Designs with Panache by Chara J. Johnson

Wow! What a wonderful woman! She’s extremely knowledgeable and informative! I’m so glad she reached out! 10/10 recommend! If you’re on the fence she’ll help you pick a side!

Chara Johnson from Designs with Panache is an AMAZING interior (and exterior) designer! We brought her in to redo one area in our home - the garage with flooring and cabinetry for extra storage during the pandemic - and we ended up having her redo our living room, outdoor patio and decor in our dining room. She brings creative insight to every room rearranging many of my own furnishings and decor pieces in a way I never would have imagined and bringing in new pieces to add to the mix. I'm SO HAPPY with all she's done in our home and I find myself looking around to figure out what I can have her do next! Highly recommend Designs with Panache for any project in or around your home!

I hired Design with Panache by Chara, she was very easy to talk to and she had a lot of knowledge about how our project would work best. She was always punctual and professional. I would joke with her; how she was the best dressed person sawing, sanding, and cutting I had ever seen. I had an idea of what I wanted and she took my idea and made it more than what I could have ever imagined. My home is absolutely beautifully, it is a dream come true. She remodel my bathroom, den, and living room. I can't wait for her to do our next project, the kitchen. Chara was heaven sent I wouldn't work with anyone else.

LOVE Chara! She is awesome! I would give her more stars if I could - she is an amazing interior designer. She is professional, knowledgeable, provides the highest work quality and works within budgets. She is sooooo talented! She is excellent at figuring out what your style is and what you like and providing affordable options to make it happen! You cannot go wrong with Chara - Designs with Panache - The Absolute Best!!!

There are pros and cons to having Chara on your team. PROS: Chara is a designer. Her strengths are in finding, comparing and identifying the right items that will suit your taste and your style. She helped us find the right countertops that will dazzle our kitchen. And her intent was for the kitchen to look sleek and modern. she also found the sink and hardware that we loved. She also worked with us to get the bathroom countertops cut out of the kitchen slabs for no additional labor charge which we appreciate. CONS: we hired Chara for not only design but for project management. This is not her strength. She was not present for the entire time for major installations like advertised. She did not work well with the rest of my contractors, and when things went wrong she was reluctant to take ownership. We now have a kitchen that we almost hate. The original installation of the kitchen resulted in the cannibalization of my BATHROOM vanity which I personally purchased. Fortunately chakra replaced this item, but without first insinuating that my own contractors cut my vanity. I’ve worked with my contractors for 10+ years and 4house flips and this is not their character. Especially when the vanity was carefully separated with other items that were remaining work for them. Once the Ikea cabinets were installed, Chara determined that the base cabinets needed another coat, we didn’t think they looked bad but we went with her professional opinion and now they look TERRIBLE. My husband is not normally picky but he is absolutely disgusted at how they look now: bumpy Orange peel looking texture on what was supposed to be a high gloss sleek finish. They were not this bad when first installed. My kitchen island was also a disaster and I cried multiple times over it. I still want to cry looking at it now. The one major requirement I had was that I needed the surface to be seamless. Somehow my need for a drop in induction stove and a built in oven changed into a slide in range. Whatever. The part that kills me is that the slide in range was there present the install site when the countertops were cut and they are still almost 1 inch lower than my stove. The range was not put in place before counter install which is standard in the last 3 kitchens I did. On top of that I see that the counters were not installed with a standard installation practice of using plywood to back them so now they are bendy and weak... and ALSO prevent my contractors from being able to have anything to fasten appliances and screws for the faucet to. I never asked for this “slim” look for my counters. in fact all I ever wanted was a sleek minimal finish. Now the dishwasher panel just sticks out over 2 inches and needs repair. We ended up cancelling the under cabinet lighting because another breakdown in communication and electrical was not done. When confronted she continued to blame the contractors, when the primary job of the PM should be to not just “ask for something” but do what it takes to ensure a smooth execution of the project. I’m hindsight no customer cares who’s fault it is, the PM is paid to show up and make sure things happen and have the customer best interest in mind. This was not the service I received with Chara. When she said she would be on site for an install she comes by to take a look and then leaves. Sometimes saying she will return to the site later in the day but not doing so, which results in completed installs that are not fitting with my appliances. I am completely disheartened with my orange peel bumpy matte lower cabinets (not what I asked for) and my range sticking out one inch higher than my kitchen countertop. Chara has also done accidental damage to some under stove plumbing by coming into the site and dragging the range out of place without working with my contractors. My final complaint is negligible, but bothered me when her email content was written in a very slanted cursive wedding-invitation font that is very hard to read and seems unprofessional. Bottom line, she is a good designer but did not have the level of attentive project management that I needed for this remodel.