Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

see also: Interior Designers and Painters

I am tired of living in a bland, unfinished, undecorated house. I want to make it a home. I've made some regrettable mistakes in trying to do things on my own and on the cheap. So, now I want to get help and direction. I want help in picking colors to coordinate my entire house and window coverings. I want someone who can also paint and install what is decided on. Am I looking for an interior designer or a color consultant? Does anyone know of someone who can help me with these things? Color deficient

The thing I love about choosing colors for and decorating my own house is that I express myself through my choices. People come in and get pleasure from looking around and inspecting the place. Even if you don't feel able to do the selecting by yourself, I'm sure you want your home to express something about yourself. To find a designer to work with who can decipher your style may not be easy. You'll need to look at examples of their work to see if you'll be comfortable in their particular version of what your home should look like.

No matter which you decide to opt for, color consultant or interior designer, I suggest that you look through some home decor magazines to see what appeals to you. Metropolitan Home, for one, has lots of layouts that seem livable for regular people. And there are lots of books on home color design too. You'll get there a lot faster if you start out with some idea of what you like. Go to Amazon.com and look at the home color design books. stephani

As for her color sense, she is amazing at translating your vague descriptions of colors you like into a real paint color, and patiently mixes up sample after sample until it looks like what you want. I know she has also been very successful working with people like you, who know they want a change but are not sure beyond that. She has incredible patience, insight and sometimes, I think a bit of E.S.P. We get many compliments on our daughter's room, which is Sweet Pear, a bright and cheerful, yet slightly muted yellow. We never would have come up with this color without Jeanette's help.

Jeanette can be reached at jsayre@jps.net or 510.451.7046. Her website is http://www.iliumart.com. ColorizedCarla

It gives me the greatest of pleasure to recommend Cass Morris, with whom I worked on the remodel of my home. We painted every inch of the interior and exterior and I found the experience of working with her to be exhilarating, rewarding - and fun! Cass combines a wide-ranging artistic imagination with extraordinary sensitivity for her client’s taste and personality. She knows how to listen, and to elicit responses from her clients that produce inspired color designs.

The comments I have received have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. I’m often asked about the concept, which is an echo of my girlhood on the New England seacoast. Now when I walk through my front door, I experience “coming home” in a special and deeply moving way. It is thanks to Cass’s exceptional sensitivity and eye for the most subtle variants in color, shade and tone that we were able to accomplish this.

She is a true professional -- prompt, accommodating and a joy to work with on every level. I found the work to be a tremendous value for the money. She can be contacted at 510- 524-1726 and on her website http://www.cassmorris.com/ Susan

Cass came to my home and helped me finalize everything about the remodel and make all those decisions that had become overwhelming for me. Together we coordinated flooring, granite, cabinets and paint colors for all the interior and also exterior. She listened to what I had to say and had wonderful new ideas including changing the material on the fireplace, deciding what to hang above it, and using the sink cut out for the back splash with a border around it for over the stove.

i was very happy with the results, so I met with Cass again at the tile shop where she chose flooring, shower tiles and decorative pieces for all three bathrooms and the laundry. We had to wait around while they checked the stock, since we found some discontinued tiles on sale, so Cass gave me a half hour free.

I found the design consultations with Cass Morris Color and Design to be very satisfying, enjoyable, and definitely worth the money. We covered a lot of territory in a relatively short time, but I never felt rushed or worried something was being overlooked. I highly recommend her. Her phone number is 510-524-1726 and her website is cassmorris.com. Happy Home Owner

We were referred to Dave Davis Design through a reputable design person, and it turned out to be a perfect match! I thought I would post my thoughts if you are looking for these kinds of services. Since moving to Albany with our two sons, we have had several paint and design people work on our home. It was not until we met Dave that all those elements came together for one design. Dave helped us create color schemes that complemented our pre- existing dHcor, did all the prep and paint work on our project, and was very organized and efficient. He paid attention to every detail, including window treatments, light fixtures, space utilization, and furniture selection and placement. In the end, we love our home looks and feels. We would be happy to recommend Dave Davis for his craftsman style paint work, as well as all the design elements he brings to the job. Dave can be reached at 510.425.2591. Louise and Bruno

Jane Orebic ("Beyond Beige") helped me find the colors that uplift me every time I look at my remodeled bathroom. On impulse, I had bought a beautiful sink. I knew that a color mistake on the tile could be costly. Jane helped me find the perfect colors for my floor tile and countertop. Although I did all the shopping and bargain-hunting (my joy in life!) myself, Jane helped me narrow down my color choices. She listens deeply, and did not impose her own preferences on me. I am not the type of person who would ever hire a decorator, but I appreciated the support that Jane gave me in making my own color choices. P.S. Jane also gave me the confidence to buy dishes in a nontraditional color (which my ex-husband disapproved), and, seven years later, I am still very happy with them! Contact information: Jane Orebic (Beyond Beige) (510) 332-3300 RB

I would like to recommend Jeanette Sayre of Ilium Arts as a color consultant. She chose the colors for the exterior of my historic shingle craftsman home and when it was done, it became the showpiece of the neighborhood.

Jeanette has an amazing eye and can visualize what colors and paints will look like on a wall in a way that most of us can't. She brought over paint samples, and painted swatches on the wall so we could see it at different times of the day. She chose 4 colors to go with the shingles and then told us where to place each color. The colors highlighted all the architectural details and blended beautifully with our landscaping.

I was so happy with the results, I have her working on the interior now. Jeanette can be reached at 510-451-7046 or www.iliumart.com.
Ann

I would like to recommend Dave Davis, of Dave Davis Designs, for interior painting and color consulting. I initially hired him for painting only. But I soon realized that I also needed his guidance in choosing paint colors in several rooms. He helped me settle on colors that complemented each other and worked well under different lighting conditions. He has an eye for detail and does a meticulous job of painting. On top of that, he was fun to have around and I feel like I made a friend in this process. I would use him again, without hesitation. To reach Dave, call 510-684-0132 (cell) or 510-452-2591 (land line). Please feel free to contact me by email for a reference
barbara

Stephani Lesh was an extemely helpful color consultant when I painted the interior of my home recently. Her intelligent guidance and artistic sensibility were invaluable. She works with Benjamin Moore and/or Pratt and Lambert color decks. And she's affordable! Call her at 510 843-9493
Berkeley homeowner

Cass Morris, a color and design consultant, came to work for me recently. I found her on the Berkeley Parents' Network and we really needed her help! We had paint swatches all over the interior and exterior of our house and we could not agree on what to do. Our garage was full of sample quarts of paint. During the consultation, Cass quickly showed us which colors harmonized and which didn't work well together. She managed to bring our family together in agreement on color schemes by tweaking some colors slightly and adding some new colors. We were impressed with her expertise and highly recommend her. She's really good! Check out her website at >> >> http://www.cassmorris.com or call her at 510-524-1726.
Chris H

David van Dommelen is brilliant. He helped us choose the interior and exterior colors for our Oakland bungalow which we just sold, and is now helping us with our new home in N. Berkeley. Very subtle choices, very refined taste, very flexible and engaging professional. david[at]vandommelencolorworks.com
happy new homeowner

RE Help with exterior paint and "curb appeal"
We just hired Cass Morris to color consult a second time because we have enjoyed so much the results for the main floor of our home. Cass designed a color scheme to go with our dark furniture, carpets and cherry floors. We plan to use her color advice for a third time when we paint the outside of our house next year. Cass is a great person to work with; she is fun and has lots of creative ideas. We highly recommend her! You can see her website at > > www.cassmorris.com
Karen

We have recently used Nicole Benveniste to help pick exterior house colors, and a friend of mine hired her to help with interior colors and to design a couple of rooms. She has a great aesthetic eye, is very easy to work with, down to earth. We get compliments on the house all the time. She has 10 years experience in the business, and has reasonable rates. Her number is 510-526-6704. Amy

I highly recommend Christina Van Horn if you need help choosing beautiful colors for the interior of your home. We recently sold our Albany home and worked with a WONDERFUL color consultant, Christina Van Horn of Color and Interior Decorating. Her collaborative approach included testing the colors, overseeing the painters, and ensuring that our standards were met, every step of the way. She recommended beautiful, vibrant colors for nearly every room in our house; the house looked fabulous by the time it went on the market and we believe that contributed to how quickly it sold. I highly recommend Christina for color and interior decorating.
Carolie

When I read a recommendation for Cass Morris in the last newsletter, I called her immediately. I was about to paint one room a color we liked and realized we had no idea what color we'd paint any other room - we had no plan whatsoever. Cass is a professional painter, artist, and color consultant, and she guided us in choice of a palette of colors that coordinate. She was so thoughtful and so creative - encouraged us to be less timid with color, suggested that some light fixtures didn't seem appropriate in some rooms, supported our decision to remove the valences over the windows, etc. She gave me tips on choices of paint (grade, sheen) and prep and painting techniques. And we can use her discount at East Bay paint. We'll definitely consult her again when we're ready to paint the outside. She's wonderful. Cass Morris
Maryl

We painted the interior of our house ourselves, but hired Cass Morris to color consult. We had some colors we liked, but they didn't seem to go together, and we didn't know where to put them. In a couple of hours with her, we chose a unique and harmonious group of colors that really personalized our home. She also had great advice on furniture placement, and helped us choose from our fabric and tile samples. Cass is a fun, creative person who takes the time to listen, and she has an excellent sense of color! We enjoyed the process very much and highly recommend her as a design and color consultant. With a new baby in the house we will be doing some more updates. We plan on working with her again and look forward to it. Check out her website at http://www.cassmorris.com Melissa

Angelisse Karol, a color & interior design consultant, came to my house a few weeks ago to give us a consulation on colors for the inside and outside of our house, and I wanted to recommend her to anyone tackling a paint job who wants to get the colors right.

Angelisse listened carefully to what we wanted and worked quickly with us to find the colors we envisioned for the exterior and interiors. I'd never hired an interior designer before and I was suprised by how down to earth and focused she was. Angelisse used to work as a contractor and went to art school, so she knows her stuff. She's just got tons of experience with colors and can gauge what will work and what won't before you waste time and money on the wrong gallon of paint!

She charges $100 an hour, she works very quickly and we ended up doing the entire inside and outside of the house in just over 2 hours. I'm happy to talk to anyone more about my experience with her. I really was thrilled with the experience. Her number is 510-658-2599, angelisse AT comcast.net, www.angelissekarolcolor.com Rinat

For color consultation, interior design, or re-design using your own stuff, I'd like to recommend Jennifer Thompson, of jthompsondesign[at]comcast.net. Jennifer moved into my rental house in Berkeley after 10 years in West Marin -- some of you may have visited her store in Inverness Park, called Thompson Design. She has totally transformed my sweet but rather plain little house into a really vibrant, charming space, and is looking for work doing more of the same. Her ideas are imaginative without being over the top, her rates are reasonable, and she's very easy to work with. References and pictures available. Phone 510 898 1171 Janet

My husband and I have tried painting our first floor ourselves and we have hated the colors we used each and every time. I am finally ready to bite the bullet and pay someone to help us choose a color that will go with existing decor, but I have no idea where to start. I am looking for someone inexpensive and willing to work in Alameda. I would love any suggestions. Thanks! Melanie Melanie

Hello, I'm looking for someone in S.F who is excellent with colors and decorating to help me choose the paint colors for our new home. I would really appreciate a referral for someone who is a professional color consultant-and who of course is really wonderful and creative! Thank you, Cindy

I'm looking for someone to help me pick out paint colors for the interior of our house as well as help with decorating ideas/buying and arranging furniture. We live in the Oakland hills near Redwood Rd. Monica

i know she recently helped a woman who had already gone through over 22 colors in her house and just could not figure out how to achieve the feel and look for the space. angela spent about 4 hours with her and redirected the whole process. the client was skeptical but when she saw the results she was is awe and so happy.

she's also a parent (of two boys and 2 stepchildren) so she's familiar with designing spaces with family in mind.

anyway, she can be reached at ninereasons AT aol.com or at 510.508.7625 make sure you mention my name, corey...good luck! Corey

We would like to paint our children's room and a bathroom ourselves, but are looking for someone to help us choose the paint colors. We would like something fun and whimsical in the children's room, but simple. Thank You! Elise

Stephanie came armed with color samples and books on different finishes and we had a 4 hour session. The end result was we had color recommendations all of which we were happy with and some of which we would have never chosen on our own. It remains to be seen how the colors will finally look in our house ( we havent begun painting yet), but we were able to overcome our fear of bold paint thanks to her encouragement. She was knowledgeable about color and can look at the existing elements of a room and pull out colors that work with the decor and light. I was impressed with her knowledge of different finishes and I think that if your project include faux finishes etc, you can very effectively leverage her talent.

I would suggest that you have some documentation of your agreement with her with regards to price and the exact scope of the project. Of course, she has her own biases and if you want a particular color you may need to state that unequivocally. Also she uses Benjamin Moore paint samples, which are high end paints, but as she said herself, they maybe more than what you need for a home. We found it a bit hard to locate shops that have these paints and also found them to be on the expensive side.

All in all we were happy with her recommendations and look forward to seeing our 'new' home after its been painted! A ''Color''-ed opinion

Can anyone recommend a good, but not too expensive, color consultant who can help us with interior paint choices that work with our existing furniture and art? We painted our living room and dining room a perfect color that transformed into an entirely different wrong color in the morning light. We want to avoid more mistakes in other rooms, and see if there is a way to redeem the first paint job short of completely repainting, maybe a sponge technique over it.