Barbara Gardner

President/Owner of Collins Interiors, LLC

After a successful career in the healthcare industry, Barbara Vanderkolk Gardner shifted from loving interior design to making it her second—and favorite!—career. She founded Collins Interiors in Princeton, NJ in 2006 and developed a client base there as well as in Philadelphia and New York. But after fifteen years of being frequent visitors to our area, Gardner and her husband moved here for good in 2012 when she opened a branch of Collins Interiors on Longboat Key.

“I still have clients up north,” she says, “but 90% of our work is down here now.” Her current workload is a “mere” 11 houses—challenging but doable since Gardner only employs one design assistant and a part-time bookkeeper. That means Gardner is fully involved in every step of every job, which is how she likes it.

To ensure that she meets her clients’ needs, Gardner created a 10-page Design Deck to fully understand their needs, preferences, lifestyle, and how the space will be used. Her goal is to personalize every home for the client. “I never want somebody walking into a home and saying, ‘Oh, Barbara designed this!’”

Gardner urges clients not to chase trends because while they come and go, homeowners have to live with their choices. And with her background in healthcare, she’s especially conscientious of ergonomics. “I hate when people put a TV above a fireplace. It’s bad for your neck to have it that high,” she explains. 

While no job is too big or too small for Collins Interiors, their sweet spot is $1 million to $6 million properties on Lido Key, Longboat Key, Bird Key, and downtown Sarasota. Their tagline—luxurious residential interiors—says it all.

Barbara Gardner
President/Owner 
Collins Interiors, LLC
595 Bay Isles Rd Suite 120F, 
Longboat Key, FL 34228
941.383.0131
bvgardner@collinsinteriordesign.com
collinsinteriordesign.com