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.

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

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!

was looking for a design element to lighten up a kitchen that was in danger of taking on a…read more"dark-and-cave-like" appearance (especially with the expresso colored cabinets) after ALL the walls turned out to be load-bearing and had to stay -- so much for the original open-kitchen concept. at Mastercraft's showroom in Murietta (the company charged with actually doing the work), noticed the reclaimed wood from Poppa's Barn, and decided to use it to side the kitchen island. like everything else in the remodel, came out even better than expected. picked up a Poppa's Barn brochure for ideas for the rest of the house. will keep you posted.

Had my completely reclaimed wood accent wall installed today and couldn't be happier! Has truly…read moretransformed the room. The quality of the reclaimed wood is exceptional and I highly recommend this company!

I worked with the Dattilos when they were located in San Jose. Tamara has a great eye for design…read moreand so many ideas. She is a creative energizer bunny. Combine her creativity and construction know how with the fact that she is such a good listener, so she really understands the client's personal aesthetic and you get a finished project that is your heart's delight. My projects were relatively small ones, but she treated me and the projects like we were her only clients. The construction crew was excellent, so speedy and respectful of my home. One last thing, Tamara loves a challenge. So if you have a design project that require some ingenuity and problem solving, she is a great designer to have on your project.

There are so many great things to say about this design group. Tamara is a professional in every…read moresense of the word and a dream to work with. Not only will she listen to your vision, she also has Creative and innovative design ideas to amplify that dream and make it even more stellar. She has a beautiful eye and demands perfection (lovingly) from her crew to achieve the results the client desires. Although they specialize in high-end projects, there are design options for every budget. My husband and I worked with her on a large job in Wailea, Maui, and it was a true delight. When under deadline, the entire crew came in early and stayed late to make sure the project was complete in time for move in. Highly recommended!

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.

Sarah Garofalo at California Interiors LLC Recommendation…read more My wife and I have been very fortunate to have worked with Sarah to design a remodel of our master bathroom into a space suitable for a handicapped person. We originally engaged with a different interior designer. That turned into a big mistake as we were not able to communicate with them effectively. The original design did not meet our needs and Email, text, and voicemail messages went unanswered. We eventually found Sarah and made the change to work with her. Our project turned into a bit of a nightmare as our original contractor came down with COVID and had to walk off the job after completely demolishing our bathroom. When we finally found another company to complete the bathroom Sarah's plans and drawings for the space were critical in working with the new contractor. Sarah listened to our needs and wants for the space. She communicated with us in a timely and effective way as the project had to be modified while we worked thru the process with our contractors. Sarah made timely changes to the drawings as the project required them. She was always positive and flexible. She took every challenge in stride and was always willing and eager to help and offer advice. Sarah helped with the bathroom layout, tile selection and placement, color coordination, faucet and shower hardware selection, custom linen closet design, toilet selection, and every other design aspect. She also helped advise us where the selections could be purchased. We are eager to recommend Sarah for any design services you may require. We absolutely loved working with her. Sarah will be a professional and valuable partner in developing your project. John Vrolyk

Sarah helped with the design of my kitchen. Her eye for design and knowledge of the industry was of…read moregreat help. I will use Sarah for any design needs in the future.

I'm so glad I found Bless This Place to remodel my kitchen and bathroom. Cassandra's designs were…read morebeautiful and very thought out, considering everything I already had in my kitchen and bringing more function to this space than I could think of myself. Her approach to work was very pleasing as she treated me like family, and not just a customer! She handled everything for me and made the process go smooth. Casey and Chloe were amazing to work with every day. They were able to bring Cassandra's designs to life. Casey knows how to do it all and he also treated us like family! His attention to detail is by far superior as he was able to ensure things were done correctly. He made sure to be here on days sub contractors came and ensured everything ran smoothly. He also made some suggestions on things we could change based on his years of knowledge and keeping in mind my current lifestyle. I appreciated his honest feedback, his respect towards the sentimental value I have with things in my house and his willingness to also teach me a few things a long the way! I am so pleased with their design and build work that I'm looking forward to having them remodel more things in my house. If you are looking for a professional, reliable, trustworthy and skillful team, Bless this Place is it!

Cassandra, the owner of Bless this Place is absolutely amazing! They are a full service design…read morecompany, literally anything you need done, they can do! She designed and built my new spa in Riverside, CA. She is so thorough and is amazing at giving updates and photos of the progress! Her contractor Casey is amazing as well! I am so happy and blessed to have found her! If you are in need of a house, business, etc renovation, look no further! I will definitely be using Bless this Place to renovate my home!

Micaiah is the best investment we made in remodeling our home. We found Micaiah at an open house…read moreand his design really spoke to me and my husband. We are minimalists but with nice tastes, and Micaiah designed our home to just that. My husband and I are not rich people, so he made renderings that are to be either used right away, or done at a later date to help spread our money out. He not only does the design and renderings, but he helped us find our floor guy (and we love our floors!), furniture, shades, paint, etc. He knew we are on a budget, so he worked with our budget to find things that are affordable and sustainable. Our home is still coming together as we are spreading our money out, but once it is 80% finished, I will definitely post photos. Micaiah is so easy to work with and I highly recommend him!

I found Micaiah on Yelp and am so glad I did. He is very prompt and keeps the communication going…read moreat all times. He has such a gift and eye for design. I hired him to create a desert oasis around our home on a low budget and he remained constantly aware of our situation. He is friendly, talented, and gifted and really listens to his clients. You will not regret hiring him! Micaiah, thank you for working with us!