Selma resident Sam Golson has spent the last 25 years of his life transforming countless houses as an interior designer, and he has loved every minute of it.

From Lowndes County, Golson moved to Selma in the 1980s to serve as a teacher for Hollands School of Jewelers. At the time, he was still anticipating a career in the jewelry business with home decorating far from his mind.

After seven years of instructing, Golson traveled to Birmingham where he co-owned a jewelry store called Rebecca’s before returning to Selma to own the repair department at Horne’s Diamond House.

Later on, Golson owned a jewelry company called Strothers & Golsons in downtown Selma.

Ten years later, the success of his current job as a wedding designer and planner, which began in January 1989, made it difficult for him to commit to both jobs. Therefore, he made the decision to leave Strothers and Golsons.

With Strothers & Golsons behind him, Golson dedicated his time to his business, Golson’s, as a wedding and party planner and designer, “bringing clients’ dreams to life.”

Golson received his first request to design a home, and he took on the task with confidence that he would do well. Afterward, Golson left his customer satisfied and discovered that he had passion for interior design.

Golson said his success and newly found love inspired him to expand his business to include home decorating.

“I think it’s a talent that you’re born with,” he said about interior design. “I just have a vision when I walk in the house, and I can see it finished.”

His business grew as his clients shared their delightful experience with their friends and families. He has traveled around the nation, decorating homes in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and other states.

He often finds himself doing multiple jobs at once, and the process and timing to complete every home differs with each homeowner.

Golson gets to know his clients to learn how he should go about designing their home.

“Every process is different, because everybody is different,” he said. “I base everything off of the families’ personalities to make the houses fit them and not my style.”

No matter how busy his job gets, Golson always finds himself enjoying the challenges that lie ahead.

“To me it’s really not hectic, because you’re bringing someone else’s vision to life,” he said. “It’s work, but it’s also fun to make the homeowners happy and to watch their face when they see the end result.”

Grace Hobbs, one of Golson’s clients, said Golson’s ability to rearrange household items in a way that it appears as if he bought a houseful of new things is one of the many traits that make him an outstanding interior designer.

“He’s wonderful with working with what you already have,” Hobbs said. “You’ll have things lined up in a row, and suddenly he’ll have them in a pile, and it’s a gorgeous pile. He moves a few lamps, chairs and arranges things and it looks totally different and fresh.”