Review for Sheila Botke, Avalon Interior Designs…read more March 2014 By Stephanie T., retired teacher I bought my 1955 "mid-century modern" house in SE last July, and immediately began a lot of much-needed updating and remodeling. A few weeks later, when I was about to decide on my paint colors, an acquaintance suggested I might want to meet with a really good interior designer he knew named Sheila Botke - just for a short consultation. I kept putting off calling her. I guess I was feeling a little bit nervous and intimidated since I'd never worked with a designer before. I just couldn't imagine myself flipping through books of brocade fabric swatches with a designer -- choking at prices I would never be able to afford. Well, happily, it turned out that my fears were unfounded. I ended up feeling totally at ease with Sheila and actually having a really good time with her. She's not only exceptionally good at what she does, but she's also just a super sweet person who's a lot of fun to be around. She has a wide variety of resources to draw from. She can show you beautiful samples of anything you're needing, from blinds and curtains, to rugs and paint colors. I loved the interesting "outside the box" ideas and samples she came up with. Very creative and cool! She knows all the great retail and wholesale sources as well, and will shop with you for tile, lighting, couches... whatever you need. Having a designer that's well-connected in the trade community is a big plus. I used her hardwood floor guy and her painter and can't say enough about the quality of their work. Nothing fell through the cracks, thanks to Sheila's diligence. She had my back the entire time my remodel was going on -- catching others' mistakes and putting out small fires before they turned into real issues. She made time for me no matter how hectic her schedule was, always making sure I had what I need when I needed it! Wow. Pretty impressive. Knowledgeable about code as well as colors, she has a discerning eye for detail. I just can't imagine finding a better designer than Sheila. She's a natural at what she does. She's got the gift of being able to look at a space, indoors or out, and know just how to transform it into something that REALLY works. I call it Sheila Magic. ;-) Totally professional, extremely knowledgeable, and a real joy to work with...that's Sheila. Don't hesitate to call her and see for yourself.

We are soooo grateful that we sought out the expert advice of Sheila Botke at Avalon Interior…read moreDesign when we decided to paint the exterior of our house! She was so patient and helpful as she guided us through the process of considering our roof color, adjacent brick color, permanent window trim color before we decided on a color for the body of our house. We are ecstatic about the final result - and so are our neighbors!!

We recently moved from out of state and needed help making our home feel like home. During a trip…read moreout here before the move, Jennifer met with us and we were able to quickly choose paint colors for each room. The process was so painless resulting in rich, warm and inviting wall colors. Jennifer also drew up a plan to create an office space for me. It's so special, like my private clubhouse. Plus, she's creating a warm and unique living area for us by using some of our old furniture and adding new furniture, carpet, and window coverings. Jennifer has a positive attitude that's contagious. Communication is timely. I love her honesty. She has a talent for blending items that were my grandmother's with more contemporary pieces and visa versa by finding antiques that add style and warmth to new purchases. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed with the thought of creating a home that reflected our tastes without taking years to do it. I wanted Jennifer to kick me out of my rut with fresh ideas yet help create a home that still felt like "me". The result is beautiful. Thanks to Jennifer, my home feels like it's my vision, not someone else's. Our next project: Jennifer will create an office/engineering lab space for my husband. I know it will be both practical and an appealing place to live/work.

I have had the pleasure of working with Jennifer on two projects at my home. The first project was…read morean outdoor patio area that was lacking panache. I did not have a clear design concept in mind when I hired Jennifer to help me. At the start of the project, Jennifer walked the area with me, inquired about my preferred color palette and asked about the budget. Once she had those facts, she quickly pulled together 3 different concepts that leveraged my existing furniture. I was amazed that Jennifer could take the limited information I gave her and turn it into a fabulous concept. Once we agreed on the new pieces, she handled the ordering, delivery and installation like a professional. From start to finish the project was perfect. Jennifer was also instrumental in a redesign of my guest bedroom. Jennifer met with me, toured the room, took measurements and established my budget. She carefully incorporated pieces that I owned and loved and amped up the design with carefully selected linens, furniture and finishing touches. She turned a room that I liked into a room that I love.

Emma was so great to work with. She was very helpful with selecting just the right exterior color…read morecombination. She listened to what we had in mind, and gave us a few recommendations to choose from. She was patient with us and sent us a mockup of our house, so we could see what it would like like. Overall, we were super impressed with her services and professionalism. Highly recommend, if you are as bad at making decisions as we are!

Emma came to my house to help with the color selection of my kitchen cabinets, and a coordinating…read morecolor for my Island, built-in bookcase and mantle. Emma is very professional and prompt. I appreciated the fact that she gave her honest opinions, especially, when I started down the wrong design track. After we choose the colors, Emma brought me back large color boards so I could see the color better. The next step, Emma was able to get me a rendering of my kitchen with my selected colors on my cabinets in a very timely manner. This helped me to be confident in the colors we choose together. My painting has been done for over a month now. We all love the colors and I have recommended Emma and Olive Wood Color Consulting to friends.

I hired Allison as my interior designer for my new home and am absolutly thrilled with the results…read more She was very professional, creative, and attentive to my needs and preferences. She listened to my ideas and gave me great feedback as well as worked within my budget. She and her team were able to coordinate with our builder and even came up with some changes to the plans that worked even better. Allsion has a great sense of style and color. She managed to turn our home into a cozy and elegant space that reflected the style I requested. She chose the furniture, accessories, appliances, lighting, rugs, knobs, bathroom accessories and other items that matched the theme and mood I wanted. She also added some personal touches, such as a framed print I loved and photos of my husband and me. I would highly recommend Allison to anyone looking for an interior designer. She is talented, reliable, and easy to work and did I mention a dynamite personality. She has a portfolio of her previous work on her website, where you can also find her contact information. She is truly a gem and my husband and I are so thankful we found her!!

My husband and I recently bought a beautiful refinished craftsman in Portland, and wanted to be…read moresure to showcase the house, since it had so much character and beauty, and we weren't sure how to fit our eclectic mix of art in with the more formal character of the house. Allison and her team made it very easy to envision, plan, and execute our design. Allison and her team were very communicative and easy to work with, finding times that fit with our busy schedule, and keeping us up to date on all the logistics that we needed to know about while behind the scenes doing all the tedious things we can't manage ourselves. They found us amazing furniture but also came in and used our existing extensive art collection to make our house a stunning show piece that I keep walking through, feeling like I'm on a design show. We love bold, rich colors and bohemian accents, and lots of them, so it can easily feel cluttered, but Allison and the team helped us find a way to showcase our pieces and still feel clean and homey. Bonus points: they came in and installed the furniture while we were away on a vacation, so we came home to a magazine-perfect home, and it was so exciting! I couldn't be happier!

I recently had Melinda paint the inside of my home, and I couldn't be happier with the results. She…read moreworks quickly without sacrificing quality, and I really appreciated how well she adjusted to my schedule and timing. It made the whole process so much smoother and stress-free. her pricing is outstanding and so much more reasonable than anyone around the NW. The finished work looks beautiful, and I'd definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a skilled and reliable painter!

Melinda has done a fantastic job with any project I've placed in front of her. If she can't do it,…read moreshe'll recommend someone who can. She's painted trim, doors, built-ins, walls, bathroom cabinets, and ceilings for us. She is a hard, conscientious worker and has very good customer service. This is why I keep coming back to her again and again and why I recommend her to my friends.

I am so fortunate to have found Erin Marshall at Kismet Design. Since we are elderly and…read morehandicapped, Erin designed a bathroom that is both safe and luxurious. She is a great listener and so easy to work with. We couldn't be happier.

I have been a fan of Erin for years and recently had her work on the remodel of my condo. I was…read morereally impressed by the depth of her knowledge and experience as well as her amazing design skills. From selecting finishes and flooring to picking a contractor, she really was indispensable and a great value. She saved me from some expensive mistakes and it was a great experience.

We began the process of building a custom-designed home in April 2013, and shortly after breaking…read moreground in June we realized WE WERE IN WAY OVER OUR HEAD! So we went on the search for design assistance, and found Leela & Alissa just in time. Honestly, we would have made one hundred thousand million mistakes without them. For example... (1) We would have designed a kitchen with an oven door that would not fully open (2) We would have had tile installed that was not symmetrical (3) We would have selected dark mahogany floors AND HATED THEM I mean the list goes on, but I feel like those examples show the detail that goes into functional interior design. It's not all pillows and light fixtures here people, these ladies have architectural experience to guide on the topics that you would have had no clue about until after the fact. When they stare you glaringly in the face every day and irritate you to no end. It's important to acknowledge that most builders and most subcontractors really don't care about the details and the over functionality of the design. Which is why when you get into massive home design projects it's key to have a guru who is paying attention to these details. I fully believe that Alissa & Leela are capable of tackling any style, however they really excel at successfully achieving a contemporary modern aesthetic. Which is a perfect fit for us because that's also what we love. So the conversations felt natural and felt mostly easy, and the special touches they suggested were right up our alley. More examples... (1) Concrete poured mantle (2) Cabinet doors for the AV console that are slated walnut (3) A beautiful waterfall white quartz island in the kitchen (4) A low shelf in the kitchen for displaying every day plates, glasses etc (5) Gorgeous custom entry wall paper that is a map of my hometown Their approach is unique. Thoughtful. Clean. Practical. And more than anything, very personal. They actively listened and ultimately helped us build a modern marvel! We are incredibly grateful that we found them when we did.

This review is based on the process of getting a bid from Bright…read more I was looking for some advice about fitting out a work/play space in my home. I wanted to hire someone to meet with me in the space, bounce some ideas, advise me on what was realistic, etc. I was willing and able to pay a high hourly rate for this service. I was also, separately looking for someone to come advise me on color flow throughout the house. Although they did respond to messages and provide another recommended outside designer, I was turned away from getting a consult because we weren't a good fit. They wouldn't send someone to do a consult with me! As an artistic service professional myself, I can read between those lines and I was really put off by the experience. The company has a beautiful portfolio, but apparently do not want to service a smaller residential customer who doesn't have a personal connection or in with them. I can respect "not a fit" but felt it was used as a line with me - boo!

Can't say enough about Isabella. From start to finish, she is a professional who can get even the…read moresmallest details correct. Isabella has a great sense of what designs are both in style, but will stand the test of time (so you aren't left with a home 10 years down the road with a bathroom which was contemporary 10 years ago, but is now out of style and is going to be a hastle to sell). Her use/knowledge of lighting and traditional materials makes a space feel so open and vibrant. Our team loves working with her on all types of remodels. We highly recommend her to every client looking to redesign their home. The JDI Construction Team.

Isabella was extremely responsive and professional. She was able to discuss the project and turn…read morearound professional designs and drawings within a day. She was open to feedback and her follow up was top notch. 10/10 would hire her again.