So I needed guidance to pick a trim color for my house (exterior). At first I meant to reuse the…read moreold colors but in the middle of the repainting process, it occurred to me that I'd pick a different trim color instead of staying with the old boring one. Wanting to save myself from some headache and many trips to the paint store, that's how 180 color came to my rescue. The first contact was about a minimum of 5 hrs for any work. Kathyjean made sure I understood that condition and she wouldn't go out of the meeting without a check in hands. Ok, understandable! She did make me a favor to charge me only 4 hrs minimum since what I needed from her was pretty simple. The 2 hrs meeting was professional and helpful. She helped me decide on the trim color and all of a sudden, I thought of adding an accent color, this took us about 15 min more but we were still in the time frame she allocated to me (2 hours) I was told I could use the leftover time for any advice, which I did wholeheartedly. After deciding on the colors, came the decisions about what color goes where. Kathyjean took some photos, asked me if I wanted drawings of color distribution. Yes I did want them (what's the point to have professional advice for the colors without knowing where to put them?) and yes I thought it'd take an hour or so and I'd still be within my time frame of 4 hrs I've already paid for. I'm no specialist of software or apps but I'm sure they exist in the market like coloring books. Instead, Kathyjean spent 3 hrs 1/2 (yes 210 minutes) at a designer rate, to put down 11 photos of different parts of my house with arrows pointing out where each color goes and comments that only people in the trade would understand (in-lays for a door or sashes for windows for ex) This wasted time of 3 hrs1/2 could have been avoided had Kathyjean put the client's interest first. She should have asked me to take notes with my basic drawings (note that my house is no Victorian with complicated convolutions, it's just a trim around doors and windows, and an accent color here or there), she'd have saved me the extra 1 hr 1/2 (since the 2 hrs were already paid for by her minimum charge) and save herself 1 to 2 hours of work. Frankly, when you think about it, 3 and a half hours at premium designer rate for instructions on 11 photos of door frames and windows? Plus, they are of little use for my handy guy who just needs a finished coloring book. I sincerely think this type of work could be done by Kathyjean within an hour-had she have the right tools or by a student helper working at $25/ hr, not the 5 times rate I was charged. Another thing is with her photos and distribution colors, there are many parts missing, I had to draw them, take a picture and sent them for questions and confirmation. Later a conversation with Kathyjean about her charges, i understood the reasons of her billing, saying usually her clients can't get away with 2 colors while paying so little. So what? If I've done my homework and am quick to decide, all savings would be mine. Actually to that day, i haven't tried yet those 2 colors on my walls (due to unexpected sickness) to see if I'm really happy with them. Never in our emails back and forth, Kathyjean has asked me how happy I was with our choice together, or if I needed further help. So where is the follow-up customer service? To sum up the review: As a color consultant: maybe 4-5 stars, but wait until I put the paints on, she seems to be knowledgeable. But beware of how she bills though, reminding me of lawyers turning on the timer when you start talking to them then later sending you an invoice charging you every minute spent with you. I've been in business for my whole life (now retired), I've always put my client's interest first and thought every business people would share the same ethics.

Kathyjean really helped me pull all the elements of my remodel into focus. highly recommend her!read more

Deb helped me when I remodeled my bathroom. I had no idea what I wanted. She took me to tile…read morewarehouses and let me run around like a kid in a candy shop. When I bounced ideas off her, she offered practical advice and gentle guidance, allowing me to come to my own decisions in a way that felt natural and fun. She did all the CAD designs for the tile layout and got me the best price on a high-end toilet. Everything came out beautifully! Highly recommended!

I have had the opportunity to work with Debbie Taylor on two kitchen and bathroom remodels now and…read morehave been extremely happy with her work. Debbie has a great eye for trends and fashion and has helped me create two beautiful and modern kitchens all within a very tight budget. She has also transformed two small and cramped bathrooms into two spacious and luxurious bathrooms. She was on top of the project from start to finish and worked very well with my contractor. She was responsive to all my needs and concerns and did a great job with resolving any issues that came up both quickly and efficiently. But most importantly, she is a joy to work with. She is personable, funny and professional all in one. I highly recommend using Designtree Studios for any of your kitchen and bathroom remodel needs

I have worked on many projects with Siobhan. Her economy of line and space showcases the…read morefurnishings of any clients home. Her uncluttered warmth and stile makes it easy for me to recommend her.

Julie Baker is an absolute magic worker with colors, so easy to work with, and super knowledgeable…read moreabout all aspects of the industry... She saved us tons of money on a large remodel project and it came out beautifully. I hope I get the chance to work with her again.

Julie Baker's sense of color and design was apparent to me when i stepped into my friends newly…read moreremodeled home that she had designed. I was yet to meet her but could tell from her color sense that she was the gal for me. My husband and I were going to step into the world of redesigning our living room and so we set up a consult with Julie. She was interested in how we used our space, what we loved and what we were drawn to. She set to work picking out colors for our walls, giving us ideas for furniture and bringing us bundles of fabrics for our pillows and soon- to- be reupholstered couch. Julie was a pleasure to work with, collaborative and gave us so many good ideas. I can't recommend her highly enough. She has a wealth of knowledge, relationships with so many vendors and contractors and understood and worked within our budget and gave us alot of bang for our buck! Julie works hard and you will reap the rewards of her excellent taste!

Bait and Switch That…read moreis what my friend called it when she became indirectly involved in a situation I had with Kelly. In late July Kelly was closing her interiors shop on Chestnut Street. She was having a closing sale with items from her store significantly reduced. I peeked in the window and saw two tables I was interested in and left her a message as I was looking in the window. I re- attempted to call her many more times since I was leaving on a vacation in several days after, and wanted to settle on the tables. Of course, luck would have it, she didn't return my call until the day I arrived in France. I immediately called her back from France and explained I was interested in the "dining table" and the round "side table". She told me she thought they were on hold for someone but would get back to me if not and we could work something out. She told me the dining table was $400, and the other $200. She ultimately let me know they were available and after discussing the dimensions of the dining table, and reassuring me that it was large enough to use as an eating table I told her I wanted that one, although I liked them both. I explained In was out of the country and could send her a deposit but I would return in a week to pick it up. The conversation pretty much centered on the dining table so I don't know where the confusion set in later. She said that was not possible, she needed full payment and needed to get the table out of the store asap since she was closing and was being charged rent each day she had items in the store. I called a friend and arranged for her to pick up the table asap. So, I thought all was well until I came home to find that my friend had been given the small round table she quoted being $200, yet I paid $400 and was expecting the "dining table". I didn't think to tell my friend exactly which table because I verbally settled on the dining table with Kelly, and she seemed like she was on it. I called Kelly asking what happened and she said she couldn't remember, that there were alot of people in and out of the store buying things, but that the "dining table" was now $1000! She refused to acknowledge her agreement with me previously and played dumb. She went on to tell me she had it appraised at $3700, and that she didn't want to "give it away". SHe tried to make a deal that I could have it for $1000 with a $100 discount. I really didn't know what to do. I though she pretty much realized she didn't want to sell it for what she agreed and took advantage of the situation when I was out of town. I couldn't afford $1000. She wouldn't even give me money back on the small round table I had in my posession. To make matters worse, the "dining table" sat in her closed store for months(what happened with her needing to get it out of there) and even when construction was going on with new tenants, had cans of paint and tools sitting on it. Ultimately, she gave it to someone else (who I asked one day when walking by the now real estate office) and the person didn't think she paid over $1000 for it. Kelly seemed like a nice person and was pleasant on the phone but I guess she only treats those clients spending $1000's of dollars in a more professional way. I really didn't want to say anything bad about her here, but the entire situation has really bothered me, and I walk by that store almost every day where the table sits. So, if you choose to do business with her, just make sure you know what you're getting.

Well, I personally had a truly amazing experience with Kelly…read more I had the pleasure of working with Kelly Keiser Splendid Interiors and her team of young, fresh-faced designers while redecorating my house in the Oakland Hills. Kelly did a full re-design of my home including paint selection, space planning, lighting design, custom draperies, custom furniture design and of course, fabulous accessories and art. (we even did a bar cart!) She also spent a significant amount of time in the beginning phases of the design process helping me determine my personal design style, which I now feel confident about. I believe this is a long term relationship, and the team at KKSI will be with me for many years to come. I hope there are others who have had as good of an experience as I have had! My house is beautiful and it puts a smile on my face every time I walk in the door.

We worked with Jen recently for color consulting when we were getting our house repainted - it was…read morea daunting prospect to choose colors for such an expensive project (and one that we'd have to live with for years). We knew we needed a color expert to help us feel good about our choices, so we hired Jen. She charges very reasonable prices for this service, creating three exterior color palettes for us and then repeatedly fine-tuning the one we selected. After the samples were up, she helped fine-tune it further, and she even worked directly with the painter on some last-minute decisions that needed to be made while we were on vacation. Everything came out great! We highly recommend Jen - she has a great sense for color and the practicalities of choosing exterior paint (like what colors are likely to fade, which ones will hide dust/soot best, etc) and is just super-responsive and easy to work with. Plus, as I mentioned, her fees are very reasonable, even more so when considering how much work she puts into her projects.

I've watched Kristy help numerous clients and she is extremely talented and very unassuming. She…read moreworks within the budget and constraints set by the client and creates some unbelievable designs. Check out her work with a local graffiti artist and you can see what I mean! Great designer and a pleasure to work with.

Stunning work!!! I've had the pleasure of working along side Gale on several of her…read moreprojects-photographing the end results. Her attention to detail is second to none. The most important part is that her clients, that I met on site, were ecstatic about her work and their space. She can transform any room from bland to grand and anywhere in between. If you are a Simone who appreciated good design and use of space, light and texture, Gale is your designer!

We had an architect who didn't want to listen to our ideas for our home remodel. Eventually we had…read moreto fire him. Fortunately we found Gale, who was incredibly helpful at finishing the work the architect should have done, such as making detailed drawings of several rooms, and overseeing the contractor. But she was particularly helpful in figuring out the interior paint colors. She made drawings with a variety of schemes and was good at listening to us, explaining and massaging us toward finding a great final product. We recommended her to friends who were also doing a remodel a few years later and they were also really happy with her work. Just recently we have to repaint the exterior of our building. I at first called the most well known color consultant, Bob Buckter. But I was not very happy with his design and didn't feel that he was good at listening to my desires. So I turned to Gale again. I should have contacted her from the beginning. She listened and has come up with a much better design.