One to One Studio

Renovating an apartment in NYC is daunting...unless you have a PRO like Clare leading the way. Her expertise & insight...combined with her thorough understanding of the intricacies of this city’s requirements, is invaluable. If you’re thinking of starting a project, STEP ONE should be hiring Clare.

We hired Clare for a one hour consultation as we considered a gut renovation of our small, UWS kitchen and bathroom. Because of our modest project size and budget, we did not opt to go for her full design services. However we were so impressed by Clare's online portfolio that we wanted to get her paid advice, even though other designers offered free initial consults. Renovations are expensive and frustrating, NYC renovations in pre-war buildings even more so, so a paid consultation, if the advice is good, could be well worth it in the long run. And Clare really delivered, offering tactical ideas that we could apply to our planning. My partner and I were extremely impressed during the hour she spent with us. Her level of preparedness and ability to quickly adjust her concept of our space based on our needs was awesome. For instance, Clare came to the meeting having scoped out not just our floorplans, but the floorplans of other units in our building, and had multiple sketches on how we might reinterpret the flow of human traffic throughout our apartment. Once she realized that was beyond the scope of what we were willing and able to do, she adjusted quickly and accordingly to some simpler ideas. Clare also gave us appliance recommendations and notes about which vendors we might consider for fixtures and other details. And we really liked how she kept in mind our budget constraints while at the same time considered maximizing the apartment's value should we sell in the future. All in all, it was an hour really well spent.

Clare of One to One Studios is a great designer and wonderful person to work with. She works endlessly and tirelessly to get the job done. I had put off redoing my kitchen and dining room for almost a decade because the project overwhelmed me. Clare and One to One Studio made it totally manageable and affordable. Clare has the gift of knowing how to use color and a few well designed pieces to make a room look extraordinary. She presented me with options for tiles, appliances, cabinets and fixtures, all of which were lovely and which I would never have found on my own. She essentially oversaw the work of the contractor and was always available to talk to me so that the job became almost worry-free. I get endless compliments on her work, and the rooms she redecorated and designed are a pleasure to be in and to use. I look forward to working with Clare on the other rooms in my home.

I so loved working with Clare! Her knowledge and expertise were evident from our first meeting. I especially loved her intuitive, present ability to key in to my tastes and visions. She utilized not only her knowledge and connection to wonderful contractors and artisans, but her own visionary and inspired eye. I hope to have the opportunity to work with her again.

My husband and I have worked with Clare four times, and she the ONLY person whose taste we trust without question. She renovated our prewar kitchen and bathrooms in the city, carved out a new guest bathroom at our country house, and helped us choose furnishings and accessories we still love years later. She is a GENIUS with color and has the kind of calm personality that's crucial when overseeing a complicated construction and design project. Hire her!

Clare designed our kitchen and numerous built ins for our pre war apartment in Manhattan. She is an amazing professional: herbplans were perfect and reflected her deep knowledge and understanding of older buildings as well as her vision and ability to turn it into actionable plans. She listens closely to us and made sure that the plans and end product reflected our input and preferences. She was an invaluable resource to us and our contractor throughout our project. I’ve included some photos here to give you a sense of the quality of her work. We highly recommend Clare !!

Clare's work can only be described using superlatives. But the work itself is only half the story. Working with her to see your collective vision come to life is just as rewarding. Clare tackles every project as if it was her first with a sense of enthusiasm and wonder that is infectious. Her years of experience, coupled with her energy makes a would-be renovation slog into a fun adventure!

I adore Clare because one, she is lovely and two, because she is professional, personable, knowledgeable and a collaborator. We did a huge renovation in our NYC apt. Kitchen and three baths. I showed a few pictures that inspired me for each room and she immediately was keen to my aesthetics and taste. She took it, absorbed it and ran with it in all the right ways. Clare accompanied me to so many tile shops, a stone yard. Had great recommendations on appliance dealers. We worked very closely for over 6 months and was there with answers to every question we had (and there were many) including getting all the paperwork for a NYC condo.... and if you have ever renovated in an NYC apartment you will understand how tedious that can be.

We did a two hour consult with Clare and came away with pages of ideas and suggestions. We'd thought a lot about how we wanted to furnish and set up this house that we are renting but after our session with Clare we were ready to make decisions and turn this into our home. By figuring out how to use the pieces we have, get clear on what we needed to buy and how to make them all work together, our consult with Clare was a huge leap forward.

Amazing help with a limited kitchen space and all reasonably priced. I couldn't recommend their design services more. Knowledgeable, willing to make suggestions, work with contractors and understanding of budget constraints. Flexibility was most important to me as well patience. Thank you for all of your help, the renovation increased the value of our home and we have already sold it for quite a profit!

Clare Donohue was a delight to work with. Before we even got together, she invited me to email her some photos of my space so she would be better prepared. She also referred me to houzz.com so I could get started with some ideas of my own. She arrived on time and had lots of great ideas. It was a complimentary consultation, as I mentioned, which I won at a silent auction charity event. Clare is very cheerful, warm and personable, and made me feel good about the choices I had already made, along with providing guidance one what I could do to elaborate on the theme within my budget. My husband and I were very happy with Clare's suggestions, and at no time did we feel she was pressuring us in any way.

Clare Donohue at 121 Studio knows what's in, what's out, what's "meh." She is a professional that is extremely easy to work with; she respects your ideas and design wishes but isn't afraid to push you to see something different. We used Clare for our first co-op renovation -- our kitchen, dining room and half-bath; then for our second renovation, our living room (included a huge built-in shelving unit), and finally our bedroom, closet and bathroom.