Upstate House

Growing up in Woodstock, Debra Miller was immersed in a world of design and construction from a young age. Her father, a custom home builder, and her mother, with a creative flair for home decor, instilled in her the skills and inspiration that would shape her career. “I loved to help my father in his woodshop as a child,” Miller recalls. “My mom was always making our homes beautiful with her added touches—either handpainted tiles or making custom window treatments. I certainly credit them for my creativity and motivation.” This foundation laid the groundwork for what would become Project Designs: Miller’s Saugerties-based business specializing in wall covering installations and painting services.

At 16, Miller began working as an assistant wallpaper installer. By 18, she had started her own business, The Wallpaper Lady, in Woodstock. Her career took a turn when she moved to Nevada in her late 20s to get involved in design work. In Las Vegas, she spent 11 years designing model homes and doing exterior colorizing for major builders like Toll Brothers, Greystone Homes, and Lennar Homes.

Project Designs led a redesign of the restaurant Local 111 in Philmont, including wallpaper selection and installation, as in the restroom shown here.

Miller returned to New York in 2007. “My mother was ill, so we decided to take her back to be with her grandkids and other children,” she explains. The transition was tricky, as there was so much less building activity compared to Vegas. “I was downsizing and having to start fresh from scratch again, so I decided to go back to installing wall covering and painting,” says Miller. “That way, I would simplify my life and have more free time to take care of my mom.” She then created Project Designs.

In recent years, Miller has expanded to selling wallpapers and fabrics, designing window treatments, and arranging furniture. Project Designs has a small team, with additional painters and helpers brought in as needed. Day-to-day, and depending on the project’s requirements, the wall covering work is handled by just Miller and her nephew Victor Fauci.

Dixon Roadside in Woodstock

While most of Miller’s work has been residential, she has also collaborated with numerous local businesses. In Kingston, she installed wallpaper and painted at West Kill Brewing and hung wallpaper at Sonder. In Woodstock, she applied wallpaper at Dixon Roadside and at nine rooms in Twin Gables. For Pretty to Think So in Rhinebeck, she put up a distinct wallpaper featuring suns, moons, and abstract figures. And at Local 111 in Philmont, her contributions included drapery, wallpaper, paint, and lighting. “Lately, all these restaurants have been a lot of fun,” says Miller. “It’s just been so nice because so many people get to enjoy it.”

Miller’s design philosophy centers around efficiency, functionality, and a naturalistic aesthetic. She believes in creating spaces that promote well-being and enhance quality of life. “I love working with different textures and woods,” says Miller. “Maybe because of my dad and his woodworking; it inspired me to love nature—trees and rocks and streams and grasses and things like that. I try to incorporate these things into designing a space, with all the textures.”

Wallpaper installation at Twin Gables bed and breakfast in Woodstock.

Her approach to balancing aesthetics and functionality is evident in her thoughtful selection of wallpapers and paints. “Wallpaper is more about creating a feeling,” Miller notes. “You want spaces to be fun and bring out color and light and happiness. You might want your colors or floral to be muted and simple if it was a workspace, or cheerful in a bedroom, or something that had movement for a nursery.”

In 2021, Miller purchased her home in Saugerties along with a neighboring property. She redesigned both homes, converting the second one into an Airbnb. “The redesign was great—we ripped up floors, painted cabinets, put in new hardware, and designed everything to make the colors work together,” she says.

West Kill Brewing in Kingston

As she looks to the future, Miller plans to lean in to the sales side of her business. “I’m building an office now—a small design and showroom space on my property,” she reveals. “I am getting older, and at some point, I’m not going to be able to do all this physical work, going up and down scaffolding and big ladders. So I’m trying to wrap my brain around that and adjust to that.”

But for now, she’s still out in the field. “I love hanging wallpaper,” says Miller. “I mean, I’ve been doing that for over 30 years; it’s been very rewarding for me. I really, really enjoy what I do.”