I first used Design Matters in 2020 for a kitchen remodel. I really liked the designer's suggestions and knowledge of materials and suppliers. However, there were several problems along the way including mis-measuring the size of the sink (causing me additional return fees and time), not enough tile ordered for the backsplash (causing a week delay during construction), and not ordering the correct number of door knobs/drawer pulls (causing further delay in the completion of the project). When I started to plan for a bathroom remodel earlier this year my first thought was to select the materials on my own without the help of a designer. After visiting a few tile stores, I was overwhelmed and decided to use Design Matters again. Although the issues with the kitchen remodel were frustrating, I gave them the benefit of the doubt as that was during a heightened Covid period and the designer did not visit my kitchen to determine the details as often as they probably would have otherwise. I met with the designer at the Los Gatos showroom in the end of June to discuss materials, colors, and tile layout. I was not able to find a new vanity by that time, so the designer said she would look into one and get back to me with a suggestion. She did place the orders for the tile. However, after two months, and with the contractor starting in two weeks, I had not received any follow up on the vanity, design plans, paint colors, etc. I emailed the designer and received a response that she was out of the office and after several back-and-forth emails, over a week later I finally received the design information that was overdue. However, Design Matters completely dropped the ball on the new vanity and at that point there was no time to order one before the contactor started. No apology, suggestions, or alternatives were ever offered. Most frustrating was the lack of follow-through on the tile order. Design Matters had ordered tile from Porcelanosa in early July that was to take 8-12 weeks to arrive. Porcelanosa informed Design Matters of a two to three month shipping delay. Without any communication with me, with Design Matters told Porcelanosa it would not be an issue, even though they were aware of my construction start date. Not only did Design Matters not inform me of this delay, they offered absolutely no assistance or suggestions on how to solve the issue. Luckily for me, the staff at Porcelanosa was wonderful and were able to rush a new order for the tile with expedited shipping. Of course, I had to pay significant amount of money for the additional order and expedited shipping; again, without any remedy or assistance from Design Matters. I did like the design suggestions provided by Design Matters; however, the lack of follow up, accurate material ordering, or follow-through on the ordering caused me significant additional costs and time. I would not recommend Design Matters and will certainly not use their services in the future. read more

Update: Julie responded to my review on another platform. She did not dispute her numerous mistakes picking and ordering materials, or her refusal to deliver complete plans, or her refusal to estimate costs. She instead claimed that doing the job correctly was actually a premium feature that cost extra (beyond the $10,700 we paid), so it was our responsibility to find and correct her mistakes, and that she should have even billed us an extra $6,000 for time spent correcting her own mistakes. This also meant she claimed to have made $6,000 worth of mistakes on a $10,700 job. She then threatened to get lawyers involved in retaliation for this review, even though all that was needed was a sincere apology and a promise to improve. I originally gave her 3 stars and a balanced review in the hope she would improve, but her response made me doubt that she will. read more

My fiancé and I remodeled our bathrooms recently with the help of Design Matters, and while the execution wasn't absolutely perfect, the most important thing to me at the end of the day is that the materials and layout look good, and they absolutely do. We ended up with a uniquely beautiful master bathroom that neither we nor our GC could have helped us design. read more

We signed a contract to work with Design Matters to renovate a house we purchased in June 2021. We searched for reviews on Design Matters but not the principal. Big mistake, we didn't know the principal changed company name after fraud issues. When she first visited the house, she recommended we open drywalls and talked like an engineer. In discussions she would say you don't need permits for just moving drywalls but in emails, she used to mention we are responsible for permits. This drove us nuts.. She insisted we order cabinets as they are long lead, we paid 100% upfront and cabinets dimensions are incorrect and incomplete. We opened the drywalls and realized some of the walls are structural and we ended up spending 50k just to cover walls to bring back to original. After learning about her, we terminated our contract. We ended up hiring a lawyer as we didn't want to deal with her. Later on she sends threatening emails about reporting us to city. She is terrible and please google her name before you decide to work with DM. read more

We discovered Design Matters and were impressed by the immense amount of value, knowledge, and expertise that they added to our project. We started engaging with Design Matters later in our process and wished we would have engaged much earlier with their team.. Ideally, at the same stage as with the Architect and Builder. Julie and the Design Matters team reorganized the home layout for better function and flow, while guiding us on material selections. They provided industry expertise related to project oversight, project management, coordination with building professionals, detailed specification reviews, and installation support for the sub-contractors. Julie's passion for her craft and her profession is contagious. It was a lot of work, but she did it with full charge enthusiasm and made it a worthwhile and fun process for us as well! The quality and creativity provided by Design Matters is unmatched! Their work ethic and streamlined process provided peace of mind and more benefit than I ever thought possible. Julie is detailed, articulate, purposeful in her explanation of why one thing vs. another thing Julie and the Design Matters team have been advocates for us and I would recommend Design Matters without any hesitation. We will be working with them on our next project in the Los Altos area, and any other project that comes our way! read more

We used Design Matters and Julie and did not have a good experience. Their execution and follow through on our project was lacking. Julie specifically does not collaborate well with other contractors which made the project more difficult for us. Lastly, and most importantly, there were billing issues with us a well. In reading the other feedback and searching Julie online - - this seems to be a repeated trend that sadly has not ended. read more

We used Julie in 2002 and did not have a good experience. She attempted to over charge us on certain items. Fortunately we caught her. In hindsight, she probably did end up overcharging us on other items. One of the contractors sent us an invoice by mistake that was intended for Julie. The "cost" on that invoice was far less than the cost that Julie represented to us. When I challenged Julie she said that that "cost" was the vendor's true cost, not her price. I believed her at the time. In hindsight, she probably did misrepresent her costs. I would not use her again. By the way, her design skills were just average. read more

Kinda flaky, they appear to be busy then when you finally get on the calendar and prepare a quote they don't return your calls. I waited to give them a second chance because I like the designer when she did respond but she scheduled an in home appt then changed it to another designer in the store. I didn't care for the experience. read more

I guess the pricing is okay for their design services, but in the end, I'm not sure we really needed them for our bath and kitchen remodel. I guess we just really got the blueprints from them so we could get the permits from the city. That was pretty helpful because I'm sure I would've wasted a lot of time on that if I had to do it myself. Their cabinetry is insanely expensive, thought I guess it's pretty nice. They are helpful and accomodating. Some design places make you buy everything through them and use their specific contractors, etc, so it can be pricey. The good thing about Design 101 is that you can have them do as much or as little as you need. read more

I am upset that my previous review giving Julie Cavanaugh at design 101 5 stars and describing my outstanding experience has been blocked. One of the reviews currently shown suggests that all the 5 star reviews of Julie are "suspect" and should be removed. I would be glad to supply any information requested to substantiate my remodel done with Julie. There are awards and magazine photos supporting my description of the work she did for us. To say we were thrilled to have worked with her is an understatement. I applaud your right to disagree with me. I deplore your accusation that I have been anything less than honest. read more

I find it very troubling that Yelp has not removed the recent 5 star ratings. They are suspicious and most likely inaccurate. It seems like someone is deliberately posting false reviews to raise Design 101's rating. I wish you could put zero stars. Julie, the owner of Design 101, is a thief. She quoted, invoiced, billed and collected the money for our cabinets, then when it came time for delivery she demanded a substantial amount more than the invoiced price we had already paid. She claimed that what we order was more expensive than what she billed. Julie instructed the company not to deliver our cabinets until we paid her extortion fee. We were in a dilemma and wanted to finish our kitchen so we paid the $2,000. I am thinking of making a complaint to the district attorney. This woman needs to be shutdown. read more

We hired Julie at Design Matters to help us with our 3 bathrooms. With her expertise and design experience there's NO WAY I would've picked anyone else or even thought of the designs she picked for us! My son loves his bathroom since it's in his favorite shades of blue and grey. My daughter also loves hers with all the sparkle grout and rain head shower. Our bathroom is SPECTACULAR! I love the slab & Rutt cabinetry she chose for our bathroom!! We are so happy with everything & highly recommend Julie & her team! read more

Our company has worked with Design Matters on two high-end custom homes which required great communication and much attention to detail. Julie and her team were a pleasure to work with on both occasions and were highly professional. I look forward to working together again soon! read more

Design Matters did a wonderful job on all my furniture. Very professional and very reliable. I get lots of compliments on the job they did.

Julie and team certainly are very well qualified and skilled design professionals. They have impeccable skills in terms of providing the right combination of design plans. Getting them to devote the right weekly time on your calendar and accounting it can however be a challenge - it appears they are overbooked.. other than this - I came out with great respect for the integrity and skills of everyone in the design team - especially Julie and wish them all the best ! read more

Not cheap but great service. You get what you pay for! Great selection of cabinetry and wide price range. Their many years of experience shows in their work. Very happy! read more

Perhaps they are great if you have a ton of money to spend. I went for one of their "package" solutions (the bronze package I think) & discussed what could be achieved with my designer for that amount of money. The scope of the project didn't change but the deliverables did- I got about 10% of what they promised and got hit up for the "next" $ installment. Over-promised and under-delivered. No thanks. read more

6.5 months late in finishing my kitchen! Company personnel made too many errors to list , cabinet manufacturer quality problems plus lots of attitude from one of the owner's. Design 101 came out 4 additional times to fix all of the problems! If you are a masochist and have plenty of time and money, you'll love dealing with this company. read more

Julie and the Design Matters team are talented, responsive and professional. Julie has an amazing eye for creative design and has provided us such incredible insight and help in the remodel of our kitchen and bathrooms. We are constantly given great compliments from friends and family on how our house has been transformed. Julie has a clear passion and deep knowledge of interior design and can align the needs of her clients with options and ideas with top notch execution of projects Without a doubt, we HIGHLY recommend Design Matters!! read more

We have been doing business with Design Matters now for many years and have had nothing but exceptional correspondence with every team member. Each member on their staff are extremely 'hands on' and trained professionals. We find in design that both creativity and the logistics side must be balanced if you are going to have a smooth transition for remodel, and these designers know that balance. The overall efficiency and quality of work at Design Matters, with Julie as their lead, will alleviate your concerns, but also streamline the entire process so that you and your family may enjoy your new remodel in the quickest manner possible. Thank you, Design Matters! read more

After searching high and low for an interior designer, we chose Julie, the owner of Design Matters. She was high strung but we thought that would help keep our project moving. After we contracted with her, it was clear that she takes on way too many projects because we kept falling down on her priority list. She also disregarded our taste and wishes and chose things that she wanted for our home. She was also very defensive any time we tried to address this issue and would say it was our fault. She made promises to give us more attention and then the same problem. After reading her Houzz responses to other clients who struggled with her, we realized this is clearly her style- blame customers instead of looking at how to improve her customer service. Terrible! read more

Haven't used their services yet, but wouldn't hesitate to for a moment, The store is beautiful and spacious. The staff are helpful and friendly, and really seem\ to know/ love what they do. read more