Ask any interior designers worth their membership in the American Society of Interior Designers how to transform a house into a home and they'll tell you: Accessorize -- with glowing table lamps, a luxurious throw casually draped over an armchair, a touch of greenery on the bookshelf, a painting that catches your eye every time you walk through the room -- the stuff model homes are made of.

"It's the little touches that make a difference, and it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive," said Jennifer Fardaei, an interior designer with 30 years' experience.

"A picture, a couple of lamps and a box on a table can make a huge difference in a room that's empty."

Fardaei and her husband, Javad, own Home Accents, Etc. on San Marcos Boulevard in San Marcos. She specialized in store design, merchandising and buying for Homestead House, and he owned two used-car dealerships in the Washington, D.C., area before they moved to California in 2001.

The store has been open for three years and fulfills one of the designer's long-held dreams.

"I always wanted to have a store that concentrated on accents, rather than the big furniture -- bedroom and dining sets -- just all individual accent pieces, mirrors, wall screens and hangings," she said.

They specialize in Old World European, traditional hand-painted and hand-carved accent furniture such as consoles, chests and occasional tables. They also carry a large selection of wall art, mirrors, table lamps, trinket boxes, vases and candlesticks. Fardaei personally selects each piece from among 200 vendors.

"It's my style, what I most enjoy," she said.

To keep the store fresh for repeat customers, everything is sold off the floor. Home Accents provides free delivery (within 30 miles) for larger pieces, and the designer also offers accessory design services with a purchase.

For two years, Carlsbad resident Vicki Redmon has been shopping at Home Accents, where she's purchased end tables, bookends, and other accessories for her home.

"You're always able to find something nice, and you walk out with a smile on your face," said Redmon, who said she stops in at least once a month to see what's new.

Redmon has used Fardaei's design service on several occasions. "I always receive lots of compliments from friends and family members about the pieces I purchase from them. In fact, a group of us are going tomorrow. I need more accessories for my office," Redmon said.

Fardaei said most people don't know how to accessorize.

"They can buy the big pieces, the beds, and sofas, but they don't know what to do to make it look like the model home they bought," she said. "We try to help them with that."

One customer wanted her newly purchased five-bedroom home to look exactly like the model and came to Fardaei for help. "I went to look at the model and I did it -- we found lamps, pictures and accessories for every room. They were thrilled."

Tawnya Levy actually bought the model in her neighborhood, but, according to the Escondido resident, all those nice built-in niches, bookcases and entertainment centers presented a problem.

"It's hard to figure out what to put in there," said Levy, whose office at the front of the house boasts a 10-by-12-foot bookcase.

"I call Jennifer and she comes out, then pulls things for me at the store, and I take it home -- if it doesn't work, I can bring it back," said Levy. "Most stores just want to sell you something. They don't care if you don't love it."

Levy also has one of Javad Fardaei's silk floral arrangements on her dining room table. The one-of-a-kind arrangements began last year as a way to reduce the cost to customers and have since grown into a store specialty.

"Silk arrangements are very expensive," said Fardaei. "Even our costs are very high. When we were buying them wholesale, they were just so exorbitant that we didn't feel comfortable retailing them for what we need to sell them for."

An artist who creates oil paintings as a hobby, Javad Fardaei began putting together small, simple arrangements a year ago. Now customers can purchase ready-made designs or have one custom-made according to size, colors, flowers or a combination.

Come late September, the couple will open a second location on Escondido's Grand Avenue. That store will have the same name but an upscale gallery feel. They plan to feature unique sculptures, art pieces, and Javad Fardaei's silk floral arrangements.

"We don't really have the space here to do the large, entrance pieces or dining room table pieces, so we'll concentrate on that there," Jennifer Fardaei said. "We're a mom-and-pop store. It's just the two of us, but we strive to make people happy."

Cameron Leigh James is a freelance writer.