It’s a queen’s world. And Peterine Svoboda wears her crown proudly. Literally.

“Kids come into my shop and ask why I’m not wearing it after I introduce myself as the queen,” she laughed. “So I keep a little tiara thing on hand to add to the believability factor.”

Nestled in a pastel paradise on College Avenue in Wheaton, Svoboda’s artist’s quarters and showroom of hand-painted furniture and girlie decorative delights draws aspiring princesses who can’t help but grow wide-eyed at the sight of so many hearts and butterflies.

Queen of Hearts Studio, which has been around in its current incarnation since last September, is filled with amazingly elaborate one-of-a-kind pieces designed and painted by Svoboda herself.

One pet project, an elaborately decorated vintage wooden writing desk with a matching upholstered stool, has a black base with checkered patterns within an aqua blue and yellow-green trim. Purple borders and a large but intricate heart along with colored vine swirls add to the eye-catching wow factor of the corner furniture, which comes with a $700 price tag.

“That’s my whole business – people who are willing to spend money on their kids. I had a grandma who came back down from Cedar Rapids (Mich.) to get another pearlized mirror because her granddaughter couldn’t live without it,” Svoboda said. “People come in and it’s like ‘Do you need this or what? You have to have it. It’s too darn cute!’

“But I’m not going to cut corners on my work – I’m so anal,” she added. “And it’s my promise to customers that they’re getting a one-of-a-kind. I’m building a reputation for uniqueness and originality as a kind of trailblazer in my field.”

Each piece takes about 30 to 40 hours to complete, so furniture ranges from $300 to about $1,000. Svoboda has a collection of sale items in the studio, but customers often bring in antiques for her to reinvent.

“I like vintage pieces because they’re wood rather than plastic laminate and they usually have a funky leg or something that makes it stand out,” Svoboda said. “Plus, people want to hand down furniture, and I transform them into something with a new flair.”

Gayle Wolski of Glen Ellyn witnessed Svoboda’s artistic ability firsthand. She brought her grandma’s 95-year-old toy dresser into Queen of Hearts, and it emerged as a jewelry box.

“Such creativity! (Svoboda’s) vision and quality of work is what drew me to her,” Wolski said. “I’d choose her over Pottery Barn in a heartbeat because everything is customized to fit your needs, your desires, your decor. She emits passion.”

According to Wolski, Svoboda’s prices are reasonable considering the amount of detail involved in her creations.

Putting the finishing touches on a medicine cabinet cover for a 10-year-old girl’s bathroom, Svoboda looks lovingly on whimsical frogs scattered across a whitewashed oak frame. She went through three shades of white before finding the perfect match.

“They brought in the wallpaper border for me to match the pattern,” Svoboda said. “The inside reads ‘Good morning gorgeous’ because every little princess needs someone to tell them they’re beautiful every morning.”

Other pieces fit for royalty – like several cabinets and chests with every inch covered in pink and green hearts or checkered designs – adorn the studio’s fairytale-inspired showroom. One $225 bench looks like it’s a confection straight out of a Grimm’s classic.

A Cleopatra-style mini chaise lounge upholstered in fabric with bright neon swirls and stripes. A tea party table and chair set and a black and fuchsia polka dot chair with black and white plaid accents are charming additions to the scene.

Valentine-worthy fabric hearts suspended from ribbons, $20, hang over a mirror, and trays meticulously painted with pink and purple hearts sit atop every surface.

“My mother jokes that she fed me Crayolas as a child,” she laughed. “For 20 years, I’ve collected furniture set out as garbage, pieces at estate and garage sales and flea markets. I can’t leave the stuff alone. It speaks to me, and I have to convert it.”

For more information or to see product photos, visit www.queenofheartsstudio.com.