THE INSIDE JOB

I struggle with the date of service because this process started August 3rd and after many emails and several calls in which I got no response to either I asked for an itemize bill and a refund of the balance of our deposit. We are redecorating our basement. I got Cheryl's name from a friend. My friend did warn me that she was slow so if I was in a hurry to use someone else. We did not have a time table but we were thinking we would get it done. Cheryl presented her ideas to me in September. Basically paint the basement black and dark gray (brought a 6"x 6" sample) and put down dark lamenant flooring that looks like wood. She brought some brochures of an entertainment center that you have to drive to Cincinnati to pick out. She had a couple of lamenant tile samples for another section of floor and some tile for around the fire place. All samples came from the same flooring store. I know this because I returned the samples when the flooring store came out to measure my floors for the wood flooring I picked out. According to what she told me she had never used or seen the flooring she sugested down and did not know anywhere that I could go and see the flooring down. She also showed us a picture of a bedroom decorated with a sports theme she had done since we had talked about a sports theme. Finally she suggested we replace the blinds with stainless steel. As a decorator you would think when you are working on someone house you might look around their house to get an idea of their taste in decorating. I have nothing black in my home with the exception of the countertop on the basement bar which Cheryl stated she could not wait to get rid of. I told her I prefer color and earth tones. I did not want anything cute or over the top. After her presentation I did not hear from her. I called and sent many emails asking for an itemized bill that I was not staging my home I was redecorating and obviously we had a conflict in taste. I did not wish to decorate my home to her taste but my own. I got no response. Finally she sent me an itemize bill and a refund. The itemized invoice is above. She had no estimates on what the cost of her plan would be except the entertainment center that we would drive to Ohio to pick out. I am not exactly sure why I would pay her to drive to Ohio to save money on an entertainment center. It seems that it would make more sense to buy something here in town and save several hundred dollars off her fee. She obviously would have made a killing based on the bill that I received. Save your money. Find a decorator that listens to you and won't charge you $1100. to decorate your home to her taste not yours. She was unresponsive and absolutely no help. Find someone who has experience and doesn't need to spend 13 hours to pick out flooring for two connecting rooms, paint colors and an entertainment center. Think about what I got for $1100. even if I loved the plan, which I did not. Cheryl was very nice but unfortunately is not a person you want to help you design your home unless you have the exact same taste and a lot of money to spend for very little help.

Our theater room needed room darkening window treatments. I did not want drapes. Phillip came and measured my 2 windows and provided me with sample wood blind and fabric shade books to look at. I selected a wood blind that fit my needs. After 3 weeks, Phillip came and installed the blinds with no problem what-so-ever. I swear he could do installs in his sleep. I highly recommend him.