Berman, 36, laughs at the thought. Now, she sees early clues that she'd one day choose mod prints over legal briefs. "I was the kid who moved furniture all of the time, and when I was able to redo my room, I really took my time."

Ashli Mizell, also 36, spent her youth in lush Tennessee, passing the days sketching and enjoying the rural landscape. With a degree in art history, she says, "I thought I'd be a museum curator or an art dealer."

Yet today she, too, is an interior designer.

They're not the first to take indirect routes to the world of furniture and flooring, wallcoverings and window treatments. But they do represent a wave of people who learn on the job, bringing a fresh perspective that trumps a lack of formal training.

Just how many enter interior design through a side door is hard to say. The American Society of Interior Designers accepts as members only those with formal training and doesn't track nonmembers' job histories.

But there have always been talented individuals who have parlayed out-of-the-classroom experience into solid careers. And as related fields (room redesign, home staging, professional organizing) are spotlighted on TV design programs, the gateways seem to multiply accordingly.

At first, Berman was drawn to politics. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in political science, she worked for the Department of Justice; for four years before law school, she ran an organization for onetime New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley. Later, she worked for a year and a half with the lobbying arm of a law firm.

Her "aha!" moment came as she pondered how she would decorate her office if she made partner: "I thought I had the knack for something more aesthetically driven."

So Berman did what politicians and lawyers do: She networked. She was put in touch with Jim Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe Interiors in McLean, Va., who had switched from a career in government to design. She asked whether he needed help. Hawes said yes.

Because his operation was so small, her yearlong apprenticeship there had her doing everything from working with the upholsterer to meeting with clients. At 32, confident in her talent and project-management experience from her law and campaign days, she set out on her own.

Being a lawyer is critical to how she approaches this career. "I recognize that a lot of what I do is creative and requires a certain degree of talent, but a huge part of it is just plain business," Berman says. "I try to be very thorough in my preparations and follow-through, putting everything in writing. . . . All of this protects my business, but it also protects my clients and, I think, makes the whole experience of working together better for everyone."

In 2004, as her portfolio of projects was taking shape in D.C., her husband landed a job in his native Philadelphia, and Berman started anew.

Again, she got lucky, she says, scoring a room at the 2005 DogHaus showhouse after another designer dropped out. Her Kenneth Nolan-inspired office, with its greens and salmon pinks, Lucite and updated Louis pieces, was a hit - and brought in her first local clients.

"Mona's room was my favorite because of the color and its livability. It combined modern with classic, and I knew her aesthetic would be a great match for us," says Cynthia Szoradi, who hired Berman for the Wayne house she shares with husband Charlie, a green architect.

Berman has worked on five rooms of the Szoradis' all-eco-conscious home, injecting color into an all-cream-walls interior, Cynthia Szoradi says. The result is "a fun take on a revamped '50s ranch."

Berman's look is influenced by childhood memories of pure preppy chic. "Preppy doesn't necessarily mean pink-and-green plaids and monograms. I think the essence of preppy is classic, good taste, which translates into furniture and furnishings that have timeless lines and looks to them. The chic part is taking that classic backdrop and adding some fun and personality."

In her own home, she gravitates toward colors popular in the late 1970s and early '80s. Pieces from the era authenticate the look, like a vintage lacquered-linen Baker Furniture cocktail table and a Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin parsons console table in the living room.

Though she misses the camaraderie of the campaign trail, Berman says, "I really do feel like this suits me."