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    Helena Tiainen

    5.0 (2 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

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    Studio KDA

    Studio KDA

    (1 review)

    West Berkeley

    We hired Kahn Design Associates to design a single-family 3-bedroom family home in the Berkeley…read morehills where we could live out our retirement years. I cannot find enough superlatives to describe our experience in working with both Charles and his associate, Halle, both of whom helped us with all the planning and decisions involved in building a house from the ground up. As the senior member of the firm, Charles not only guided us through the architectural challenges of building on a hillside, but he also gave us the emotional support we sometimes needed as obstacles and frustrations with the process presented themselves. Charles and Halle helped us stay within our budget, keeping spreadsheets about costs updated, and designed a home for us that met all of our expectations. As good listeners, they turned our ideas into practical plans and designs that worked. When guests come by now that the house is finished, their first comment is almost always, "Wow -- who was your architect? This is just beautiful. . . love the high celings -- and the windows frame the view in virtually every room. Someone really had vision." Yes, these architects have both vision and common sense. They turned an architectural vision into our reality. We could not be happier with the result. We would recommend KDA to anyone who is looking for competence, fairness, and integrity in the process of making a building dream come true.

    From the owner: Studio KDA provides a full range of architectural services including:…read more Feasibility Analysis Site Planning & Programming Conceptual Design Interior Design Construction Documents & Permitting Bid Assistance Construction Administration Prototype/Identity Development Graphic Design Post Occupancy Assistance

    Fireclay Tile

    Fireclay Tile

    (8 reviews)

    Fourth Street, West Berkeley

    Unfortunately, we are very disappointed with Fireclay customer service. Our order has been delayed…read morepast the original estimate and we have not received consistent updates. This has been a huge inconvenience. Wish we had known this when choosing Fireclay. In the future, we will take our business elsewhere.

    We did a whole house remodel and I chose Fireclay Tile for our kids' bathroom. I went to the…read moreshowroom in Berkeley and worked with Anastasia. I cannot say enough good things. She was so patient, knowledgable and invested (excited even!) about my project. She thought through a bunch of options with me and even had her design team mock up renderings so I could visualize the installed tile. There was a 6-8 week lead time on the tile but it was worth the wait. She also introduced me to the Fireclay installation team and they ended up doing the tile installation for our whole house (including rooms that did not utilize Fireclay brand tiles). The installation team was professional, thorough, communicative and friendly. They consulted me about every preference and option and didn't do anything without my enthusiastic approval. We used a lot of antique tiles and uneven natural stones and they installed it all with care and precision. They were truly some of my favorite subcontractors of our whole project! Our kids' bathroom still isn't done...still waiting on cabinetry and paint but the tile is perfect and I was excited to post this review. Will try to add pics later :)

    California Closets - Berkeley - Women's Closet in Umbrian Oak Lago Finish with LED lit shelving

    California Closets - Berkeley

    (45 reviews)

    Fourth Street, West Berkeley

    Alright. The silver lining ... we are happy with the end product. Was it an ordeal? Yes. Did it…read moretake forever? Yes. Would we recommend.... Depends on your timeline. Here is the timeline: Feb 18: We called and got a virtual appointment on the last week of Feb 2024. Carlos was good. We had our dimensions and he gave us options with his fancy 3D software. Mar 4: walk through at our house. March 29: Closet install Apr 18: Return to correct issues identified March 29 w/ installer. Note, we wanted the same installer. We even waited a week later for the same installer bc we want to limit the number of strangers in our home. Yep, you guessed it. Some random installer came. He fixed one of two issues. He didn't even have the part for the second issue. Need to schedule another appointment. May 17: Third and final visit. All is well. As you can see, it took awhile. Customer service was good. I have no complaints. My only issue is it took FOREVER to get this done. As for price, it was cheaper than the Costco folks by a few hundred. Honestly, we probably would have went with Costco if the seller was not so pushy. It's that sellers pushy and rude attitude that made us come here. Carlos was awesome and not pushy at all.

    We worked with the California Closet Roseville store just east of Sacramento. We wanted to install…read morea Murphy bed in a studio apartment above a garage. Murphy beds are expensive and we also understood from a neighbor that "self assembly/install" options could take upwards of a day. We checked into a variety of options, many of which didn't seem to have California Closet's quality or ability to customize. Our consultant was extraordinarily patient with our agonizing over costs and options. We were at first put off that even getting an estimate required an in-home estimate. Fast forward: Our California Closets Murphy bed is installed and about a year old. It's quality is amazing and the bed itself is very comfortable (we went with their mattress as well). The built in side tables are very functional. Our consultant and installation team was very accommodating about including "non-California Closet" details like handles, lights and grommets for outlets/USB ports (we just had to provide them, including the right size drill bit). In short we got exactly what we wanted and needed. The installers were very professional, accommodating and skilled. It was an investment, but we couldn't be happier with the results. We were glad we went with California Closets.

    Joshua Tree Artisans' Collective

    Joshua Tree Artisans' Collective

    (4 reviews)

    $$$

    West Berkeley

    I ordered a beautiful custom made coffee table from Matthew Donovan at Joshua Tree for my office…read more It is his yin yang design, which means I can use it as one round coffee table or each side of the design functions as its own table as well. The wood is gorgeous, with subtle lines and a warm reddish tone. His detailing was beautiful with an elegant three legged design. It is, however, somewhat unstable due to the three legged design. If you put something heavy on one side it can topple, so I see it as a design piece that is functional, within reason. I thought the price was reasonable given the artistry ($350) and he was a joy to work with in developing the measurements I needed.

    I cannot comment on the overall respectability of the Joshua Tree Collective as my experience was…read morelimited to one of the members. What this implies for the collective as a whole I leave to the reader. Long story short: I had plans/blueprints and sent them to the Joshua Tree Collective. I was contacted a few days later (07-31-13) by Mr. Jonathan Perkins. He agreed to build the shelf and assured me that he "can finish it with in a couple of weeks for you." I contacted him several times, but nothing happened. When I emailed him and the Collective six months later, he finally said he would refund my money. Long story long: After I initially contacted the Collective, one of the Collective, a Mr. Jonathan Perkins, and I exchanged a few emails about this shelf, and he assured me that he "can finish it with in a couple of weeks for you." Some things in his life went badly, I was told, so he could/would not follow through with the commitments he made to do his job to build this shelf. That would have been nice to know, but Mr. Perkins did not acknowledge that and offer to refund of my deposit immediately. Instead, he maintained that he would build the shelf. As I would have preferred to have a shelf to a refund, I acquiesced. Before I unexpectedly moved back to Seattle in September 2013, I notified Jonathan Perkins about that I would be moving and that I was concerned about the yet-to-be-seen shelf. On September 1, he wrote "your CD shelf will be in your home soon." Well, I moved to Seattle without the shelf and told Mr. Perkins I would be returning in late November to move the rest of our stuff. On October 22, he wrote back, in part, "I expect you will have your CD shelf by Turkey day." That never happened. On December 4, over five months after contracting Mr. Perkins to build the shelf, I was foolishly still hoping to get this shelf. I assumed it was near completion, so I emailed Jonathan Perkins. The next day he wrote "I will get the cd shelf to your home Seattle, shipping at my expense asap." Apparently ASAP does not mean what I think it means. December 23 I email him (and the Collective) that "I expect a full refund or a shipping confirmation number within two weeks." By his own estimation, I should have had this shelf by mid-August, not early January. At this point, it would have been glaringly obvious to him that it was just not going to happen and that he should refund my down payment post haste. Um, no. He wrote on January 6 that "I'm sending out a refund check today." After almost exactly two weeks, taking it right to the brink, just like a good, honorable man. Magically, it did not get post-marked for two more days. Yet again, his integrity remains "intact." That a "person" of this sort is a member of the Joshua Tree Collective causes me to deeply question this organization. If I still lived in Mountain View, I would happily look ANYWHERE else for woodworking services (or any other services or products). This Jonathan Perkins is a liar who cannot be trusted, is despicable, brings only shame to those who knowingly affiliate themselves with him, and (if the collective is of decent people) should be cast-out from said collective (and stoned).

    Miss Clutter

    Miss Clutter

    (66 reviews)

    Outer Richmond

    Not to be dramatic but Miss Clutter is life changing! I needed help with my living space because it…read morewas cluttered with toys and books and no matter how hard we tried we couldn't keep it organized (we have a 3 and 5 year old) We tried to organize ourselves but it didn't work so I was curious when I discovered Miss Clutter because in my mind I was thinking "what can they do differently" And they exceeded my expectations and it's like they are magic! The first step was Danielle came to our home for the initial assessment which was helpful and so worth the additional cost because she helped us brainstorm so we could get ready for they came for the actual declutter and organization. She just has the eye for where things can go and how to reuse what you have to make it work. She says she's not an interior designer but she does appreciate "eye candy" so to me that's all I want. After meeting with her I knew we wanted to use her and her company to help! Also side note- Danielle is just the sweetest person and when I met her I just felt like she was an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time, you'll love her! The second step was she gave us a wishlist and we ordered things so it would be here and ready! Danielle was awesome with giving different suggestions for bins ect so that it would match the aesthetic needs I was looking for. She also brought things from the container store on the actual day of the decluttering. The third step was the actual process of cluttering and organizing ! We had Fernanda and Klara come and they were nothing short of spectacular! They were so friendly and kind and loved my kids and dog! They are both hard workers and I know we'll use miss clutter again in the future and I want both of them to come to my home! They were efficient and so organized and had great ideas for items I didn't quite have places for. After the whole process was completed my kids have been able to put things back where they are supposed to go and my living room is not a mess anymore and it honestly feels like a miracle! I can't thank Miss clutter and the whole team enough! I will be using them again in the future and if my husband gifted me miss clutter for a birthday-anniversary I would be thrilled because an organized house = organized mind set = happy wife = happy life

    UPDATE: Literally as I posted this review, I got a call from Danielle. She offered me a discount…read morefor the disappointment or her time and expertise for the systems I need in place. I am floored by her customer service and true desire to deliver for her clients. I stand by my experience, but stand by even more by Danielle's desire to deliver to her clients. *** Miss Clutter sends hard-working people to your home to organize things. I was a bit disappointed by the experience, because what I truly needed were systems put in place better than what I already had in place. The lead organizer did suggest a wonderful fix for an issue I had, so I appreciated and was grateful for her thoughts on the kids' art corner. Really grateful fix with furniture I already had in the home. Wonderful win! But I didn't get any other suggestions or any issue-spotting from the lead, nor suggestions on how to improve flow in the home. I suppose my own experience with other declutter businesses--like House of Love with Colleen Collins--outshined this one because I am a tired mom who needs someone to lend their mental energy to figure things out for me: how to better organize the kids' clothes, how to create flow for my own clothes and how to create a more peaceful office. Instead, I found myself directing the helpers on what I wanted because they did not have much to add in terms of solutions or issue-spotting. Even in terms of decluttering, when I asked whether I should get rid of a particular item, the answer was "It is up to you." I know it is up to me, but o need your help. That is why I'm spending thousands of dollars on help: because I am tired and need your advice and help to declutter, and see if I have issues in my home. Danielle said she could see several issues in my home based on the videos I sent her, but I didn't really get any advice on those issues. I suppose that is why it is really helpful having Danielle's input, but she never made it. She said she was going to stop by, but was unable to. I texted her afterwards, and she sent me some entryway products, but that was the extent of her input. Another pain point was when I needed to declutter the kid bookshelf. The lead suggested I look through it and see what I wanted to get rid of. I had to ask her to remove all the books so that I could go through them one by one, then have them put them back. I know it was the end of the day, but we had at least 30 minutes and I was surprised that I had to request them to remove the items. It's hard to declutter a bookshelf when the books are stacked on the shelf. There were other examples of how I had to ask them to remove all the items so I can make decluttering choices. They did not ask whether I had other kid books/clothes/items in any part of the house, so there might have been items that missed review. As long as you come into the situation knowing that it might just be people organizing, you'll have a great experience. They make everything look beautiful and clean. I'm a mom of two kids, so the places that only saw things folded and put back will sadly last for a couple of weeks only, but if that is your aim, then you've found the right business. I hate to write a review like this, because the three people worked SO HARD and were so kind. But I felt like I was sold on one product and given another for the same expensive price tag.

    Helena Tiainen - interiordesign - Updated May 2026

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