Liling got too busy with other projects, seems disorganized and dropped the ball on all the timely…read moreaspects of our renovation where we needed to purchase materials ahead of when the contractor needed them. She didn't read emails and then when we asked her to PLEASE focus and get stuff ordered, she quit! She said she was used to having clients who wanted to be DIY and take on a lot of the project themselves which she did not explain at the outset and seems very odd for a professional designer. We lack the time and the expertise and we had no confidence the things she wanted us to do on our own would come out well--that's why we hired a designer! Our contractor was inconvenienced and needs to move on other projects and leave ours unfinished so our project will be greatly delayed. She concluded that she would not charge us, as if that solved everything, when it did not make up for all the time we wasted on her. We hired her because makes a good personal impression and is pleasant and a friend had a good experience with a limited project, but ultimately with us she behaved unprofessionally and it was just a really unfortunate experience. I'd say, at the very least, ask her a lot of questions before you entrust your job to her and don't do anything time-sensitive!

I cannot say enough about LiLing Lampell at Just the Touch! If I could give her more than 5 Stars,…read moreI would! We got introduced to LiLing through our realtors from Condo Connect Realty (Mei Liang and Ken Deleon). We had high expectations for her staging experience because we know our agents wouldn't work with anyone who wasn't excellent. Liling did not disappoint! (1) PROFESSIONAL: From the first time we met LiLing to do a partial staging for our home, we knew it was going to be a great experience. She was very considerate of our tastes and existing furniture/artwork. Because we were going to be living in our home during the selling process, she worked with us to make sure the place looked beautiful while allowing it to be functional. Definitely a hard balance to strike! (2) KNOWLEDGEABLE: She has been doing staging for many years in a very competitive market. Her background in fine arts (and even as an art/staging instructor) was extremely valuable. LiLing educated us throughout the entire staging process and pointed out things we never noticed. (3) COMMUNICATION: LiLing's responsiveness in communications and clarity throughout the process took out a lot of the stress that typically comes with staging your home. We were always able to reach LiLing from little to big topics. We even had some last minute requests, and she always helped us with a smile. (4) CUSTOMER-ORIENTED: Last but definitely not least, LiLing not only lived up to our expectations, but she over delivered. She was customer-oriented every step of the way from her patience, educative approach, flexible style, and dealing with last minute requests. I would recommend LiLing at Just the Touch to anyone with the highest endorsement. She would definitely be the only designer we would consider for our next real estate transaction in the area.

The best decision we ever made was hiring Jillian for our home extension and renovation project…read more She exceeded our expectations on every level. We started with a phone consultation and she truly listened to our vision, priorities, and budget limitations. She has excellent communication skills, so she quickly followed up with an email proposal that was exactly what we had in mind. We continued to meet every other week and she would come prepared with schematics and samples for us to review. From there, she created detailed elevation plans, down to the millimeter. Our contractor was so grateful because every element had already been organized and well planned out and his team just had to execute it. She made the entire process so easy for us and our construction team! She also has impeccable taste, so every detail of our design plan was timeless and sophisticated, yet within our budget. We are so grateful we found Jillian and we thank her for being a critical part of making our dream house a reality!

I've worked with Jillian on countless of home improvement projects and even a new construction. We…read morehave been colleagues for over five years, we met when I was a listing manager and she was an interior designer at a local real estate company. We worked together on hundreds of homes prepping them for sale. Several years later, we have both started our own real estate ventures. When I was building my home, I went to Jillian for the initial floor plan consultation, and worked with her all the way to picking out details like the finishes and paint colors. Madera Interior Design is a great resource for project management and all design related aspects of a home. Jillian is organized, communicative, and overall a great person. I have also recommended her to several clients and colleagues. It's always a pleasure doing business with Jillian!

Tiffany has an excellent eye for color and style. She has been directing my paint choices for…read moreyears. Just recently she took charge of my window coverings and family room furniture. I couldn't be happier. From 10,000 sq foot new homes to refreshes of older homes, she has the touch.

We could not have asked for better guides through the murky waters of Palo Alto real estate! Alan…read moreand his partner, Derk Brill, are knowledgeable, patient, and have a balanced, no-nonsense view of the nutty mid-peninsula home market. They made the process smooth and simple and helped us get top dollar for our home. They laid out a strategy for our home sale and then managed the process with a deft touch. There were several times where I questioned something they suggested, and I am so glad now that I went with the suggestions. We hired Derk and Alan for the things that we did not know we did not know, and they came through for us. In short, I would use them again in a heartbeat.

We used Alan and his partner Derk to purchase a home in Menlo Park. As licensed real estate agents,…read morethey are responsible for knowing the rules that apply to all transactions and to ask the right questions. In our case they did not and it was only through our digging and our asking questions that we found out significant problems with the previous owner of the home we bought. This resulted in negotiations after the home closed that awarded us significant financial renumerations. We also intially used them to sell our existing home which was a debauchal. Derk and Alan COMPLETELY overpriced our home by 200k which we feel was to obtain the listing. Alan showed up for the inital open house then was completely hands off sending other agents to cover all subsequent open houses. When presses he always had an excuse as to why he was not there i.e he was hosting open houses at his more expensive listings. He then requested that we terminat our selling relationship as it was just not working out. We used a better, more thorough and attentive broker from his same office who was 500% better. Run away run away run away.

Lemni Design did an excellent job on our kitchen cabinet remodel. Clean design, thoughtful layout…read moreadvice, clear pricing, and great communication throughout. The finished cabinets look beautiful and feel high quality. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a design-forward cabinet or kitchen remodel.

Fabulous work with an uncanny attention to detail is what my experience was with A.L. Interiors…read more From the moment I sat down with Anna Lisa, till the time my renovation was completed she was an absolute gem. From the begining I had an idea of what I wanted my kitchen and living area to look like... But it was her patience in countless design sessions that helped bring the renovation to fruition. What caught me off guard was the intricacy of the her tile work in my master bath. When I saw her renderings I was just shocked with the level of detail... It felt like art and transformed a very ordinary bathroom into something everyone can appreciate. It's clearly one of her greatest skills from what I can tell. Previously I had visited two other companies and both times found them to be impersonal and impatient : ( I don't think of myself as demanding, but when your dream remodel is on the line you want to feel that sense of satisfaction that it was done right! I certainly have this now and will happily recommend her. Strong Work and Thank You!

Anna Lisa is a brilliant architect and designer…read more We are currently in the process of a whole house remodel in which she is recreating the entire space, and increasing the square footage of our house built in 1927 from 1800sf to 2800sf, with all of the modern comforts while keeping the classic look and feel of the home. She is doing a wonderful job of incorporating not just our style, but our needs into the design. Anna Lisa is not only talented at the drawing board, she's also skilled at communicating with contractors and subcontractors for overall management of the project. She's adept at driving the project forward without cutting corners or sparing excellence. I recommend Anna Lisa Avelar and AL Interiors Design Studio without reservation.

I've used Kirsten's design services in two houses that I've owned, and she has helped me update my…read morestyle as well as purchase needed furniture and window coverings. I am not sure I could work with another designer. Kirsten listens to me, and I always feel that the result will reflect my preferences and style, and fit in my budget. She always asks me how I use the space we are redesigning, so that the solution she creates has needed storage or seating and will work as a functional part of my home. I love her taste, and how she helped my home look both personal, polished and stylish. The other thing I love about the way she works is the "green" element: Kirsten possesses a wealth of knowledge about sustainable and healthy options. She informs me about the environmental issues with a particular material, and lets me know what my greener choices would be -- and then she uses her resources to help me find the materials locally. I like knowing that she is not only helping me create a more beautiful home, but also helping me lighten my footprint on the earth. Unlike so many designers I've spoken to, Kirsten is funny, light-hearted, and a genuine pleasure to collaborate with. I also find her pricing model very reasonable.

Kirsten of Sustainable Home provided very valuable design assistance with two remodeling projects…read more First, when remodeling our house, Kirsten came up with a very creative floor plan to add a second bathroom into the existing footprint of our small house. She assisted us with choosing fabulous materials for the bathrooms and kitchen. One the second project, she helped us with the design of the conversion of our garage into a studio with bathroom and kitchenette area. In both projects, she listened to our goals, and helped us to clarify and achieve them. She understood that we didn't have a large budget to work with and helped us figure out cost effective options. She is extremely knowledgeable about green home products which we really appreciated, and she always had great ideas on where to get products. She knows how the construction process works and gave great advice on how to work with our contractor. Overall, we highly recommend Kirsten!

I have been using Erick Ochoa for the past 20 years for all my carpet cleaning needs. This year we…read morereplaced a lot of carpet for cork flooring, but we still had a living room and dining room that are carpeted. We also added a chihuahua to our family who decided the living room was her favorite place to piddle. Plus my husband likes to go in and out the front door leaving a lot of spots on the dining room carpet. So I called Erick again. He was able to schedule me in a couple of days, showed up right on time and cleaned our entire carpeted area paying special attention to our problem spots. He just left and everything looks absolutely great!