I have hired 1st Stage for multiple properties over the years. In the past, they generally did…read moregreat work and I was impressed with their staging style, professionalism, availability, and pricing. That said, my most recent experience was disappointing. I had them stage a modern townhouse in Costa Mesa near the beach. Unfortunately, the staging style they chose did not match the aesthetic of the property at all. I am not a designer, so I typically trust their vision and let them take the lead. This time, I reached out to their team and simply asked if we could swap out a few items to make the space feel more modern or beachy. I was told I would need to pay a restocking fee. That response was frustrating. I had referred them many jobs and clients in the past, and while the fee itself was not a large amount, it felt unnecessary and left a bad impression. They did eventually waive the fee, which I appreciated, but the situation already felt mishandled. Fast forward a bit. The property did not sell, and I requested that it be de-staged. Their team came out a few days later and removed the furniture. A few months after that, they emailed both me and my client, who was the actual party to the staging contract, claiming there was a prorated balance due for a few extra days the furniture remained in the home. The amount was under $400. The contract was between my client and 1st Stage, not me, so I was confused as to why I was included. Shortly after, Mark Sutton emailed me directly asking if I could take care of the payment by the next day. I found that extremely unprofessional. Agents are the ones who bring them business, and asking me to personally pay an invoice that had nothing to do with me showed a real lack of business judgment. I expressed my disappointment with their customer service, and the only response I received was a payment link. If you are looking for a stager who truly feels like a partner and values long-term relationships, I would think twice before using this company. In my experience, once an issue arises, you are treated like just another number, and preserving relationships does not seem to be a priority.

What an amazing experience we had with Janice and the entire team! Not only are they creative, hard…read moreworking, and professional, but they have the most beautiful and quality items! You can put your complete trust that they will stage your house to perfection so that it will look great for the photos and the tours!! Our home went into escrow 4 days after listing and we received $100,000 over asking price! The 1st stage service is a great value and will pay off tremendously in the end.

I can't recommend Lindsey enough! From the very beginning, she was professional, responsive, and so…read moreeasy to communicate with. She was always on time, listened carefully to what I wanted, and really understood my style and vision. She helped organize and decorate my business studio in a way that feels both beautiful and functional. She had a great eye for detail and made the entire process feel effortless. I never felt like she was pushing her own ideas--instead, she took the time to understand my taste and brought it to life even better than I had imagined. Working with her was such a positive experience, and my studio is now a space that I genuinely love walking into every day. If you're looking for someone who is talented, organized, reliable, and truly cares about creating a space that reflects you, I highly recommend her!

Lindsey exceeded our expectations and gave us a fair price to stage several rooms in our home. Our…read morehome sold in just 10 days because of her staging. We received so many compliments. Can't thank her enough!

Laura is so incredibly talented. Her eye for design and her desire to bring your dreams to life is…read morewhat really sets her apart. I hired Laura to design our Master Bedroom and WOW did she deliver!! She created a beautiful space that encompasses exactly what we described to her.. she brought our vision to life! She is thorough, professional, dedicated, and kind.. she will listen to you and deliver exactly what you are looking for. Save yourself time and go directly to Laura for all of your design needs. I can't wait to do the rest of the house this year and show off all of her amazing work!! Thank you Laura for all that you do!

Laura is amazing! She took my dreams and vision and made them even better than I could imagine. Her…read moreeye for details on everything from start to finish is immaculate. She thinks of every little detail and makes sure the contractor executes flawlessly. She created and managed our complete kitchen remodel. It's a dream come true. Can't say enough great things about Laura. Can't wait for my next project!

Finally! I am excited to share my review of Tarra after a long remodel finally has come to…read morecompletion. I don't think I have enough space to express in words what a wonderful woman and decorator Tarra is. Being kind, patient, knowledgeable, understanding and creative are some characteristics needed when working with clients in the emotional business of home decorating. Tarra encompasses every one of those and more. One of the most important attributes I was looking for in a decorator prior to starting a large remodel was someone who would not push their own tastes on me and would value what was important to me while also providing the style and look I wanted. Again, Tarra is exactly that and is why I feel we worked so well together. Another part that I found amazing was her vision to see an outcome that was totally different than my original look, and it came out perfectly! Her taste is flawless! Besides the undeniable talent and creativity, I would like to speak specifically to her patience and professionalism. I found it very difficult to decide on pretty much anything during the remodel and needed her handholding every step of the way. She did so without fail and was consistent and patient throughout the entire process. She gave more than 100% each and every time, always responding to my texts and making herself available to me even for a quick thumbs up on a picture. Tarra was the most instrumental piece in the phenomenal outcome of our newly remodeled and upgraded home. If you want a customized designed project for an expert, you should definitely choose Tarra, she is truly the BEST!

Never having hired an interior designer, we decided on Tarra as my wife and I simply could not…read moreagree on how to bring all of our thoughts and ideas together. Hiring Tarra was without question one of our best decisions throughout this entire process as she merged our ideas with her expertise and unique flair. Our remodel included coordinating a full kitchen, dining and living rooms design all while being mindful of costs and time constraints. Tarra addressed all of our needs to include, but not limited to: design layout, construction alternatives, lighting needs, painting/color needs, furniture selection throughout, cabinet style/stains/paint, flooring alternatives, etc. She was amazing to work and collaborate with throughout the entire process, and when complete had transformed our single-story ranch style home just as we had envisioned. In addition to being patient and listening well to our wants and needs, Tarra was extremely accommodating, made the selection of materials very easy and in the end blended comfort and style that suits our lifestyle perfectly.

10/10! I requested a kitchen interior design and received exactly what I was told I would get! Guan…read moreis amazing and very patient with my revisions and worked quickly and diligently! I tried many different remodel apps and was not getting anywhere near the custom look I needed. I can't wait to see how everything looks in real life. Price was very reasonable.

Make sure you specifically ask what additional fees will be added on to your design/project. Also,…read moreask the status of your budget throughout the design. We learned the hard way and were blind sided by the owner, Michael. We asked for a certain budget and found out through our meeting he was indeed 8k over and never told us anything until we asked about it. Also, expect him to beat around the bush when you ask him direct questions. Due to the misleading information, we decided to no longer request his services. I attempted to resolve the issue with Michael by just requesting a partial refund of the initial deposit, due to the misleading information and lackluster performance. However, he was so professional, where he actually chose to ignore my message and ran off with my money. Overall, I do not recommend this business.

We hired Kathleen to transform our garage into a small ADU, and we truly couldn't be happier with…read morethe outcome! Kathleen is a mastermind at what she does and really values quality and attention to detail. Working with such a small space was no easy task, but she had a solution for everything. Throughout the entire process, she offered thoughtful advice and creative ideas that helped us make the most of every inch. She made what could have been an overwhelming project feel so much easier. The finished space is not only beautiful, but incredibly functional. Everyone who has seen the unit is amazed by the design and attention to detail, and we constantly get compliments on how well the space was utilized. Kathleen was also wonderful to communicate with throughout the entire process. We felt heard, supported, and confident in her recommendations from beginning to end. We are so pleased with our ADU and would choose to work with her 1,000 times over. We cannot recommend her enough!

Kathy has done two bathrooms and a kitchen in my home. I highly recommend her. She is prompt and…read moreprofessional. She takes all of your desires into consideration when coming up with a design plan if I had anything left to do in my house, I would use her again.Lol

Absolutely thrilled with my new barndoor, and also thrilled with the price. Rod was super easy to…read morework with via text and straightforward. Send him a picture, he gives you an invoice, you pay for it after it's installed. Rod spent maaayybe an hour and a half installing the door, and made sure everything was perfect and clean when he was done. I'm super impressed with the craftsmanship and wish I had other doors to make. I don't, but would highly recommend him!

WE (Arthur and Dindo) are so happy with our bedroom barn door. I've always wanted to have one, but…read moreI just needed to make sure I find the right person to build it. After several people sent in their quotes, I then proceeded to look at the reviews and photos of their products. RHC Custom Designs stood apart because you can really tell customers are happy with their doors and the owner (Rod) makes sure that his doors are perfectly done. I am now one of his happy customers and have recommended him to our neighbors. There is a wait to get your door simply because he's a perfectionist, but once you get your door you will be one of the lucky customers who has Rod's awesome doors!

I normally stage all of my listings on my own, but since this was 2+ hour drive for me, I decided…read moreto try a staging company and they did not disappoint! They really transformed the house into a home with just the right amount of appropriate furniture for the style of home. Highly recommended!

I have hired alongside my real estate clients Simply Staging multiple times. We have been very…read morehappy with the service and quality from beginning to end. They are extremely efficient from scheduling, getting a quote, install and removal. The furniture and decor is top notch and fits with the design of the home. We will continue to work with them on future projects.

Lisa is the real deal. She has a great eye. Her style is unique . I recommend her to design your…read moreneeds. She has deigned each room of my house and is excellent in listening to my needs and making things work and flow. Highly recommend this GEM.

Lisa was a godsend! I was struggling to build my foundation for interior decorating. She consulted…read morewith me and gave me a plethora of recommendations from paint color to flooring to furniture placement to fixtures to decor etc. It was priceless as I now have the ability to move forward with confidence knowing I got my favorite designer's input like having a super talented BFF help you get started. I'm so happy to have stepped outside my box to do this and I'm so blessed to have Lisa come over.

Kristen also upgraded my kitchen for me. She took it from a basic kitchen to a modern, sleek, and…read morehigh quality kitchen! She connected me with quality tradesmen who were a pleasure to work with. She changed my tile backsplash to quartz to match my existing countertops. She removed cabinets and the old hood to replace it with a stunning custom plaster hood. Everything looks so cohesive and elevated!

Kristen is the best designer I've met. She pays attention to the small details, has great supplier…read moreand contractor contacts, keeps a light positive attitude throughout the entire experience, follows up regularly, quick to respond to texts or emails, and is just an overall great support during the remodel. We ended up remodeling our entire house, taking out walls, new kitchen, 3 new bathrooms, new floors, paint, closets, replaced doors to 8' solid wood doors, and Pinkys Iron Door french doors to the office. I mean honestly, our house looks totally different inside, all brand new. All of the finishes and touches flow perfectly together making the house feel airy and light. I think Kristen's pricing is a bargain for the service and involvement she gives. Having her help with the remodel reduced our stress levels by 1000% by helping us find the finishing items and make decisions that we'd get stuck on. She has a great eye for this stuff, and you will not regret hiring Kristen. I'll update my posting with more pictures soon, still need to get some art on the walls and wrap up a few minor things.