Poonam “Pam” Moore is an award-winning interior designer, remodeling general contractor and the founder of Poonam’s By Design. You may recognize her from HGTV’s Rico to the Rescue, 100 Day Hotel Challenge and more to come in 2025. (Hint, hint, keep an eye out.) With local stores in Park Meadows and Southlands, we had a chance to meet in person and hear a little bit about her story.
When asked about her values, Pam responds, “I’m very much a God-fearing girl. I have always believed in spiritual life and balance of that. I live in that space of gratitude, daily gratitude, because really knowing where I came from, knowing how I grew up and knowing where I am at now, it's a very ‘pinch me’ moment. It's all the things and beyond that I ever would have dreamt of as a girl.”
Born in Fiji, Pam moved to Los Angeles, California when she was eight years old. Her mom worked two jobs to support their family. Pam describes, “My mom is a fighter. She's strong and she's ‘family first.’” She attributes her mom’s hard work to building a legacy which is something she is intentional to continue.
The qualities Pam shares about her mom are the same qualities she exemplifies during our short time together. The passion and support she shows for her team as well as her family is beaming.
One of her project managers, Elizabeth Moore, says, “She tells me to never limit myself and never stay in the box. If I have more than one idea, she’s always supported me. She breaks the box and makes the box bigger.”
As a little girl, Pam was always a big dreamer. She reflects, “I always saw something beyond. I always tried to reach for whatever I couldn’t see. Even when I was in school, I knew I would do this.”
Coming from a background of poverty and abuse, Pam talks about Oprah as someone who influenced her. She explains, “[Oprah] didn’t let [anything] make her a victim. She actually used [it] as her grit. She used [it] as her fuel. I'm the same exact way. I'm very optimistic. I decided all the things that I've been through in my life were going to give me grit. And I was going to live out this great life and teach my daughters that nothing can stop them.. nothing.. only they can stop them.”
Pam also found great inspiration in her aunt who worked hard and found success for herself. “I looked at people who struggled. I looked to people’s stories to find a common thread to see that there was hope.”
As a minority business owner and female contractor in a man’s world, Pam is striking milestones. She holds herself and her team in full confidence based on hard work and grit. Rather than limit herself to a singular expertise, she broke both barriers and became an interior designer and remodeling general contractor.
It’s due to Pam’s vision for impossible things that gave her clarity in her career to combine these two trades. She says, “I was thinking about building when I was becoming a designer, and there was no such thing as a design-build back then. Either you were a designer or you were a builder. There was not a combination of the two and really to today there is not a combination of the two.”
By developing the two skill sets in tandem, Pam has carved a precise path for herself and her team. Her eye for a project enters dimensions within both remodeling builds and interior design. So whether you want to renovate or elevate your space, this creates a smoother project overall. You don’t have to hire a contractor and then bring in an interior designer after. Poonam’s By Design takes the entire project in a fierce stride and they see every project to full satisfaction and completion.
“Whether you want to upgrade all your light fixtures and give it a whole new look. Do drapery, window treatments, whatever it is, we do everything ‘home.’ We can do as little or as much as you want to kind of elevate your spaces. Wall treatments, light fixtures, furnishings and accessories… We do kitchens, baths, whole house remodels... most of our jobs end up becoming whole house remodels,” she states.
Married 29 years to her husband, Everett, who is a retired Denver police officer, Pam expresses, “He’s my entire rock. He’s my biggest cheerleader… We built everything we have together.” With a family of four daughters and three grandchildren, her advice is to, “Live your best life and do what you want. Don’t listen to other people’s expectations.”
She encourages those who are looking for that push to pursue their dreams. “You can't wait for the right moment because there's never going to be a right moment. You can't wait for someone to tell you it's time. No one's going to tell you it's time. So, if you want to do something, focus in, put your faith out there, believe in yourself, believe in something bigger and just start taking the steps... put the work into it. Nothing is going to come easy. You have to put the work into it. Everything takes grit and work… Learn your lessons. Keep it moving. That’s how you do it.”
PoonamsByDesign.com
“She tells me to never limit myself and never stay in the box. If I have more than one idea, she’s always supported me...”
"You have to put the work into it. Everything takes grit and work… Learn your lessons. Keep it moving. That’s how you do it.”