Designing Durham

We worked with Keri Kuzma from Designing Durham on our home renovations Keri helped us with a complete overhaul of our second floor bathroom and kitchen as well as changing colours and finishes in our master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. Keri came over in March 2017, took photos, measurements, notes and got a sense of our style and the scope of the project. Our house was somewhat tricky to work with as we have dark browns and earth tones throughout, which we wished to modernize with a gray palate that brought everything together. Keri accomplished this by choosing perfect paint shades. She also researched fabric options for draperies, bedspreads, headboards, ottomans, benches and chairs which either blended or added pops of colour, depending on the look we wanted to achieve. These fabrics were used to recover existing items we had or to purchase new ones. Keri was instrumental in helping us decide upon our floor treatments, counter tops and backsplash. She ventured out on several occasions to meet us at flooring/counter top companies and brought us samples she thought would work with our vision. Keri met and worked with with our contractors to discuss progress of the project on a regular basis. (We had allocated a year to fully complete the project and she worked according to our schedule.) She also has access to a list of contractors should you not have your own. When we were ready for the finishing touches with accessories, Keri always showed up with beautiful pieces from which to choose. Her "reveals" were so much fun! In conclusion, Keri, is a dedicated, knowledgeable, extremely pleasant professional who listens carefully to your vision and works extremely hard to provide that for you. She is in constant communication with you. always accessible with excellent feedback and information. We thoroughly enjoyed working with her and have no hesitation in recommending Keri and Designing Durham!

Keri did an amazing job decorating our loft. It is a unique area, and we were at a loss on what to do with it. She made the space beautiful and useable, and we use this as our main sitting area now. We have had countless positive comments on the decor and are incredibly happy with how it turned out.

Lynne Sevink is a great stager to home. She has a great sense to present the best look. I am a single man and live on my own. When Lynne staged the house, she made it to fit a man’s place without compromising the appeal to everyone. She is knowledgeable and professional. Great asset to her company

We hired Tammy to help us update and improve the curb appeal of our home. She worked with us to choose new colours for our shutters, doors, paneling, and eavestrough . She also guided us through the purchase of new exterior lights and suggested shingles for an upcoming project. The house looks great! We are very pleased with the finished product and really appreciate Tammy’s professional advice. She was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for design assistance.

Let's face it, selling your home is an extremely stressful endeavour, especially with tight timelines in today's fast paced and ever-changing market. We read a variety of blogs and online content that highly recommended staging as an "essential" to obtain the best possible market price. As an HGTV generation, my wife and I were sold on staging, but with so many companies to choose from, with a full array of price ranges, the decision was monumental. We shopped around, spoke with various companies and got the same spiel, feeling sold to in every interaction until we met Lynne. From our first contact we knew something was different, her approach was distinct, it was personable and warm, inviting and not pushy by any means. Her goal was to showcase her work and fit into our lifestyle, not force services on us, but to give us what we needed to highlight the innate features of our home. Amongst the crowd, she clearly stood out and was the obvious choice. Every interaction with her was professional and amidst our tight schedule, she remained flexible and punctual. Her services went above and beyond, and in most instances I felt like I had a close friend/family member guiding me through the process rather than a company simply going through the motions. The end product was nothing short of spectacular, as our home was transformed into the true masterpiece that it had the potential to be. Once staged, we confidently put it on the market and got well in excess of, multiple thousands above, our asking price for it. Truthfully, this was no coincidence or the work of market forces but rather the result of Lynne. Thank you!

Our project was a little unusual. Four women came together, sold their own homes and then bought a new home together. A century old house was stripped to the bones, renovated and given a new addition. Tammy worked with us through every phase. She was our liaison with the builder, our guide on selection of finishes, our interior designer and our mother hen. It was difficult to bring four households together especially as we were at varying stages of downsizing. Tammy kept us on track and was unbelievably patient and generous with her time. We are enormously happy with the end result. I recommend Designing Durham without any reservations at all. We couldn't have managed this project without her. Thank you Tammy!

We were starting a renovation at our house and I felt unprepared for all that we had planned. I initially met with Tammy and she had great ideas from her first view of the house. My husband and I would recommend Tammy and her staff. She was easy to work with and the result was excellent.

We had bought a brand new home and, after a great deal of work to make it market ready, sold our existing home for a good price. We were organized and ready for the move when a week before close the news came that the purchasers had backed out of the deal. I was devastated and overwhelmed to begin with and even more so when we moved our furniture out and I saw how much work would be needed to make the house market ready again and I knew it wouldn't show nearly as well empty. A friend recommended staging. I had no idea how to go about that or if it was in my budget. I found Tammy online and she came over the following day. From our first meeting it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. She went through the house with me, pointed out exactly what needed to be done in the way of repairs and started to make her décor recommendations. She even recommended a painter who did an amazing job! When the staging was done the house looked beautiful. We got so many compliments and ended up selling for considerably more than we did the first time. Staging really does work! Thank-you Tammy.

We recently had the pleasure of working with Tammy to redecorate our Family Room and Dining areas. Shopping trips with Tammy always proved to be productive - whether it be lighting fixtures, furniture or accent items. Tammy always knew exactly where to find just the right pieces. Tammy was very responsive to any and all of our requests. We knew that we could count on her to get back to us on a timely basis with pictures and recommendations on where to find any given item, or if need be to have a conversation on Skype or Face Time if she wasn't physically available. Being in another location was never an issue. Tammy always ensures that she is keeping with your style and design requirements. We are delighted with our new look and would highly recommend Tammy and do plan to work with her again.

This was my first experience hiring a designer, and making the initial call to Tammy was terrifying. How much would it cost? Would I like the result? Am I in over my head? I needed help with an awkward shaped, challenging living room in an old 1860's house. I also needed some finishing touches in our renovated kitchen/dining space. I simply can't say enough wonderful, positive things about my experience with Tammy Irwin and Designing Durham. Tammy spent a lot of time chatting with my husband and me about our likes and dislikes. She has such a confident and knowledgeable, yet reassuring manner that you quickly feel like you are working with a trusted friend. Throughout the entire process, I was continually amazed at how well she understood me, from my style and budget, to my need to slow down the process from time to time. It's been over a year since completion, and my husband and I still comment regularly on how perfect our space is, as do our family and friends, and how much it suits us perfectly. Thank you Tammy! Brenda and John Williams

We hired Tammy to help us in renovating the entire main floor of a ranch bungalow. A new kitchen layout, flooring, lighting and furniture was all part of the project as well as the final design details. Tammy was amazing at working closely with us and taking the time to understand what our vision was in this project. Thanks Tammy.....outstanding results!!

I am a Realtor, and I hire Tammy to stage every listing who is agreeable to having this professional service. She is a hands on designer who works quickly and efficiently to make the property look its absolute best. She always has great ideas, and I am always amazed at the impact her touches have on a home. Worth every cent!