Living with compassion for all isn’t just good for animals and your health—it’s also good for business! Vegan and cruelty-free products are hotter than ever, and more animal-friendly companies are popping up every day as a result.

For the second installment of our PETA Prime series about compassionate CEOs, we spoke with Deborah DiMare, founder of the all-vegan luxury interior design firm DiMare Design as well as VeganDesign.org, a go-to resource to help consumers and professional designers alike decorate vegan living spaces.

Why do you think it’s important to offer vegan, cruelty-free interior design services?

My life changed after viewing a PETA blog post about the Yulin dog-eating festival. After seeing that post, I made a complete 360-degree change in my design business. My goal became to put an end to the killing of nearly 1 billion animals a year for their skins and hides. It’s that simple.

By providing vegan, cruelty-free interior design services and products, my company is making it easy for all consumers—even the ones who aren’t yet compassionate in their lifestyle (notice I said “not yet”)—to go vegan in their decor. Without any difficulty, they can have their spaces decorated with beautiful things that just happen to be vegan.

Is there one space that you designed that you’re most excited to share with others?

Yes. The home I live in is 100 percent vegan, and it’s awesome! It’s a healthy home, it’s clean, it’s durable for companion animals and kids … it’s full of wonderful energy.

What inspired you to start Vegan Design?

VeganDesign.org was initially created to teach other designers that they could save animals and grow their businesses by learning about and offering clients vegan options in addition to traditional skins and furs. The compassionate consumer is a strong, quickly growing force, and designers can be part of the humane revolution and profit from it if they meet consumers’ ethical needs.

People want resources, and they want them immediately! The busy mom who has one hour between Saturday errands to buy a couch needs guidance, and she needs it fast. The demand is there. So by making it easy for consumers to buy vegan decor on our site, we’re also saving animals and bringing awareness to the atrocities that occur in the skins and hides industry.

How have consumers and retailers embraced your company?

It’s been incredible. More and more, I’m asked to lecture and be interviewed about vegan design, and that, to me, is a sign of being embraced. Consumers are demanding change, and retailers have no choice but to listen and learn or they’ll suffer financially.

What do you think will be the most exciting vegan interior-design trend in the next year?

Biofabrication, for sure. Materials such as leathers made from mushrooms or grown in labs and silks made from yeast and proteins are fascinating and give one hope for the future of animals.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to start a cruelty-free business?

Do your due diligence. Consult with as many successful business owners as you can. Listen and learn from others. Research, research, research. Of course, the idea has to be something that runs through every pore of your body, and a little cruelty-free obsession never hurt anyone!