Author Archive | Melissa Gulley Interior Design

Rebecca S. Chestnut Hill MA

Everyone has a nightmare construction or contractor story to share. I am sure my story ranks higher than most. While in a whole house renovation, I had the broken water pipe, failed inspections, Impossible contractor and missing workers…..but I also had the hero story of the very sweet, lovely Melissa Gulley. My interior designer extraordinaire who also proved to be a contractor whisperer. Melissa Gulley not only worked design magic, but somehow, she helped bring the seemingly impossible construction team to complete a tremendous house renovation including a kitchen suite, master bath/bedroom suite and family room addition as well as finishing the rest of the house. Working closely with my architect, the contractor, the electrician, the plumber, the millwork professionals, the plasterers, painters, landscape installers, roofers, etc., Melissa Gulley helped shape and at times, direct every aspect of this very large project- THANK GOD!

Melissa Gulley worked closely with both my husband and I to design our family home. As a family with three boys, a cat and dog, Melissa designed our space to reflect our personalities and accommodate our active lifestyle. The process made me aware of the amount of planning and effort that is required to achieve beautiful and useful design. Melissa helped develop an appropriate light design, she helped reconfigure closet space, added molding and millwork to compliment my 1920’s tutor, and created a spacious living room that seats all of my neighbors comfortably when I entertain. She also designed sumptuous window treatments, amazing custom backsplash, and ultrasuede double sofas that add drama and sophistication in a male dominated home. I haven’t even discussed the magic she created in my large master bath.

After encountering numerous construction setbacks, it was important for me to find a designer who was sensitive to my budget requirements. My large scale project involved stone, millwork, tile, window treatments, decorative rugs, carpet, linens, art, refacing a fireplace, flooring, sconces, chandeliers, task lighting, tables, chairs, buffets, and the list goes on. Melissa Gulley guided me to splurge on special items, and worked with me to find less costly design alternatives for others.

One of the most striking features of my home is the bold use of color and rich textures. Prior to working with Melissa, I am certain I dreamed in color, I often used color accessories, but the reality was that everything was beige or green. I am now totally affected by the deep colors and beautiful patterns Melissa introduced to my home. I would never have had the guts to choose this without her and yet it feels like us.

I can go on and on, but most importantly, anyone wishing to hear more should call me or come and see for yourself. I love my home and I would recommend Melissa Gulley to anyone involved in a small or large-scale redesign project.

Rebecca S.
Chestnut Hill

Zorfas family, Newton MA

We have worked with Melissa for almost 20 years.  Melissa has designed three houses for us, one in Newton and two in Florida and she has also worked with many of our friends over the years.  She is a great person and wonderful to work with.  She is trustworthy, deeply thoughtful, kind, smart and funny as well as organized, professional and a great problem solver.

As you can imagine during the construction and completion of three homes, you run into some crazy issues and lots of stress. Melissa is fantastic at forging connections and happy friendships with every player on the team- the architect, builder, and all the sub-contractors – even the delivery people. She worked nicely with a few huge egos, difficult characters and some that were just plain grouchy. She, however, never missed a beat.  She has been unfailingly happy, positive and very encouraging the whole time regardless of situation.

Melissa has a vast knowledge of construction- she has worked on numerous construction jobs from tiny to huge. She can easily hold her own conversing about difficult construction issues with any contractor, electrician or architect and is very helpful to everyone in problem solving. I have also seen her quietly step back to respect someone’s need to figure things out. She is very intuitive in how she deals with people.

She creatively guided us through our “historic city home” renovation in which we wanted to be more traditional, warm and comfortable (not to mention kid friendly). She has also helped us create a more contemporary look at our “new vacation homes” where we want a simpler, airy feeling (but also wet bathing suit proof). She has a wealth of product knowledge, a never-ending database of where and how to find the perfect things. She travels to North Carolina often to nurture relationships with manufacturers and see what’s new, as well to New York to keep up with show room offerings. She is very comfortable designing custom rugs and furniture if we are unable to find just the right piece.

Melissa has great personal style, I always look forward to seeing what she’ll wear to our meetings- sometimes simple, classic and tailored and other times funky and relaxed. I love that I don’t feel like I need to be dressed and polished to see Melissa as she is relaxed, easy going and seems to be able to keep the larger picture in mind especially during periods of stress. She would have made a great therapist. Actually, I have to laugh because I think she was our therapist during these big projects.  I can’t tell you how many times she talked me off the edge!  We’ve always felt that we have someone our team that has respected our budgets, our goals and our timetables.

We love our homes and we love Melissa.

The Zorfas family

Maureen and Thad Palmer, Weston MA

Dear Melissa:

I want to tell you just how much I have enjoyed working with you over the past few years and look forward to continuing the relationship moving forward. With your patience, the decorating journey will continue on with you. You have brought a refreshing contemporary outlook to designing a distinct style and feel for our home. You happen to have a unique talent for understanding what it is we desire for the final outcome of a space and offer various creative avenues to reach the goal, keeping every small detail in mind.

It’s always a pleasure to get emails or photos in the mail from you of a piece that you think may work for a specific place in the house. Most of all I’ve loved partnering with you because of your spirited and honest approach coupled with your efficiency and broad base of experience. It has been so much more than simply picking fabrics and making educated choices for the spaces in our home, it has been an exciting and inspiring process which has led to a home that is remarkably designed yet comfortable, one that we are proud to be in and, thanks to you, for which we have received many compliments.

You are welcome to use us as a reference any time.

Thank you,

Maureen and Thad Palmer
Weston

Amy Bernstein, Boston MA

I lived in my apartment for 18 years, wishing that it was decorated differently. I wanted to move my kitchen to the other side of my apartment, reduce the size, as well as moving and downsizing my laundry room and second bathroom. If you’ve ever lived in an apartment building with vertical plumbing and sprinklers, you know that any architect or contractor would just say; “IMPOSSIBLE!”

Melissa had done a few things for me in my 15th, 16th and 17th years in this apartment. New window treatments, new carpeting, a beautiful wall unit that she designed, and new dining room chairs. I wanted contemporary (my apartment bordered on that but not quite!) so with a few new things, it was looking better.

I was going to retire from my job in 2008 and be at home during the week as well as the weekends, so in 2007 Melissa and I began discussing what to do and how to start making my apartment my dream contemporary home. The wall unit (the entire wall: 20 feet!) could stay, as it included a built in desk, drawers, cabinets and an entertainment system, but the rest of the apartment had to go.

Melissa went above and beyond what I believe most designers do with their clients. She helped me interview contractors, she found an architect, and she designed another wall unit. We picked a porcelain floor for most of the apartment other than the bedroom and she designed the layout. All of the contractors thought it was crazy and impossible to move the plumbing in a high rise building but she (after studying the building floor plans) convinced the contractor we chose that it could be done. She found an architect to draw up the final plans after she had designed the space. She also worked Patiently and nicely with the contractor who had very different ideas on how to get it done.  Melissa was amazingly positive the entire time and really helped keep the energy of the job moving forward happily. She got along beautifully with all the subs and always made sure they knew exactly how things were supposed to look, plumbing, electrical, tile and painting. If there were any glitches, she was great at problem solving with the whole team.

She also helped me furnish this new space (I got rid of my 20 year old stuff) so the result is really my dream; a contemporary, minimalist apartment that feels like me. I spend a lot of time at home now that I retired, and I love my home! It’s exactly what I wanted.

I’ve seen some other projects that Melissa’s been involved in and “contemporary” isn’t her only talent. She can design in any style.  Melissa’s ability to read her clients, listen and figure out what they want is extraordinary. She doesn’t force her style on her client, you work together, to define, refine and develop a look and style that  I could never have gotten to on my own and yet is all Me.

Amy Bernstein

Boston, MA

Valerie and Steve Buller

My husband and I had the distinct pleasure of working with Melissa Gulley during a recent project to build our new home.  Melissa was an integral and indispensable partner to us during the construction and design process and we credit her with creating a home we cherish. She has a keen eye for detail and the innate ability to bring her clients’ needs, taste and personal style to life.  As with many construction projects, timing and costs can be fluid, however Melissa is extremely organized and very cognizant of construction timelines and personal budgets.  She knows how to work and communicate effectively with contractors and sub-contractors alike and was almost singlehandedly responsible for making sure our home was move in ready when we needed it to be.  We couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with!!

Valerie and Steve Buller – Wellesley MA

John and Sandi Roth, Wellesley MA

“My wife and I have done 3 major projects with Melissa over the past 10 years; a major remodel, a complete restoration of an antique house, and the construction of a new home. We think Melissa’s real talent was being able to tease out from us our wants, likes and dislikes, and translate those fragments of ideas into a unifying vision for the project. She also has the ability to add a holistic perspective, which is rare as most designers stop at the interior, and she added as much or more value in designing the major elements of the house; the kitchen, the bathrooms, the trim, moldings as she did in the color schemes and interior furnishings. She is also very versatile as each project was very different stylistically, but each flowed together consistently, and as our tastes changed and evolved over time, she was there to help us find what we were looking for. All of our projects were a huge success and we would never attempt another one, of any size, without her. “

John and Sandi Roth- Wellesley

Jennifer and Bob, Newton MA

Of the hundreds of decisions we made in our home renovations, the best one was to work with Melissa. She helped us avoid major mistakes and opened our minds to choices we had never considered. Melissa tuned in to our lifestyle and to the era and décor of our house, steering us to choices that are unique to us and our house. She is the ideal decorator: calm, cheerful, responsive, efficient, combining practicality with great taste. She held our hands as we nervously chose a stain for our hardwood floors that turned out to be lustrous and beautiful. Where we were stymied about cabinetry, counters, hardware, lighting and tile, Melissa narrowed our choices and made it easy. Her vast experience enabled her to recommend solutions we never could have imagined. Melissa was sensitive about how much we could stretch our imaginations before being overwhelmed; she knew when to introduce ideas and when to back off. Also, she helped us deal with our contractor successfully when there were differences of opinion. We would work with her again in a heartbeat – it’s such fun! And, our home is so much more beautiful and comfortable because of her help.

Jennifer & Bob