interior design help

I have used Megan Warren. When I consulted her a year or two ago, she offered a pay-per-use service where she came in, evaluated the space, gave me a drawing and a list of recommended furniture. No more services were provided. It wasn't cheap, but it was exactly what I was looking for to refresh my living space, and she was wonderful to work with, very responsive to emails and follow up questions.

Highly recommend that you check out Cecilia Tran at Village No. 7 - she's a talented designer with an incredible eye for color and texture, who just seems to "get" how different pieces look and work together in a way I've never quite managed to, and is a total joy to work with. This seems like it would be right up her alley! 

Hi-I also needed a designer and worked with Daniel who owns Village West Design https://www.villagewestdesign.com/ (based in Oakland).  He works on both small and large projects (mine was on the small side) and helped me first sort out how I wanted to use the space and then what colors, textures and styles I wanted to use to create a space that felt right for me.  What I loved about working with him was that it was clear the whole time that it was "my" space and he wanted to help create a design that fit for me, rather than designing something that looked incredible but didn't represent me and how I wanted to live in the space.  My budget was more limited, and he and his team were great at offering suggestions to fit my budget.  An added plus is that he trained as an architect, and even though you don't need structural changes, he has architectural design experience that he can integrate into the plan.  

I had a wonderful experience with Johanna Sprague. She's lovely to work with and has an impeccable eye for design. 

Daniel Smith (villagewestdesign.com) is our go-to for exactly those things - paint colors, lighting, furniture sourcing, etc. He is super nice and down to earth, and I don’t know how he does it but he listens to our ideas and finds the colors or pieces that are exactly right and even better than we could have imagined.

If you are in need of an interior designer, I wholeheartedly recommend Laura Elliott from Refined Interiors based in Berkeley (www.refiendinteriors.design).

Laura is very easy to work with, passionate about her job, and very talented. We had a great experience and she made the whole process easy and fun.  She has a collaborative approach when it comes to the design, but then handles all of the details and logistics.  Her guidance and expertise led us to make choices we wouldn't have considered on our own, resulting in a beautiful outcome.  I just can’t believe how easy the whole process was!  We have a new kitchen, bathroom, and she helped us redecorate the living room.  She works on projects big and small.

I don't know the difference between a designer or a decorator but I used Meghan Adkins (www.skycitydesign.com) to design 2 new bathrooms (including picking tile, fixtures, paint color, etc) and to help pick paint colors throughout my house. She got discounts on items I purchased. I have her scheduled for whenever my kitchen permit gets approved. She's also a fine arts painter and went to art school so she really understands color theory and picking furniture, rugs, and paint colors so they mix well and complement each other (she helped with my living room surface refresh as well). She did some bookshelf curating for me as well. Best of luck and have fun!

Greetings, I highly recommend Baygolddesigns.com. I have had positive experiences with them. They are great for smaller one off projects like you described, as well as larger projects. 

Hey There!

I’d recommend you reach out to Kshama Shah from House Of Design LLC. I have used her services before for both a significant remodel (that required structural changes) as well as furniture & styling for one off rooms. We had a great experience working with Kshama and found her to be very collaborative and transparent. She was able to take our thoughts and come up with a coherent design that was not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional for everyday living. 

As far as your question regarding designer v/s decorator, it’s more of a question on what you would like to do as a scope of the project. If it just involves aesthetics, you should go with a decorator. A designer on the other hand will look at your space holistically to incorporate functionality with aesthetics. My personal suggestion would be to pick a designer over a decorator for more bang for the buck.  

Good luck with your project!

-Jay