Urbana Kitchens ~ Ellen Crystal ~ Designer

Urbana kitchens provided excellent service & products for our recent kitchen renovation. We had a difficult space where the fridge blocked access to the dishwasher. The designer Ellen Crystal showed us a solution that opened up the space and made our kitchen so much more efficient. She got us an inovative plan and prices quickly. The installers were helpful & also the support staff always easy to work with. We have a really functional space our whole family enjoys. The renovation was a big investment for us, but worth the effort & expense

Ellen Crystal of Urbana Kitchens designed a magnificent and highly functional kitchen for us in a difficult space with many constraints. She responded to our needs and wants effectively and was incredibly responsive to our feedback. Our experience with the installation staff from Urbana was excellent. We have no hesitation in recommending Ellen and Urbana without reservation.

We completely remodeled our condominium and Urbana provided the new kitchen, both bathrooms and the teak entrance millwork. We are completely satisfied and have gone back to them for the design and installation of a custom hobby area off the living room. We cannot praise Ellen Crystal, their designer, enough. Ellen is an experienced professional who was not only a pleasure to work with but who also worked well with our interior design firm, our general contractor and all our other suppliers. Ellen had creative solutions to all of our unique problems, including hiding a laundry room door in a teak wall, maintaining the natural light in the kitchen, and introducing us to artists whose work complements the Urbana installations. Their projects were all on-time and on-budget, and we have recommended them to others planning kitchen, bath and custom millwork renovations. We give Ellen Crystal at Urbana and the whole Urbana team a five-star rating.

Ellen did a great job designing our kitchen and I recommend her to anyone considering a kitchen renovation. She made the whole process hassle-free. From the day we emailed Ellen and received a very prompt reply to the final stages of the renovation, we were extremely happy with the service and attention to detail that Ellen provided. She listened to our needs and came up with a practical, logical, and beautiful design. Once the design was finalized, Ellen and the Urbana crew organized and worked with the trades people to make sure the whole renovation process ran smoothly and got finished on time. We love our kitchen! My husband and I are always exclaiming how well it flows.

Ours was a complete back to studs reno of our kitchen. It was a small 1960 kitchen but by removing a small wall it was opened up to the dining room and allowed for an island.We couldn't be happier with the folks at Urbana. From the design phase and project coordination with Ellen to the installation with Darren everything went so smoothly. When a small glitch did happen it was handled without any hesitation. Justa and Simon Kendall care about making things run smoothly. We were so happy when our neighbours recommended Ellen. She had done their kitchen so we could see a good sample of her work and the quality of the materials. After she did ours, another neighbour decided to also use her to do their kitchen. They are delighted as well. No, I don't work for Urbana. Just happy when things go smoothly.

I have worked with Ellen on many projects over the years. It has always been a pleasure working with her. The approach she takes with the customer is unsurpassable. Ellen has a way to convey the practical aspects of what is required in a project and willing to explore any ideas for the best design. Ellen quick decisions and careful listing to her client, is so beneficial to the keep her project on time. Always a pleasure working together. Chris Marshall

We were building our home and wanted a timeless, elegant and effiicent kitchen. Ellen was very professional and pleasant to work with, she listened to our ideas and helped us find a price that worked for our budget. Together we built our dream kitchen and three years after completion I love everytime I step into it! I would highly recommend Ellen and I can hardly wait to build again so we can create another masterpiece together!

We are very disappointed by the rude and unprofessional service we received. In 2015 we had fully paid for installation of a bathroom vanity, but they were unable to provide an installer at the agreed time. After much delay it was agreed our builder would do the installation as this delay was holding up our project. They agreed we would be refunded for the cost. Putting the cabinet together took longer than expected as it required considerable assembly. A few hundred dollars in labour rather than less than one hundred. We thought we had agreed to a reasonable set off on a bill for later work. In total we spent over $40,000, which we paid promptly and as agreed. We have just ordered touch up paint, and suddenly and for the first time received a demand for the amount set off against the amount we had overpaid for the vanity installation. The owner was extremely rude and unprofessional and either had forgotten what had been agreed, or chose not to acknowledge it. The designer was the same. During the project the designer complained about her colleagues and begged for a positive review. We were happy to do so until this incident. We have sent copies of their own emails regarding the set off and their responsibility for the delays but received no response. Shocking and disappointing.

I had the pleasure of working together with Ellen on a recent ensuite renovation for one of my customer's. Ellen was great to work with as her collaborative approach provided the best possible result for the customer. She is able to provide options and suggestions in a very professional, non threatening way. She provided wonderful drawings and ensured the cabinets and counter tops were delivered and installed to spec, on time and budget. The cabinetry turned out beautifully and to the customer's specifications!