Obie is a first-rate woodworker and cabinetmaker. Also plays a mean Spanish guitar…read more We bought a new home that needed bookshelves. A LOT of bookshelves (I married a professor). In one case, this meant covering an office closet with a bookshelf and enlarging the MBR closet, which sat behind the office. We also wanted a hutch built in to match the look of our dining room. Altogether about four projects. Obie uses software to design and spec his jobs. It gave us confidence in the final look and feel and gave him confidence in his bid. He communicated frequently and well. We had been introduced by a mutual friend who runs a painting business, so he handled the painting, which was a big job. We would not hesitate to give Obie a call again.

I hired Obie of Butterworth Designs to build two built-in pieces which I designed- a cubby wall…read moreunit for our guest room and a corner bench seat with pull out drawers for the master. His estimate was 10% higher than I was budgeting for, but his level of communication and email response time was awesome and I liked his demeanor and professionalism more than the other builders that I got quotes from- so that sealed the deal. Obie built everything faster than expected with no compromise to quality. Our house was built in 1915 and many of the walls aren't plumb which makes installing builtins a bit tricky. Obie worked tirelessly on the install and came back an additional day to make sure it was done right. Very happy with how it all turned out!

We sold custom-cut fabric to Joy Street Design, after delivery the customer reached out to inform…read moreus that they had ordered the wrong item and requested an exchange. I want to emphasize that our policy, clearly stated on our website and in the item description, specifies that custom cut yardage is non-returnable. However, in the spirit of goodwill, I authorized an exchange, hoping to accommodate their needs. To my surprise, the customer then changed their mind and requested a refund instead. I explained that this was against our policy, but instead of replying they proceeded to open a chargeback, effectively keeping the fabric for free. As of now, the custom-cut fabric, which cost Our small business over $400, has not been returned. Now I see from their reviews that they have done this to another small business. This experience has been disheartening, especially as a small business owner who values integrity. We believe in treating customers fairly, but it's equally important for customers to respect the policies that they agreed to by purchasing. We hope this review serves as a warning for others in the industry not to provide any supplies or services to Joy Street, and to potential clients of Joy Street- watch out, they are an unethical company.

My husband and I worked with Kelly and her design team on several rooms in our Oakland house in…read more2019. The two of us were looking for a design style that would elevate our home while still maintaining a casual atmosphere. We have two dogs and knew we'd likely have a kid or two one day so wanted materials that could stand up to a variety of uses. Also, my husband tends to like minimalist designs while I prefer color and prints. Magically, Kelly and her team were able to capture our various requirements and wishes and now we have spaces that are both beautiful and livable! It's been a couple years since the work was completed and I still find myself admiring all the special touches as if I were seeing them for the first time! It was incredibly easy to communicate with Kelly and I would definitely recommend her - I hope to work with her again someday!

We met with Courtney when deciding what architect to go with for a home addition project. Courtney…read morewas responsive, professional, and friendly throughout the whole process. Courtney is very quick to respond and communicate requirements and suggestions. Courtney was very meticulous with great attention to detail. His work was top-notch and we were very happy with it. His contacts were also friendly and helpful. When finalizing the plans, he helped us deal with uncooperative engineers we had hired from a separate company. We are nearing the end of our permit approval process and we are happy to recommend Courtney to others.

Courtney Miller did our plans and design for our second-story addition and kitchen and bath…read moreremodel. The first time we met him at our house he had already had a vision where to put the stairs and had a lot of creative ideas flowing. Those ideas were put into the plans and once we saw they were completed in a timely manner we were so thrilled, he did a great job! The city of Oakland approved the plans with no issues which is cost efficient. Courtney is very professional, a very nice person, and knowledgeable and does his job excellently, and all his referrals were just as professional and diligent as he was. What I really appreciated was that Courtney was easy to get in contact with he got back to you in a timely manner. It was a pleasure working with Courtney.

Laura and her team are absolutely amazing: thoughtful, fun to work with, and have a keen ability to…read moretranslate a loose vision into a coherent, coordinated environment. The best thing about working with them is they opened up design options that we hadn't even considered for our home remodel. We approached them late in our project, when we were struggling to make choices on "hard finishes" (trim, color scheme, tile selection). While our architect had been somewhat helpful in these areas, we quickly realized we needed dedicated help. Having design experts was well worth the investment. Initially I had been reluctant due to an already stretched budget, but the investment placed in working with them was repaid many times over in the overall time and money ultimately saved, and the real value that it has brought to the home. I would highly recommend Laura, Julia, Darshan, and the entire team. They are talented, fun to work with, and experts in design. More than anything, they have given us a home that we're excited to come home to and that fits our needs and tastes.

Laura of LMB Interiors has not disappointed any of my clients I have sent her way. Her easy, open…read moremanner and her lovely, energetic staff have proven to be a winning combo. My clients have raved about LMB Interiors and the results were everything they hoped for. I would not hesitate to hire such a talented, professional AND approachable firm for any interior design projects that need attention by a top Bay Area designer.

I have a very normal home, nothing fancy, and just wanted some help getting ideas to spruce it up…read more Looking for an interior designer seemed so daunting and intimidating. Kelley was referred to me by a friend who said she was warm, approachable and unbelievably creative. She was right! Kelley created a consultation package that worked with my budget, came to my home with great ideas and immediately followed-up with even more. If you want a down to earth artist, I highly recommend Kelley.

Kelley is passionate about making her client's space reflect and serve their needs. She spent a…read moregreat deal of time talking with my partner and I about what we were looking, what we would be using the space for and how we envisioned the space. Then she went to work designing a livable layout, giving us guidance on colors, fabrics, shades, furnishings. It was a terrific pleasure working with Kelley and I highly recommend her!

Glenn Jarvis designed the re-build of my house in Walnut Creek. I now realize how important having…read morea good architect is. This was my first time using one. The results were excellent in all respects . Glenn was very patient with my various anxieties about the project. The pricing was fair considering the good results. And you really don't want low cost architects. He fully understood what I wanted and put it to paper in a way that exceeded my expectations.

We contracted Cindy Chan in the beginning of 2019 for a remodel of our Oakland home…read more It must have been a busy period because the process dragged on for months. It took ~9 months to draft plans. We wouldn't hear from Cindy for 2+ months after giving a short list with minor feedback. We chose Cindy because we wanted a local architect to help navigate building codes for an ADU. We already had a studio in our backyard, but wanted to make this a legally permitted unit. The Oakland city inspectors were baffled by Cindy's choices regarding the ADU. Specifically, she insisted we were required to have a washer and dryer in the unit (not true) and because of this we ran a gas line to the back of our house based on this information ($$). The inspectors also said they had never seen a gas heating system like the one she recommended in any ADU. But the most expensive issue here was that Oakland DOES requires a separate PGE meter for ADU dwellings and Cindy's plans had all wiring and gas lines connected to one system. I think the worst part of our experience, and the reason I took the time to write this review, is that when I involved Cindy in these discussions with the City of Oakland around changing the wiring/ gas lines, she charged me for every interaction here. I felt like I was paying her to not only fix her mistake but provide her an education around ADU requirements in Oakland. She would send an email to the building inspector to discuss the issues and then send me an invoice for her email. Maddening. Overall, was not happy with the timeline, design, and building code mess. Total architecture fees were $43K (this was several years ago) NOT including permit, structural engineering and as-built costs.

Wow, just WOW! Melissa helped me chose the most amazing, sophisticated paint colors and rug for my…read morecondo. It's the first time I've been a homeowner, and she really helped me feel confident in bringing a more updated palate to my place. It's so so gorgeous, and I can't recommend her highly enough!

Melissa was recommended to me as I was nearing the end of my renovation and needed help with paint…read morecolors.  Paint is impossibly hard and if you think you can do it yourself, you can't. Melissa worked with me to do full interior and exterior paint colors. She chose a beautiful combination of colors that make my little house really amazing (warm and cool, neutral and bold). I absolutely LOVE each of the colors and admire the paint colors daily - though wish my kids would keep their hands off of the walls.  Bringing Melissa in towards the end of the project ended up being perfect.  Hiring her was one of my best decisions with the whole project. As we discussed paint, Melissa also gave me guidance on many of the last minute decisions that you have with a project - things I didn't even know I needed to decide (so many little decisions to make). I was thankful that she knew what she was doing and would just make some of these decisions. She really tied the everything together. And my house is so beautiful because of her.  Melissa really made my house really beautiful. Not only is she extremely talented, she is patient, responsive and really lovely to work with. She was a great partner and I miss not hanging out (and learning) from her.  Also, she is ridiculously cool. :)

We were clueless about where to begin with our kitchen remodel but suspected we had to start with…read morecabinets. We sat down with Francis Combes and he patiently walked us through the whole process. Together we designed cabinets to fit our kitchen. Francis even helped us with questions we had regarding appliances, backsplash, faucets, and countertops. Francis is a professional and an artist through and through. Our contracter just finished the work, and IT LOOKS GREAT!!

My wife and I worked with Francis Combes at Ashby Lumber to design a custom floating vanity for our…read moremaster bathroom. He was terrific! Francis reassured us that it was straightforward to build something that would fit in our space and walked us through several options. He helped us pull together the final design of the drawers and cabinets and guided us toward sinks that would fit the space (ours were too large). He then kept us informed during the period of construction and delivery. It was a seamless process and the final product from Sollera Cabinetry is beautifully built. We strongly recommend that you consider Ashby Lumber for custom cabinetry. You won't be disappointed.