Embarking on a kitchen remodel is no small feat, but with the right company, it can be an easy and enjoyable experience. That is how I felt about working with Cucina Kitchen Design--I was a little sad when it ended because I enjoyed working with Lisa and her team so much! From the initial consultation to the final steps, the process was handled professionally and with a level of engagement that made me feel like I would ultimately have the kitchen I wanted. From demolition to re-construction, there was consistency in working through the remodel with an outstanding quality of workmanship. The precision and care taken during the build were unparalleled - from the placement of hardware, and lighting installation, to the alignment of tiles, all meticulously executed. Something that I highly valued after going through other remodel work, was never any time that I had to wonder where the team was and when the work was going to continue. There was someone there every day, some work was done on a weekend. The entire project was 8 weeks. Lisa, with her experience as a professional chef, guided me through cabinet layout, and product choices which I might not have thought to consider. Her expertise gave me a new kitchen that has transformed my space, is beautiful, amazingly functional and makes me smile every time I enter it. read more

Phenomenal experience from start to finish. I have a 1920s craftsman house in Oakland and the kitchen was extremely dated. Lisa came up with a beautiful design and was incredibly communicative, professional, helpful & dedicated to the project throughout the entire process. I know what I like when I see it, but I am a terrible designer and don't really know where to begin with this type of thing. Lisa was so helpful & patient with me and came up with the perfect amount of options for every finish/material and provided guidance that resulted in a GORGEOUS kitchen. We knocked down two walls, opened up space into the dining room, brought down everything to the studs and did a full on remodel -- new floors, windows, appliances, cabinets, tile, etc. It is unrecognizable and every detail came together perfectly. Her entire team at Cucina is super helpful and their process is dialed. Importantly, she connected me with her amazing contractor, Ibrahim who did 100% of the construction himself. Ibrahim was outstanding and flawlessly executed the plan, and was a pleasure to have in our home. Lisa quoted me 10-12 week duration and the entire project from demo to final inspection was 9.5 weeks. Incredible. I would enthusiastically recommend Lisa and her team to do any kitchen or bathroom project. I will be working with them again on any and all future projects I have. THANK YOU! read more

My family recently moved into a new house in Alameda, and, while beautiful, the kitchen needed more counters and storage space. Lisa helped us design the perfect island that fits in with our kitchen flawlessly. It has been such a great addition - we spend the majority of our time at it. read more

Cucina di Cannelora - a kitchen island with chairs - Interior Design Near Me - Alameda, California

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My spouse and I live in a condo with cheap fixtures. We didn't like the sink, the counters, flooring or cabinets. The layout made no sense. Our kitchen was something we endured not enjoyed. We didn't have any experience with a kitchen remodel nor the time to devote to learning how to do one - on the job. We talked with a couple contractors, went to a kitchen showroom but at no time did we feel like one person would or could be in charge of our remodel. Fortunately, I had heard about Lisa Cannelora from my business partner and we visited her showroom where she listened to what we wanted, came up with a proposal, found us a terrific contractor she had worked with previously, formulated the plans, purchased, all the materials, and supervised their installation. She worked closely with the contractor so everything went smoothly and we were barely involved. What did we get? The kitchen we wanted and now love. A project that came in UNDER BUDGET and WITHIN the stated time frame. I can't imagine this project coming together better. Working with Lisa was a delight. read more

Ten years ago Lisa remodeled the kitchen in my previous home and took it down to studs. The finished kitchen was a joy to work in and still looked like it was brand new when I sold my home a couple of months ago. The buyers love to cook and also fell in love with the "cucina" designed by Lisa. The new home I purchased did not need a total remodel...but it definitely needed some major help to make it a place I wanted to spend a lot of time in since I believe the kitchen is the heart of the home. I was on a short timeline and again, Lisa made everything happen from counters to back counters to cooking area. She is a design magician as well as being smart, highly efficient, talented and a joy to work with! Thank you again Lisa! Carole R read more

Lisa is the best. She was very smart, attentive, and communicative throughout our project. We now have a kitchen we love and we are so proud of. It wouldn't have happened without Lisa and her team. read more

First let me start by saying we love our new kitchen and bathroom!!! Cucina di Cannelora is the obvious choice when remodeling your kitchen. So many positive's where to start. Lisa is a talented designer. Her idea's are amazing. She listens to the client and designs the kitchen based on your needs and lifestyle. For example: We wanted clean, classy looking kitchen, and we also have two babies under two, hence something practical. Lisa was able to combine the two flawlessly. The final product both looks gorgeous, and works for our family. Lisa gutted the kitchen down to the studs, added lighting, cabinets, a beautiful functional laundry space, large island, with storage for our family and extra seating for guests. Lisa previous career was a professional chef. This comes across with her attention to detail, placement, and layout, which are very well thought out. The end result is a functional and stunning kitchen. We are so happy with the end result. 5 +++ stars I have returned to her for other projects: custom bench seating with storage, two gorgeous bathrooms. I now take a bathtub almost every night. Her micro-silk bathtub is worth every penny and I highly recommend visiting her showroom and trying it out. I love, love, love, Lisa and her Team. If you want exquisite taste, combined with someone who is friendly, personable, and professional, go with Lisa at Cucina di Cannelora. read more

I am a contractor and I have worked with Cucina on several projects and every client has been extremely happy with the detailed, knowledgeable service Lisa and Stevie have provided. Kitchens and baths require an excruciating level of detail and the details really do matter. Double bullnose corner tiles, grout colors, grout spacing, accent tile, sconce placement, light fixtures... They handle it all and with a real design flair and an eye for real life durability and usability read more

Lisa Cannelora designed and managed our kitchen remodel in the fall of 2010. We couldn't be happier with the result. It's better than we could have expected. All the extra details that she took care of are showing up for us everyday. When we first decided to remodel our kitchen we were overwhelmed with the design and construction process. When we came to Lisa it was clear that her experience, taste and talent for design gave us confidence that our kitchen would be beautiful as well as functional. Her guidance through the whole process was indispensable. My wife and I often said to each other that we didn't know how we would've managed the thousands of decisions without Lisa. Her calm, patient and professional attitude helped us through what could have been a very stressful process. It was her ability to take us step by step through the design and construction process that eliminated the "stressed-out overwhelming" experience we saw in others who went through a remodel on their own. Her services were indispensable to the success of our remodel making it an interesting and even a fun experience. From the beginning she took the time to understand how we used our kitchen and what we needed. I remember her looking through our cabinets to see what we kind of food and storage we needed. She even measured our counter top appliances to make sure they would fit in the drawers and cabinets. She asked to see how we worked in the kitchen. We got a kitchen that was custom designed for our use. She was always available by phone and email for any question that we had. She always returned calls and messages promptly. Her referrals to reputable quality contractors were very helpful. Especially her suggestion to go with Walker Construction Co. Daryl Walker was great. She also referred us to quality suppliers and contractors and acted as a liaison through the length of the whole project - saving us a lot of time and concern. We saved countless hours because of her referrals to everything from tile suppliers and granite fabricators to bar stool suppliers and lighting experts. She was on site regularly guiding the contractors and answering any questions they had. She was able to respond to any problems quickly and decisively allowing the project to stay on schedule. It was Lisa Cannelora's involvement that allowed our project to come in ahead of schedule and on budget with no problems or compromises in the design. Lisa Cannelora has a great reputation with all the contractors and suppliers that we met during the process. We loved the painted Merit cabinets we purchased from her. All of the modern features and quality construction exceeded our expectations. The sinks, hardware, and material that we purchased through her were quality products at a bargain price. The whole process with Lisa was amazing. We would recommend her wholeheartedly. read more

This review is 2 years overdue. (I thought I wrote it already.) Lisa Cannelora (who was a chef, by the way) is: 1.) Smart 2.) Talented, with exquisite taste 3.) Very professional 4.) Turned my kitchen into every cook's dream 5.) A joy to work with Need I say more? read more

Lisa is incredibly talented and very thoughtful in her design. She's made my life so much more enjoyable in the kitchen, taking into consideration my small space and my arthritis. Incredible I love cooking now. She has also convinced me that less is more. My kitchen appears so much bigger now without the unnecessary cabinets, yet I have so much more space for storage . The design recommendations were so beneficial to the enjoyment of my home. She is truly a jewel. read more

Lisa Cannelora, the owner and primary designer of Cucina di Cannelora, is an outstanding designer who believes that her responsibilities end when the project is completed rather than when the design is completed. For several years I wanted to remodel the kitchen but had always heard such horror stories about others' stressful experiences that I kept putting off the project. My experience was not stressful due to the outstanding work Lisa does every step of the way. I first knew Lisa as a chef; so when I realized that she opened her own kitchen design business I knew that she was the one I wanted to design my kitchen. I knew that she would understand the importance of functionality, form and design, but I certainly didn't realize that she would oversee the details of all the work along the way. In the spring of 2010 I made the decision to do the remodel and have celebrated Lisa daily as I work in my kitchen which I believe is a place of not only beauty but also function to work in. She clearly demonstrated that she understood more about how I work in a kitchen than I could even articulate because almost a year later, I am still delighted with every aspect of the work she and the contractor, Daryl Walker of Walker Construction, did. The kitchen project came in on budget and on time due to Daryl's and Lisa's teamwork. Lisa's work is extraordinary because her design is all about you and what works for you. She is an amazing lady with incredible people skills as well as outstanding attention to detail. I highly recommend Lisa Cannelora as a designer because she is a professional in every sense of the word. read more

Lisa did a great job with our kitchen remodel. She was very friendly, easy to talk with and most importantly she listens to you. She was hands on for many aspects of the remodel. As a former chef, Lisa knows what you need and what you don't need in a kitchen and how to make things flow. I just wish she would have taught us how to cook in our new kitchen ;-) read more

Lisa and staff modified our original ideas to give us an entirely new floor plan w/ greater efficiency and space while maintaining the prime original architectural features of our 75 year old kitchen. She coordinated closely with the contractor before and during construction, removing much of the burden from us. Her services during construction are a significant advantage. Her advice on color selection and lighting was very helpfull and in the end, very successful. She is familiar with relevant portions of the building codes. We have a much better kitchen remodel than we would otherwise have had thanks to her and her staff. read more

In general we were happy with the design and construction work provided by CdiC. We completely gutted our kitchen and removed 2 walls. The project had been stalemated by an incompetent contractor so we were happy to get it started again. Lisa provided a much better design, and the contractor that works with her, Remodeling for You, worked quickly and competently and cheerfully offered to do a few extras. There were some bumps in the road that could have been solved with better communication with the contractor and Lisa made a few unilateral decisions that I would have preferred to have been consulted on, but the builders were easy to work with on any errors or problems. I would recommend this firm with one major caveat - don't use them for your lighting design. Get a professional lighting designer. This is one area where you need outside help. We purchased the electrical items at Walnut Creek Lighting and followed their suggestions. It was shipped to CdiC warehouse with a 25% markup, so we can't return any of the unused items, since it was purchased by them. We ended up with expensive dimmer switches that were missing parts so can't be used, missing items and extra items, an expensive flexible track that doesn't really work in our space, inconvenient switch placement, etc. I wish we had hired our own lighting designer. I can recommend CdiC for many things (design, cabinets, countertops, flooring, appliance selection). But not for lighting design. read more

Lisa and Stevie are fantastic. Detail oriented, hardworking, and charming. I've witnessed how well they treat their clients and take their clients best interest into consideration at all times. Very well respected, and knowledgeable. If you need kitchen, bath or entire house advice and direction call Lisa and let her and her team guide you every step of the way. Great job guys. read more

I just love working with Lisa! She gave us excellent design advice for our bathrooms. Lisa has exquisite taste. She is smart, deadline-driven and professional in every way. I have seen many of her projects and she never fails to impress. If you're interested in a gorgeous kitchen or bathroom, Cucina di Cannelora is the best. read more

I called Lisa after reading Karen B's review on Yelp. (I was intrigued becuse Lisa provides hourly consultation services.) After a quick phone call and a few e-mails, Lisa was at my door, ready to help me make some final decisions about nearly every item needed for my kitchen. She was enthusiastic, personable and wonderfully creative. And, she was incredibly organized, prepared, and quick. I'd say one of her best qualities is that she is a good listener who can very quickly direct attention to the options for all elements (design and functionality) that need to be considered. She has an in-depth knowledge of product lines for just about everything such as cabinets, appliances, paints, tiles, and flooring. She gave me excellent referrals to people/shops who provided personalized service, with high quality at budget-minded prices. Now, after paying her for only two short visits to my home, I can't imagine feeling more enthusiastic or better prepared for this project. And, perhaps most important, I feel confident that the kitchen is going to turn out "looking like me", but ah, so much better! read more

Where to start, Lisa designed our kitchen and bath in the Oakland Hills many years ago. She is so talented and has access to expert contractors. Once we moved to Alameda, we again worked with Lisa to have her design and connect us with her contractors. With that said, we have a gorgeous kitchen that we spend time in everyday. She also suggested opening a wall, so now our whole family can interact while I am cooking and the kids are either at the counter top or in the family room. Need I go on.......this year she designed and yet again provided an excellent contractor to do ALL THREE BATHROOMS. I finally have my gorgeous spa bathroom. It is like being in a high end hotel and is so serene. We also purchased a Jason Tub which has absolutely transformed my skin. You feel like you have silk on your skin afterwards. I am sure this wont be my last Lisa review, she has not disappointed and her staff is also so attentive, pleasant, and helpful. read more

We just love our new kitchen and bathroom! Working with Lisa was a dream, from her ability to listen to our ideas and must haves in the beginning down to every little detail that she delivered on. We have "endured" other renovations and nothing compares to this! Her clear communication, her responsiveness to our every email or text, her ability to present just enough choices for finishes at just the right time so you aren't overwhelmed and you can visualize how it all fits together. Our friends have commented that the kitchen just fits the age of our house so well, with her expressing details such as matching the trim to the original in our 1890 Victorian. Also she provided great ideas for making the kitchen kid-friendly with our two young boys. The project management was superb and we finished in exactly the time specified with no bumps at all along the way. Her recommended contractor Eddie Borden of Borden Construction was also an impeccable choice. He was extremely well organized, reliable, and meticulous. We can't say enough about working with Cucina di Cannelora! read more