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SF Bay Area kitchen (and interior) designer recs?

GreenHighlighter

11 years ago

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your kitchen layout help. Now I need some help with materials and the nitty-gritty details. Does anyone have any recommendations for designers in the SF Bay Area? Someone who can do other areas of the house would be great, too, as we have to figure out all finishes...

Thanks!

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Comments (13)

annkathryn
11 years ago
Where are you in the Bay Area? If you're on the Peninsula from SSF down to Sunnyvale I can recommend an interior designer. Are you looking for a design firm to do architectural drawings as well?
GreenHighlighter
Original Author
11 years ago
I am in the East Bay.

We have an architect, so I think we are good on drawings, although his drawings are pretty barebones.

We want someone who can:
- help us finalize the kitchen layout
- help us choose finish materials (countertops, paint, trim work, cabinets, flooring, etc.)

That would be an interior designer, right?
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annkathryn
11 years ago
Sorry, I can't help you with an East Bay referral although I think there are other posters on gardenweb from that area.

For the layout, you can post here and get good advice, or look for a kitchen designer (Angie's List maybe?).
Yvonne B
11 years ago
I follow Kelly Morisseau's blog who is a kitchen designer in Walnut Creek. I think she works for a kitchen design firm there. I've posted a link to her blog. She might be able to help you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kelly's blog
crl_
11 years ago
No personal recommendations to offer, but I suggest checking the Berkeley Parenting network for referrals. I think googling Berkeley parenting interior design will get you some previous postings.
lalithar
11 years ago
Any referrals for peninsula area?
cawaps
11 years ago
Here's the Berkeley Parents Network link

Here is a link that might be useful: Berkeley Parents Network
babushka_cat
11 years ago
still vet all resources found on berkeley parents network. got a bone head of a cabinet maker on that forum so it is not fool proof.
dljmth
11 years ago
You can try
http://www.houzz.com/pro/brownhouseid
She did a friends house (one of the ones pictured) and they were very happy.
Also you can try
http://www.houzz.com/pro/hilave/viscusi-elson-interior-design-gina-viscusi-elson
I've heard very good things about her too. She sells Rutt cabinets so she will have a focus on kitchen layouts.
I've met both and they seem very good but I haven't actually had any work done by either (may still do it). For tiles, I am working with Artistic Tile in San Carlos. The designers there have been really great at helping coordinate tiles for a bath and I will ask their help for the kitchen too. I've also heard very good things about the designers at DAvinci Tile in San Carlos.
http://www.davincimarble.com/
GreenHighlighter
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks everyone!

I emailed Kelly at Kelly's Kitchen Sync. They're all booked up until early 2013.

And I checked out Berkeley Parents Network. Most of the recs on there are older, but I'm going to start making some calls.

And thanks for the houzz leads. I didn't really know this website before!
camphappy
11 years ago
Where in the east bay are you? If you are anywhere near Castro Valley I can share what I have learned from various local places.
Email me.
Pipdog
11 years ago
I worked with EM Design when we were in San Francisco and I was thrilled with Emily and Laurie. They do kitchen/bath remodels and were featured in the SF Decorator Showcase for 2012.

Here is a link that might be useful: EM design
lovetogarden_oak
11 years ago
We had worked with Carlene Anderson CKD in 2010. She is based in Oakland, CA and is a real dear to work with. She is very patient with us. We didn't even have a picture of any "ideal" kitchens to show her when we first met. That was how clueless we were. We only knew we had an IKEA kitchen budget. Ha, that was so long ago...

We ended up not using her final layout design for us as I decided I want to keep the built-in china cabinet, and that triggered a realization that we tend to make decisions slowly. Meaning, hiring a CKD is great if you like to make decisions fast. Sadly, we don't operate that way. We chew (or obsessed?) on various aspects of the kitchen for a long time. And, we don't have the budget to keep going through many layout iterations with a CKD.

So, slowly over many moons, we redid the layout ourselves with helpful tips from GW-ers. But, we incorporated many of Carlene's key ideas into our current kitchen remodel to improve the flow and functionality of our kitchen.

Other places/people I have talked to that could be a good resource for you:
- Custom Spaces on Solano Ave, Berkeley
- Paragon Kitchen in Oakland
- JB Turner and Sons, in Oakland

I didn't use their services since we ended up purchasing Inner Most cabinetry from HD as it fits our budget better.

All the best in your search!

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