MY REVIEWS
“I had a colour theme in mind, but wasn’t confident that it would work. Karen was able to help me pick paint colours that transition between the rooms on my main floor and complimented my existing cabinetry, flooring and furniture. She walked around the house and looked at everything while listening to my preferences for colours and concerns with my large windows and natural light. Karen was able to narrow down the colour options in a matter of minutes and showed me why each colour would be suitable. We selected a neutral for the main floor, a darker accent wall for the bedroom and a complimentary colour through the rest of the bedroom and into the bathroom. I painted the house on my own and I absolutely love the colours we selected.”
ERICA W.
After the colour consultations, we selected Erica’s exterior door colour, hardware and window coverings. Click on the pictures for a larger view (yes, these are the actual pictures from the project).
My biggest concern in selecting a designer to work with was that I would make a mistake in the design of our kitchen. Cabinetry is a considerable investment and I was quite concerned that I would be unhappy with the final result or worse, unhappy with design elements that I had not even considered due to my lack of experience in this area. Karen was very helpful in addressing these concerns – both my wife and I were confident to rely on her experience to design a kitchen that was highly functional (for two serious, recreational chefs) and beautifully integrated into the existing design of the home.
Karen was great to work with from the initial design process, to marking out the cabinets and ensuring installation flowed smoothly, as well as accommodating my special, last minute requests that seem inevitable with any renovation project.
It was a pleasure to work with Karen throughout the whole design and installation process. She was knowledgeable with respect to the design and installation process, and provided several specific recommendations for the design that I would have never have considered without the help of an experienced professional.
When working with Karen, I appreciated that she was readily available throughout the process to answer any questions and to work through any problems that came up on site. She was able to focus and incorporate the many ideas both my Wife and I had for our kitchen into the design, no easy task with the abundance of design ideas readily available today! Finally, she was able to accomplish this while still respecting our budget – at no time did I feel pressured to spend above our budget or feel that I couldn’t have something due to budget restrictions.
I would highly recommend working with Karen on any design project. I recently referred her to a discerning and detail-oriented family friend who was completing a kitchen renovation, and after her experience and my own, would not hesitate to recommend her again!
Thanks Karen!”
Adam M, Kitchen Renovation
I think the pantry is my favorite spot in the house. I can’t wait to get in there and start baking!
Linde P.
“I met Karen through friends of mine. She had worked on their very large kitchen renovation and recommended her to me. My kitchen was a small job in comparison, with no moving of walls or layout changes, but she had no hesitation in accepting the project.
Although I had specific needs/wants, she gently directed me towards what was the best course to take to achieve the more modern look I requested. When things went sideways, as often happens with renovations, she was able to steer them back on track without any time lost. As she is a very calming person, I was able to control any anxiety attacks every time!
As well, I found her to be a kind, empathetic, knowledgeable person and very easy to work with which is why I had her do my powder room following the kitchen completion! And it looks just as beautiful as my beautiful kitchen.
A pleasurable experience and I would definitely recommend her to anyone who asks.”
Sylvia S, Kitchen Renovation
“Karen was an absolute pleasure to work with! She took the time to listen and really understand the vision I wanted for my office space. I am super detail oriented, so Karen was the perfect fit in making sure every last detail was taken care of. Our space is much more functional and I am thrilled with the outcome! I use my space a lot more and love all the storage solutions we came up with!”
Annabelle M, Office Cabinetry Design
“Initially, we were going to organize our main floor, open concept reno ourselves; we had new flooring installed, a contractor for the cabinets, and some colour schemes in mind. However, once we started picking out paint, we realized that white and gray were difficult colours to work with. We became overwhelmed with the number of options and information to consider when working with colours with tricky undertones so we decided to bring Karen in for a consultation. She greatly simplified the process for us by bringing in a few different samples with a variety of undertones and explained how the natural light and other colours in the space would impact each. With her help, we were able to confidently pick our colours. Because she made colour selection much simpler, we had time left for her to suggest a more functional layout with our existing furniture and some ideas to keep in mind when accessorizing our renovated space.
We were so impressed with her professionalism, we decided to work with her for our backsplash, countertops, and furniture reupholstering. Knowing she would be onsite for the countertop installation was also a deciding factor for us working with her. There were some problems with the countertop, but Karen’s attention to detail caught them and she worked with the company to resolve the situation quickly and to her high standards.
We also ended up ordering the cabinetry hardware from her. She gave us some recommendations that ended up saving us money and are more aesthetically pleasing than our original plans. The job was less stressful than we imagined because her communication with us was clear and timely, she worked within our budget, and she worked seamlessly with our cabinet contractor.
Our job was relatively small but we felt that Karen was still invested in our project. Without hesitation, we would work with Karen again and would recommend her to our friends.”
Don and Tenielle B, Renovation
“Karen was really great to work with and gave us very good service throughout our project!”
Annick B, New build cabinetry
We were struggling to find the right paint colours to compliment our newly renovated kitchen with our open concept main floor living area. Our rounded drywall corners also made it difficult to determine where best to change the colours. Karen helped us find a paint colour that accentuated our kitchen and another to create the perfect backdrop for our open concept floorplan. We would recommend Karen to anyone who is looking for help with their paint colours.
Dirk and Linda M.
I specifically liked that Karen was able to send me some ideas about the countertop, and sent three sample ideas so I could go and look at them, and bring them home. I was also able to pick out different tile options so that when she came to the house I had some idea of what I wanted. Then, she was able to help me pick out what went best together. Karen also gave me some ideas about curtains and blinds for our dining room.
I found her easy to ask questions to, she answered with honesty, and it was nice that she was able to help me in all the different areas that I wanted to change including countertop, backsplash, blinds and paint color.
I would recommend other people to work with Karen because she is very pleasant to work with and I hope we will be able to work together again soon!”
Pat S, Updating and enhancing their 28-year old home in rural Alberta
Working with Karen was easy, informative and overall very helpful. Karen is very knowledgeable and had no problem answering all of my questions. Her insight on how an efficient kitchen should be structured is the reason I am so pleased with how it turned out. I would highly recommended her to anyone looking for assistance building their home.
Lee Brown
What the trades say
Every interior designer works with trades specialists a : the plumbers, carpenters and cabinetry professionals that do the installations and modifications. Good relationships with trades are critical for a job well done.
Mike Wisniewski, owner of Master Pipe Mechanical and I have worked together on several client projects over the last 5 years. Here’s what he has to say:
“The biggest obstacle in deciding to work with any designer is quality, price, and people that you know in the industry you can trust. I found that Karen is diligent in her plan layout, followed up with changes that may have occurred and made sure everyone was in the loop about what was happening on that project.
If there was one specific thing I like most about working with Karen it is the quality of her work. When you walk into the home you can tell they are quality cabinets design by Karen. You can tell by the layouts and how it all works and flows with each home layout. Plus she is easy to get along with and answers questions in a timely manner.
Without a doubt, I would recommend Karen to other people. It’s one of those things that when you’ve been working with someone for multiple years, you have that background knowledge, that if you recommend them to someone else, it’s not going to come back and bite you afterwards. I feel fully confident in saying you will be happy with the product and the end result. If there are any hiccups or bumps along the way she is going to be there to smooth it out and make sure that whatever needs to happen, happens.”
Every interior designer works with trades specialists; the plumbers, carpenters and cabinetry professionals that do the installations and modifications. Good relationships with trades are critical for a job well done.
“Karen from KHI has done several projects for me in the recent past, and it has been a refreshing experience. Her knowledge of kitchen design and construction, paired with the extensive design background make for the perfect combination of trade/professional. It allows for seamless navigation between the job-site and the office meetings. I recommend her to every client I meet, Thank you!”
Chris Cameron Owner CLC Developments LTD
