EL Design Studio

Ellen and her team helped me create my dream kitchen in the Fall of 2024. They were incredible to work with, very professional and creative. They really listened to my needs and helped me stay in budget. I could not be more happy with the end result and am so grateful to Ellen, Denise & Martha!

We absolutely love our new kitchen. It is the favorite room in our home! Ellen transformed a traditional galley kitchen into a beautiful and perfectly functioning elegant room for our 1920's apartment. When a friend, who had seen the "before" kitchen in our apartment, recently walked in the kitchen she turned to me and said, "she [Ellen] is truly gifted!" Ellen is gifted but she also took the time to create the best possible layout for the room, building a soffit around it that focused your eyes on the double window at the end of the room and making them appear evenly centered in the room (though they are not in fact centered) by making the first 30 inch cabinets next to the window extra deep and carrying them down to the counter top. This hid the oddities of the original construction and gave me a place for our appliances that keeps the counters uncluttered while creating the illusion of an equally proportioned room. It also contributed to making that double window a bay windowed focal point. Ellen helped me select a cabinet line, door profile and finish that fit the style of my home and my budget. She took the time with me to have her assistant input various hood designs into the computer drawings of the room so I could see how they would look in the room as we discussed the different looks. Ellen recommended a Taj Mahal quartzite countertop; which perfectly accented the Simply White color of the cabinets and the Special Walnut finish of the oak floors. When Ellen selected a wallpaper for the kitchen I wondered if I needed wallpaper and yet when it was hung I was amazed that the already beautifully appointed room became a warmer, more finished room. At the start of the installation phase of the project Ellen and her product manager examined the cabinets, and talked to the general contractor about the proper installation of the cabinets. Ellen and her team were available throughout the installation phase to answer the contractor's questions and to provide a quick remedy when an issue arose. Her team ensured that a small oversight by the cabinet maker was immediately remedied and did not delay the project. With the invaluable support of her product manager someone was always available to answer the contractor's questions about the installation. Two other kitchens in the same apartment line in the building have been redone with the help of kitchen designers and decorators, but the designs of those kitchens do little to enhance the space or to hide the room's corner supports and the off centered windows. Friends in the building are amazed that our kitchen is the same size as the other kirchens. Ellen managed to make our galley kitchen feel bright and spacious. We couldn't be happier with our beautiful new kitchen.

Buyer beware: Ellen requires a non-refundable fee up-front (we paid $3500) in order for her to provide cabinet prices and a layout, whether or not you wind up actually going through with the project. Although her fee is to be credited towards the purchase of cabinets, it is not clear how her markup is manipulated in her pricing of the cabinets so we felt that this credit wasn’t as helpful as it initially seemed. All in all I would not recommend Ellen’s services: 1. In my opinion, Ellen’s design ideas were mediocre - there were some suggestions made in the layout that I felt sounded nice and pretty but reduced the functionality of the kitchen. 2. I felt there was a lack of transparency in pricing - this may not be an issue for you if you don’t mind having to pay money up front to be told how much you’re going to be paying for cabinets. When we got prices - The prices on her mid-range line of cabinets on our 17x17 kitchen came out to about 60k (about 74k for the top-range line) - which we felt was expensive. If this is your first kitchen project or you are not in the industry keeping up with prices I would recommend that you FIRST go to one of many businesses that would be happy to meet with you and provide you with a FREE no-strings-attached layout and pricing to at least establish a baseline price to compare against. The big box stores and local cabinet makers will do this for you.

We had EL Design Studio design and supply a full wall of custom closets and a custom bathroom vanity and storage cabinet. We could not be more pleased with how all aspects of this project were handled. They took a rough design and provided new design input that greatly improved the functionality. As an engineer, I greatly appreciated the attention to detail and the accuracy of the drawings they produced. Denise was there for the measurements, always available to answer my questions and on hand at delivery to ensure everything was as it was supposed to be. We used their recommended installer, and he was phenomenal. Even when a small problem arose, it was handled professionally and efficiently and resolved beyond our expectations! We would not hesitate to recommend them and will certainly use them again for our next project.

We couldn't be more thrilled with our new basement! The ELD team met with us numerous times to design the project, pick out the right materials, coordinate colors and hardware and make sure all details were attended to. They were helpful during the build, often talking directly to the contractors on the job. When we had an issue with the grout on the brick we chose, they would not rest until it got resolved and brought in numerous people to fix it. They would not give up until we were satisfied. If you want a design team that cares personally about your project and will patiently take the time to make sure you get what you want, then EL Design Studio is for you!

My husband and I have been living in our home for 35 years throughout this time we have done some minor renovations but always dreamed to do a full overhaul to transform our house that’s exactly what EL DesignStudio did for us and more we have a small space and always felt very cramped in our kitchen with the layout the way it was made it difficult for me to envision how we would be able to create more space storage and of course be a functional work kitchen Ellen’s designs that only gave me more space and tons more storage but brought every vision to life I could not be happier how everything turned out. It was a pleasure to work with Ellen and her team Diana and Denise all made this a great experience for me and my family I would definitely work with ELDS on any projects in the future

I’m beyond happy with my new kitchen. Ellen and her team went above and beyond for us from beginning to end. Ellen was able to design everything I wanted and then some. My kitchen functions so well now. Cooking meals are so easy now because everything We need is within reach, The drawer with the dog food bowls makes feeding them so convenient. Any concerns I had were taken care of right away. My phone calls were returned quickly and the customer service was excellent. I highly recommend Ellen and her team at EL Design Studio

From beginning to end I had such a wonderful experience with EL Design Studio. Not only did they help create the kitchen of my dreams, they really listened to what I wanted and went above and beyond. They also really paid attention to all the little details. I couldn’t be happier.

I reached out to Ellen and her team in the hopes of having my kitchen renovated and wow did they deliver! I stressed that I needed a more functional open floor plan and a better use of the existing space and the design they came up with was far better than anything I could have created. They paid close attention to the fine details that other designers I have worked with previously completely missed. I can’t wait to work with them again in the future!

Our project started with what was going to be a kitchen renovation. After living in our home for just about 5 years, the list had grown from kitchen to a complete overhaul consisting of an open concept kitchen space, Laundry room/mud room combo, two new bathrooms, and full exterior renovations. After our first meeting with EL Design we we decided to move forward with this talented group of women immediately! Every detail of the project was carefully thought out and planned with fine detail. Ellen, Denise and Diana worked tirelessly to find the perfect look that would compliment both mine and my husbands unique styles. The past two years of working with EL design didn't come without imperfections or challenges, but this team did everything in their power to make sure that the end product was exactly what we desired. The cabinetry is beautiful, so luxurious as not a single aspect was overlooked, from Choosing the perfect color combination to accent the walnut inlay, all the accent lighting and perfectly organized drawer inserts. Every detail was carefully planned around function and style flawlessly, We were involved with the selections and decisions every step of the way with the guidance and patience of this amazing Design Team. I would absolutely work with EL Design on any future projects!

Ellen has great vision! Her team, Denise and Diana, are very responsive and wonderful to work with! They answered every question I had in a very timely manner and were always respectful and pleasant.

EL Design studio designed my amazing new kitchen!! Ellen can envision a space and make it come to life. I have a small space and she designed my kitchen to allow for an abundance of storage and efficiency. My kitchen has a wonderful flow and cooking and eating a meal is a pleasure!!! Her staff Diane, Denise and Natalie are incredible to work with. They are all so attentive and professional. I am so happy that I chose EL Design Studio to renovate my kitchen.......