SIMPLY DIVINE
Minta Bell takes interiors to the next level

by Leslie Mizell
Photography by Allison Davis, Sandfoot Photography

When Minta Bell launched her own interior design firm in 1971, female business owners were scarce, designers were misunderstood, and shag carpet and avocado appliances were all the rage.

Luckily, both for her own sanity and for the interiors of Triangle homes, Bell was, even then, a trendsetter rather than a follower.

“I had already been working for a design company for six years,” says Bell, owner of Minta Bell Design Group in Chapel Hill.

“It was a company that was steeped in the tradition of the area,” she adds.
“The clients I had didn't want shag carpet, although I'm responsible for my share of coppertone and avocado kitchens.”

In a man's world
Growing up in Edenton, Bell didn't spend hours with her dollhouse or constantly rearrange her bedroom, although she does remember having a better-than-average color sense. She decided on a design career in high school because, frankly, it sounded glamorous.

“Little did I know how much time I'd spend crawling on people's floors with a tape measure,” she says.
After cobbling together a major at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro — at the time interior design was a course in the School of Art, while the history of furniture and home design was offered through the School of Economics — Bell began working for a design firm in Durham, one of only a few in the area. All, needless to say, were owned by men.

Six years later, she ran into some obstacles when she tried to establish her own line of credit from banks that believed “little ladies can't do business.”

“They liked it,” she recalls. “When they [asked] me, ?Why do you think you can make it?' and I said, ?Because I'm the only woman,' they could see the good points in that.”

Some clients followed her to what then was known as Minta Bell Interiors, which originally was based in Durham, and where Bell still lives. Positive word of mouth brought in more clients. She continues to foster walk-in business by selling occasional tables and lamps.

“Nowadays, if someone called and wanted us for a drapery job, we'd probably say we weren't the right firm for him or her,” she says. “Then, we just counted ourselves lucky to have a drapery job.”

Changing trends
While television audiences since have learned the ins and outs of décor through reality shows and design-devoted cable channels, Bell had to teach clients early in her career.

“I remember working with a traditional older Southern woman, and asking her to tell me the colors she'd like in a room,” Bell says. “And she told me she just wanted it to be pretty. Well, what she actually meant was, ?Keep showing me things until I like something.' We don't run into that anymore.”

Another change has been the interest level of the “man of the house.” In the past, Bell would work exclusively with women, and their husbands simply would have final veto power.

“Just as men have become more involved with taking care of babies, they've become almost equally involved with the décor” Bell says.

“The general public has more of an eye for design than it did in the 1970s or 1980s. They know the design jargon and often come to us with well-defined design needs.”

Bell's philosophy of design has always been to make a room look good and be comfortable; she doesn't believe there's a point to a room that's simply pretty. For example, living rooms were made for just that: living. There's even a place for flat-screen televisions.

Still, Bell truly hopes that the trend of combining aqua and brown runs its course. She adds, only slightly in jest, that if you have a goose on your front porch with its own wardrobe, the Minta Bell Design Group might not be the company for you.

Leslie Mizell is a freelance writer based in Greensboro.

EXPLORING UNDERWATER TREASURES
A passion for diving off North Carolina's coast

by David Katzenmeyer

As a wide-eyed 12-year-old, I first glimpsed the wonders of the underwater world off the North Carolina coast. Donning a mask and snorkel, I jumped off the seawall at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort and began an adventure that has kept me excited for 40 years.

Peering beneath that mysterious surface, I experienced a foreign and fantastic alternate world. Animals and plants floated around me, fish swam by lazily, and I hung magically suspended in the middle.

Since then, I have visited many fabulous dive sites around the globe, but still consider North Carolina to be home to some of the world's best wreck diving. The Gulf Stream, a warm-water current running northward, sweeps tropical-clear water and species from the Caribbean up to populate our offshore wrecks. Many ships of historical importance, including Blackbeard's “Queen Anne's Revenge” and the Civil War icon the “Monitor,” met their ends in storms off the coast. More recently, German U-boats prowled N.C. shipping lanes during World War II. In addition to the dozens of torpedo victims, there are three sunken German U-boats in North Carolina waters accessible to scuba divers. Their historical interest, combined with the wonder of nature turning the wrecks into incredible ecosystems, offers special excitement to divers exploring these underwater treasures.

The typical offshore dive trip, much like a fishing charter, begins early in the morning because Gulf Stream wrecks generally are located two to three hours offshore. As the boat churns it way toward the deep blue, the dawn mists clear to reveal a magnificent horizon. Once the boat anchors on the wreck and deploys its safety lines, divers gear up and plunge into the water. Like a welcoming committee, schools of amberjack and other fish swim around them as they descend.

Below, nature has turned each shipwreck into an incredible undersea oasis, with thousands of small fish swimming everywhere. Larger species like grouper sharks and rays cruise the perimeter of the wreck, which is inhabited by innumerable crustaceans and invertebrates. Some divers search for underwater human relics like brass portholes, but most are content to simply explore the spectacle of life unfolding before them.

All too soon, it's time to head up the line back to the boat. A richly rewarding experience, the dive imprints many memorable images to reflect on during the following work week.

Learning to scuba dive is relatively easy. Courses are taught at local pools, with classroom and pool work generally completed in two to three weeks. To get certified, you must take a series of four open-water dives. The Bull City Divers, a local dive club, holds monthly meetings where members and newcomers alike can share food, stories, experiences and educational presentations. The club also sponsors group trips to exotic dive destinations.

For fun and adventure exploring North Carolina's natural treasures, consider joining a scuba-diving class and learn how to safely explore this rich underwater world.

David Katzenmeyer is owner and manager of Water World Marine Services Inc. in Durham.