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!

2008 Recommendations

Looking for a non-shaming, kind, gentle decorator who can go through my house, make suggestions, help me develop a plan I can execute as time/money allow. I've been waiting for it to be de-cluttered (ha! if only it could de-clutter itself!), but we're at a point now where we need new window coverings, paint, etc and can't wait any longer. Not too expensive would also be nice... anon

I need help with redecorating my living room. Does anyone have experience working with Jim Kennedy at High Cotton on Solano Avenue? I would like to work with a Berkeley business. Thanks. anon

I need help with redecorating my living room and dining room. Has anyone worked with ''High Cotton'' on Solano Ave.? I like the idea of working with a local business. Thanks. anon

2007 Recommendations

i am looking for an interior designer that can help me with 2 difficult spaces (an open living room/dining room in a 1910 house), child friendly furniture/design, and in the more modern/not ''matchy-matchy'' direction. any suggestions? zoe

We're moving into a new place and starting from scratch. I'm looking for someone to come in and consult with me about the possibilities for each room. A interior designer who has a good eye for color, room proportion and furniture placement would be great. We're a family and have a casual style but would like a place that looks like adults actually live there. Thanks. Rachael rk

Helena Tiainen
Interior Redesign and Professional Organizing
HTiainen01 at aol.com
510.848.1525
www.helenatiainenorganizing.com

I'm very pleased to recommend my interior designer Celine Perrin (510-814-8910 or celine at abeautifulplace.com). I worked with her over a period of a year on a master bath remodel, which included total changes in walls, windows, and plumbing, including some work in connection with the associated master bedroom. I love the result.

Celine began the process by talking to me about my likes and dislikes, looking through photos and pictures from magazines and walking through all of my property, including the garden. It became clear to Celine that this was an linside outsiden house, and my love of the garden provided a focal point for the design: bring the outside in. Celine did this through the clean design, addition of windows to bring in light, earthtone colors, and choice of materials (stone and unfinished wood). Celine had suggestions and access to materials I was completely unfamiliar with, and found materials and fabricators to custom make several key components (two large Shoji doors made with 3M resin and metal bars that serve as both towel bars and grab bars since I will be aging in this house). I particularly liked Celinems suggestions that made the bath very personal for me: using my motherms brooch as the touchplate on the medicine cabinet, or a lighted wall niche that now displays a personal object.

I was a full partner in all decisions. We had some differences of opinion at times, but were always able to work these out in a positive way that came up with a better result. Celine would provide sketches of both (or more) options, and/or logic on why one was better, but occasionally even agreed my suggestion was better! Feel free to contact me via email llaskowski12 at comcast.net L. L.

I'm looking for an insightful and resourceful interior designer for assistance with our new home in Albany. We'd like a comprehensive approach including new furniture, floor and window coverings as well as remodeling assistance. Thanks. B

Looking for an interior designer? We have discovered someone terrific. We interviewed three interior designers who all came highly recommended from various sources. Our plan was to just get a few hours of consultation on colors. After talking with each of them we chose Michele Maggiora of Radicchio Sisters Design. Her background as a fine artist made her the best choice. We had worked with a kitchen designer and received an estimate on cabinets from Home Depot, but the first thing Michelle did was to recommend another source that was faster and equal or better quality at a savings of about $6000. She has a great color sense, is fun to work with, very hands-on. She doesnmt make her money off commissions on furniture, etc., but helped us make better use of what we have. Working with her is very exciting. We are thrilled to have found her. You can reach her at (510) 910-3277 or (510) 444-4472. Diane

2006 Recommendations

We would like recommendations for a designer to help design and draft a plan to remodel a grade level basement to a living area with bath and laundry. We would like someone with creative but affordable ideas for creating a multiuse space, and be able to provide plans for use by a contractor (recommendations also welcome). Structural redesign is not required, so we don't expect to need an architect's plans.

I am looking for someone to design our home office including desks, cabinets and shelving. The office is in what originally was a bedroom so maximizing space given the layout requires some thought. I would like to find someone with both office planning and interior space planning experience. We are not very interested in traditional design. We are open to custom work or not. Especially interested in maximizing the space and using green and/or interesting/unusual materials. tracey

This post is in response to previous requests for a interior designer that can work on a budget with existing furniture. I had been looking for someone to help me upgrade from my assortment of mostly hand-me-down furnishings and to put together my rooms as I would have done them if I had any aesthetic vision or knew where to shop. I found the perfect person to help me with that--Victoria Bochat of Slapdash Interiors in Oakland. She did simple things like changing the configuration of my living room so that it was much more inviting. She worked with the furniture that I wanted to keep, but added some great inexpensive touches such as pillows in gorgeous colors and textures. She suggested pieces from upscale--but affordable--sources both locally and on-line. She helped me furnish several rooms in my house in exactly my taste and within my budget. She even found some adorable high quality table lamps at a discount store. She is also a restorer and painter of old furniture! and has a warehouse of unique older pieces to pull from. She painted a vintage round farm table a great shade of rusty red for a sort of "shabby chic" look that I love. She's fabulous at supplying accessories and furniture that suits her client's style (vintage or modern) and budget. And, to top it off, she's very funny and fun to be around. I highly recommend her! Victoria can be reached at 510.534.1500 or at slapdashnewlife at aol.com.
Lori

We are so pleased with the work that Francis Combes (510-595-6669) has done for us over the years on two of our homes and on many of our friends' homes. He has an incredible eye, is resourceful, charges reasonable rates, and, most importantly, is truly a pleasure to have in our home. He not only is a skilled interior designer, he is also an excellent lighting consultant.

Before working with Francis, I never considered how important lighting was to a room's appeal and comfort. Francis transformed our indoor/outdoor spaces by reengineering the lighting. He properly illuminated our landscaping and trees to make the outside of our first North Berkeley home go from unremarkable and haphazard to majestic. He then consulted with us on the lighting and interior design in our second Berkeley home. He not only provided us with beautiful furnishings, fixtures and improved lighting placement, he helped us bring our electric bill down more than half by sourcing high-end florescent bulbs that he incorporated into our lighting schemes.

We found his sense of color and composition to be very refined (due to a combination of natural talent and schooling). He knows antiques and helped us figure out which to purchase and which to walk away from fast. We were also impressed by his drafting skills. He artfully translated our ideas into architect quality blueprints to keep us on the same page and keep our project moving forward. Our contractors regularly complemented the quality of his plans. Many of my friends on limited budgets have engaged Francis to redesign various rooms in their homes and businesses (ranging from adding new windows to a living room to redesigning restaurant lighting to turning a underutilized closet into a powder room to kitchen remodels). He has done so much to enhance those spaces without exausting the funds of their owners. I highly recommend Francis Combes. Give him a call and ask him to view his beautiful portfolio. He is located in central Piedmont. Lynn

Hi, I was interested to know if anyone has a recommendation for an interior designer. I am looking for someone who can help me shop for furniture and choose color. I have a good idea of the style I want, but need help. Thanks. Sherri

2005 Recommendations

I've seen a bunch of posts for interior designers/decorators but am seeking more specific recommendations. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can recommend a designer/decorator that has worked on your Berkeley Brown Shingle/craftsman style home. Thanks.

Would like recent recommendations for an interior designer in the Berkeley area. Would like someone who has creative ideas about using already existing furnishings, new pieces, antiques, flea-market finds, etc. to help redo a number of rooms for a hip, modern but comfortable home for family with 2 kids. annie

Alycia will work on redesign with your existing furniture, or will go all the way to helping you create (and purchase) an entire new look. There are so many great things to say about her but probably top four are (1) She has a really exceptional eye for "spacial" issues: how to arrange furniture, art, linens, etc in the space you have in the very best way. (2) a fantastic sense of color, and texture -- found interesting materials and tones for our space (3) a really good grasp of all the local resources for furniture, art, fabric, etc, if you want to buy some new things (4) and last but not least, she LISTENS to you. She helps you to create what you want, rather than pushing a particular "look" on you (e.g. you don't need to have a Pottery Barn living room if you don't want one -- :) )

I highly recommend her. Visit her website to see her work!! Vandy

I'm looking for an interior decorator that is in the Lamorinda area that is reasonably priced. Jessica

We are in the process of adding an addition to our home, and we are looking for recommendations of interior designers who can help us pick out colors, fabrics and fixtures for a family room, bathroom and children's bedroom. Unfortunately, we don't have a huge budget for this project, but certainly have put away some money for decorating. Any recommendations would be greatly apprecaited. Please email me, Dana

I have checked the archives, but see no recent postings for what we are looking for: someone who can help us furnish/decorate our small bungalow. We have been living in this house for some time, but not comfortably. We tend to spend most of our time in our tiny kitchen, mostly because the other rooms are not inviting. Given our limited budget, we are hoping to find someone who could help create a vision which we would then execute ourselves. Having checked the sites of some recommended interior decorators, I think we are looking for something else. The sort of elegance and polish I associate with ''decorated'' spaces is not for us. Eclectic, funky, and comfortable is what we aspire to. Recommendations, anyone? Not at home in house

We are a French/Belgian family who would like to recommend a wonderful interior designer and color consultant, Jennifer Thompson, of J.Thompson Design. We bought a house in the Oakland Hills that was built after the fire; it had interesting architecture, but very unsatisfactory details, and was cold and unimaginative. Jennifer helped us transform it into a colorful, stylish, unique home, which reflects our personalites and gives us a lot of pleasure. We had no idea how to do home renovation in America, and she handled the whole job for us q found the contractor and the artisans who created unique details for us, and oversaw the job, as we were often in Europe. Not only that, her rates are very reasonable, and we enjoyed working with her. Call her at 510 898 1171 or email at jthompsondesign AT comcast.net. Heddy

Michele Maggiroa (510-444-4472 or 510-260-4857)is a artist/designer/colorist that I used from this newsletter and I wanted to second (or third) the recommendation that she is fantastic. She chose outstanding colors for my interior and helped me buy/place existing furniture and objects in my house that fit in and just look right. She is very comfortable to with and extremely reasonably priced for her services. kim

If you need a fresh color palette for your home, improved use of space, reorganization, and the help with bringing it all together... I recommend Michele Maggiora of Radicchio Sisters Design. Besides her abilities as an artist/designer, I 'm enjoying this process with her. It's like having a good friend who happens to be a designer with an excellent artist's eye. She is willing to do as much or as little as I need including interior painting, layout, personal shopping...whatever! Michele Maggiora of Radicchio Sisters Design (510) 444-4472 cell (510) 910-3277 Laurie

2004 Recommendations

I need help decorating my living room. I know what I want to do regarding the layout and the general feel of the room, but need help with color selection, fabrics, and purchasing items. The last posting regarding interior design is well over a year old, so I was hoping someone had some fresh references. We are in Walnut Creek and have a limited budget q any help is appreciated! Jenifer

For the person who is looking for an interior designer, I highly recommend Anne Norton-Dingwall at AND Interior Design Studio in Kensington. She listened to what we wanted, channeled us, and did an amazing job transforming our living and family rooms as well as our bath. She also is a super person. You can view her work online at www.anddesigns.com http://www.anddesigns.com. Or call her at 510.526.4579. Leslie

Awhile back, someone asked about help with interior design. I would like to recommend Tre Curran and her partner Tracy. Their name is Interior Transformations http://www.onedayredesigns.com info AT trecurran.com 510-527-8384

When I mentioned Interior Transformation, my friends thought it was therapy. Actually, it felt incredibly therapeutic and exciting to get ideas about redesigning the home with what existed. They can also help you purchase new items. Sherry

I live in a tiny cottage and need some help figuring out best to maximize the space. Does anyone know of a relatively low-cost interior decorating consultant who, most of all, might be able to suggest places to actually buy the few pieces of furniture I have in mind? I don't necessarily need a design professional, just someone with a good eye who also knows how to shop! (Think English Country or Minimalist styles.)
Many thanks. Dreaming of Expansiveness!

2003 & Earlier

I have looked at the previous recommendations regarding interior designers and DVA which was highly recommended by many is no longer accepting new clients. I have two boys and want to work with someone who is positive about an active, casual family. Thank you. fullhuis

We just bought an old craftsman bungalow in Berkeley. We are redoing all the walls, and plan to make minor structural changes. Later we are going to completely redo the bathroom, kitchen, attic and ground floor (we're lifting), but for now I'm just looking for someone who can advise on minor structural changes (i.e. adding closets, putting in a half bath) and paint color, furniture layout, window treatment etc. Someone who knows a lot about craftsmans would be a plus, but is not absolutely necessary. Romney

I'm looking for a recommendation for an interior designer that specializes in a ''traditional'' design. Anyone? Patty

What I really like about Andrea is that she will work with your existing furniture/art/special pieces, etc. to complete the look you want to achieve in your home. Or she can start from scratch to give you a complete overhaul. You can check out Andrea's website at: www.hawkinsdesign.com or call her (510) 654-4295. Michelle

I would like to find a decorator who would be compatible with my informal taste (kind of zen, ethnic)and limited budget, who would be fun to work with, in helping me turn kids-away-at-college bedrooms into guest room/meditation/massage rooms. I'd like to locate someone who has access to good quality but reasonably priced painters, carpeting, furnishings. Know of anyone? Leah

Recently, a list member recommended interior decorator Sally Freedman. Does anyone have additional recommendations for interior designers? I'm looking for someone who is willing to shop both retail and the design centers and who is willing to work with a *family* with functional as well as aesthetic needs, as opposed to people who are trying to create a show house. Thanks so much for your recommendations! Darcy

Can anyone recommend an interior decorator that can do a consultation. I would not mind giving someone a few hundred dollars to spend a few hours in my house and recommend where to put what and what color to paint or kinds/colors of furniture to buy. I know most are expensive and are whole service but I cant afford that but I do want a nice house. I recognize a nicely done job but for the life of me, I cant produce it myself. Any ideas? Maybe students or those that do it on the side as a hobby? My number during the day is 415-744-2076 if anyone wants to pass this one. Thanks much, Nilou

What should I expect in a consultation?

I had a bad experience with a designer. We wanted advice about color (paint), lighting, curtains/shades, and rugs. She talked on and on about her other clients and what worked for them--for 2 hours. After she left I thought ''what did I get out of that 2 hours?--nothing.'' She pointed me to a couple of places to shop, that's what I got. My question is: how should I ''interview'' the designer so that I can actually benefit from my (nearly) $200! I am willing to have a continuing relationship with an effective designer but I really cannot afford to waste my money like I did with this particular designer. Please send any suggestions for directing the meeting, and also recommendations for designers that hear me and will work with me. And not waste time talking about stuff that is *completely* irrelevant! Also, can you let me know their rates? We have a '20s simple 2/1 bungalow. anon

I typically offer a complimentary consultation where we get to know one another, and I use this as an opportunity to listen to what you are looking for, how your spaces are used, who uses them, what do you want your window coverings to accomplish (eg privacy, decoration, sun control, insulation), etc.

After we have discussed what you are looking to accomplish, then we decide if we feel like we can work together--no money has changed hands yet. I think it is important that we both feel like it could be a mutually beneficial relationship before we get too far down the road. If you purchase product from me-- window treatments, area rugs, accessories, furniture--I do not charge an hourly design fee--you get my design services for free. My prices are comparable to Thomasville/Ethan Allen, but I have a much larger selection from over 130 suppliers. If you would like to use me in a more consultative role where there is no product purchase, I do charge an hourly rate that varied depending on the service.

Good luck in your quest!

Next you should talk to them on the phone before you hire them, asking whatever questions you want about their style, and also letting them know you had a problem in the past, so it doesn't happen again.

Third: if a designer does not seem to be listening to you, perhaps you are not speaking up. Perhaps she was sounding you out on ideas she had used before, but not getting any reaction or response from you. You also could let the designer know if you want to be told exactly what to do, which maybe you do.

Last, you might have expected too much in 2 hours. anon