I initially had reservations about hiring an interior designer whose sense of aesthetic I couldn’t see (somehow, after 20 years of working in her industry, she had no portfolio or reviews whatsoever), but I was too busy for any delays and trusted her referral.



Here was my situation: I needed to build out a 600 sq ft office that was in a shell condition and already had a floor plan for where everything needed to go. I first hired the contractor (who’s been terrific), who then put me in touch with an architect who would do the drawings in order to get the necessary permits from the building dept. The architect’s scope did not extend to selecting finishes, so he referred Jana, who he told me that he “kept on a very tight leash.” While any talented interior designer would have bristled at that comment, I realized after working with Jana that the leash was not nearly tight enough. After seeing the finished office for himself and noticing all the details that were incongruent and amiss that a dedicated and experienced designer would have thought to pay attention to, the architect solemnly agreed.



Considering her proposed scope of work (“conceptual and design specifications” including “consulting on style, aesthetics, color, furnishing, accessories and lighting including wall treatments, wall color, cabinetry, countertops, reception area furnishings and artwork” as well as “overseeing the execution of the buildout”), Jana’s fees totaling over $2000 for the project seemed reasonable (even if it was more than what the architect charged for his drawings). Unfortunately she didn’t quite successfully deliver on everything she had promised, as my counters that clash with my wall color attests as just one of the more superficial examples. She never thought to ask what kind of storage space I needed and only after moving in did it I realize that some thoughtful planning would have made my life so much easier on a daily basis. I also learned after the fact that although her contract mentions “cabinetry,” it means that she calls in a cabinetmaker to figure out the details.



My contractor, meanwhile, was irate with her b/c of how difficult and uncooperative she had been to work with. Apparently she had pulled rank as “The Designer” to insist on her specifications for a certain custom countertop material, which wound up clashing with the paint that was selected for the walls as previously mentioned above. Upon calculation I could have saved myself several thousand dollars and the contractor considerable time and grief had Jana not been “collaborating” with us.



If only Jana didn’t market herself as an interior designer then she’d be deserving of a much better review. In fact she could probably make a wonderful showroom sales rep. If you’re just looking for a decorator to show you swatches, then by all means, I found her to be very personable, enthusiastic about her work, and no doubt means well and wants to make her clients happy. But if you have a project that has any complexity, requires creativity, or drawings that are not one-dimensional, I would consider hiring someone else who has the skill and ability to get the job done well, and is willing to see it through to completion.