MP DESIGN
About us
"Interior Design with an Italian Eye for Design." MP DESIGN is a small woman owned full-service design studio. We specialize in remodels, from full house projects down to a tiny Powder Room redo, or custom built-in cabinetry to paint color consultation. We strive to provide not only well thought through functional designs but also creative and visually pleasing spaces which blend with the existing architecture. We practice a holistic design/remodeling philosophy. Our approach is to take all project aspects in consideration. This includes use of space, furniture layout, budget, value engineering, timing, resale value, etc. We walk you through the process, explaining pros and cons along the way and answering questions while keeping your goals and budget in mind. Services Provided Interior Design Full Service, Paint Color Consultation, 3D Rendering, Bathroom Design, Custom Walk-in Closets, Drafting, Floor Plans, Kitchen Design, Lighting Design, Sustainable Design, Wine Cellar Design, Basement Design, Laundry Room Design. Please note that we do not offer deck design nor landscaping/hardscaping design. A fun fact about MP DESIGN: One of our Master Bath designs was featured on the HGTV Bang for the Buck TV show for which it won the challenge. A bit about the designer. Manuela Paparella received her degree in Interior Architecture + Interior Design from UC Berkeley, CA in 1997. She has over 19 years of experience in designing kitchens, baths, full house remodels and small additions throughout the Bay Area. Being Italian, she possesses a natural and keen eye for design, detail and beauty. She also holds a Business Degree which she received in Switzerland prior to her moving to California. She is fluent in English, Italian, and German but can also communicate in Spanish and French. Manuela enjoys art, photography, hiking, cooking, sailing, snowboarding, fitness, traveling among many other hobbies.
Business highlights
Se habla espanol
28 years of experience
Services we offer
3Ds, Are you planning a remodel or are you in need of decorating help and feeling a bit overwhelmed? We offer our professional and creative design services on an hourly and as-needed-consulting-basis geared to your specific project and needs. BASIC SERVICES TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH A REMODEL: Evaluation of existing home, decorating., finish & fixture selection, goals and budget. Architectural drawings for permit & contractor, interior & exterior paint color consultation, lighting plans, needs
Reviews
4.816 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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| 81% | ||
| 19% | ||
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Showing 1-16 of 16 reviews
Carla S.
May 2022
Manuela from MP Design met me at my property and helped with the paint color selection. Before enlisting Manuela, I had polled friends and while I got recommendations on beautiful colors, the respondents didn’t have the benefit of having visited the space, having seen the light, or having more context about goals for the property. I was struggling to decide if I should keep the existing color theme or give it a whole new look. She selected a fresh new look and picked the colors (plus brand and type of sheen) for the kitchen, powder room, bath and rest of the spaces, and it turned out great! My real estate agent strongly agreed. Her choices worked out well with the existing hardwood floors and stained doors. I also really appreciated Manuela's practical and budget-oriented approach based on my stated goals. Her work was done on time based on her original estimate. I highly recommend her services to anyone and will hopefully have the opportunity to use her design services again!
Response from MP DESIGN
"Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to review my business/services [Member Name Removed]. I really appreciate it. Thank you!"
MEGAN D.
May 2020
With Manuela's partnership and design direction -- we got it done! And Manuela was instrumental in taking an idea/vision in my head and making it a reality. She sat with me and reviewed pictures, samples, discussed/researched lighting, arranged for fireplace insert consultations, etc. and was available from start to finish. So grateful for Manuela's design expertise and commitment to working with me to get the project done.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Thank you so much for the A+ review [Member Name Removed]. I really enjoyed working with you. The fireplace and living room really turned out great. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to review my services/business."
John S.
Aug 2018
Manuela was a pleasure to work with. She’s a competent and practical designer who listens to her clients and is attentive. She’s very organized and responsive when clarification is required. She provides good ideas and has a good understanding of building codes. We would recommend her to anyone planning a remodel of any size.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[Member Name Removed], thank you so much for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to review my services and company. And thank you for your business and for the great review. I very much enjoyed working with you and your wife as well. I'd be happy to work with you anytime again if you find yourself in need of a designer again, down the road. Best wishes."
CHRISTINE M.
Apr 2017
Manuela took two very small, and in the case of my kitchen, very awkward, spaces and reimagined the layouts to make them much more spacious and functional. She came up with ideas for space planning and storage that I never would have thought of. And she quickly "got" my desired aesthetic and helped me find the perfect appliances, fixtures and finishes. She helped me watch out for "gotchas" as far as code compliance and avoiding awkward configurations. And she worked tirelessly to help me hire the perfect general contractor during a time when it seemed like every GC in San Francisco was booked up. During construction on my project she was always available and responsive to me and my contractor to answer questions and solve problems. I'm so, so happy with how my kitchen and bathroom turned out and am so grateful I found Manuela of MP Design and got to work with her on my project.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Thank you so much for the terrific review [Member Name Removed]. I am overjoyed to see that everything worked out, design, construction and schedule wise and you are happy with the end result. Plus, the fact that we managed to get rid of that ductwork/chase in your kitchen and open it up a bit and give you more counter and cabinet space sure made a big difference. It was a real pleasure working with you. I could have not wished for a better client. Thank you!"
Gloria F.
Aug 2016
Overall, the project went very well. The drawings had to be re-done (not Manuela's fault but due to my changes). That added to the overall cost of the project. My contractor needed a lot of hand holding and didn't pay attention to the drawings, so Manuela had to step in and do a lot of project management with him (also added to her costs). I was extremely happy with the outcome and the house looks great! Manuela listened to me, understood my taste, and what my desired outcome should look like. She translated what I wanted, added her ideas and expertise, and really took my 1950s small ranch into the 21st century. The house feels so much bigger due to her thoughtful design. I am so pleased with the transformation! Additionally, Manuela could NOT have been more professional and responsive. As we all know, remodeling is stressful and not everything goes according to plan. Manuela was always calm and collected, even when I was not!
Response from MP DESIGN
"[Member Name Removed], thank you so much for taking the time to write this great review for my business. I very much enjoyed working wit you in transforming your home. But above all, I am very happy that you are loving the end result."
Minh N.
Nov 2014
unknown
Response from MP DESIGN
"Hello (removed member name), We would like to comment on your review and clarify, that we received this lead from AL erroneously back in September 2013. We did indeed reach out to you, and before we heard from you, to find out where the project was located and to get the project details. Once we found out it was located in an area outside of our coverage area, we informed you about that. Then we got in contact with AL to rectify this and make sure you would get a full refund. AL doesn't list the coverage areas on the pros profiles as far as we know. It's based on the requester's address zip code. So if a project is not located in our selected zip codes, our special offers should not be available for purchase for those areas. Occasionally, we get a requester living outside our coverage area but who has a project located in our coverage area. We thought it was the case with your project but it turned out it was indeed outside our area. Anyway, here is our reply we send you after we received the lead, prior to hearing from you, after we talked to you and after we did some research with AL and they gave us refund instructions: MP DESIGN 9/24/2013 Hi (removed member name), I just left you a voicemail. You need to contact Angie's List either via phone at 866-944-5478 or via email and they will refund you for this purchase. I am sorry about the inconvenience and I am working with AL to have them change the wording in my ad to make it more clear. So if somebody needs a project done outside my coverage area (city of SF and Marin county) they don't end up buying the deal. Good luck with your project and best wishes. Manuela Paparella MP DESIGN www.mpdesign.com 415.505.8082 We then followed up again with you to make sure you had received your refund which you confirmed. We then send another email apologizing for the inconvenience. This issue was clearly beyond our control as explained earlier. I think AL should add another box where the project location needs to be specified. And that zip code needs to tied to the pro’s coverage area, not the requestor’s zip code which could also be located in a different state for that matter. I hope this explains this error further. At any rate, we certainly hope you found a designer to help you with your project in the meantime. We do appreciate your willingness to hire us again, even though we have never met nor worked together. We don't believe this warrants a B review for our services as it was beyond our control. Hopefully, AL can comment on this too. Best wishes, Manuela Paparella - MP DESIGN."
Charles B.
Jun 2014
The provider came on time. We asked quite a few questions to the interior designer. I felt it was interesting to get an opinion from a third party. I think that 149$ + 30$ (driving) is a reasonable price to get a third party opinion for 2 hours on what you want. I would recommend to prepare your questions in advance.
For the color, we suggested the color, and she gave her opinion on it. We end up choosing very little of her ideas, but I am happy of the conversation anyway. It created discussion among my wife and I.
I would not have too much high hope on this. It is likely you'll not choose what she suggest, but she'll bring in some valid argument. If you have costly changes you want to do, it is worth to spend a bit of money to have that kind of feedback.
For the color, we suggested the color, and she gave her opinion on it. We end up choosing very little of her ideas, but I am happy of the conversation anyway. It created discussion among my wife and I.
I would not have too much high hope on this. It is likely you'll not choose what she suggest, but she'll bring in some valid argument. If you have costly changes you want to do, it is worth to spend a bit of money to have that kind of feedback.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[member name removed], thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. I think that in the very limited time of 2 hours we managed to address pretty much all your questions, from the Living Room to Dining Room to Kitchen to Bathroom to lighting to paint colors for various areas and build-in cabinetry. I appreciated that you and your wife had prepared for the meeting. Best wishes for your home improvement project."
Barbara L.
Jun 2014
She was knowledgeable, was not rush for her to leave. She didn't push for more time, she did what she was supposed to do. I had a color in mind and she came up with an alternative which was better than I thought. She had me move some things and it made sense. Her re-arrangement ideas were good.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[member name removed], thank you so much for taking the time to review my business and thank you for the A rating. I enjoyed our meeting and I was glad to help you move a few of your furniture pieces. That way we could see the impact immediately. I am curious to hear if you have moved the other pieces of furniture for your bedroom and how it's working out. Also, have you painted the bathroom already with the color we picked? All the best wishes. Manuela"
James P.
Apr 2014
It went very well with easy communication and Manuela's input and expertise giving more than I dreamed.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[member name removed], Thank you for the great review and your feedback. I'm curious to hear how the paint colors we picked turned out. If you need more help or when you decide to go ahead with your kitchen remodel, I would be happy to work with you again."
Elizabeth R.
Jan 2014
It was fine. I think I needed to send her more specifics before she came bc it felt too broad and not specific. I was late so we were very rushed. Also, she showed me magazines and brochures from stores I can look at myself so I didn't find that too useful.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[member name removed], thank you so much for taking the time to review my business. Obviously, you have a very busy schedule, hence our rushed meeting and you being distracted with ongoing phone calls and text messages. I think that fact alone was not the best setting for our meeting. So, I'm very sorry you didn't feel very all that satisfied with the result. We basically only spend one hour together to cover paint colors, window coverings and some new furniture suggestions. That's not enough time and I tried to cover all of it as good as I could. Please keep in mind that we had never met before nor had I ever seen your apartment. In terms of offering specific furniture suggestions out of catalogs I brought along, sure, those are accessible to everybody, you are right. But I picked out specific pieces that worked style wise, space wise and budget wise. We could have gone to the Design Center and I could have shown you furnishings that are not in typical catalogs but cost considerably more and would have been out of your budget that you had suggested. Since I felt bad about you only being able to attend roughly 1 hour of the 2 paid consultation (I was there a good 30 min. before you arrived and started selecting paint colors, furniture pieces, etc.), I did some research when I got back in my office and emailed you a number of contacts for window coverings, painting contractor, links to specific furniture pieces, etc. Having said that, there's really only so much one can cover in a couple of hours. Plus, I highly recommend getting prepared for the consultation and having no distractions if possible so you can take full advantage of it. Wishing you good luck with your decorating. Your place is really nice and has good potential. I hope you will experiment with paint as I had suggested. That's a pretty easy and affordable upgrade/change. Thank you."
Aya S.
Sep 2013
Manuela, the owner of MP Designs, was wonderful. She sat with me for two hours and we covered a lot of ground which included discussing the desired look and functionality of new furniture and room design. Manuela helped to measure, look at items together online, and gave me advice and recommendations. She has a lovely eye and manner of communicating. Also, having actually studied interior architecture, seems to have a deep understanding of style and function. She has many years of accumulated experience and was able to make immediate recommendations about things I had been trying to figure out for months! I recommend Manuela highly.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Dear [member name removed], Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I very much enjoyed meeting you and helping you with your decorating questions and needs. I'd be happy to be of service and work with you again if you find you need additional design assistance. Best wishes. Manuela - MP DESIGN"
Matt O.
Aug 2013
It was an Angie's List Big Deal that I purchased. Her services were fine. She gave us a couple of great ideas but I don’t think they fit with what my wife and I wanted. For the purpose of what we wanted, we just wanted to start exploring different options and use of space in our patio and our upstairs area and I think it was a good conversation. I think with things like this, you have to stylistically align with that person and I don’t know if we did. I don’t think she was necessarily bad. She was very competent, professional, on time and made some very clear suggestions to us. It went fine. You couldn’t really use a lot of her ideas but it got us started on making changes within our home. We thought her initial cost was reasonable.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Dear [removed member name], Thank you for your review and feedback. It's always a bit hard to try and go over a whole list of requirements in such a short time (2 hour). I left the meeting thinking that you had found my suggestions helpful considering the challenges of space constrains and budget limitations. I hope you will at least make use of some of my ideas I gave you and find a good solution for your space. Best wishes. Manuela"
Gordon S.
Jul 2013
It went well. We hired a contractor and re-did the room.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Hello [member name removed], Thank you so much for taking the time to review my business and for the great testimonial. I'm glad to hear that everything turned out to your liking. Best wishes, Manuela"
Donna H.
Jul 2013
My husband and I had very different ideas about paint color for the bathroom. Manuela listened carefully and then went through her ideas. She recommended a color that pleased us both. We have completed painting the room and really like the final result. She also looked at our living room, stairwells and hallways, and made some suggestions. We haven't tackled these areas yet, and appreciated her input.
Response from MP DESIGN
"Hello (member name removed), I am very happy to hear the bathroom paint color turned out to your liking. Thank you so much for taking the time to review my company. It is much appreciated! Manuela"
TIM N.
Feb 2013
We were extremely happy with her design and her problem solving skills. We had some issues with the way our walls were designed and she did a great job at helping us work around these issues. I highly recommend her.
Response from MP DESIGN
"[Member Names Removed] - thank you so much for taking the time to review my company. It is much appreciated! Manuela"
Patricia D.
Feb 2013
They were professional, on time, and good. The price was reasonable and the quality was very good considering our budget and goals. They were excellent on reponsiveness and punctuality and had outstanding professionalism!
Response from MP DESIGN
"Thank you so much for taking the time to review my company. It is much appreciated! Manuela"
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
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FAQ
MP DESIGN is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
No, MP DESIGN does not offer free project estimates.
No, MP DESIGN does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, MP DESIGN does not offer a senior discount.
No, MP DESIGN does not offer emergency services.
No, MP DESIGN does not offer warranties.