In step with smart design

Sue Gyure strives to be different.

The new owner of Elements of Design — an independent carpet, tile and wood-flooring store in Oro Valley — features ultra-trendy bamboo flooring.

It's not only lovely, but "green" — a natural material that represents another hot trend in interior design, Gyure says. It also tends to dry out and split in our desert climate, and Gyure will make sure her customers know that, she says.

"My thing is to give people the information and let them decide," she says. "I'm not all about making a sale. I'm about making a lifetime friend and customer."

Elements of Design offers dozens of flooring choices, from natural to recycled and synthetic.

There are stone tiles made of granite, travertine, marble, slate and limestone. They are beautiful and sealed to be scratch-proof. "They will dull your knife before they scratch," Gyure says.

There are ceramic tiles, including the popular Mexican Saltillo tile. There are tiles made from porcelain, some fashioned into grained planks to look like wood.

And there are accent tiles — for floors, walls or countertops — made from glass and metals.

For those who want something softer, options include carpet made from nylon or polyester made from recycled pop bottles.

Wood flooring choices include oak, maple, cherry and other hardwoods as well as the aforementioned bamboo, cork and laminates, for those unopposed to synthetic material.

"With real wood, you need to maintain some humidity in your home," Gyure warns customers.

Prices range from $1.49 to $5 a square foot for ceramic tiles; $3 to $10 per square foot for stone tiles; $12 to $70 a square yard for carpet; and about $2 to $15 per square foot for laminates and woods.

Many of the floorings are made in the United States. Others come from India, Italy and other countries.

"There's so much you can do. People find it mind-boggling," Gyure says. "It can take weeks for some people to make a decision."

She offers people samples to take home, so they can see how a product will really look in their environment.

Wanda Mattson is almost done with a master-bath remodeling that includes moss-green porcelain tile on the floor and around the tub.

"Sue is just one of those people who's very open to your ideas and your suggestions, what's possible and what's affordable. She is so attuned to her customers, it's fun to work with her," Mattson says.

"This was not a big job, but the attention to detail she put into it was as if we were doing our whole house. That's the kind of customer service that's missing from most stores today."

Gyure has owned Elements of Design only since February, but it's not her first retail experience. She previously owned the AIM Mail Center in the same shopping center.

She went to work at Elements in January, just as the previous owner was thinking of selling. That person lives in Vail, and the daily commute was becoming a problem. She sold the store to Gyure, who has a degree in business administration from Calumet College in Indiana, and experience in customer service working for a pharmaceutical company in Colorado.

Gyure and her husband and two teenagers have lived in Oro Valley for 10 years.

Elements of Design will install any of its products or work with customers who want to do it themselves. Labor can cost as much as the flooring itself, Gyure says.

"People can get tile anywhere," she says. "But when they come here, they're pleasantly surprised. The prices are affordable because this is a small store and I don't have a lot of overhead. We focus on personalized service, because, when you give people good service, they reward you for it."

Elements of Design

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Owner: Sue Gyure.

Employees: Gyure plus two employees

Phone: 297-2492.

Address: 12142 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd., Suite 110, Oro Valley.