I've known Buddy since his Cranberry Hole Road days (early '90s, I stumbled in there by accident,…read moreand...). He has guided me through two apartment restylings (not renovations) 30 years apart in two NYC boroughs. As others have said, he is a different kind of designer--and so full of ideas that at first it's overwheming, and you might wish you had 10 other homes to fill with his concepts. He sees possibilities that aren't immediately evident, and is a genius at furntiure and picture placement. I had a genuine midcentury table (not a West Elm copy) that I'd had for decades and it was just sitting forlornly in a corner in the new place because I didn't know what to do with it (It didn't seem to fit anywhere). I was also grousing about needing a coffee table and in less than a second Buddy picks up the table with one hand and plops it down in front of my couch (purchased with his guidance), saying, "Here's your coffee table." The table, although not ostensibly a coffee table, works perfectly there, even though I never saw that possibility and was getting ready to dump it on one of those marketplaces. It's a small example, but I think it capsulizes Buddy's approach. He was also spot on when it came to selecting lighting fixtures, and saved me from choosing rugs that would have made my place look like a Miami hotel lobby (I think that's what he said--I know his scathing critique of my choices referenced Florida or the Bahamas), steering me to much more stylish picks. Buddy's also an artist (he constructed and painted a screen for me decades ago--in the Cranberry Hole Road days--that I still use and that visitors still comment on) and a cognitive psychologist, which can come in handy when you're in the emotional throes of a move, a renovation or restyling. Give him a try, even if your place just needs a refresh, a new look. He'll help you choose what you need. Now I'm thinking of seeking his help for a closet renovation.

Everytime I walk into my newly renovated apartment, which was so perfectly executed, I feel like…read moreI'm the main character in a home makeover show. The 'before' shots would feature a cute home, but with signs of aging. Fraying wooden cabinets, and little to no natural light in my bedroom. Now this is all modernized, updated, and thoughtfully designed. Connecting with Buddy via Yelp's Request a Quote feature was lucky, because I got no replies from other businesses I contacted first or was told they couldn't take on my project. I'm thankful because Buddy was actually the right person with the right vision for my space. I had been living with a not optimized closet space and the aforementioned fraying wooden cabinets, as well as my bedroom lacking natural light for years. I had heard one too many contractor nightmare stories that caused me to be ultra cautious so I hesitated to contact anyone. I once hired a virtual interior designer which was a total waste of time/money. Enter Buddy, who is not only a creative visionary with a solid contractor team he's worked with for over a decade, but he's also a licensed therapist, and says that contributes to how he handles spaces, which totally makes sense. In the first consultation with Buddy, he paced around my space and rattled off so many wild ideas, some of which sounded fantastical and unrealistic but he made into reality. The initial consultation fee initially made me wince but now sounds like such a deal when in hindsight I realize he gave me the blueprint to my beautiful new reality. I would not have thought to float my couch in the middle of the living room instead of against the wall, facing the best feature of my apartment-- the view. When I was concerned about where to put the TV, he came up with a customized solution. A mechanized wooden box where the TV rises and falls with the push of a button. It sounds so futuristic but now it's part of my life. His contractor team is so awesome too. They handled all my things with care, and not only did they not disturb my plants, which we kept in the apartment during the renovation, they took care of them too! So sweet. It's been several months now and living in my transformed space has really changed my relationship with my home. My living situation used to feel compromised, but now it really feels like a thoughtful expression of who I am. I've already hosted several parties and get togethers in my home, because the new space is way more amenable to hosting, something Buddy picked up about me after meeting. Buddy's organization (we worked out of a spreadsheet which was a dream for my Type A self), and responsiveness throughout the process really eased my nerves about the project. He and his team took genuine care of my possessions and space that it made the renovation process almost enjoyable. Thank you Buddy, for transforming the daily experience of being in my space. You really delivered something exceptional.

I had DNA Kitchens gut renovate both my kitchen and bathroom in my Brooklyn apartment, and I'm so…read morehappy with the result! It's kinda hard to describe my style, but I really enjoyed working with Ady (designer) along the way. She worked with me meticulously until everything was perfect, even when we had to change the designs halfway through (they couldn't tear down a wall that had some heating pipes). I'll post some pictures after I clean up all the dust and do a little organizing!

It's still in progress... so I will update this review. So far, it's been 5 months and nothing is…read morefinalized!! Why?? I wish I knew this before I paid the deposit to commit. This was totally not what I expected!! They do have nice kitchen fabrication but not much for the bathroom. I hope they are little more easy to communicate and quicker to response. I will update with picture and more details when it's done.

I had a really great experience with NYKB. Anyone who's renovated in NYC knows how many moving…read moreparts there are, and they made the whole thing feel surprisingly easy. Having the design, construction, permits, and project management all handled by one team made such a difference.

I spoke to a lot of renovation companies before choosing NYKB and honestly most of them felt the…read moresame until I met Maia. What stood out immediately was that she didn't just try to "sell" me a bathroom. She actually paid attention to how I live day to day and designed the space around that. She noticed little things I didn't even think about, like where lighting should hit the mirror, storage that wouldn't make the room feel crowded, and materials that looked expensive without feeling cold or overly trendy. The biggest difference with NYKB was that the process never felt chaotic. Usually when people talk about renovations it's horror stories, delays, and constantly chasing people down. I never felt that here. Everything felt intentional and handled. Maia somehow managed to make a renovation feel calm, which I didn't think was possible. Now that it's finished, my bathroom genuinely feels like part of a luxury hotel suite but still personal and comfortable. Everyone who comes over comments on it immediately. Looking back, choosing NYKB was probably the best decision I made for the project. Maia has an eye that's very hard to find.

My NYC coop is absolutely beautiful after a gut renovation undertaken by MCKB and the related SGC…read moreContracting Corp. My neighbors have been quite impressed - kitchen and bath stunning and workmanship and paint job excellent. The super loved your teams, as did my fellow neighbors. The entire MCKB and SGC teams have been wonderful during this complicated process. My main MCKB contact and designer, Hany Gerges, applied his elevated taste and design skills along with his ability to educate, influence and collaborate to create a gorgeous kitchen, bath and custom closets. Other professionals have liked my new wood floor so much, they have asked me where they could find it. This is a team that knows how to solve all sorts of construction matters to deliver a space that is beautiful and functional.

They did a great job with my kitchen 20 years ago. I have since used Drimmers many times. Lately…read morethough they do not answer my emails or requests. I'm trying to replace a bathroom vanity but KIM never got back to me. What a shame.

I called Bruce after seeing all these great reviews. I was then shuffled over to Peter. Peter is…read morepleasant but I wouldn't say communication is a strength. The company steers you to Cambria and Caeserstone and gives you no other options for countertop brands so be prepared to pay the premium. Peter also tried to charge me $3,000 for a kitchen sink base cabinet, telling me wood cabinets were that expensive (I bought a great one online for $350). At that point, I lost confidence in this company. Luckily my downpayment had not gone through and I was able to get out of this. If you've got tons of money, it's probably the place for you, but don't call with smaller projects.

Meticulous attention to detail. Every day either Bruce or Marlo were onsite to make sure all…read moreaspects of the project went well. The best part is each phase of the project, (counter/sink installation, cabinet refresh, tile work), is completed before the next phase begins. This means you dont spend weeks in a construction zone. Which was amazing! Could not be happier with the speed and quality of the work. I love my new kitchen!!

After meeting with several other interior design firms, my partner and I settled on Decor Aid to…read morehelp us combine our furniture in our first home together. He's more laid back, and I'm more on the traditional side so we were at a loss on how to make everything work together. Even more so, we were combining two different apartments into one - not any easy task considering how small apartments in NYC are. Mindy, our designer, was great at taking cues from both of us and working around us when things would get too complicated. Not only was she extremely helpful in helping us edit, but she also had some genius storage solutions for our small home. In the end we made the right choice, and we also made a great friend in Mindy. I recommend her and Decor Aid to everyone who comes over after they stop gushing over how terrific everything looks. And in case we ever move to a larger spot, we're definitely bringing them back on!

STAY AWAY. I waited…read morea while to write this review since I wanted to let my anger abate and I was busy with other things. But months later I feel a moral obligation to warn people about this company. If like me, you will likely read the reviews and the owner's responses and suspect that they are a good company and that the bad reviews are just from impossible people. But they quell the bad reviews with small payouts and gag orders (see the photo). They use contract workers who may or may not be able to get the job done. The discounts they promise never come true. In fact they quoted more than I would pay as a regular retail customer, for every single item I asked them about. (notice that they don't list the specifics of their discounts on their website...) When asked to come through on what they promise, they are unhelpful at best and often nasty (read the owner's comments on bad reviews to get a taste). When your project has gone on way too long, they haven't come through on any promises and you are at wits end, they may offer you a small sum to not write a bad review. I suspect that many of us, on modest budgets, take the money just to cut some of our losses. Before you get taken in by the good reviews and the pretty pictures, read the reviews again. Notice there are almost no reviews in the middle, only really bad and really glowing ones. The good ones all start to sound the same. Go to a website where employees write reviews and note that many say the company writes their own good reviews. See that gag order and think of how many people they silenced. I am out a lot of money and hope this review saves someone else.

Intelligent Kitchen is a GEM and located in my UWS neighborhood too. I came across Intelligent…read moreKitchen (IK) as my family was in need of design and project management help for our apartment renovation. We had met with a number of design build firms but were not finding what we were looking for in personalized attention. When I first met IK, the project was a certain size - one kitchen and one bathroom, possibly two bathrooms. After we met IK, heard their ideas and shared some of our dream items for our family home, we decided to re-design our ENTIRE apartment using IK as our design team for architectural services and selections across 2300 interior square feet. This included redesigning our apartment layout, tripling the size of our kitchen and gutting 3 full bathrooms and enhancing one other bathroom. We could not have done it without Lauren, Olga, Adriana and the entire IK team of designers and project managers. IK is on top of it all. We had weekly design and logistics meetings that included our budget tracking and our selection tracking. They were able to show us what our apartment was going to look like through amazing renderings that were so life-like, it was the first time I was able to truly see what I was putting together. They worked with us on finishing selections, coordination with the contracting team over 6 months with multiple weekly visits, the architect and expeditors, the ancillary services and resources for glass, marble, cabinetry and more. IK was able to deliver us the home of our dreams in NYC. Although it was a complicated and nearly year long project, we felt ready to take it all on because of IK and their team and their contacts. They were there for us every step of the way, kept us on budget and were able to meet with varying providers when we weren't, acting like our own right hand. I would recommend IK to anyone looking to do a bathroom or a kitchen or a complete and total renovation just like ours. Matter of fact, I have already referred several friends and neighbors to them. IK makes you feel like you are the only client they are working with and acted with transparency and charm each and every time. Thank you IK!

Lauren at IKDNY is great! She is very professional and has impeccable taste. this was my first home…read moreon my own, and first time renovating. I didn't have any idea where to start, and Lauren was extremely helpful. She really maximized the space in my small kitchen and picked beautiful product. My only regret is that I didn't renovate my bathroom! I will be calling again :)

Klein Kitchen & Bath gets right to the project, completes tasks on time and within budget. All…read moremembers of the team from management to craft are respectful and professional. My projects were completed with great craftsmanship

We had Klein help us with our renovations in 2024 and they did an amazing work in our kitchen and…read morebathrooms! Recently we had 1-2 issues such as loose/stuck cabinet drawer and refilling a small grout in our kitchen. We contacted Adam and he instantly had these issues fixed for us in a matter of days which is part of the 7 year warranty that you get once the work is complete. We are so happy to have connected with Klein and plan to contact them for any future renovations or home improvement projects.