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
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