I held off on writing this review for a long time bc I thought my experience was just a fluke. However, I repeatedly hear horror stories within our small community of South Tampa and thought I should share my experience. Like the reviewer before me, I as well had a consultation with the "lead" designer Melanie from Paris Flea. I paid $1500 for a full home design plan. My plan was to have a complete work up of items, purchase my top priority items, then purchase the other items in phases.
I invited Melanie for our in home consultation and I told her my style was French Country/ Parisian. As she walked though my home, she pretty much told me I needed to get rid of everything and start over. I explained to her, that I would like to work with what I had at this time ( we had just built a brand new home on DI and put out a lot of cash) , but really needed help on finding some items that I didn't have and have been unsuccessful finding myself. I told her my top priority was finding- a navy velvet sofa, a gray rug, dining console, chairs for our sitting area, and drapes for our french doors. I told her I would like to see the entire house design and would purchase the other items after we got the priorities taken care of first. Melanie pushed for me to purchase everything through them right away and even offered to call my husband to get more money. I found this a little tacky, but figured maybe that's just how interior designers are.
- I expressed I wanted a child friendly formal living room. Was given a modern design with an ALL white couch and rug. Looked nothing like the inspirational pictures I had shown her.
- I assumed when buying through an "interior designer," they would have access to items only available through the "trade". I found several of the items they were trying to sell me on wayfair and had marked them up $500+.
- Told her I really wanted to focus on finding a navy couch, chairs, drapes. I set up an appointment to review proposed items and am pushed lighting, coffee tables, counter stools, nothing I asked for.
- I told them again finding a navy velvet sofa was my #1 priority. They emailed me one, I didn't care for it and asked for a different option. A few weeks later I asked for another option and then was compared to his wife that wants a million dollar house on their $500,000 budget. I said I didn't care how much it cost, just give me another option. Any option. It never happened. I don't know if it was laziness, or they just don't have the contacts that most designers have.
- I was repeatedly shown brown and beige fabrics after I asked several times- no cream, beige, brown.
- Also, REPEATEDLY shown brown/ geometric/ modern items- not at all french county/ Parisian.
- Purchased drapes in February. I was promised to have them end of May. I call to check on them in June and they inform me the fabric is on back order, (not sure why they never called to tell me this) I was told I can chose another fabric or wait. I chose another fabric. I call in August asking when I am getting my drapes and the manager Taylor gives me attitude and says they are "surging" the 6 panels together. I inform him the drapes are only supposed to be hemmed. He tells me that's what I ordered and I will have to pay if I want them redone. I told him he is incorrect. I was able to dig through all my emails and prove that I never said I wanted them surged into 2 panels.
- I group text a picture of how I would like to drapery finished. Taylor the co owner asks me to stop group texting bc it eats up to much cell phone data- I thought this was a joke, but he was being serious. I just invested almost $12,000 at this point and he had the audacity to ask me to stop group texting. Very unprofessional.
- Drapery was finally delivered in end of August. The designer did not measure correctly and they were 3" too long. At this point I just wanted my drapes and did not trust them back in their hands so kept them as is.
-waited 5 months for an ottoman. the ottoman finally arrived, but was missing the tufting, I sent it back.
- 2/3 months later ottoman was redelivered, this time with the wrong fabric, sent back again.
- sold a dining sideboard too tall for the wainscoting. asked the manager if he can send someone out to move it into the hallway (no refund policy)- he refused and said I can pay $150 to have it moved. p.s. keep in mind they also make you pay $150 every time an item is delivered.
Purchased 2 rugs from them:
- I was told one of them was on back order. After a few days, I was able to find a rug on my own. I asked if I could receive a refund for the rug. They told me No, they do not offer refunds. This was very frustrating to me bc no money ever exchanged hands with Paris Flea and the vendor. I demanded a store credit and he "made an exception".The second rug came in and clashed with our grasscloth. I'm out of space to continue this review (there is more)- Take away PF is money hungry, unqualified, and dishonest read more