Storey Design

In the past year I have been implementing a remodel of my house, partly on the basis of measurements Katie made. It has turned out that errors in her measurements resulted in the need to make corrections during design and construction. Though not major, these reminded me enough of the many problems in working with her that I’m taking time to write a review even though it is years overdue. In 2016, I hired Katie to do a master plan of changes to my 1000-sf 1910 house that I could implement in stages over time, and to measure the house. The master plan ended up being beyond the scope of Katie’s skills, and Katie had trouble grasping or was unwilling to deal with basic storage needs. After our first appointment (for which Katie and her assistant arrived 15 minutes late with no notice, having stopped for coffee), Katie sent a document including a “design scope” that itemized her understanding of the issues I wanted to address. She subsequently sent me layouts and we had a series of conversations about them. Invoices arrived weekly and totaled over $6000. —Although Katie had noted in her document “remove dining cabinet and wall between living and kitchen for a more open space look and feel,” both final layout “options” included the wall. I had specified removal of the wall because I wanted to get away from the feel of an eat-in kitchen and have a better space for my (obviously formal) dining room table and chairs, which I had bought while living in my previous home. Katie commented, bewilderingly, “You don’t seem into formal dinner parties.” Another important reason I had wanted the wall removed, explained to Katie but not noted in her document, was that the wall encompassed a closet that was difficult to access because it was in a corner behind the dining area. When I objected that I didn’t want to pay for the contrary of what I had asked for, Katie responded, essentially, that this was what she had decided was best for me, and she would not be adjusting her invoice but on the contrary expected prompt payment. —The layout specified blue and white Delft tiles on the floor of the porch/entry. Besides the weird and gaudy look that this would have produced, Delft tiles are not suitable for floors. —The layout unilaterally eliminated most bookshelf space, with no comment about where my books could go; her design assumption seemed to be that I should have fewer books. I am a writer. I have no plans to get rid of a lot of books. —At some point during the project, Katie decided that a master plan was too much to tackle and that we should focus on one room, namely the bathroom. I reluctantly agreed, since the whole purpose of the project was to have a master plan. Katie produced a bath design with zero storage near the sink (we subsequently spent way too much time discussing exactly what I might want to put in a medicine cabinet) and an unfrosted window, although my neighbors have a view into the room from three directions.

Katie has a strong intuitive understanding of what makes a space great. She starts with an intimate understanding of how the space is used - which nooks and crannies are you naturally gravitating towards - and combines that with a strong design sense to deliver results. She presented a vision for our apartment that got us more than excited, and then she managed the project to bring it to life. When COVID through a few hiccups, she handled it like a pro. 5-star - we'd highly recommend Katie.

Katie of Storey Design is the best. She has an incredible eye, killer style and is very easy to work with. You'll be in good hands with Katie. We are loving our home so much more now thanks to her help.

Katie and her team were incredibly helpful in navigating me through the entire process. Katie helped me through the entire process, including selecting, purchasing, and installing new furniture, accents, colors, wallpaper, and more. For someone new to this process, and with an unclear vision, she was able to shape a few seeds into something I'm absolutely delighted with today. Throughout the process, Katie was a delight to work with - patient, creative, thoughtful, and responsive. I didn't have as much time as I'd have liked to devote to this project, and Katie was able to keep things moving along. With Shelter In Place in effect, I am even more aware of how grateful I am to have worked with Katie to create the space I have spent so much time in over the past several months.

We were homeowners embarking on a remodel last year and recommend Katie as a talented designer. She laid out a vision for our project, listened to what we wanted, and contributed her project coordination skills early in the process. We would gladly welcome the chance to work with Katie's team for future interior design needs!

Katey did a fantastic job with our den remodel. We were creatively stuck (some really bad ideas), but Katey cut through that and gave us an exciting and beautiful solution.

Katie has done a great job for me in my kitchen, she listen to your needs and came up with nice proposals on furnitures. She understand the space and the needs of her clients.

Storey Design was an absolute pleasure to work with! Katie and her team know how to navigate the varying styles, needs, and demands of their clients with ease. They magically pull it all together to create a space that has the all the polish and style you’d want, but the warmth, comfort, and positive energy you need. Our office feels like a place I want to live in, not just work.

Katie Storey helped me upgrade our yoga and massage studio. She listened to all of my ideas, helped me shape my loose thoughts, and created a vision board that helped me see my business in a way I have always dreamed it could be, but don't have the creativity to manifest myself. She fully understood I needed to work within a budget. She found painters, managed them, and supported me when I was feeling nervous about big change. She helped me realize a project I've been wanting to do forever and EVERYONE gushes about the results. I wholeheartedly recommend her for all projects and will use her again in future upgrades.

“Bailey General Contracting Co. had the pleasure of working with Storey Design on a recent project. They created an excellent design for the challenging space and provided us with clear and concise communication throughout the entire process. We were really happy collaborating with them on this project and look forward to the next time.”

Working with Katie and her staff was a really enjoyable process. From storyboards to implementation, the team was attentive to our company brand, and receptive to team input. We were able to establish trust quickly and relied on Katie and team when we were out of our depth as we tripled the size of our former office. Katie has great ideas and good intuition about design. We were working with a seemingly tight budget and were able to stay on track to build out an office that is comfortable to our staff, consistent with our company culture, and delivered within our timeline with minimal disruptions to staff. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the space from our staff and visitors. I would highly recommend Katie Story Design and plan to work with them for future projects.

I hired Katie at the end of November 2015 to help me redesign my ~90sqft dining nook. She helped design my vision for the room and find a contractor to implement it. The process of coming up with the designs required several iterations, I think because I came into the project with a *very* clear idea of what I wanted (including graph paper sketches). She was patient and always helpful, but in the end I feel like I steered her closer to what I wanted from the start, which was further from her ideas. I think for a more flexible or less hands-on client, her creative input and variations on design would have been far more valuable. And then came the first contractor (that she recommended). This required another set of design iterations when the contractor decided that certain plumbing changes (we originally thought possible) would not be possible. My last in-person interaction with this contractor was at the office of the custom cabinet maker, ensuring that I got exactly what I wanted. We started working with this contractor in January 2016, and month after month went by when we were promised work would start. After one final promise to start work on our project after Thanksgiving unsurprisingly fell through, in consultation with Katie, we fired that contractor in early December 2016. Katie then helped us pick up the pieces and found another contractor, Matt Bailey of Bailey General Contracting Co, Inc. He was so awesome, I'm glad the original contractor never touched our place. Work finally started in April 2017 and finished at the end of May---a year and a half after we first reached out to Katie. The final result is exactly what I wanted. A single star rating based on our circuitous project doesn't really do Katie justice; she's a wonderful designer, a great communicator, and you should definitely talk to her. For the initial design process, I'd give her 4 stars, with the caveat that I came to the project with a very specific vision of what I wanted. For the first contractor she recommended us to, I'd give her 2 stars, but so much of that was out of her control. Maybe she could have interceded sooner, but who knows? For saving our project a year later and connecting us to Matt Bailey, I'd give her 5 stars.