Sarah Barnard Design

My neighbor recently completed a major new construction project with Sarah Barnard Design. At first I just assumed that this firm was out of my league, my neighbor is rather high profile and has major deep pockets. I on the other hand am a working professional who makes a good living but is still contending with some real life financial limitations. \r \r After walking through my neighbors completed space, I knew I wanted Sarah Barnard Design to help me with my place, I just wasn’t sure if I could afford it. \r \r I had a very nice telephone conversation with the principle of the firm and she invited me in to meet with her and discuss my project, she didn’t even mention money! After meeting with me and graciously running over my allotted 1 hour appointment, Sarah offered to come and “take a look” at my place. That next meeting cost me $250 and also ran over the hour that was agreed, my general observation is that Sarah really enjoys the work she is doing and is fairly generous with her time. \r \r I since hired the firm for a remodel of my first floor, including my kitchen, two bathrooms and all of the public rooms (living room, family room, dining room, foyer etc) Sarah’s team has produced a very professional set of plans and last week my project went to bid with multiple contractors that SBD helped me to interview. I have remodeled on my own before and after having used a good designer will never try to manage a project like this on my own again.\r \r Oh- and about the money. The costs were much more manageable than I anticipated. Sarah reduces her hourly rate for projects that extend beyond consulting in scope, so my project qualified for that discount. Excellent! \r more

Our corporation’s main office was re-done by Sarah Barnard and it has been a delightful experience. Sarah worked with registered Historic Colors, to keep the property true to its period. We have had nothing but praise from anyone who comes to our office. We will definitely hire Sarah Barnard Design for our next phase. \r Pros: Excellent in detail and a pleasure to work with Sarah more

Through out our renovation Sarah addressed quality and construction issues with our contractor and proposed solutions along the way that were practical and did not compromise our style. She is approachable and has an easy going and down to earth manner which makes her a pleasure to work with. Pros: Sarah is one smart, tough cookie! more

I just finished a major remodel of my first home with Sarah Barnard Design. I bought a major fixer in Santa Monica and wanted to incorporate green design principles and avoid the use of any animal products. Sarah proved her ability to capture my personal style, understand my love of nature and animals and make me feel elegant on a limited budget. \r \r One of the products that Sarah introduced me to (that really changed my life) is something called IZIT leather. This product is a luxury looking, faux leather like fabric that can stand up to cat claws, spills and other unmentionables. It isn't completely natural- but it is certified for good indoor air quality and will last forever, even in my crazy pet filled household. I was exposed to so many new ideas like this that my project ended up far better than I could have guessed was possible. \r \r I can't thank Sarah enough for her sensitive personality and excellent design talents. I have already told her that when I am ready to graduate out of this ""starter house"" I will be calling her again. Pros: Great design style, design with NO animal products Cons: $$ more

It is my pleasure to recommend Sarah Barnard. I retained her for a substantial remodeling project in 2005-2006 and then for another project in 2008. While we did have a relatively large budget both times, it was not unlimited and Sarah made sure that our plan would have the greatest possible impact with the funds available. Our real estate agent was extremely impressed with the transformations and believed Sarah’s work to have made our buildings stand out in the market. \r \r Pros: excellent use of color, understanding, kind, reliable. Cons: the process takes time but is worth the wait more

Sarah and her team have raised the concept of personalized client service and custom designs to an art form! A previous design team spent months trying to determine a proper layout for our difficult kitchen. Sarah's team came in and magically figured it out, giving proper emphasis to our wish list and design principles. We are thrilled with the result. No detail is too small for Sarah to do to perfection. Architects and contractors who normally bristle at the thought of working with a designer embrace Sarah's level of professionalism and organization. Pros: Exceptional space planning + kitchen design more

My spouse and I hired Sarah Barnard Design to remodel our kitchen, bathroom and one bedroom. We could not be more pleased with the result. Sarah was not only able to produce scaled designs which our contractor was able to build from, but she and her staff also have a wonderful sense of color and texture. Sarah designed all of our furniture which was custom made and we could not be happier with the result. I highly recomend Sarah Barnard for any scale project. Pros: Strong sense of style and color Cons: pricey more

I hired Sarah Barnard Design for a whole house re-decorating project. From the very start Sarah's professionalism and integrity made us entirely at ease. She has been an absolute pleasure to work with an in fact I have given her name to a number of my friends. Sarah is an excellent listener, she offered remarkable sensitivity to our differing viewpoints and offered a number of options for reaching our design goals. She is extremely dependable, she has excellent follow through and always follows up on our request quickly. I am incredibly impressed with the time commitment Sarah and her team made on our behalf to make sure that we were pleased with the results. I have enormous respect for Sarah personally and would be delighted to offer the highest reccomendation for anyone in need of similar services.? \r \r \r Pros: Excellent listener, great follow through, super dependable! Cons: Not cheap- but worth it! more

We contracted Sarah Barnard to redesign our second living room and choose paint colors for our house. She was totally unresponsive and dragged her feet throughout the entire process.\r \r When we finally received a ""presentation"" of her color and pattern choices it was way off! We wanted soothing neutral textures and colors which we had stressed throughout the entire process. She presented antiquey wallpaper and crazy bright colors. We are talking neon green! \r \r We decided to go to another interior designer and stopped working with her. Then we got an outrageous bill for nothing! Thousands of dollars later we were left with a couple bad color schemes and nothing else to show for it. \r \r We sure made a mistake going with her....don't make the same mistake!? more

I have been a satsfied client of Sarah Barnard Design for several years, during which Sarah has helped me to create a home that relfects both my life and style. I am certain that this letter will fall short of adequately describing how much I have appreciated her creativity and professional manner. \r \r Prior to meeting Sarah I had worked with a couple of other designers on projects with mixed results. Some designers are excellent with creativity but lack the appropriate management skills, others seem to be excellent coordinators but with less than dazzling results.\r \r In my estimation Sarah effectively demonstrates an amazing ability to take a sketchy description of something I have in my mind and transform it into s space that I could never have concieved when we started!\r \r Sarah's commitment to healthy living and the environment is fantastic. Her depth of knowledge was extremely helpful in navigating the plethora of ""green"" options out there. I would highly reccomend Sarah Barnard for anyone who seeks a LEED AP designer with a fantastic sense of style. Pros: Green Design, LEED AP, historic preservation, excellent service more

Sarah worked so well with all of our random collected objects' and incorporated the wants and needs of our children, she even gave care and attention to our dogs. Sarah was considerate of our budget, is incredibly sincere and trusthworthy, We would never consider using anyone else. more

Very happy working with this down to earth group! I am the envy of my girlfriends and love my new home. more

When I began the 2 year process of building a custom home , I expected that I would end up with a interior environment that would satifsy the needs of my family. What I could have never counted on is that I have also have formed lasting relationships with an authentically nice, highly skilled group of proffessional young women. I could not be more pleased with the process. Pros: Excellent design aesthetic, attentive customer service, worldwide shopping resources Cons: Expensive, I had to be on a 6 month waiting list before I could start my project more