Influent Home

M. Garig Inc, is an amazing Design firm. Michael helped design our house remodel and was very easy to work with, creative and matched his design with our interests and budget. He is always on time, both when we meet in person and over email. In a good percentage of our design, he was spot on the first time. For example, inside and outside paint colors, lighting, and furniture. He also gave us more cost effective options where appropriate. Michael also pushed us outside of our comfort zone, which helped create an amazing design and finished product. He has the ability to have a discussion with us, and then give us examples that really fit our vision. We would highly recommend Michael for any of your design needs.

Michael is a great designer! We hired him to help us renovate our bathroom. This was our first renovation, so he did a great job helping us consider all the finer details which noobs often don't think about. He was very open minded and accommodating to our style preferences and managed all our business relationships very professionally. So glad we hired him!

I love the thoughtful and fun pieces at Influent Home. Michael, the owner is a talented designer, and can assist in finding the perfect pieces for whatever space you're looking to re-imagine. He's also a sweet person. He even donated a gorgeous pair of side tables for our school auction! You can see some of his projects under Michael Garig, Inc. As a realtor, and interior design junkie, I am pleased to have found this gem of a store right here in Berkeley.

Thank you for the color suggestions! I love the Yarmouth blue. I never would have picked it myself. Gorgeous color.

Inspiring. I walked in one weekday afternoon and was moved by the beautiful pieces displayed throughout the store. The collection was well curated and the pricing was very reasonable given the excellent quality of the pieces. For anyone looking for unique pieces to accessorize a room, Influent Home is a must visit.

I hired Michael five years ago for a kitchen project, and am very happy I did! Our old dysfunctional space was transformed into a very inviting contemporary gourmet kitchen. Since then, he has been helping me with many other projects, big and small, including a recent design of my summer house. He was actively involved in all stages of planning; advising on functionality and flow of the interior and worked closely and in a highly collaborative way with my architect. On multiple occasions when I traveled overseas, Michael oversaw the entire construction process. In addition, on numerous occasions, Michael gently guided me towards accepting a bolder statement as a focal point of my living space. In the process of our collaboration, I always appreciated Michael's ability to listen (and hear), his honest opinion and professionalism. While he always expressed his personal preferences, he never pressured me into accepting them as the only choice, but was rather considerate of my point of view and very responsive to any changes of heart from my side.

I worked with Michael on my unusual 2200 sq ft apartment in San Francisco, Michael and I quickly converged on the right tone for the place, integrating my extensive work collection and taste into a finished and homy design. Michael knows how to listen and present suitable items for his client to choose from. He has an extensive knowledge to what is available, making sure each element (furniture or decorative accessory) is well fitted into the overall design. A strong recommendation from me!

I have had the pleasure to work with Michael for years on a variety of projects across several homes. He is a joy to work with. He is creative, 100% reliable, works to understand personal preferences while making suggestions that really push projects to the next level. He has great relationships with all sorts of professionals that support all types of home improvement/building efforts. In addition, Michael has proven that he can work effectively with contractors and architects alike. I can't say enough about how wonderful it has been to work with him and highly recommend him for interior design work - projects big and small.

My partner and I engaged with Michael a few months ago because we were unhappy with some of our present furniture, carpets and the overall feel of our condo. We had recently worked with a designer and had a less than stellar experience and result. We interviewed a few designers for this relatively small project and we both liked Michael right away. We explained our vision of "warming up" our condo, which had been decorated a bit more modern that we liked; we had not found it to functional or inviting. We emphasized that we wanted to remain in-budget if possible but were open to suggestions that might bring us a bit over if we felt it was worth it. I have worked with three other designers in the past, and I must say that Michael was by far the most budget conscious. We asked to be billed weekly and for regular, easy to understand accounting, and that is just what he provided. Michael was reliable, patient and professional through the entire process; bills for his time were reasonable and appropriate. Michael has a great eye for color and detail, and he came up with some really great ideas. For example, he suggested that we extend an existing surface in the guest bedroom/office to create an inexpensive work space that is both attractive and functional. He also brought in a plumber and painter who were willing to complete some really small but important jobs for us. Michael has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I will definitely contact him for any future projects I might have and I recommend him without hesitation. Oh and by the way, our home looks great - it's warm, comfortable and inviting. . . just what we wanted!