Long overdue review for an incredibly disappointing interior design firm. I still get sick when I think of how much money I wasted for a service that I was so disappointed with.
I was looking for help getting my first home together soon after I moved to Austin. I was a total newbie and I had no idea of how to proceed, so I thought they could steer me in the right direction. I was very open and flexible to different suggestions. Heather (and team) started out great. - I was really impressed after our first meeting and felt like they listened to me and were going to work with me to get a finished look i liked. But it all went downhill quickly from there (soon after writing the check, I guess). Instead of presenting options, they just handed me a final design plan. And I didn't like it at all! I was shocked by how different the design plan was from my description of what I was looking for. I actually thought they had mistakenly given me somebody else's plan, based on how wildly off-base it was. I called to check, and they assured me that was my design plan. When I said that I wasn't happy with it, they said they could work up another look if I paid more money. Needless to say, I didn't make the same mistake twice.
I was so angry/stunned/ashamed when I realized that I basically paid them thousands of dollars to hand me what is probably their generic, one-size-fits-all design plan. They didn't provide me with any service at all, and yet I paid their full fee. They didn't work with me to find a solution at all (not coming up with a Plan B, offering partial refund, etc.).
Just FYI, I have since learned that other design firms work in a very different way, - and usually for less money. They will offer floor plan options, color options, etc., and have discussions with clients to explain design plans and problem-solve together. It's a far better way to do business. read more