I am having a single storey rear extension which involved a new open plan kitchen, sitting room and a dining room. As I am the kind of person who can't tell the difference from taupe to tan, I know I must hire an ID. I was nervous because I had had an unpleasant and expensive (with nothing to show) experience with an ID - but this time I bit my lips, crossed my heart, googled "ID near me" and literally stumbled across Jeni.
My biggest worry is the cost. And Jeni was upfront about her charge out rate and fees in our first Zoom. Once the subject of money had been cleared, the relationship began. Jeni's first task was to finalise my choice of kitchen units including the kitchen sink! Something that took me months to decide, she did it in 1 hour, explaining the accent colour, the materials (you don't have to pick the premium ones - yay!) etc. At the end of the kitchen appointment, I was able to place the order a week later.
Jeni was thorough and responsive from start to finish. She started by asking me to create a mood board, I was skeptical at first (more homework?). But I quickly learned this approach allowed her to understand her client's taste.
Jeni truly worked her magic when it comes to furnitures. Since my moneys had been sucked into the building work, I was upfront about my small furnitures budget. I don't know how she did it but she managed to create a dossier of furnitures that look and feel expensive but reasonably priced. And she will tell you which furnitures you can skimp and which you must stick to her list.
I'm probably her most ignorant client whose eyes glazed when she mentioned "mist coat". So during one of her visits to my house, she brought along plastic sheet, multiple measuring tapes, rags etc and laid them on the floor so I can see the placement of all the furnitures. She prepared a sketch of all the recommended furnitures from sofa to floors down to cushions. And instead of bombarding me with hundreds of samples, she picked 2 or 3 so I am not bamboozled with too many choices,
It has been a pleasure working with her. Once my cashflow is back to normal, I will get her started on my living room!
Ash
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