Stefanie Rotella, AKBD - Neil Kelly Company

My husband and I recently worked with Stefanie to remodel an all-brick townhome we purchased (and have not yet lived in) in Eugene. The experience was collaborative and fun and if you're at all on the fence about working with a designer or a design-build company, my advice is not to hesitate, call Stefanie at Neil Kelly - you won't regret it! Stefanie took care to understand our aesthetic and we felt comfortable that she strove to make this our own. We even took a couple of risks we definitely wouldn't have otherwise taken. She explored everything we wanted to consider (I'm sure she knew some were "pie in the sky" ideas) but she was very thorough and conveyed a desire to ensure we really are getting what we want, while respecting our budget. Her (and Marissa's) guidance was respectful for all ideas and truly helped prevent us from making potentially expensive mistakes. I feel really good that we've made this investment in our home and the value will be immediately reaped upon moving in. Which I am very excited to do! :)

For the second time, my husband and I have worked with Stefanie and the Neil Kelly Company on a kitchen remodel. She transformed a small area into a functional and beautiful work space. We enjoyed working with Stefanie because of her creativity, attention to detail, professionalism and calm demeanor. She spent a lot of time including our requests within the confines of what was actually possible. We would gladly recommend her to any of our friends.

Stefanie was a joy to work with. She guided us through a big renovation and her knowledge was amazing. She came up with brilliant design ideas that were practical as well as beautiful. She was an attentive listener and helped us make design decisions that worked best for us. She went with us when we picked out appliances and lighting and tile/stone etc. Her input helped us see options we would not have known about. Her knowledge of local businesses and what they had to offer was so helpful. Her attention to detail as well as her ability to keep the big picture in mind helped us stay on track and on budget.. She knows the carpenters and plumbers and electricians and keeps in close contact throughout the project. She helps troubleshoot any issues. She is simply the best and I highly recommend her.

We had the best experience working with Stefanie. She spent a significant amount of time listening to our interests, addressing budget concerns and ultimately guiding us to a reconfiguration of our kitchen that we would not have arrived at on our own. She is responsive, listens and asks excellent clarifying questions and deeply cares about her customers. I also appreciated the relationships Stefanie had with her colleagues. She collaborated with them many times to make sure our questions were answered and ultimately our project was done as we expected. I highly recommend Stefanie. She is a knowledgeable and thorough professional designer.

Stefanie Rotella is a design professional extraordinaire. We had been living in our home for about 4 years and knew from the day we moved in that we were going to remodel our too small kitchen. It took us that 4 years to consider all the options as well as remodel some of the rooms on the floor underneath the kitchen in order to determine where all the plumbing pipes were located. We had done all the work ourselves on this home up to that point, as well as on all our previous homes. This, however, was going to be a huge undertaking, and in an effort not to spend the next many years on it, we decided to interview some professional builders to consider the options. Nevertheless, I (husband), thought that after pondering the possibilities for years, coupled with all my previous experience, that someone who had never seen or lived in our home could tell us anything we hadn't already considered. How wrong I was! In our first meeting with Stefanie at our home, she exuded a warmth and friendliness that put us at ease, and more importantly, a sense of design and technical expertise about our situation that was impressive for someone who had never been in our home before. We were encouraged enough to go ahead with a feasibility plan, and one of the three options she presented us was so fabulous (and I humbly submit I had never thought of) that we hired her and Neil Kelly to do our remodel. Every step of the way, Stefanie was available to help and guide us through the millions of details that a remodel of this scope entails. Nothing seemed out of her realm of expertise, from her advice on shopping trips to pick out hardware or appliances to the most minute technical aspects that often involved measurements of fractions of an inch. Even more impressive was her response when problems arose or when, after the fact, we decided there was something we didn't really like or wasn't working for us. She graciously took it in stride, worked to find us a satisfactory solution, and carried it through until we were completely satisfied. This was our first time ever to hire a design professional and we could not be more pleased with the outcome. She is incredibly talented and knowledgeable, and an absolute joy to work with.

We could not be happier with the way our kitchen remodel turned out. We finally have a kitchen that is functional, efficient, and measures up to the beautiful home in which it lives. Two aspects of this engagement stand out. First, we wanted a kitchen that was an aesthetically appropriate component of a custom-built family home and that also blended into the surrounding natural environment. A principle design principle was to 'bring the outside in'. Stefanie hit it out of the park. It is almost as if the beautify outside our windows is a continuous extension of the kitchen. Second, the functionality of any kitchen is entirely dependent upon how well its design aligns with the people who use it. Here again, the objective was exceeded. Stefanie took the time and made the effort to understand how WE used a kitchen. She interrogated us about our cooking habits. Do we eat in? What do we cook? How do we entertain? She rummaged through our old kitchen to see what cookware, appliances, and utensils we use. Finally, she took the time to understand our style and functional preferences. Our kitchen is not only beautiful, but also highly functional. Traffic patterns work, counter heights are optimal, things are within easy reach of where they will be used. The hallmark of Stefanie’s work is her ability to listen and to conceptualize the functional and aesthetic fit between an individual and the spaces they inhabit.

We are very pleased with our remodeled kitchen. After using the kitchen for the past 18 months there is not one thing we wish had been done differently. Stefanie and her staff were particularly helpful in incorporating ergonomic design elements and efficient use of limited space within our galley kitchen. The completed design fits in well with our traditional 1928 vintage home. Stefanie was very helpful in our selection of finishes and colors.

We had to rebuild our kitchen after a water leak and Stefanie and her team worked diligently to design and rebuild a slick new kitchen for us that is not only more beautiful but more functional as well. We highly recommend her and Neil Kelly for home remodels!

Stefanie designed and coordinated the remodel of my main bathroom. She is simply the best; a consummate professional. She listens well. Her aesthetic sense is spot on. She knows the technical aspects of construction and materials. She's extremely organized, detail oriented, efficient with everyone's time, responsive, and communicates well. I always felt well informed with updated design printouts from her excellent design software. In addition, she's friendly, approachable, patient, and is great to go shopping with. I'm so pleased with my elegant and functional bathroom.

Stefanie did a wonderful job designing our new master bath. She listened to my husband and I, and came up with a design that I loved, and reflected all the ideas and many inspirational pictures that I sent her. She also provided us with different options when our initial dreams exceeded our budget, and the end result is wonderful. She took on the challenges of a quirky, angled space and made it look beautiful, modern, and created more functionality. If we were to tackle another home improvement project, I would not hesitate to go to Stefanie and Neil Kelly.

Stefanie was excellent to work with, very professional with strong attention to detail. I will definitely reach out to her again for any new home projects.

I highly recommend this company and Stephanie, lead designer and coordinator for our remodel. I write mostly about the company here only because when you hire Stephanie you hire the company along with her -- it's a package deal. Stephanie and Neil Kelly want to do the job right and do what was right for the customer. My experience with her and the company is explained as follows : 1. Cooperation: they are ever so willing to work with the owners 2. Adaptive: they are able to adapt to various complications and the unexpected 3. Creative: Stephanie showed creativity with various options in design as well as the workers in solving issues that came up . 4. Professional: They are very professional at all levels including the workers who do the job. Their sub contractors obviously know the quality that Neil Kelly expects. 5. Organized. They give you an GANTT chart for the job from start to finish and follow it. 6. Trustworthy: Several times they displayed honesty even when not to their advantage. 7. Knowledgeable: In both purchasing the items for furnishing the project and solving problems showed their knowledge, expertise and efficiency. 8. Clean. Every evening at the end of the job it was left clean and organized. 9. Friendly: it is obvious they care enough to hire and keep workers that not only are professional but also have good people skills. It was a joy to work with them. 10. They made the preapproval process clear and easy. All permits and other requirements went smoothly and completely handled by them. 11. Documentation: They document everything and include you in every step. 12. EASY to work with. Our experience was having peace of mind that we could discuss whatever was important and they would try to work it out. 13. Nobody is perfect. What is important is she and Neil Kelly want to make it right and they do. Finally, as a professional in the field of human behavior my assessment of Stephanie's people skills are among the best.