After going through two interior designers and ending up very unhappy, I was hesitant when a friend suggested we meet with Max Gough, of Maximillian Designs. We are very happy we did! Max really listened to our needs (and budget) and brought surprising elements into our home. He pulled our look together and our house looks fantastic (except for the room he hasn't done - yet!) He was extremely professional and an absolute joy to work with. I highly recommend him. read more

I live in a small studio apartment with my husband and adorable pug. Hubby works from home and we were struggling to organize our space in a way that would allow us to have work spaces and living space. Max came by for a consultation and vastly improved the layout of our space! Truth be told, you can only rearrange your 5 pieces of furniture so many times before you run out of ideas. He gave us a lot of great suggestions to open up the room and picked some colors and designs to really bring the room together. We implemented a lot of his suggestions and my home was transformed! I will also say that we had a good experience working with Max. He was comfortable working within our budget and was super nice when he came by our apartment to take a look. I would work with him again should we need a designer again or move into a bigger space. read more

My house was and still is under construction and even though the majority of my personal things are packed up and gone Max still came in and helped me with paint color options for each room. He was very patient, asked alot of questions, and worked very diligently for several hours. The time flew by because he has such an engaging personality and a brilliant sense of humor! A true professional and I would definitely call on him in the future for any painting and decorating needs! A real gem! Forgot to say that my house hasn't been painted in its entirety yet so I can't review the paint colors, however, my kitchen was painted in the color we chose and I love it! It is called "Quiet Moments" by Benjamin Moore. I like it because it can look either blue or green depending on the light. So far so good! The other rooms will be painted very soon! Can't wait to see the rest of the color choices! Thanks again, Max! :) read more

In August 2010, my family & I purchased a home in Santa Monica. Instead of figuring it out along the way as we've always done, we vowed to take a more strategic approach and utilize a designer to provide that fresh start. I've always been quite creative in thought, yet never knew how to translate that into a living space. Instead, our places were always safe: mainly black and white, contemporary with splatters of color throughout. The truth is, I love color and eclectic taste and highly appreciate such beauty when I see it. The trick is arriving there in a natural way. Admittedly, I don't have that ability. I found Max through his strong Yelp reviews. From there I referenced his website to get a feel of him as a person & as a designer. His website is very straight-forward and provides a taste of his ability. I gave him a call & was impressed with his prompt call-back. He struck me as very down-to-earth and attentive on the phone. Flash forward to his visit: he graciously reviewed samples of what has inspired us decoratively: mostly hotels & paintings. We wanted to really push the envelope wall color wise, especially in our bedroom (a very dark, rich purple). He embraced our desire for risk and took us to that next level (a place we'd never have the confidence to arrive at on our own accord). Further, he suggested the exact palate throughout our entire home--colors which liven the senses and inspire us everyday. In addition, he took measurements and provided the exact recommended layout for each furniture piece (mind you, without a single piece of furniture in the house (we brought pictures)). Max Gough is a kind, down-to-earth, trustworthy individual. We look forward to further utilizing him for 'next-level' design needs. Once we can move past the shock from the immense expenses associated with purchasing a home and investing in move-in-readiness, we wouldn't hesitate to have Max add some final layers of creative genius. read more

I recently bought a townhouse that hadn't been touched in a decade or more. I didn't have the time or money to make redecorating a big project, but the townhouse had some design features (Mexican tile floors, a gigantic fireplace, and fugly brown tile counters and bathrooms) that put my design-challenged self at a loss. What I need is advice for small projects as I go - nothing big enough to merit a whole rigmarole with interviewing decorators, looking at plans, making big decisions, etc. For my first project, all I wanted was someone to help me pick paint colors that worked with the features I inherited. I needed to do this in a hurry, as I had only about a month between purchase, getting all the contractors working, and moving in. Enter Max's "Apartment Botox" package. It was the PERFECT solution. For that he took a look at my new place in its raw state, and took a look at my furniture to get a sense of my style, and then he got a bunch of paint samples and we spent some time putting splotches up all around the place, so I could best make my decisions (and word to the wise, let the paint dry overnight it really does look different 24 hours later). In addition to those choices, he gave me a good sense of what to look for when I went to the paint store myself for additional colors. Max also gave me general advice to chew on as I go on to pick carpets, curtains and other things I'll need to think about. Max encouraged me to try a bold color in the bedroom I never in a million years would have thought of, and now that the new place is painted I can't believe how great it looks. My place looks like it could be on an episode of HGTV. There's no question when the next project arises (changing out the fugly brown tile, or maybe just buying curtains!), Max will be the one that I call. read more

I had the best experience working with the principle designer of Maximillian Designs, Max Gough. He has an incredibly rich interior design background and is extremely talented when it comes to creating beautiful interiors. He is great at listening to your wants and needs and then translating it into reinventing your home. He can work with you if you are on budget as well with his amazing home Botox package, which allows anyone to give their space that needed face lift. I highly recommend Maximillian Designs! read more

I moved into my condo 2 years ago, and hadn't really done anything with it...I enjoy design, but I felt overwhelmed and uncertain about how to decorate my place, plus I'm on a REALLY tight budget. Max's "Apartment Botox" was the PERFECT thing for me, and he was awesome and just such a god send. He helped me realize a way to achieve some big visual results by doing very simple and cost effective things, from picking some paint colors for my living room, to finding some really stylish outdoor furniture for my roof deck , making it the PREFERRED destination amongst my friends for warm weather get togethers! read more

Max just left our apartment after giving it the Apartment Botox that it was in serious need of. We have quite an eclectic mix of stuff, but Max made it look unified, fabulous and hip! We were struck by the energy with which he attacked the project, getting things done immediately and creating a great look for the apartment in a few hours. Max is absolutely money well spent. read more

If I could give no stars I would. My only sister passed away Dec 19th. Just short of a couple of weeks after first meeting Max. We had been so excited to use this service and really loved Max's energy. When we recently put our lives back together reconnected with Max, he told us our up front payment was no longer enough for him to provide the service he promised us. I guess there's a timeline for grieving and it correlates to Max's interest in a project. Buyer beware. read more

Max Gough is an excellent designer. First and foremost, he is incredibly collaborative. He doesn't just blow in and say "this is how it has to be;" rather, he listened to my ideas and offered suggestions to enhance and polish them. Even when I felt like I was going out of my comfort zone, he was so enthusiastic and confident in his choices that I was willing to try -- and the results were amazing and kept me invested and excited to do more. I actually felt like I was learning about design and broadening my aesthetic throughout the process -- of course, it helps that Max is an encyclopedia of important moments in fashion, design and pop-culture. But most importantly, he gave my home the upgrade I was hoping for, and made what I assumed would be a tedious process something completely fun and exciting. read more

Thoughtful & thorough on all size projects Maximillian Designs lives up to what it says on their homepage "for those interested in living beautifully". Their work extends from a whole house re-do, a room or two or a 3 hour consultation to advise you on paint color, space planning & how to freshen up your decor based on what you have. Maximillian Designs has just added a "home spa menu" which offers services from a quick "botox" to a "spa day" to a "space lift". Genius! This allowed me to do a refresh and know exactly what I was getting into. I'm thinking about giving "botox" to a friend for her birthday. read more

Max is a great guy and really fun to work with. I really enjoyed our day picking paint colors, buying samples and putting them up on the wall to see if they work. He taught me a lot about color selection in the process. read more