It took me way too long to write this because the experience was so infuriating I needed time to…read moreeven process it. But if I can stop one person from wasting their time and money the way I did, then it's worth it.
If you want to pay a ton of $$ for a team to put generic bins in your drawers, offer zero actual design value, be incredibly dishonest, and gaslight you when you push back--congratulations, you've found your dream company.
For everyone else: avoid Composed Living at all costs.
Let's start with the basics: I hired them thinking they would help me create a smart, tailored organizational system across several areas of my home. I was told they offered personalized solutions, elevated product selections, and design-level attention to detail. What I got? The exact opposite.
Before hiring them, I explicitly told them I'd worked with The Home Edit for our last home and hated the outcome: cheap-looking containers with a cluttered aesthetic. The woman I spoke with swore up and down that Composed Living would never do anything like that. "Oh my god," she said, "I can't believe The Home Edit gave you that--we would never." And then? That's exactly what they did.
They gave me the exact same bins I told them I didn't want. Not similar--identical.
They told me they'd take measurements and would create customized solutions. What I got was generic containers shoved into drawers, and a high-end Elfa closet system from The Container Store that was so poorly planned I now have to pay someone else to redo it. The closet design didn't account for my items or layout at all. The design was lazy, sloppy, and wildly overpriced.
Now, look--if there are container limitations under the sink, fine. Be honest about it. Say that upfront. But instead, they told me on the intake call (before I hired them) that "we always find a way to make it work," "it always looks gorgeous," and "it would never resemble what The Home Edit did for you in your last home." But then the end result was IDENTICAL.
And the pricing? I was told there would be no markup if I bought containers through them. When I checked the receipts against Container Store prices, it looked like there was. To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe The Container Store quietly lowered prices during that time, or maybe I made an error. But to be honest, it felt shady. I strongly recommend you price match every product if you decide to go with this company--don't take their word for it.
But regardless, nothing compares to what happened next.
When I raised my concerns and asked for a refund, Elsa (the founder) agreed to give me one. She acknowledged that it hadn't met expectations. But shortly after? She flipped. She became defensive, condescending, and implied I was misrepresenting my reaction to the work. Then--and this still blows my mind--she retracted the full refund offer.
Let me repeat that: this company offered a full refund, then changed their mind. That is one of the most unprofessional, shady, and unethical things I've ever seen from a business. See the screenshots attached.
In the end, they refunded me half. And I was left with:
* A generic, one-size-fits-all under-sink setup using the exact containers I said I didn't want from the initial phone call
* A poorly executed, high-end closet system I now have to pay someone else to fix
* Absolutely no meaningful organizational system, my housekeeper could've done better for a fraction of the cost
* And way too many hours wasted going back and forth with a company that does not value honesty, craftsmanship, or basic customer service
Composed Living is a textbook example of smoke and mirrors--lots of curated Instagram photos, glowing five-star reviews (none of which reflect the reality I experienced), and the most horrific customer service I've ever seen.
If you value your time, your money, and your home, do not hire this company. There are countless organizers who do better work, with more integrity, for less money. This one is all branding and no substance.