Luminosus Designs LLC

Thank you, Ronnie, for such a thoughtful review. Knowing that your new primary suite brings you beauty and comfort every day means the world to me. It was my privilege to listen, collaborate, and see your vision come to life — and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to create a home you truly enjoy.

Thank you for your kind words Wendy! It was such a pleasure working with you and your husband on your condo reno!

Thank you for your kind words Julie! It was my pleasure working with you.

I want to thank Ms. Piya_C for taking the time to write this review. I am so sorry that you weren’t delighted by our services and working together, and I’ve had some sleepless nights from reading your review. I have been a certified professional in the industry for 14 years now, designing both smaller and much larger award-winning projects. My staff and I are extremely diligent and conscientious, and I want every client that I work with to be happy even though renovating is itself a stressful process. Luckily, I have mostly had wonderful clients and extremely happy and successful projects. I’m sorry that yours wasn’t one of them.

In reviewing your description of the situation and the conclusions you have drawn about me and my company, I am looking to see what I can learn from this situation to make sure it never happens again. And since the overwhelming majority of my projects result in beautiful renovations and thrilled clients, this negative feedback is rare for me, so I want to make the most of it.

I think my biggest mistake in our work together was trying to solve problems as they arose without bothering you with the details. Most people who hire me are highly successful people who are used to working with other high-level professionals like myself and trusting them to deliver excellence. My other clients appreciate when I can manage issues and provide solutions. They appreciate thoughtful gestures (e.g., when we cleaned up your apartment and picked up your laundry in your bedroom) and thank us for it. They don’t try to micro-manage our work or second-guess our recommendations (e.g., when you called in your Florida “designer”/sales rep to get a second opinion, which in the end served only to confirm what I had already recommended). Our clients know how New York City buildings and renovations work, and they trust me to manage the process.

Your account of the events is not entirely accurate. For some closure for both of us, I will address the points you raise. And again, I’m so sorry that we didn’t have a positive experience working together.

I see what you call being “non-communicative,” as problem solving and trying to take care of issues without wasting your valuable time. I have never had anyone accusing me of being condescending or sarcastic. One of the dangers of email is that tone isn’t in the words – it’s left to interpretation. I’m sorry you got that impression, but that was never my intention.

As to the points you list:

1. There was no problem with our measurements, and we had warned you against such a large piece for such a small room from the start of the project. Removing doors and disassembling furniture are very common practices in NYC apartments. I’m sorry you didn’t realize that. My upholsterer has been making custom upholstered furniture for over 20 years and is very capable in disassembling and reassembling furniture. I asked him to inspect the sleeper to see whether it can be taken apart safely and without damaging it. As my upholsterer was in the process of reviewing the sleeper, your super called you to report there was an issue. You then called me immediately before I had a chance to determine what would be the best course of action before contacting you. Your repeated demand for an immediate answer, between texting and phone calls, left us little time to actually get what we needed to do done. After my upholsterer determined that he would be able to safely disassemble and reassemble the sofa, I asked you if we have your permission to do so. You expressed that you are uncomfortable with it, citing the reason of "not being able to move it in the future" and we did not proceed. I do not recall you mentioning any concern that the disassembly/reassembly would damage the unit or that this was the reason why you did not want us to proceed. In addition, once you decided you didn’t want the piece anymore, we immediately went to work to find a replacement. Only after that process was underway were we informed that you were taking over that part of the project.

2. Our practice is to do a thorough walk-through at a project’s completion and find any points that might need adjusting, and create a “punch list” to make sure you are left completely delighted. If we catch something during the installation, we always try to fix it on the spot. We’re sorry we didn’t see this sooner. But it would definitely not have been missed. We are perfectionists and want to get every detail right!

3. Unfortunately, this is another case of you having incorrect information and perhaps being confused by different incidents. This concerns two lamps shipped separately: one is shipped in a single box and the other shipped in two boxes. Each lamp had its own situation. With regard to the first lamp, the manufacturer had not shipped that lamp at the time we were informed thus did not arrive at the date we expected. We discovered this when we were at your apartment to inventory and inspect all items shipped to you directly. We researched that and resolved the situation quickly – with you getting free overnight shipping on that product. I was very shocked when you told me you had been calling my vendor directly to track down the whereabouts of this lamp as this is not the proper protocol. The vendor's contract is with my company and it is not surprising that the vendor was confused, not knowing who you are and what you were inquiring about.

The issue that required interaction with the building staff was a case where 2 boxes were shipped and UPS showed that they were signed for by your building staff. The building log showed no package arriving. This was obviously an error by your super or doorman because one of the boxes was placed by your super in your apartment. We were directed to contact management by your front desk staff to get a copy of the log so that we could file a claim with UPS. After opening a claim with UPS, your super mysteriously found the lamp. We did everything we could here to be of service and to solve the problem.

4. I love designing and creating beautiful environments for my clients. My clients hire me because they trust my creative talents and aesthetics. When this sofa bed situation arose, my team and I wanted to fix the problem so that we could find a piece that fit harmoniously with our overall design. However, you took over that purchasing and the associated responsibilities.

5. I am sorry that our cabinet maker did not communicate earlier about this delay. We do our best to find the best professionals to work with – even on a limited budget such as yours. This experience with this contractor has raised our vetting standards so that this type of problem doesn’t occur again. And again, I’m sorry we tried to simply resolve this without communicating with you as it arose.

I admit my staff and I could have done better in communicating this last minute cancellation to you and the building staff. I am taking this opportunity to re-emphasize the importance of timely communication and prioritization to all in my firm.

In conclusion, I am sorry that this wasn’t a great experience for us, and I do hope you enjoy your beautiful new home.