Bellissima Design Studio

My wife and I hired Joni Drenth-Chmelko from Bellissima Design Studio as a designer when we started an extensive remodel of our kitchen. This was a complete gut-and-start-over remodeling project that included not only the entire kitchen but the attached dining room, living room and significant portions of the first floor -- a massive project and not something we could handle alone. We "auditioned" different designers, some from well-known local shops, but we were mostly disappointed because they didn't seem to pay attention to us (unreturned phone calls, missed appointments, etc.). We got the sense that they were more interested in the larger and more lucrative jobs, even though we were budgeting close to $35,000 on this remodel. On the other hand, from the very beginning we were drawn to Joni's vision for our space, her attention to detail, her listening skills, and her professionalism. She had great ideas for the space and really took time to understand our family and how we wanted to live in the space we were hoping to create. She was very good about not pushing her ideas on us, instead giving us collections of ideas and letting us have the latitude to choose within those collections or remix what she had chosen. She did exactly what I feel like a designer should do --- give the client excellent ideas for the space, but then also give the client freedom to work within those "boundaries". Inevitably things will go wrong on a project this large, and when they did, Joni was quick to determine what the problem was, how we wanted it done instead, and make sure that the issue got fixed. Ours wasn't a perfect experience by any means but insoar as there were problems and delays, they were found out quickly and dealt with right away. Joni acted on our behalf, for instance, with some subcontractors who had fouled up one of the small jobs so that we didn't have to fend for ourselves. As you can see from the photos, Joni did an amazing job guiding the process from conception to completion. The finished product is not far off from some of the original ideas and photos that we showed Joni the first time we met with her, but it also definitely has her stamp on it. This kitchen now is by far our entire family's favorite space in the house, and it turned out far better than I expected it to. This doesn't happen by accident or without a skilled professional guiding the process, and we are grateful to Joni Drenth-Chmelko and Bellissima Design Studio for making this dream space come true.

We were happy with Joni and Rebecca's suggestions and look forward to implementing them. They took the little details of my want list and worked them into a practical and beautiful design. It gave us a plan we wouldn't have been able to envision ourselves.

The time had arrived for our home to be totally revived and refreshed. We had looked for a local design service and finally found Kismet Design through their presentation at an art gallery. Kismet Design presented us with color scheme and product options at various price points. We painted, carpeted, refinished wood flooring, and added new bathroom finishes. Rebecca and Joni were adept at weeding the garden of choices and presenting us with a design that perfectly suits our lifestyle. Kismet also has an competent contractor resource list. All the contracted work was well managed by Kismet and finished expertly, on time. With many decisions to be made, Rebecca and Joni were so helpful in guiding us every step of the way. Our vision of combining the old, new, and rearranging has given us a collected, eclectic home reflecting the history of our lives!

Joni and Rebecca did a great job. They listened, asked solid questions and delivered exactly what we were looking for. I would recommend them and Kismet Design Studio to others.

Joni and Becky were great to work with and very professional. I really enjoyed spending time with them and working with them in my home. I felt like they spent plenty of time on the details of the project, and I was pleased with their pricing. I would definitely recommend them to friends and family.

Kismet design did a fabulous job helping us figure out how to make our house our home! We had lots of ideas going into it and the Kismet team did a wonderful job showing us pictures and giving us even more ideas to think about. I would recommend Kismet designs to anyone in search of a new design plan for any room in their home.

This project was a 1500 square foot ranch that was totally renovated from top to bottom. The basement was unfinished with a bedroom, full bath and family roomed added. Kismet started from the very beginning to the end. We gave them the idea of what we wanted our home to feel like when it was done and they accomplished this. They went above and beyond to get a kitchen design that worked within our budget. They took pictures of our furniture from our previous home and kept the color scheme throughout the new home with this furniture in mind. They did most of the work shopping for carpet, lights, paint, window treatments, doors, and flooring which saved us hours. At the end of the project they helped to hang numerous pictures and arrange furniture. They are very professional and truly care about their clients interest.