What does the designer say?

I called, emailed and texted her the moment the buffet was delivered. She never called me back!

Sell it and try to recover as much as possible.

Contact the Better Business Bureau

Eek! I see your issue. Here's a few things I would suggest. 1. Get a few pillows and place them on the back of the couch to hide the buffet. And, add two planters on either side of the buffet with plants that come up to the same height of the buffet to even it out. 2. Find a cool divider or branch cluster that's flat and place in between the couch and the buffet so it acts like a wall, but not too tall of course. 3. Worse case scenario...can you get rid of the legs of the buffet and lower it a bit with customized legs? Hope that helps!

Thank you all for the advice! We are just devastated! Unfortunately, we found this designer on Houzz....Beware the "colleague reviews"......
At this point, we will have to have the buffet remade at a cost that is close to just buying a new one! The part that just astounds me ...is a supposed professional forgetting to measure a room properly before having a custom piece made or forgetting to measure the height of a sofa before ordering a piece to go behind it! Then refusing to fix the problem! And designers wonder why people are wary of hiring them???!!

If you have a contract specifying the details and these pieces aren't as contracted for, you have lawsuit which you should win. If this was all verbal, get on local social media and post your displeasure with the quality of the person's work and professionalism..

Is this room overlooking water? Gorgeous! Very careless work by the decorator. No plans agreed upon?

Did the designer provide a furniture layout showing the specific measurements for the sofa, bed, etc.? Did they provide schematics of all of these custom pieces (again with measurements) for your review/approval prior to the order being placed?

I agree with Adivra. I'm also wondering if you had a written contract. Did you tell the designer you wanted the couch and buffet the same height, or did you want the couch to have a low back on it? If not, it's just common sense that they should be. The other problem is that the couch is just to big. Did you talk about the size that you wanted for the room? Or did you leave it up to the designer? Not that I'm saying it was your fault, because it's not. A professional with any salt should know (and measure) how large or small a couch should be in consideration of the room size. And then there is the bed frame.... it sounds like they really made a mess of things regarding what you ordered. I don't think you would have any trouble taking them to court.

I am assuming they came to your house, is that correct?

Pat, just wanted to add....I read the review of your experience. I'm so sorry that these things happened and that this wasn't the joyful experience you'd hoped it would be.

We didn't have a great experience with our first designer (whom we also found on Houzz) either. Thankfully, we ended the relationship early on....yet, that was still a pricey lesson to learn. So I can only imagine how you're feeling.

But now, a little over a year later, we are in the beginning stages again with another designer. And though this design firm does have a (not very active) Houzz profile, Houzz was not the main resource we used to find them. So, I agree with you that one should be cautious when researching any design firm as well as use other resources to find out more about them....in addition to Houzz.

Anyway, I truly hope that your issues get resolved fairly and expediently so that this experience can be put behind you.....and that you're able to enjoy your beautiful home soon.......one that's even better than what you may have originally envisioned.

Sorry as it has to be frustrating hiring someone to avoid the very issues you didn't want to have by doing yourself.

There are plenty of leg options for that console table that are bolt on. Hairpin legs are available in just about any length and are super easy to add on yourself. To loose 7-8" in height those legs are going to be so small and low you will barely see them anyway.

Good luck.

I voted for the first, reason being is, the sofa does look big and the cabinet behind it doesn't suit it both height and length wise. Thus, I suggest you start over and donating is always a good thing when you can donate.

Firstly, the sofa's huge size will keep making you regret that you didn't return it, and, secondly it will remind you of the experience, and finally and foremost, it is not what you wanted and you need to be relaxing in a room you want in the end.

Meanwhile, you should contact the designer and explain how you feel about it all, you never know they might be able to fix it all for you. If the process takes long, don't wait to feel more disappointed about it go ahead and make it the way you want.

Send a registered letter, that way you know they got it, keeping a copy for youself (be polite) outlining the problems & asking what they are going to do to either A:fix or B:ask for a refund. also, if you remember when & how many times you called, if you already haven't, document them.

Are you on a houseboat? Lovely.

I would begin by taking the buffet out of the room.

I like the couch and wonder if you put a narrow glass table behind that it might all gain a new sense of proportion.

This would be a cheap fix.

But agree that you could legally pursue this.

Be sure that you are sending registered letters to the designer and not just leaving messages.

Yes, we had a contract. It specified that we pay 50% up front, which we did. Then she came back to say that she wanted 100% before she would order anything. When we asked her to prove that she was using our money to purchase the items, she refused. We had to hire an attorney and only then did we start getting any of the things we purchased. At this point (5 months later), we have spent thousands of dollars having to use a third party for delivery, repair damages, etc.
I posted a VERY negative review....which took 10 days to show up on Houzz....and the very next day she had several glowing reviews from "colleagues" NOT actual clients!
The Houzz reviews are not accurate!!!

if you paid with a charge card..write a letter to the charge card company stating the problems and asking the charge to be refunded.

Sell both pieces at a consignment shop or on Craigslist? If the buffet is not custom, will the store allow you to return it for credit or substitute a piece more suitable?

When people mention legal action, in Canada anyway, it would cost you more in legal costs than dealing with the issue. A welder might be able to cut off at the bottom or in the leg itself and resolder - but consider how low it would have to be and if it would feel odd? Can it go into the dining room or against a wall in the living room. Can the couch be moved, to accommodate if need be? Worse case, sell the buffet. With couch being custom and the cost involved, you will never get close to its value, so hopefully it will work out. A client should not have to be checking on height of pieces - it is not feasibly to have to ask about height of nightstands with bed, chairs at a table, etc - that's why a professional is hired and paid. I would send a registered letter to the person (wouldn't call them a professional) and copy Better Business Bureau and the professional assocation he/she belongs to (if they do!) - for the sake of others, this should be reported. We had never heard back about a car issue and once I did the above, I got a call from the dealership owner almost immediately to resolve. Some types of cards will guarantee a purchase and provide refunds I believe. I know how disappointing it must be.

I did notice for several kitchen cabinet companies the many positive reviews were actually from designers or people selling them This is part of why I had my cabinets custom made by a local cabinet maker. I could not find cabinets reviewed by actual homeowners who were happy. I really think the reviews should somehow be separated between professionals and homeowners.

Re your case: if it was clear at the outset how these pieces would be
used together, then the designer should fix this at no additional cost,
IMO. A retrofit that you might consider would be to remove legs below
the cross-brace and install ball feet. These could be metal or wood to
match the case. Casters are another option which can also add a mobile
functionality--though proportions can be tricky. This will bring the
piece closer to the correct height for the sofa. Your sofa design has an
effective lower back edge with a "true height" dictated by the
cushions. This is a nice effect, but not one I would place against a
sofa table as a first choice. A sofa table works best where the table and sofa back height are aligned.

Mariekylo has a good point about differentiating between customer reviews and mutually beneficial business reviews. I do not use reviews much, but will where a product/supplier has been instrumental in solving a design problem and has performed well (check out Elica range hoods as an example, review coming - or my review of Floform stone counters).

Re selecting a designer:

- whether the initial meeting is paid or not, devote 15 minutes or so interacting to explore how communication works between you. Pay attention to this, and how any missed cues or outright conflicting ideas is resolved. This can be done in person or via Skype. An advisor in your court is more important than proximity, for some projects.

- explore background/experience: some designers have a narrow focus on a specialty (period renos, bathrooms, styling); store designers typically must sell design as a means to move product; some bring a grab bag of broader experience over many years to individual projects. Each approach has legitimate worth in different scenarios.

- certification may be a useful indicator (and in some jurisdictions a legal requirement depending on how work is conducted). It is never a guaruntee.

- my own practice (outside of my in-house role) is to dig into the clients' likes, dislikes, gain insight through exploring key ideas, colours, existing collections. Your designer should know you to an extent that permits presenting options that will suit to the degree you have shared who you are and how you live. Some clients start out thinking this is wasted time. It is not--but if a client is focused on limiting the designer's understanding of their needs, then the outcome will not be what they want.

Of course, that's all general advice for Houzzers..I hope the retrofit suggested at the top helps in your situation--or get that designer to deliver the required pieces.

Too late now, but don't trust Houzz as the sole source for reviews. There is no way to know if the reviews are legit. Ask the contractor/designer/etc. to connect with actual clients and look at their work in person if possible.

If you had a contract ans didn't get what you expected ans she is not returning calls...send a letter she has to sign for. Consider small claims court which is diy and in Cali can include legal actions up to 10k. As other posters said you could call credit card companies if you used a card and please post comments on this person's page (in a mature non snarky way) starting that she didn't deliver and disappeared without making things right. This doesn't look like a cheap expense to walk away from. You can also try to report this person to Houzz ans make a formal complaint to save others the same grief.