I had a great experience working with Annie and the rest of the team at ALI to furnish my home…read more
I recently purchased a new construction home, and wanted help with furnishing the space. I loved the space as it was built and didn't want extensive changes, but window treatments were important to me -- the house has more windows than walls and didn't come with any way to cover them up -- which ultimately necessitated some remodeling. After selecting and interviewing 6 design firms based on their reviews and portfolios, I brought on Annie and her team to help. From the beginning of the process, I was impressed by Annie's depth of knowledge, her solution-oriented mindset, and her commitment to matching the space to my needs.
Throughout the process, I found Annie and her team a delight to work with. They were always friendly, prepared, and efficient. More importantly to me, they were deeply collaborative. There were times when I knew exactly what I wanted (e.g. laying out a project space or cabinetry for an entertainment center), even showing up with custom specs or sketches, and Annie's team adopted them and made them happen. On the other hand, there were times when I struggled to decide on something, and they stepped in and offered their own recommendations. They were great at both, and switched effortlessly as needed.
Even for things outside of ALI's scope, nothing gave Annie pause, and she always had someone on speed dial to solve the problem. My home has high vaulted windows, and I told Annie up front that I wanted motorized shades. She immediately agreed that made sense (another designer I spoke with seemed overwhelmed by the prospect), and subsequently brought in a general contractor, a drapery fabricator, and an installer. Not only were they also all friendly, reliable, and efficient, but they shared Annie's collaborative style. I felt shared ownership over the solutions we came up with, and the end result is fantastic -- it looks like it could have been built with the house. I would happily bring any of them back for future work.
End-to-end, the whole project took about 14 months until installation (with a few stragglers), a month behind Annie's initial target. We were also slightly under budget, which surprised me. Throughout the process, Annie offered great options mostly at or around the target price, but often included a higher-end option. In some cases, I *loved* those options and chose to go over budget. But even though we ended up well over budget on cost of goods, we were so far under budget on time billing and other costs that it more than made up for it, a reflection of her team's efficiency.
But most importantly, I am delighted with the results. Everything is beautiful, comfortable, works for my needs, and filled with creative touches that I would never have selected on my own. I feel like I got exactly what I wanted out of the process, and I would happily bring Annie and her team back if I need interior help in the future.