Michelle Radcliff

Writer

Michelle Radcliff is a freelance writer and former business owner with a background in home furnishings and the travel industry. She has a diploma in Interior Decorating from Penn Foster Career School and an Associate of Arts degree in Travel and Tourism.

Expertise

Tiffany Lamp Expert,Interior Decorator,Travel and Tourism Expert

Occupation

  • Former furniture and home decor store owner: Selling furnishing from around the world
  • Bedding retailer: Pem-America, Inc
  • Featured contributor: Parenting.com

Education

  • Penn Foster College: Career Diploma in Interior Decorating
  • Professional Careers: Associate of Arts in Travel and Tourism
  • Professional Careers in Las Vegas, Nevada: Associate of Arts degree in Travel and Tourism

Bedding and Furniture Experience

Michelle has a passion for beautiful interiors and the elements that go into making a house a home.

Furniture and Home Décor Business

Michelle is the former owner of a small business selling home décor and furniture. During the eight years Michelle ran her business, she learned a lot working with designers, manufacturers, importers and distributors in the home furnishings industry, making connections across the country and even halfway around the world. Countless hours of research went into choosing quality furniture suppliers such as Padama's Plantation, Rustic Natural Cedar, Jewels of Java and Frontier Ironworks.

Bedding Retailer

Michelle had the most success selling bedding, working with the New York based distributor, Pem-America, Inc. Also intensely popular were the hand-embroidered, Indian-style duvet covers, bedspreads, pillow covers, and wall tapestries made and shipped directly from Pakistan.

Interior Decorating Expertise

Michelle is skilled in using virtual design tools to put together a complete room redecorating plan. She is an expert about many facets of interior design, including:

  • Color theory
  • Furniture styles
  • Fabrics
  • Lighting
  • The elements and principles of interior design
  • How to create floor plans

Antiques

As a reseller for Meyda Lighting, Michelle is an expert in the history of Tiffany lamps, including the traditional method of how they were made and the original designs inspired by Tiffany Studios. From there, her knowledge base expanded into lighting and interior designs with Arts and Crafts, Mission, Art Nouveau and Victorian influences. She also studied the history and designs of antique period furniture in her course studies for interior decorating.

Travel and Tourism Background

Michelle attended travel school at Professional Careers in Las Vegas, Nevada (now closed). She earned an Associate of Arts degree in Travel and Tourism, which included an externship at the school’s travel agency, Discount Travel, and a cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. Michelle spent a brief time working from home as an outside travel agent.

Kids and Parenting Experience

Despite the complications of a difficult pregnancy, Michelle's daughter, Jami, arrived in 1998. A few months later, Jami’s older half-sister, Jasmin, joined the family. Going from no children to suddenly having two children in a blended family called for some lifestyle adjustments, but Michelle is well-versed in adapting to change. Her experience in being both a parent and step parent provided the insight needed to become a Featured Contributor on Parenting.com.

More About Michelle Radcliff

If you're interested in learning more about Michelle's work, visit her profile on LinkedIn.