Julie and her team did a wonderful job renovating our apartment. She has excellent taste and a…read moregreat sense of style. Julie was available and personable, responsive to all issues raised throughout the project. She worked with me regarding the interface between what I envisioned and what she recommended, not so easy to navigate! I am so happy with the result. Her team of contractors, overseen by Ted, were lovely, considerate, and professional in all aspects of the job. They interacted beautifully with the building staff and with my family.

Julie is wonderful. She is smart, talented and creative with lots of wonderful ideas. We have a…read moregorgeous new bathroom that guests take pictures of and a whole new look in our apartment. We had vintage furniture that needed re-upholstering and Julie came to the rescue! It's great working with someone so accessible and responsive. This is the easiest recommendation we ever made. Call her! Sheryl and Peter

We just finished a kitchen renovation with them. They were amazing. I love my new kitchen. Shai was…read moreeasy to work with, paid attention to details, had wonderful ideas to utilize every bit of space in my very small NYC kitchen. His suggestions on colors and products were spot on. Everytime I look at it, it makes me smile.

Shai is the best! I showed him my Pinterest page and inspiration photos and he turned my kitchen…read moreinto my exact vision. He dealt with my indecisiveness for months, expert negotiation skills, and pushed when something truly would make a difference (ie spice rack, suede countertops and magic corner). He's super quick to respond, and is extremely knowledgeable on everything from cabinetry to hardware, appliances, flooring, etc. Use the contractor he recommends as well - they seem to work very well! Thank you Shai!

Agalliu did a great job turning around a whole house for my event space! They painted and did…read morerepairs in record time for a great price. I strongly recommend their team!

We recently had both a full bathroom and half bathroom renovated by Agalliu Contracting. We'd met…read morewith the owner, Matt, a few years back to quote the same, but were tripped up with life and not in a position to proceed. During the quoting process, Matt was very transparent in informing us about a variable plumbing cost that could exist based on the building's management and their requirements. It was more than a marginal increase to say the least. However, none of the other contracting companies even mentioned this; they built it into their pricing regardless of whether it was necessary or not. In addition to our research, this honestly was why we chose to reach out only to Agalliu when we were ready to proceed. In keeping with his transparency, Matt was up front in telling us during the re-quoting that we would have been better off financially to have done the work when we first met as everything had increased. Given the economy, this wasn't exactly news. That said, the price adjustment was actually less than we'd expected and the same 8-10 week timeline was quoted for the down-to-studs effort. Every phase of the project went well. The contractors were all polite and pleasant. They cleaned up well and clearly worked to avoid any collateral damage to any other areas of the apartment. The only schedule disruption was due to a condition with the building's pipes and not the responsibility of Agalliu Contracting. In short, after demolition Matt had strongly suggested we have our building's Super look over the other exposed pipes that were outside of our commitment to fix to ensure he did not have any issues or concerns that may be the building's responsibility to repair. In doing so, a pipe was identified as overly weathered and could possibly fail at some point in the future, jeopardizing the work we'd done (yes, we and the building have insurance but who wants to deal with that headache). After discussing with Agalliu, the Super, and the Building Management, we all agreed the piping needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, this was right at the point where the wall needed to be closed, so we encountered a minor delay. Again, definitely not the fault of Agalliu, who enthusiastically favored getting the repair done to avoid future problems even if this delayed the effort. Even with the delay, they still finished a week early. My wife and I were very happy with not only the end result, but also the process. The tile work is beautiful and thoughtfully applied, such as making sure cut pieces are the same size and symmetric. The finishes were also installed quickly and with consideration to our desired positioning. Matt was never more than a call or text away and visited most every day. He engaged with the Superintendent directly to minimize or avoid any impact to our neighbors and other tenants. If we had any questions, he was very quick to address and let us know our options if there was any downstream impact. We will recommend to anyone who asks and even discussed other projects as this one was completing. Thank you again.

I've known Buddy since his Cranberry Hole Road days (early '90s, I stumbled in there by accident,…read moreand...). He has guided me through two apartment restylings (not renovations) 30 years apart in two NYC boroughs. As others have said, he is a different kind of designer--and so full of ideas that at first it's overwheming, and you might wish you had 10 other homes to fill with his concepts. He sees possibilities that aren't immediately evident, and is a genius at furntiure and picture placement. I had a genuine midcentury table (not a West Elm copy) that I'd had for decades and it was just sitting forlornly in a corner in the new place because I didn't know what to do with it (It didn't seem to fit anywhere). I was also grousing about needing a coffee table and in less than a second Buddy picks up the table with one hand and plops it down in front of my couch (purchased with his guidance), saying, "Here's your coffee table." The table, although not ostensibly a coffee table, works perfectly there, even though I never saw that possibility and was getting ready to dump it on one of those marketplaces. It's a small example, but I think it capsulizes Buddy's approach. He was also spot on when it came to selecting lighting fixtures, and saved me from choosing rugs that would have made my place look like a Miami hotel lobby (I think that's what he said--I know his scathing critique of my choices referenced Florida or the Bahamas), steering me to much more stylish picks. Buddy's also an artist (he constructed and painted a screen for me decades ago--in the Cranberry Hole Road days--that I still use and that visitors still comment on) and a cognitive psychologist, which can come in handy when you're in the emotional throes of a move, a renovation or restyling. Give him a try, even if your place just needs a refresh, a new look. He'll help you choose what you need. Now I'm thinking of seeking his help for a closet renovation.

Everytime I walk into my newly renovated apartment, which was so perfectly executed, I feel like…read moreI'm the main character in a home makeover show. The 'before' shots would feature a cute home, but with signs of aging. Fraying wooden cabinets, and little to no natural light in my bedroom. Now this is all modernized, updated, and thoughtfully designed. Connecting with Buddy via Yelp's Request a Quote feature was lucky, because I got no replies from other businesses I contacted first or was told they couldn't take on my project. I'm thankful because Buddy was actually the right person with the right vision for my space. I had been living with a not optimized closet space and the aforementioned fraying wooden cabinets, as well as my bedroom lacking natural light for years. I had heard one too many contractor nightmare stories that caused me to be ultra cautious so I hesitated to contact anyone. I once hired a virtual interior designer which was a total waste of time/money. Enter Buddy, who is not only a creative visionary with a solid contractor team he's worked with for over a decade, but he's also a licensed therapist, and says that contributes to how he handles spaces, which totally makes sense. In the first consultation with Buddy, he paced around my space and rattled off so many wild ideas, some of which sounded fantastical and unrealistic but he made into reality. The initial consultation fee initially made me wince but now sounds like such a deal when in hindsight I realize he gave me the blueprint to my beautiful new reality. I would not have thought to float my couch in the middle of the living room instead of against the wall, facing the best feature of my apartment-- the view. When I was concerned about where to put the TV, he came up with a customized solution. A mechanized wooden box where the TV rises and falls with the push of a button. It sounds so futuristic but now it's part of my life. His contractor team is so awesome too. They handled all my things with care, and not only did they not disturb my plants, which we kept in the apartment during the renovation, they took care of them too! So sweet. It's been several months now and living in my transformed space has really changed my relationship with my home. My living situation used to feel compromised, but now it really feels like a thoughtful expression of who I am. I've already hosted several parties and get togethers in my home, because the new space is way more amenable to hosting, something Buddy picked up about me after meeting. Buddy's organization (we worked out of a spreadsheet which was a dream for my Type A self), and responsiveness throughout the process really eased my nerves about the project. He and his team took genuine care of my possessions and space that it made the renovation process almost enjoyable. Thank you Buddy, for transforming the daily experience of being in my space. You really delivered something exceptional.

This is my 1st time writing a review. The person who wrote a negative review below lives in my…read morebuilding. She was removed from the board for various reasons. Needless to say, the work Baron Design did came out just fine. We received everything that was requested, and it was completed on time. As a board member, i would use him again.

Working with Jonathan has been a great experience. His commitment and dedication to the job is top…read moretier. Clear and direct communication.

It was a mixed experience working with Ward5 for full service design and project management,…read moremeaning, they prepare the interior design plan and then manage the contractor. The positive part of the experience was that they are creative and have a great aesthetic, so I feel we ended up with a house that we like the look of. In retrospect, it's not worth the money they charge for project management on a monthly basis to get there. I know this now, but I was a first time homebuyer and pregnant when I hired them, so I felt I needed help. Working with Ward5 became very frustrating towards the end of the project. Some highlights (lowlights?) were that the owner continuously promised she would order components for our custom closets, but failed to do so in time, so we had to buy Home Depot closets in order to have our closets ready by the time we moved in (which we said early on was very important to us and had to be complete before moving in). Also, some of the work from the contractor was messy/subpar. When I pointed it all out to the owner of Ward5, who had been managing the project, she tried to convince me I was just being picky and it was "acceptable," in her words (about some of the painting, specifically, and tiling). When I told her I wanted some things redone, she asked me to deliver that message to the contractor myself...but she was supposed to be in charge of that. So about a month or so before moving in, I had to meet them both at the house - still somewhat newly postpartum and still nursing around the clock - to deliver that news myself. The contractor was great about it and fixed everything I had an issue with. Finally, the move in was made more stressful by Ward5 being mad that we were basically in their way. The owner assigned her daughter to do the installation and I told her the date that we were having certain closets installed. She showed up that date and was angry there were "so many people" in the house. But she was advised in advance who would be there and when. She accused us of being in her way, essentially. Then she rescheduled the installation date and asked us not to be in the house from 8 am - 4 pm, which we did, but at around 5 that day, I had to run in quickly to grab some clothes for my kids. She was very upset and had a very emotional and unprofessional reaction, even though I adhered to her timeframe. So, overall, I wouldn't work with them again. I do think their real strengths are in the design piece, so I would have just paid for their design services, if I knew back then what I know now.

In short, do not hire Ward 5 Design for project management as they will charge you an arm and a leg…read morefor the materials. They are mean and not trustworthy. I regret so much hiring them. Below is the details... Ward 5 Design told me and stated in their proposal that their project management fee includes full trade discount access to their retail partners as they make sure I am getting the best price. Therefore, I hired them for full service at a rate of over $12,000, which includes design and project management. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the material invoice at around $32,000 from Ward 5 Design. Thank god for google, I was able to find a lot of the same materials online at a much cheaper price. Ward 5 Design's price for some items are 73% more than the price for the same items you can find on Signature Hardware and build.com. Ward 5 Design charges a 10% shipping and handling fee on top of everything, which makes the 73% to 90% and Signature Hardware and build.com offer FREE shipping. I asked Ward 5 Design about the high price on the materials, they told me they will never honored any trade discount, instead they will charge a slight markup. I was so disappointed and mad that I was deceived by them. Because I did not want to overpay for all the materials, I decide to do the procurement myself (despite I am super busy). As a result, I was able to get better upgrades with the money saved. Ward 5 Design told me I have $4,233 outstanding in design/management fees, but they can reduce this to $2,500 (reduction of $1,733) as I am handling the procurement. And they will continue to do weekly site visits for 6 weeks with the contractor. Eventually, I decided to terminate the contract with Ward 5 Design because they did not effectively manage the project after I handled the procurement. No one from Ward 5 Design reached out to me to check on the status of procurement or any changes to the design plan. They also failed to notice a mistake by the contractor in the shower. Ward 5 Design told me that I still owed them $2,500 upon termination of the contract despite the fact that they would not perform the remaining 6 site visits. The contract required me to pay service provided up to date and a 10% termination fee. The 10% termination fee was $1,269.50, in which I was happy to pay. I asked for detailed evidence to support the $2,500 outstanding charge, but Ward 5 Design did not provide any. Instead, they insisted on charging me $2,500 and threatened to forward the full bill at $4,233 to collections and filing a mechanics lien against me if I did not pay $2,500 in 10 days. Under such threat, I paid $2,500 by the due date. I tried to get some refund back by filing a complaint with Better Business Bureau, but of course I failed to get any money back. Ward 5 Design responded to the compliant saying I had buyer's remorse and did not explain the lie of trade discount and instead charge huge markup on materials. This is not the way to treat their clients. I was very disappointed. I will not give Ward 5 Design any future business and will not recommend them to anyone.

Roberto and his team just finished painting two bedrooms for me and did an absolutely gorgeous job…read more Not only that, they fixed some longstanding plaster cracks likely caused by water damage, and replaced some historically inaccurate baseboard moldings that made me cringe every time I looked at them. Due to all the necessary repairs, they were here for 14 days. Each day they were on time, put in a good day's work, and were polite, cheerful, and honest. I've found that a lot of painters like to work with Benjamin Moore paint. I have a thing about Farrow and Ball, and they worked with it, without complaint. Roberto was exceptionally quick about getting me all the necessary paperwork for the co-op approval, and I was able to get it signed off on just about instantaneously. Highly recommended.

I had a really great experience working with Roberto, Jose, and team. They took on a big job of…read morerestoring the original molding throughout our brownstone apartment. They also finished our 2nd bedroom for an upcoming baby nursery including custom built shelves. Their attention to detail and persistence throughout a challenging project was top notch! I'd definitely work with them again!

From calling to make an appointment, to having the wallpaper installed, Sash was very professional…read morethroughout the entire process. He was very knowledgeable and helpful and answered any questions we had prior to him coming. Sash and his helper arrived on time to our apartment and completed the job very quick. We were stunned at how great the wallpaper came out. They type we chose was textured and as he said one of the hardest wallpapers to install... But, they did an amazing job. You cannot see any lines. The wallpaper is smooth the whole wall. I would definitely recommend this company for sure. Their price was reasonable, too. I was also pleased to learn that they do other type of home improvement work also. We will definitely be hiring them again for future work!

Used Sash to wallpaper the powder bathroom in our apartment and were absolutely thrilled with the…read moreresults! Having no experience with the process, I appreciated that Sash was a one-stop-shop and could help me from beginning to end. Sash helped me wade through the different styles of wallpaper available and understand the pros/cons, as well as helping me stay within a particular price-point as I was making my decisions. Was very helpful that he ordered the wallpaper - the design I chose had a repeating pattern that needed to be lined up - he ordered just enough to cover the walls so we had a little left over for any future touch ups, etc. I wanted to have our bathroom done within a very specific (and quick!) timeline and he was extremely accommodating. I spoke to him about the products / services he offers on a Thursday, set up an appointment to meet him on a Friday, had the wallpaper delivered by Tuesday, and on the bathroom wall by Thursday. Absolutely fantastic! Him, and his colleague were very professional and timely in putting up the wallpaper - I felt comfortable leaving them in my apartment to do the installation and have received numerous compliments on the job they did.