Give Me Shelter Design, Inc.

Suzan left her design mark by the creation of a truly magical room that embraces everyone who enters. She created a space that is truly breathtakingly beautiful from every angle. No matter who comes into my home, I know the exact moment they spot the room across the house … they stop talking, take a deep breath and walk straight towards it. They enter speechless and just stand there. They look from wall to wall, turn in circles taking in every angle and every view as they too experience and feel the embrace of the room. With the use of her exceptional design vision, keen eye for color, texture and lighting, she combined my existing furnishings with a few additional pieces and created an exceptional space that is a completely sculptural experience. The sculptural experience is achieved by the shapes created by the placement of furnishings, the shapes created by the empty space around the placement of the furnishings, the spectacular shapes created by the lighting and how it accentuates the wall galleries she created, the dynamic colors of the walls and the manner in which it all interacts with each other. The idea of using an interior designer was very intimidating to me. I had no idea what to expect. The minute I saw Suzan’s gallery on her web page and read of her love and appreciation of historical architecture and the preservation of the style of old homes I knew she was the only person who would appreciate (or maybe more likely tolerate) my situation. With trepidation I called and left her a message. She returned my call. I met Suzan for the first time when she arrived at my home for our consultation. She walked through my home just looking around. We chatted about everything and a little about interior design. I knew within minutes she brought with her much more than the design skills and professionalism of an interior designer. Who really came through the door was a truly artistic, sensitive, intelligent, intuitive, strong and kind human being whose personality, calm demeanor, wit, sense of humor and just plain humanness wrapped around and permeated the atmosphere. I presented her with many challenges and limitations. I needed a family room put back together after a water leak. My home is 97 years old and I didn’t want any kind of construction work done, I didn’t want anything “new” or “modern” and I wanted to preserve the few Tudor Revival elements in the room. I was reluctant of any kind of change and I had never thought about, nor cared much about, interior decorating, (although I do love beautiful rooms but never had one of my own). Additionally I wanted to use furnishings I already owned. The pieces didn’t relate in any way, the fabric on the sofas was only a favorite to me (black and gold), I had no lighting to speak of and my slim collection of decorative art lacked any specific or consistent theme. Over time she collected items around my home, some of which I didn’t particularly like, and cleaned up pieces I intended to throw away. She showed great respect for my ideas, likes and dislikes, clearly and articulately explained her thoughts and choices and gently reassured me and responded to my questions and concerns with great patience. This beautiful room is more than the result of Suzan’s meticulous attention to the medium of interior design. She uses these tools with the vision and touch of a sculptor. Now that I live daily with a stunning room of my own, I realize that Suzan’s concept of design and space is to start with, as its first priority, the soul of the person who lives in the space. In her own subtle way she came to know my emotional and sense of identity. Not just the colors I thought I liked or the style I thought I liked but who I was, what contribution my presence in the room would bring and how the final experience of the design would focus on my presence. As I said, when I am in this special place, I’m not just in a simple beautiful room, I am in a three dimensional atmosphere that safely and warmly invites and embraces me into it.

Best thing I did for my house and budget was to hire Susan.She did an amazing job of helping me realize my vision rather than imposing her style on me which is the best thing you can say about a designer IMO. I've never met anyone better at working with space and color. Her ideas were things I never would have thought and even a year later I look at the fabrics and paint colors she chose and they give me joy. Blue kitchen with green vinyl alligator print stool seat covers? YES!! I never in a million years would have made those choices alone yet they express my tastes and personality perfectly!! Susan knew I had a modest budget and took me shopping at thrift stores and pulled amazing things I never would have noticed on my own. She took me shopping in my own house and moved artwork around in brilliant ways to give my house a fresh new look without spending a dime. She took one look at my guest room and rearranged all the furniture making the room 100x better. She moved my set of antlers from my office and hung them over my fireplace in a way that catches the shadows of the overhead light in such a striking way-guests always comment on it. Dont get me wrong, I spent money on my project but Susan helped me spend it in the right way on the right things. I wish I had met her sooner.

I have only three words to say: HIRE THIS WOMAN. Okay, so maybe a few more words. Suzan has a grasp not only of color and layout and flow, but her spaces are richly textured and layered. That is, If that's what you want. Suzan also listens and observes, tailoring the furnishings and accessories to the client and how they will be used, at work, at home, and at play. Desk a mess? Closets look like they've been hit by a tornado? Suzan's organizational skills can sort through the detritus and make it all come together to function well for you. Suzan recently helped me sort through my elderly father's life; masses of paper and things crammed into a two bedroom apartment. My father's growing dementia made a total muddle of his living space. Suzan sorted through the dross to find the pieces worth saving, and helped spot things that will become a sort of portable representation of my dad's memories of his life. Her work let me focus on the things I needed to focus on, enabling me to get through a veritable avalanche of material in less than a week. She organized his desk so that he could use it, respecting his need to still feel useful, along with understanding the comfort he feels sitting behind his desk in the office where he spent so many years. Talented, grounded, funny--these are all facets of Suzan. As for your space, Suzan can transform it, or help you make it what you wanted it to be but weren't sure how to get there.

Susan is creative, thoroughly professional with impeccable taste! She is at once efficient and knowledgable! She exceeded our expectation! I highly recommend her for her work ethics and her ability to meet deadlines!