The Inside Story LLC

Kathy is the best! She helped us with color, choices of furniture, where to place things, the whole picture! We were moving from a colonial house to a mid century condo so everything was different and we needed lots of help. In addition, we were working on a budget and had to be mindful of cost. Kathy was right there with that as well, always respectful of our limits but helping us to get the best we could afford. All in all, she was a tremendous help and worth the cost for her advice by far!

Kathy was so helpful in putting together a professional, but comfortable feel for our office space. She captured our vision perfectly. She was extremely resourceful, timely, hard-working, and was able to stay within our budget. I couldn't recommend her more highly.

If you value your time and lack the confidence that comes only from vast experience with decorating, trust Kathy Hayes to shorten the cycle time and give you lovely results in your home. Unlike some decorators, Kathy doesn’t make everything matchy-matchy. She listens and looks, to understand the style that makes you happy and the price point you are comfortable with. Having several times been the beneficiary of Kathy’s eye and experience, I would never risk a decorating project on my own. What’s the point?

Kathy Hayes has helped me numerous times with decorating choices from kitchen to living room to bath and even the color of a new roof. Not only does she have an eye for that right piece of furniture, floor covering, accessory, artwork, etc., but when it comes to choosing a paint color, she is the Queen of Color. Projects were completed in a timely manner and within budget. Kathy is a true professional with wealth of decorating knowledge and resources. She's tops!

Kathy Hayes is a marvel. We have consulted with her on kitchen and bath remodels as well as smaller projects such as picking out rugs, reupholstering furniture, and window treatments. In every case, we have been thrilled with the results. Kathy has phenomenal taste, but never pushes her tastes on clients. In fact, the best thing about Kathy is how she zeroes in on your tastes and helps showcase them at their best. (And as such, she is the opposite of my stereotypical image of a decorator as someone who pushes her preferences on you, making you spend money on things you don’t even want.) Ultimately, decorating is about expressing one’s personality, and Kathy is wonderful at reading people. For example, when we began the bathroom remodel, she remembered a countertop that I had been drawn to when we had remodeled the kitchen several years earlier. I had completely forgotten about that countertop—which we had decided would not set the mood I wanted for in the kitchen—but Kathy knew it was “me” and it became the centerpiece of a bathroom that, years later, I love every time I enter. Kathy has an immense knowledge base and access to all kinds of great products that I would never even know about. That knowledge base extends to contractors, electricians, painters, upholsters, plumbers, etc.; you can use Kathy’s services and hire anyone you want, but her people work together seamlessly, making remodeling into a pleasure rather than a source of stress. Last but not least, Kathy saves me so much time! She has made our home so much more attractive—so much more “us”—and saved me from countless mistakes I would have made on my own. I recommend her 100%.

I began re-doing my home, room by room, collaborating with Kathy Hayes of The Inside Story in 2001. We continue working together (2016.) The first room we tackled was my in-home business office. This room was so full of stuff that it was way too busy and totally uninviting to work in. Kathy transformed the space into one which is a pleasure to work in, as well as being very well-planned functionally. For instance, to calm down things in the office, she said to paint the walls, woodwork and ceiling the same color. She suggested adding texture with a louvered closet door. She OK'ed my getting cabinets from IKEA. 15 years later, this room still elicits envy by those who see it and I still enjoy it as a working space. This might be when to mention her brilliance in choosing colors. I will absolutely not pick a paint color without her input. I tried that once and had to repaint that room three times! Since then we have re-done the bathroom, living room, added a four-season sunroom, re-modeled the entry room (formerly a dog grooming shop) and the biggest project of all—a total kitchen re-do. Kathy recommended a stove brand that I had never heard of —Bertazoni. If it is possible to have a crush on a stove, I have a crush on "Bert." My kitchen is a great place to work in, quite beautiful, and very much "me." She knew of products I would never have found on my own. Now we are working on the outside of my house, picking new colors for the shutters, front door and siding. Her knowledge of products, design and colors continues to thrill me and turn my house into a home that totally reflects me, my needs, my personality and my budget. I have to say that what blows me away the most is that Kathy is tuned into me and how to create the feeling I want, even more than I am sometimes. I am not following a set style of hers, as much as being the recipient of her ability to get who I am, what I want, and how to achieve it. My home is unique to me. I am very happy when I get many compliments, to which I repeat..."Kathy, Kathy, Kathy." She is an artist, truly—an artist whose medium is home spaces, both inside and out.

I've worked with Kathy Hayes for over ten years, fabricating window treatments, pillows, and other soft furnishings for her clients. She is a delight to work with. She demonstrates the rare combination of creativity and attention to detail. There is very little "business as usual" in terms of the kinds of projects we have worked on together, because every client benefits from her concern for their individual needs and preferences. There is never a standard look because each project is a new adventure. I also know Kathy as a client: she has helped me decorate my own home. Although our tastes and color preferences are very different, she has been able to intuit my quirky style and has come up with solutions I never would have thought of. She has helped me avoid many decorating mistakes, and does it with tact and humor, rare qualities. I wouldn't make a decorating decision without her input.