is my home now and I am passionate about this community, so I’m excited to continue making these connections and watching it all grow,” she said.
Because of this, Barb still plans to be involved in her other creative outlets when she has the time to do so. She and her husband own Copper Run Farm, where they make and sell jams, jellies, body care products, and fresh honey. She is also a dedicated member of Hope Church, where she has painted numerous murals, decorated rooms, and is currently leading the design aspect of a home the church is rebuilding for its own Habitat project.
At the end of the day, Barb is just excited to serve. She is willing to help anyone, anywhere, no matter how big their project is and what type of support they will need. Since design is so versatile, the sky’s the limit, and Barb has big dreams of beautiful projects in unique places like Italy.
Danville, Va. 24540
(615) 632-6476
[email protected]
ImagineDesignByBarb.com
