I have hired 1st Stage for multiple properties over the years. In the past, they generally did…read moregreat work and I was impressed with their staging style, professionalism, availability, and pricing. That said, my most recent experience was disappointing. I had them stage a modern townhouse in Costa Mesa near the beach. Unfortunately, the staging style they chose did not match the aesthetic of the property at all. I am not a designer, so I typically trust their vision and let them take the lead. This time, I reached out to their team and simply asked if we could swap out a few items to make the space feel more modern or beachy. I was told I would need to pay a restocking fee. That response was frustrating. I had referred them many jobs and clients in the past, and while the fee itself was not a large amount, it felt unnecessary and left a bad impression. They did eventually waive the fee, which I appreciated, but the situation already felt mishandled. Fast forward a bit. The property did not sell, and I requested that it be de-staged. Their team came out a few days later and removed the furniture. A few months after that, they emailed both me and my client, who was the actual party to the staging contract, claiming there was a prorated balance due for a few extra days the furniture remained in the home. The amount was under $400. The contract was between my client and 1st Stage, not me, so I was confused as to why I was included. Shortly after, Mark Sutton emailed me directly asking if I could take care of the payment by the next day. I found that extremely unprofessional. Agents are the ones who bring them business, and asking me to personally pay an invoice that had nothing to do with me showed a real lack of business judgment. I expressed my disappointment with their customer service, and the only response I received was a payment link. If you are looking for a stager who truly feels like a partner and values long-term relationships, I would think twice before using this company. In my experience, once an issue arises, you are treated like just another number, and preserving relationships does not seem to be a priority.

What an amazing experience we had with Janice and the entire team! Not only are they creative, hard…read moreworking, and professional, but they have the most beautiful and quality items! You can put your complete trust that they will stage your house to perfection so that it will look great for the photos and the tours!! Our home went into escrow 4 days after listing and we received $100,000 over asking price! The 1st stage service is a great value and will pay off tremendously in the end.

I can't recommend Lindsey enough! From the very beginning, she was professional, responsive, and so…read moreeasy to communicate with. She was always on time, listened carefully to what I wanted, and really understood my style and vision. She helped organize and decorate my business studio in a way that feels both beautiful and functional. She had a great eye for detail and made the entire process feel effortless. I never felt like she was pushing her own ideas--instead, she took the time to understand my taste and brought it to life even better than I had imagined. Working with her was such a positive experience, and my studio is now a space that I genuinely love walking into every day. If you're looking for someone who is talented, organized, reliable, and truly cares about creating a space that reflects you, I highly recommend her!

Lindsey exceeded our expectations and gave us a fair price to stage several rooms in our home. Our…read morehome sold in just 10 days because of her staging. We received so many compliments. Can't thank her enough!

Audra is truly the best when it comes to interior design! I can say this because each time I come…read morehome I fall in love with my home's interior more and more. Audra's knowledge and execution of color and texture are above the rest. I have been in many high end homes and I'm always amazed but not surprised when I come home and look at my home knowing I have the best interior design. Audra's austhetic is timeless and detail oriented. She knows how to make a home flow from one room to the next with elements of surprise and sophistication for the eye to land. She listens and she suggests. Whether its tile or lighting, Audra knows what will work and look great for years to come. If you want your home to have an elevated look, look no further than Audra Wrightson

We had a big challenging remodel after we moved my parents out of their 2 story home. They had…read morelived in the house since the 1990s and it was showing the signs of age and wear. Audra did a thorough walk thru of the existing house, listened to our needs, and created a plan that addressed all the issues. Starting at removing the popcorn from the ceilings. Helping us choose the paint colors for the walls, the carpet, tile, and flooring. And renovating the kitchen and bathrooms. She also helped us select the contractors to do the work and was in conversation with both us and the contractor during the entire remodel. In the end, Audra helped us create a house that moved from the 1990s to a home ready for the 2030s.

Kristen also upgraded my kitchen for me. She took it from a basic kitchen to a modern, sleek, and…read morehigh quality kitchen! She connected me with quality tradesmen who were a pleasure to work with. She changed my tile backsplash to quartz to match my existing countertops. She removed cabinets and the old hood to replace it with a stunning custom plaster hood. Everything looks so cohesive and elevated!

Kristen is the best designer I've met. She pays attention to the small details, has great supplier…read moreand contractor contacts, keeps a light positive attitude throughout the entire experience, follows up regularly, quick to respond to texts or emails, and is just an overall great support during the remodel. We ended up remodeling our entire house, taking out walls, new kitchen, 3 new bathrooms, new floors, paint, closets, replaced doors to 8' solid wood doors, and Pinkys Iron Door french doors to the office. I mean honestly, our house looks totally different inside, all brand new. All of the finishes and touches flow perfectly together making the house feel airy and light. I think Kristen's pricing is a bargain for the service and involvement she gives. Having her help with the remodel reduced our stress levels by 1000% by helping us find the finishing items and make decisions that we'd get stuck on. She has a great eye for this stuff, and you will not regret hiring Kristen. I'll update my posting with more pictures soon, still need to get some art on the walls and wrap up a few minor things.

I just finished my full house remodel with Stephanie being the designer and helping me manage the…read moreentire project. The entire house! I didn't know what I was signing up for as I am a single mom with two little kids, but Stephanie was so patient, extremely helpful and went out of her way to make this remodel as easy for me as possible. It all started with me sharing some of the ideas of what I was envisioning and she brought everything to life! From putting finishes/ materials together and making everything easy for me to pick, to sourcing, comparing prices, negotiating to get me the best price...to working with multiple different contractors and vendors (because I had a short timeline to get everything done). I don't know how she does it, but she was organized, composed and always solved problems before I even knew about them. What a blessing to have her by my side with this remodel. Everything turn out absolutely exactly how I wanted and my house is like the talk of the town for a while! Definitely talk to Stephanie so she can point you in the right direction or form a plan just for you!

Stephanie was very talented and had great attention to detail in the consultation as well as in…read moremaking recommendations on keeping our vision affordable as well as beautiful! Another good thing is she has solid connections with contractors and vendors to make it a smoother implementation. You will be blessed to choose her!

Working with Stephanie Sullivan at Axis Design Consulting has been a fantastic experience. I…read moreinitially needed help with furniture sizing, but Stephanie provided expert guidance for every aspect of our home's design, from decor to architectural details, always respecting our budget. Well, she did tempt us with a more expensive chandelier in our living room, but oh was it worth it! Our most challenging project was transforming an unused single car garage into a unique and stunning gentleman's office. Our home now truly reflects our personal style, thanks to her tailored, creative ideas and solutions. I highly recommend Axis Design Consulting for anyone seeking personalized interior design.

Master bath remodel- the design of our bathroom is nice. We have had to make a few major changes…read moreand the contractor took responsibility for all of the things that were specked for our bathroom not his fault. We hired Mandi to manage our project and the contractor. Thank goodness he is credible and took responsibility, Mandi is the first to blame others for mistakes that are hers. We paid her to manage our project while away in the summer and I can only say that I would be very careful. We agreed based on Mandi's recommendation to use the more expensive Benjamin Moore paint- White Dove and in the end she specked Dunn Edwards. We saw the paint and didn't understand why the walls in the house were Yellow not White Dove. The Color Expert helped us and she said the White Dove can't be matched. I asked Mandi is she notice that our paint color was yellow and not White Dove? Mandi told us to change the color of the lights-so we tried this. What designer would allow the walls to be painted in a color that doesn't fit the house in any way. Mandi made it sound as though our fault. Luckily our contractor JR Plastino who is amazing took responsibility and repainted our remodel. We ordered a lot of furniture from her and we thought that she was the expert and we trusted her. I would highly recommend that you purchase furniture from other sources and not Mandi. If you do not like a furniture selection or choose to return the piece you will not be allowed to return or exchange for new furniture. If you want a low budget decorator who is not very creative or original Mandi is the decorator for you. Mandi is very nice, but after working with her and thinking that she is the design expert, I would highly recommend that you look to other designers. Please ask your contractor who you should work with and who will stand behind the products they use. We are disappointed with our remodel and especially the furniture selections that she chose- money/budget wasn't an issue. We hoped that our remodel would be spectacular and it is sub-par at best. Mandi is very nice and we wanted to love our home, but we are very sad with the outcome.

I called Belle Living Interiors because I had a formal living room containing a 20 year old couch…read moreand love seat. I was always embarrassed when someone entered the house, because the formal living room was the first thing you saw. Paula transformed my entire living into a beautiful show piece! She made the process very easy. Everything was delivered and installed on the dates that were scheduled. Paula was very nice, has a great eye for color and actually listens to what you want! I couldn't be happier with my living room and would recommend Belle Living Interior Design to anyone.

Laura is so incredibly talented. Her eye for design and her desire to bring your dreams to life is…read morewhat really sets her apart. I hired Laura to design our Master Bedroom and WOW did she deliver!! She created a beautiful space that encompasses exactly what we described to her.. she brought our vision to life! She is thorough, professional, dedicated, and kind.. she will listen to you and deliver exactly what you are looking for. Save yourself time and go directly to Laura for all of your design needs. I can't wait to do the rest of the house this year and show off all of her amazing work!! Thank you Laura for all that you do!

Laura is amazing! She took my dreams and vision and made them even better than I could imagine. Her…read moreeye for details on everything from start to finish is immaculate. She thinks of every little detail and makes sure the contractor executes flawlessly. She created and managed our complete kitchen remodel. It's a dream come true. Can't say enough great things about Laura. Can't wait for my next project!

It's been a year since I met Wendy! I feel so lucky to have her helped me decorate my house in the…read morepast year. With her help, my house almost turns out to be the one I dreamed! Wendy knows what she is doing and is willing to listen my needs. Even though my budget is tight, she always spent time searching the best deal for me to meet my expectations. Her patience made me feel she is an old friend because she likes to give me a hand and professional advices whenever I need! Highly recommended!!

After selecting our flooring, stone and granite, we couldn't pinpoint the right colors for the…read morewalls. After a consultation, Robin returned with the perfect color scheme that looks remarkable. She was able to work with us well, as we had already made many selections prior to meeting Robin. The end result was precisely what we had hoped for. She also found a great place for shutters and we did the whole house with her help. We highly recommend her, as she is capable of working with you at any stage in the process, our case being later. We have asked Robin's opinion on other selections regarding furnishings and decorating ideas, we value her professional opinion.

I'm sooo happy with my new home decor. I just moved into my dream home and I had absolutely no clue…read morewhat to do with this space. After my consult with Nika I felt very confident she understood the assignment. During the transformation she communicated efficiently and was receptive to my ideas but I must say all of hers was much much more amazing!!! She's so creative and really has an eye for design. I am still in utter awe and disbelief that I have such beautiful elegant spaces that I get to enjoy everyday in my own home. She's has great customer service and I have a few more spaces that I can not just leave basic lol so I'll most definitely utilize her talents again. Thank you again Nika.

Truly reliable and a great eye for design! Nika does a thorough job and will give you exactly what…read moreyou ask for and more!!