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    Monk's Design Studio

    4.9 (18 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    New Kitchen

    In 2021 we decided to update our kitchen/dining room area. We had some ideas but wanted a highly capable company to take us through the process. After much research and references, we selected Monk's Home Improvement. We decided to add the original dining room to the kitchen layout. This meant removing a separating wall. With the space now about 1/3 larger we worked with our designer at Monk's, Denise, to layout our kitchen, choose cabinets, decide on counters, make decisions on lighting, choose colors, hardware and tile. With the design software Denise utilizes we were given remarkable computer-generated renderings with which we could visualize our new kitchen. There was a 7 month lead-time for the cabinets and it turned out the was a 7 month lead-time for our appliances as well. In March the cabinets and appliances arrived. We were assigned an overall project manager, Chris, who got the ball rolling with a pre-work meeting to present the project schedule. It was Chris' job to maintain the schedule, overcome construction issues (there were a few) and communicate with us. Chris is high-energy and knowledgeable so he was perfect. He was at our house every day for 10 minutes to an hour. There were 10 milestones to the project: 1. Demolition of the existing kitchen, including all cabinets; removing a ceramic tile floor; removing the wall; dead-ending electrical wiring and plumbing, removing the existing window, etc 2. Installing a wood floor which matched the existing wood floors in our home 3. Installing a new, much larger window over the sink 4. Sheetrocking the walls and the ceiling 5. Prep painting everything 6. Installing the cabinets 7. Running new plumbing and electric 8. Installing lights 9. Installing appliances 10. Final painting The project took about two months, which is what Monk's told us it would take. I found myself calling Chris a few times when it seemed like the progress was slow; my wife reminded me to be patient. In retrospect a couple things about Monk's stand out: * The designer did an unbelievable job. * The project manager is essential to keeping things on track and having one person to communicate with. * Each of the crews were competent, CLEAN and COURTEOUS, especially important since they were in our house for 2 months. * The subcontractors (electric and plumbing) knew their stuff. Everyone who has been in our house loves our kitchen; but not as much as we do. We would use Monk's again for future projects and have recommended them to our friends.

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    10 years ago

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    Ty M.

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    8 months ago

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    1 year ago

    We're very happy with the new master bath window shutters. Once again, Ward and Bill did a GREAT job. Thank you!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    So far the design process as been great. Denise is very good at design and listened to what I wanted. I would definitely use Monks again

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The best service, quality work and hands down the greatest company we have worked with. Don't bother looking elsewhere.

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    Review Highlights - Monk's Design Studio

    Working with Anina on our new kitchen in Short Hills, she demonstrated her experience and talent design.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Speedwell Design Center - The owner reviewing plans in Speedwell Design Center's warehouse for a commercial project he is working on.

    Speedwell Design Center

    (12 reviews)

    I was looking to buy honeycomb insulated shades for my new home's windows and I remembered…read moreborrowing a sample book from Speedwell Design a few years ago when I specified HunterDouglas shades for one of my clients. So I made an appointment with Kathy Nigro and she ended up showing me all the different options and pricing, from the way the shades open ("Ultraglide" / "Literise" / motorized) to the different thicknesses of the honeycomb shades, to the different fabrics, colors, patterns and opacities. I gave her a window schedule with measurements so that she could give me a quote. The quote came back at what I expected (HunterDouglas shades are not cheap) and it included some discounts. Kathy let me know that if I waited a few weeks, an additional discount from the manufacturer was going to go into effect, so I waited. During this time, I brought my wife in and Kathy gave the whole presentation over again for her. My wife made the final color selections and we were good to go pending the discount. When the time came, the discount was related to the "Literise" system and it saved me a decent amount of money. I gave the go ahead and a measurement day was scheduled. The guy who came was on time and was very respectful and friendly. It took about 3 weeks for the shades to be fabricated. When they were ready the same guy came to install them and again he was professional and courteous. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I would recommend Speedwell Design if you are interested in HunterDouglas shades.

    Good selection of flooring in the showroom. The installation was quick and it looks great!read more

    Gemini Design Group - Branchburg- view to hood

    Gemini Design Group

    (8 reviews)

    I met Carla several years ago playing tennis together. I learned she had a design business, and…read morekept that in mind as we were considering redoing our master bathroom. Several years later we decided to reach out to Carla for her opinion on a redesign of our 1990's bathroom. Carla came up with a great design to maximize and enhance the space, including a jetted tub and larger shower. Working with Carla was easy and she asked great questions to make us think about what we really needed and wanted. Carla also helped us avoid costly mistakes. She came up with some great solutions for our backsplash, counters, tiles, and hardware. The trades she recommended were also very good to work with. I would not hesitate to recommend Carla to others and use her in the future for any redesign projects.

    We are very happy we chose Carla Gaeta, owner of Gemini Design Group, to design our new kitchen and…read moreto serve as general contractor. Carla gave us the kitchen we had imagined only better. Carla spent significant time with us listening carefully, evaluating our space, answering questions, and offering suggestions. The planning process was thorough and all estimates were on point. Carla brings 30 years' experience in design and construction to the process. She worked to make us happy, but stood her ground when what we asked was not a good idea. From planning through execution, her communication was superb. Questions were answered quickly. We always knew what to expect and when subcontractors would be at our job. Her subcontractors did excellent work and were a pleasure to have in our home. Carla personally checked on each day's work, ensuring that all aspects were up to her very high standard. As with any construction project, not everything went perfectly. Carla stepped in as our advocate with suppliers, always exhibiting grace under pressure to ensure delays were minimized. Her mantra is, "There is always a solution!" Then there is the "above and beyond" aspect of working with Gemini Design Group. Carla noticed the step from the kitchen into the garage was too high thus a bit dangerous. It had always been that way so over 20 years we had become used to it. Being comfortable with picking up tools to make things right, Carla designed and built a proper step into our garage. We are grateful to have found Carla Gaeta of Gemini Design Group. You can place your trust in her to deliver a beautiful, functional kitchen, bath, or both! In fact, Gemini will be starting work on our main bathroom very soon.

    Tri-State Stone & Tile - Quartz Countertop Island with Black Honed Granite Countertops

    Tri-State Stone & Tile

    (21 reviews)

    $$$

    Most recently, Tri-State replaced my kitchen counters with quartz. From start to finish, Daniella…read morewas EXTREMELY responsive and had a solution for all of the quirks that came with my project. I especially appreciated the same-day demo and installation and the attention to detail in every step of the project. Previously, Tri-State installed quartz in our new bathroom. We are very happy with their work on both projects.

    We hired Tristate Stone and Tile for a custom sink and countertop install. While the final sink…read moreitself turned out beautiful, the overall experience was frustrating and disappointing. As others have stated, they aren't very customer service focused with emails and phone calls left unanswered for days and weeks. Communication was poor from the start, with very little sense of urgency. Their installers broke our medicine cabinet during installation -- then blamed us and our contractor, saying it shouldn't have been installed yet. This was never communicated beforehand, and we had made it clear they would be responsible for any damage. While they eventually agreed to cover the cost, we had to chase them for weeks to get reimbursed. They also removed the doors from our vanity cabinet and lost the hinge screws, which caused further unnecessary delays. The sink arrived unfinished, with glue all over the inside of the custom basin. We were empathetic to the fact that they're short-staffed, but the delays dragged our project out by months. To their credit, they were honest and ultimately made good on everything -- but only after persistent follow-up. If you choose to work with them, be ready to stay on top of every detail yourself.

    Monk's Design Studio - kitchenandbath - Updated May 2026

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