--- title: "First Impressions - Decorating — Interior Designers & Decorators | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/first-impressions-decorating-pfvwus-pf~151402091 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~151402091.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "First Impressions - Decorating" category: ["Interior Designers & Decorators"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/4c53d96e026ad9e8_5307-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "43 Ellerbeck St., Kingston, Ontario K7L 4H5, Canada" latitude: 44.2261 longitude: -76.4836 phone: "(613) 545-0525" website: http://www.firstimpressionskingston.com rating: 4.9 review_count: 29 best_of_houzz_awards: 8 followers: 56 last_updated: 2026-09-28 --- # First Impressions - Decorating Original Houzz profile: [First Impressions - Decorating](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/first-impressions-decorating-pfvwus-pf~151402091) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Interior Designers & Decorators - **Location:** Kingston, ON - **Serves:** Kingston, Kingston & Area - **Houzz rating:** 4.9 out of 5 (29 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 8 awards (2014–2021), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Recommended on Houzz - 250 Ideabook Saves We specialize in Interior Decorating, Design & Home Staging. Our interiors are designed with you in mind. We are committed to providing you the best possible design within your budget, and to ensuring that your project runs smoothly and on schedule. Please visit our web site for more details. ### Services Provided - Interior Design - Kitchen Design - Bathroom Design - Bedroom Design - Living Room Design - Color Consulting - Furniture Selection - Kids Bedroom Design - Dining Room Design - Custom Cabinets - Custom Kitchen Cabinets - Custom Built-ins - Project Management - Custom Furniture - Laundry Room Design - Nursery Design - Custom Blinds & Shades - Custom Home Bars - Art Selection - Custom Bookcases - Custom Rugs - Custom Entertainment Centers - Custom Fireplace Mantels - Custom Shelving - Home Staging - Downsizing - Decluttering - Interior Decorating - Redesign - Remodeling - Staging ### Areas Served - Kingston - Kingston & Area ### Typical Job Cost \- 0 We provide consultations, specific services, or we can take care of every detail from start to finish. ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | First Impressions - Decorating | | Address | 43 Ellerbeck St., Kingston, Ontario K7L 4H5, Canada | | Phone | (613) 545-0525 | | Website | http://www.firstimpressionskingston.com | | Followers on Houzz | 56 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — www.facebook.com/FirstImpressionsKingston/?ref=br\_rs - Blog — www.firstimpressionskingston.com ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [First Impressions - Decorating](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/first-impressions-decorating-pfvwus-pf~151402091) - **Website:** http://www.firstimpressionskingston.com - **Phone:** (613) 545-0525 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Best of Houzz - **Best of Houzz:** 8 awards (2014–2021), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 — 29 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 5.0 - Communication: 5.0 - Value: 5.0 ### Reviews **★★★★★ — HU-724428020, Nov. 2020** > Thank you so much for all your wonderful ideas and for capturing my vision. Can’t wait to send you the pictures of our beautiful home completed. **Comment from First Impressions - Decorating:** > It was fun and thank you so much for taking the time to add a review. I really appreciate it and cant wait to see the photos. **★★★★★ — Cathy Dunne, May 2020** > Dick and I very much appreciate all that you and your team have done for us, what with planning the project, finding terrific tradespeople, supervising the progress and sourcing so many of the needed bits bis and piece of furnishings, and decorative items! . Lacey and Michele - particularly Michele, as she spent the mot time with us - were wonderful people to work with, and there is no doubt about it I never could have done the home organization needed to pull off a project like this without their help. I learned a lot from them about how to better organize the house, and now - a couple of months later - our home looks as well put together as the day you finished the project. We were lucky that the project was complete before the Covid lockdown occurred, We have had lots of "at home" time to enjoy it! Valerie and her staff and the trades were very professional, always came in on time and on-budget. **Comment from First Impressions - Decorating:** > Thanks so much for the kind words. > We all enjoyed working with you and are happy to hear > that you are enjoying your home. **★★★★★ — Amy P, May 2020** > We loved working with Valerie and her team. She oversaw contractors even while we were on vacation and her beautiful ideas and lovely demeanour translated into stunning results. We sold our house in one week! I would recommend First Impressions in a heartbeat. **Comment from First Impressions - Decorating:** > Thank you Amy for the review. We loved working with you and your family. > I hope you're enjoying your new home and staying well. > Thanks again, > Valerie **★★★★★ — Heather Loveridge, June 2019** > This company is very professional. Valerie and Lacey are full of innovative ideas and advice and helped me very much with my renovation project. Practical , knowledgeable and also fun and pleasant to work with. They assisted us to meet our deadlines and they always came when they said they would. Trustworthy. I recommend their services without reservation. **★★★★★ — Beth Couto, June 2019** > Our family has more than doubled in the past few years and the living space was just not working for us any more. We decided on a room swap; dining room to the family room, sitting room in the dining area and spruce up a living room that was seldom used. We made the decision to hire a company to help us with this as we didn’t want to end up with rooms that did not make sense. After contacting several companies, we selected First Impressions. From the very first time we met with the owner and her assistant we felt at ease and very comfortable. Valerie and her team are absolutely amazing, they have taught me so much; size, scale, sight lines and how to shop for things that fit the space perfectly. Both Valerie and Lacey quickly got my decorating style and had so many great suggestions and ideas. The project went smoothly and turned out better than we imagined. We love it and just enjoyed our first family dinner in the new dining room. Not only does our home feel more spacious but we actually use all the rooms. I’m still pinching myself, it doesn’t seem real, this far exceeded our expectations! **★★★★★ — Lise Dawson, Nov. 2018** > I contacted First Impressions because, first, I liked those words, "Beautifying your home for living or selling". That struck a note with me. My needs were for my living space in the "great room" of my new apartment. I was lost trying to place furniture. When Valerie Cummings first came to my home with Lacey, her assistant extraordinaire, she immediately saw what was needed to give the room more appeal. They immediately got to work by moving, furniture pieces, all the while suggesting items I could add to enrich the layout (larger area rug, new couch cushions). By the time they left that first day, the room already looked much better. But their pièce de résistance was the groupings of art on the largest wall. It brought out so much, not only to the room, but my eclectic assortment of framed art suddenly looked so much better by being part of a cluster. I love what they did. I thank them and wholeheartedly recommend First Impressions. They made me feel that no job is too small. They were always on time and ready to shop with me and help me decide. It was a pleasure to have them improve my living space and give it more flair. Thank you. **Comment from First Impressions - Decorating:** > Thanks for the kind words, we loved helping you! > Valerie **★★★★★ — Lori Kidd Velkova, Nov. 2018** > Valerie and her team at First Impressions are a joy to work with. They are responsive, flexible and efficient. They made our rental unit look great without much effort on our part and they were out of there in record time leaving the unit looking perfect with barely a pin hole to prove they were there. **★★★★★ — Faye Baudoux, Aug. 2018** > My experience with Val's team was extremely positive. The trades who worked with Val on my home were exceptional. The result in my opinion outstanding. Some words to describe both the First Impression team and the trades: flexible, accommodating, dedicated, professional, detail-oriented, excellence and understanding. Can't really say enough about them. Thanks so much to you all for an incredible job. **Comment from First Impressions - Decorating:** > Thank you Faye. > You were a joy to work with and we are thrilled you are love the results! **★★★★★ — Donna Richardson, Aug. 2017** > I had the pleasure of meeting with Valerie for a design consultation and after our visit felt that she had an immediate grasp of what I was looking for and trying to achieve. What started out as a consult progressed to her helping with the whole project. Her enthusiasm and commitment to her work is exceptional, and her ideas and attention to detail captured exactly what I was looking for. We are loving our new look and feel very fortunate to have worked with Valerie and her associates . **★★★★★ — Lori Kilminster, April 2017** > This is the second time I have had Valerie help me with a project. The first time was to help stage my house for selling and this time was to help me to de-clutter and organize my current house. Both times I was extremely pleased with the results. The team of Valerie, Taylor, and Kelly is pleasant and they work very well and efficiently together. They were able to help me achieve in a few days what I hadn't been able to accomplish myself in almost 4 years. I was able to donate many big bags of clothing and household items as well as furniture which they took away for me. The also did an excellent top to bottom clean of my house and helped me choose paint colors for my rooms. They knew exactly what I'd like and what would work well in the house. It is so nice to have an organized space to come home to. I will hire them again! **★★★★★ — boubou64, July 2016** > We first contacted First Impressions for a design consultation to help us choose colours and furniture. Valerie was quick to pick up our personal style. First Impressions helped us see how beautiful our home could be. The thought of renovations and pets together felt somewhat overwhelming so we entrusted the whole project from start to finish to First Impressions with no reservations. We left the house into Valerie's hands, while we went on vacation with the dogs. Valerie and Taylor kept us informed with daily progress. We returned and found our home transformed into everything we hoped for and more. They truly treated our home as their own. I will call on First Impressions again for future projects. **★★★★★ — A. MacGillivray, June 2016** > First Impressions and their team were professional, affordable, quick to provide variety of furniture selection for the space and met my deadline date. ## Selected projects - [Starting over - A Dream Kitchen and Bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/starting-over-a-dream-kitchen-and-bathroom-pj-vj~2799205) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 7 - [A Family Room to Come Home To!](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/a-family-room-to-come-home-to-pj-vj~2704565) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 4 - Description: The family loves their new family room makeover. - [Loft Bedroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/loft-bedroom-pj-vj~2704341) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 6 - [Kitchen Rescue!](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kitchen-rescue-pj-vj~2524624) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 8 - Description: The kitchen has been completely transformed into a completely new space - beautiful, functional and bright! - [Cozy Basement Bedroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/cozy-basement-bedroom-pj-vj~2704400) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 4 - [Waterfront Condo Renovation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/waterfront-condo-renovation-pj-vj~2545238) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 20 - Description: This Kingston waterfront condo was looking a bit dated. The new owners had us completely renovate it from top to bottom, and the result was a new and more inviting home for them to move in to. - [Home With A View](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/home-with-a-view-pj-vj~1816092) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 17 - [Lake Front Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lake-front-home-pj-vj~358506) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 3 - Description: This is the second home we have worked on with this professional family. Here we were asked to renovate their powder room, update the principal bathroom, and decorate the living and dining rooms in a minimalist look in whites and greys. We chose a soft palette of feather grey and white with a darker grey accent wall. To highlight the beams and fireplace a charcoal colour was applied giving architectural interest to the room. The rug introduces a soft texture and the colours in the throw pillows… - [Kitchen Transformation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kitchen-transformation-pj-vj~1700534) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 14 - [Fresh New Look](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fresh-new-look-pj-vj~1843237) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 12 - [Time For A Change!](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/time-for-a-change-pj-vj~728037) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 2 - Description: The outdated kitchen needed a new design. With the removal of the old brick walls we updated it. making it a space that would be a joy to work in. - [Tiny Bedroom Goes Big](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tiny-bedroom-goes-big-pj-vj~454329) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 2 - Description: This home had three tiny bedrooms and hallways from one bedroom to the other. To make the home function well for our client, we removed the walls and hallways to create one large open space. We kept the third bedroom as a walk-in closet. - [Dreams Do Come True](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/dreams-do-come-true-pj-vj~1700485) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 8 - [Downtown Kitchen Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/downtown-kitchen-design-pj-vj~1328066) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 8 - [Custom Shelving Project](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/custom-shelving-project-pj-vj~1030966) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 3 - [Downtown Executive Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/downtown-executive-home-pj-vj~358549) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 4 - Description: The owners of this downtown executive home wanted us to create a living room that would be comfortable for the family and perfect for entertaining. They also requested very little colour other than the art work we commissioned. Two things needed to remain in the space - the family piano and an antique wood box. We purchased two identical sofas to flank the heritage fireplace, added a casual custom-made coffee table to provide plenty of space to hold appetizers and cocktails during a party, and a… - [Downtown Exterior Redesign](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/downtown-exterior-redesign-pj-vj~363958) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 2 - Description: This is one of many projects we have done for this client. We love building strong relationships with our clients and always enjoy returning to help them. This downtown home had a great deal of hidden potential; it was a pleasure to be a part of its transformation. The roof-line was enhanced by adding an artificial dormer. This not only added height and interest but gave it a more heritage feel and complemented the neighbouring homes. We added shutters and peaked details above the window and a t… - [Exterior Facelift - Craftsman Style](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/exterior-facelift-craftsman-style-pj-vj~364066) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 2 - Description: We started by helping design this client’s kitchen and principal bathroom, and consulted on an addition that they were building onto their lakefront home. They also asked us to add character to the exterior of their home by adding craftsman-style touches. This design rendering includes a craftsman-style front door, post and spindle railing, and shutters that expand the window overlooking the porch, tasteful entrance light, and shingles above the front window. These small changes make a huge impa… - [Kitchen Update](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kitchen-update-pj-vj~487008) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 10 - Description: Our client wanted to update her kitchen. With a new glass back splash, pot lights, hardware, tap, painting the cabinets, built in microwave, and refinishing the floors, we have made a dated kitchen fresh and a wonderful place to spend time. - [Children’s Bath Time Made Easy](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/childrens-bath-time-made-easy-pj-vj~791627) - Location: Kingston, ON - Photos: 4 [See all 41 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/first-impressions-decorating-pfvwus-pf~151402091) ## Ideabooks - [Beautiful Bedrooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19609335/list/beautiful-bedrooms) — 27 ideas - [Kitchens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19794200/list/kitchens) — 73 ideas - [Bathrooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/28854650/list/bathrooms) — 5 ideas - [Exteriors](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/28854732/list/exteriors) — 10 ideas - [Howard](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/130045100/list/howard) — 1 idea - [Dining Rooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19921283/list/dining-rooms) — 17 ideas - [Closets](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/28854576/list/closets) — 6 ideas - [Childrens Bedrooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/21028461/list/childrens-bedrooms) — 10 ideas - [Reading Nooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19913555/list/reading-nooks) — 8 ideas - [Secret Room](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/88349408/list/secret-room) — 2 ideas - [Family Room](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/30674273/list/family-room) — 7 ideas - [Office](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19921079/list/office) — 10 ideas - [Living Rooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39495054/list/living-rooms) — 12 ideas - [Entrance](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/20030923/list/entrance) — 12 ideas - [Comfy Spaces](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19609014/list/comfy-spaces) — 1 idea - [Reading Rooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/28855150/list/reading-rooms) — 2 ideas - [Laundry Rooms](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/21372329/list/laundry-rooms) — 2 ideas - [Breakfast Nook](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/19609563/list/breakfast-nook) — 1 idea [See all 18 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/firstimpressionskingston) ## Community Q&A **Q: Really like the blue, greenish off white bedding** *(in Photo Questions)* Please provide a prices for queen duvet, shams, pillows, etc. A: The Imperial Damask Ink/Platinum Queen size duvet cover is $420.00 Plus Hst. Matching sham in 100% cotton is standard size 20x26 = $60.00, European Sham is 26x26= $84.00, the Diamond Matelasse (white) sham cover is 134.00 standard size, India Gate Ink (printed sham is $60,00 standard size and $84. European size. I hope that helps. I love the look. **Q: Layout ideas about long narrow familyroom** *(in Design Dilemma)* I need ideas about my family room. It was used to be two separate room but previous owner took the wall out. I actually like it but I don't know how to lay out furniture. Do you think big sectional would work? A: I only have a second, I got distracted by your question - when I was updating my Houzz account. Just a quick thought about the T.V. Why not simply set the T.V on the cabinet below it (in same location just remove the shelf below the T.V and place the T.V on the cabinet. Then reposition the shelf to go above the T.V ? Just a quick thought..looks like a fun room to rearrange. I would also suggest removing some of the smaller items - flowers by the fireplace, nicknacks and adding a few well selected larger items..also something on the coffee table (possibly a stack of coffee table books with a vase of fresh flowers)...you are doing great - well on your way to having a wonderful space to enjoy...have fun with it. Back to work. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-28.*