Annika Designs

I had the pleasure of working with Annie when we were moving from New York City into a brownstone in Boston nearly five years ago. We were simultaneously undertaking renovations of a full, five floor townhouse as well as decorating. It was a busy time for our family with the move, renovations and a newborn baby. Annie made not only the transition into our new home so much more enjoyable, but also our transition to Boston by sharing her tips and know-how. I never hesitate to recommend Annie for any project as she is a consummate professional, has fabulous people skills and has a rare gift of being flexible in her work both by coordinating with renovations/contractors beautifully (and even picking up the slack on areas they should have but did not consider!) but also in getting to know and representing your own style so that your home ends up as your home and not some cookie-cutter just-like- every-other-project that designer worked on. I realize that most people might take it as a given when they hire a designer that they will get something tailored to them but let this be a warning that this is not always the case. In our case, I had rooms where I had concrete ideas of what I wanted and others where I relied more on Annie’s inspiration. In the rooms where I already knew what I wanted, Annie turned my ideas and pictures into reality connecting me with wonderful custom furniture artisans, helping to select fabrics, wallpapers, input on window treatments, etc. I appreciated that Annie was flexible to work with me based on my needs in each room and encouraged me to re-use where possible and pointed out areas where spending was not as worthwhile. What designer do you know that encourages you not to spend too much?! The same attributes that make Annie such a pleasure to work with as her client: her focus, thoughtfulness, ‘get-it- done-with- a-smile’ attitude, also importantly translated to her fabulous working relationship with all our contractors on our renovation. Despite hiring a general contractor, it was in fact Annie who pulled together all the pieces to make sure the end result would be in keeping with the vision. Annie’s expertise was immeasurably helpful not only in selecting individual pieces or décor, but also in creating a home that was tailored to how we actually used the space. Every night when I walk up our stairs to bed and look around the house I am happy by not only what I see- the home I had hoped for- but also the fond memories of working with Annie to create it. In fact, the only negative I can think of when working with Annie is when your project is over and you don’t get to have such positive energy in your life on a regular basis!