There is good, there is great, and there is Kyoko Jackson of Yumi Interiors. Whether you are…read morelooking for a few decoration ideas, a complete remodel, or building a house from scratch you need to hire her. To understand what makes Kyoko so great you need to understand who she is and what she does. What - Kyoko is trained as an interior architect. So while she has all the skills of an absolute top-notch interior designer, she is also very capable of spatial work more commonly associated with architects. She is also a superb project manager, managing the selection, sourcing, ordering, tracking and eventual installation of hundreds of discreet pieces (everything from bed knobs and countertops to shower drains, soap holders, bolts and couches)with effortless efficiency. Who - Dedicated, organized and unflappable, Kyoko is a pleasure to work with. She is also unusual among design professionals in her versatility. In my project, she was asked to take elements from a previous house and extend them into a totally different, and much smaller, structure. It was not an easy task, but she knocked it out of the park. My Experience - Kyoko joined me about four months into the down-to-the-studs renovation of an old Berkeley home. Her first task was to effectively use a kitchen space, a task a previous designer had struggled with. In less than a day she had not only great drawings but a rendered animation so I could easily understand how the kitchen would work. After that I asked her to check our blueprints for anything that seemed off. She found a subtle but major error that, had it stood, would have made for a much less good house. And so went the rest of the project, with Kyoko, again and again, delivering excellence as a designer, as a planner, as a decorator, and as a project manager. Yes, she's that good. And you are welcome.

Kyoko is wonderful to work with and a lovely person. She helped us with our small/narrow family…read moreroom and two bedrooms. I had a very specific style in my mind and not only did she completely understand what I wanted (through my vague descriptions) but she executed in a way that I would not have thought of and that was exactly the look and feel that I had hoped for. We always get compliments on our home (even by teenagers, who I am surprised would even notice these things, ha). I will definitely work with her again next time I need design help.

Contacted Shawn after reading reviews here on Yelp and after seeing photos of his work on Houzz. I…read morewanted to update my kitchen to make it brighter and fit in with the style of the rest of the house but needed help with what to do. Shawn took a look around, listened to what I had in mind, and thankfully told me what would or wouldn't work. He picked a beautiful quartz counter top, gave me options to choose from for the paint, faucet and hardware. He has a great team working for him. They were respectful and trustworthy. The refinished cabinets look like new. They do high quality work. He made his best effort to get things done within the time frame discussed but, as with any renovation, there were some unexpected issues that led to minor delays and affected cost. I really appreciated how his main concern was that I was happy with the end result. Before and in process photos attached (forgot to take a picture of the final product and don't want to clean the kitchen right now).

We lucked out big time in finding Shawn and his team. After interviewing 7 options last Spring for…read moreour kitchen/interior living space remodel, we knew Shawn was our guy. We've now been in our finished kitchen and house for a few months and love it more every day. We still can't believe the transformation and beyond the beautiful upgrade across the board, his design and recommendations made it SO much more functional. From the design process to communication and his project manager/workers, everyone was a true professional. No kitchen horror stories and they finished exactly on time. There of course are small things that came up in communication between what we decided with Shawn (keeping our dishwasher) and what the workers on site knew about (tried to give it away 2x), but that is common in any project, and most important to us is every small thing we noticed/flagged was fixed without question. We've already referred Shawn to anyone who asks. He took our space from a very dated 1960s vibe to modern but with character, and a design that matches our ranch style home. Thank you Shawn for making our house feel like us!

Excellent colorist have used several times! She was prompt,…read morehad a wide selection of samples and im happy with all the work She has helped with

Samantha is an amazing designer, color consultant, and person. I have worked with her on multiple…read morehomes and have been over the moon with her work. I can't imagine doing any home project without her!

We worked with Clara, Rachelle, and Tia and the rest of the BD team over the course of a year and a…read morehalf to furnish and decorate our new home. They did an outstanding job, and we have received many compliments on the design of our home. The process takes a little while, but now that it is complete, our home feels perfect for us. The designs are fun, whimsical, colorful, and natural - exactly what we were looking for. The process is highly structured, but I appreciate how it enabled us to see how everything would look together, and also kept all the many decisions organized in a way that makes them easier to process. We appreciated the level of creativity and thoughtfulness that went into each decision. Overall, we had a great experience working with this team.

Creative, strong communicator, organized and dependable…read more We hired Clara to help us with a whole home renovation project for a house built in 1913. We wanted to be respectful to the original design while making the home more contemporary. Clara took care to understand our preferences and she made amazing recommendations. She helped us with tile, paint, materials selection, lighting, furniture selection, renovation ideas various and sundry, and just generally was super competent, timely, reliable, professional and creative. Partway through the project, my general contractor flaked. This had nothing to do with Clara, but when I needed someone to reset the project, gather all of the sub-contractors together and drive the project forward -- Clara was there to fix everything and get the project done and over the line. My wife and I are delighted with the outcome. The house is beautiful, we absolutely love it. Clara is not only a wonderful interior designer, but she's also completely dependable.

Kathy Bate is a gifted designer. She was able to help us make the best decisions for our home…read morerenovation including the most important details for the kitchen and bath. She was able to work quickly and followed up with digital plans showing our options. The project is off to a great start with our budget in tact. Kathy Bate knows how to help you get the best quality working with the funds available. Already we have saved money on the project by having Kathy 's helpful guidance. She is a warm hearted person who knows when to take charge. My husband and I enjoyed working with Kathy Bate Designs.

Kathy is an amazing and talented designer; smart, savvy, and experienced, very much in tune with…read morethe clients needs. She did a great job designing our kitchen.

Dee is a pleasure to work with. She is friendly, easygoing, thoughtful, and full of great ideas…read more She has a natural design sense, really listened to us, and helped problem solve some of the challenges of moving to a new space.

We cannot say enough good things about working with Dee and Lara. What is usually a stressful and…read moreoverwhelming process was, with them, genuinely fun, inspiring, and deeply enjoyable. From the very beginning, they took the time to truly get to know us and our kids - not just our aesthetic preferences, but how we live in our home day to day. That thoughtfulness showed up in every design and functionality decision they helped us make. They were incredibly collaborative and brought us along at every step, making the process feel like a true partnership. They never once pushed an idea or decision on us, but they were also amazing at helping us thoughtfully stretch beyond our comfort zone in ways that ultimately made the home better than we ever imagined. Dee and Lara were responsive, kind, warm, and completely transparent throughout the entire process. We always understood the "why" behind decisions and felt informed and confident every step of the way. They were also exceptionally respectful of our budget. We never felt pressured to overspend, and instead felt like they maximized every single dollar while still delivering a truly elevated result. Their broader team (both internal and external partners) was equally impressive, with a clear commitment to quality and a very high bar for execution. Most importantly, we absolutely love our home. We're grateful for the experience, thrilled with the outcome, and fully expect to work with Dee and Lara for years to come. We would recommend them without hesitation to anyone looking for designers who are best-in-class, thoughtful, and genuinely wonderful to work with.

Elizabeth did an amazing job transforming the interior of our mid century modern home back to its…read moreoriginal splendor! Years back (and might I say without the aid of a skilled interior designer), we cleverly ignored the modern bones of our 1950's abode and went full traditional rustic - massive stone fireplace, chunky crown molding, antiques galore. Fast forward 15 years and a newfound appreciation for modern design, help! We were absolutely thrilled to find Elizabeth! Right from the start, we knew we were going to be in great hands. She was exactly what we were hoping for - someone who could stand back, take in the whole picture and come up with an amazingly gorgeous modern design without spending tons of $$. She was a pleasure to work with, extremely knowledgable, reliable and most importantly she has such a keen eye for interior esthetics and how to integrate the decor of all the various rooms. I can tell you I like a particular chair, a certain color combination, a certain light fixture, couch, door style, counter top, etc. but putting it all together so that it flows and soothes, that's a skill at a whole different level. We are just in awe of how gorgeous our interior turned out! Thank you Elizabeth! You can see photos of Elizabeth's redesign of interior on her website - Portfolio - Mid Mod Organic.

Elizabeth is amazing. She will 'get you' during the first meeting. She relieved the decision…read morefatigue I was experiencing after a 10 month major remodel. I highly recommend her.

We connected with Rachelle through a referral from our architect, as we were embarking on a fast…read morepaced renovation and expansion of our home. I honestly do not know how we would have made it through without her help. There are 1000 decisions to make from tile to cabinets and paint, along with all of the finishes. Rachelle had excellent recommendations for high quality options that stayed within our budget. She helped us meet our contractor's deadlines, so we stayed on track to finish the project within 4 months. Everything came out so beautiful! She really listened and paid attention to what each of us liked to help us find our shared style. We are so grateful for her expertise and vast rolodex of resources and hidden gems.

Rachelle made very demeaning remarks regarding mine and my housemates disabilities. She spread lies…read moreto other contract workers and sent intense and inappropriate texts to my housemate and the person who referred us to her. She was very hostile and I did not feel safe associating with her. I just want to make sure people know to be careful with selecting businesses to work with. This is not a compassionate (or even remotely kind) company and I do not recommend using them if you part of a minority / targeted community.

Casa Di Vita was really great to partner with and we were really happy with the outcome of their…read morestaging for our home we put on the market in Albany. Their creativity and attention to detail and organized approach made the whole process smooth and stress‑free. We also had to take a pause at one point in our selling after we put our deposit in and they were very understanding with our situation. I highly recommend their home staging services to anyone looking for professional home staging in the Bay area.

I'm a realtor w Compass and my team has done many stages with Casa Di Vita. Henry and Deepti are…read morethe best! Their staging is on point with good design and quality furniture. They really listen and are very accommodating. I know my listings will look great. Highly recommended!

I recently worked with Emily and her team, and I cannot recommend EJ Design enough! She has an…read moreincredible eye for detail and a natural talent for transforming a space. She took my vision and elevated it in ways I never could have imagined. The textures, lighting, and layout have completely changed the energy of my home. Her team was highly organized and thorough. My space finally feels curated and sophisticated. Exactly what I was looking for. 5 stars!

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Emily Jonas Design. Emily helped us transform our…read morerecently remodeled home from top to bottom, creating a cohesive, elevated design that feels both beautiful yet incredibly livable. Emily has an exceptional eye for design and a talent for balancing style with comfort and functionality which is important in a house with two boys and two dogs! Every detail felt intentional as she brought together our ideas with her own expertise. We constantly receive compliments on her work from guests. In addition to her design she is a pleasure to work with. Her communication is professional and clear and the whole process felt smooth and collaborative. We continue to use her for updates and to help with a recent backyard living space. We would happily recommend her to anyone looking for a talented designer.