Keogh Design, Inc

I have worked with Charlene Keogh of Keogh Designs for over twenty years, starting with our first major renovation of our classic eight, prewar apartment. The last project was a gut renovation of the original kitchen, two years ago. She transformed a dark, cramped space into a light-filled, well-organized, spacious, functional, and stunning gathering place. From our first project, to the most recent, Charlene has provided outstanding service. Her work is not only beautiful and creative, she is a master of utilizing space to its upmost in timeless, livable designs. Charlene knows how to listen and respond to her clients' needs and tastes. She is an excellent advocate for her clients while knowing how to work with and procure topnotch contractors and others. I look forward to working with her on future projects.

We first met Charlene when we hired her to help us prepare our rental apartment for sale. As luck would have it, we decided to keep the apartment and upgrade it for our own use. Charlene created furniture layouts that made the apartment feel larger. She designed a new sofa and lounge chairs made exclusively for us, as well as custom cabinetry. She listened to our specific requests and worked to make those ideas a reality. For the most part, the entire apartment was completed in our absence, and Charlene and her team had the place fully up and running when we moved in for the first time. It was truly a pleasure working with Charlene, an experienced and creative designer, indeed, an expert in her field, and we would highly recommend her for other projects.

Charlene saved my project and made a beautiful home for my family. The project was to combine two prewar lofts and turn them into a nine room apartment. I had consulted Charlene at the beginning of the project and very much wanted to work with her, but her estimate of what the job would cost was more than I wanted to pay. I stupidly hired someone else, fired them partway through and Charlene graciously took over and completed the job in spectacular fashion on time and on budget to the penny. What she accomplished surpassed all my expectations. I cannot say enough about her professionalism, knowledge and fabulousness! She is an absolute pleasure from start to finish. I look forward to working with her again on my weekend home.

Charlene has done all kinds of jobs for me - from the smallish - helping me re-cover some furniture, to the biggish - designing a country cottage. She is professional always. Her work is always elegant and graceful, but also functional and decidedly livable. She's also a lot of fun to work with and be with! What more could you ask for in a designer? Oh yes, she also is budget-conscious.

My husband and I have worked with Charlene Keogh (Keogh Design) on three very different projects in our New York City apartment and have been delighted with the results each time. The first (2012) was a fire remediation: there had been water damage in our master bedroom and bath from a fire which gutted the apartment two floors above. The restoration involved working with our insurance company and with five or six sub-contractors. Every surface in the room was repaired and repainted; wallpaper taken down, cleaned, and rehung, and the same for the draperies and furnishings. We left every detail in Charlene’s extremely capable hands. Our finished rooms were restored to pristine condition and Charlene took care of every detail, which included all of the insurance paperwork, with finesse and expertise. Her detail team came in afterward and gave the entire apartment, which had been showered with plaster dust, the spring cleaning of its life. Everything sparkled! Our dining room needed restoration after we were required to close a large lot-line window in 2013. Charlene again moved in with a team she assembled: moldings were repaired and restored and the damaged wall finished with a soft-pigment Venetian plaster to blend with treatment of the other three walls. This was a delicate task requiring an artist’s eye. In addition, Charlene gave terrific advice for rehanging the existing artwork in the room and incorporating several new pieces to compensate for the loss of the window. All of the work was completed while we were away for the summer. Our living room has always been the least inviting room in the house – the furniture and colors had never quite come together. Charlene was able to point out the disharmonies in proportion and why subtle color changes could bring the disparate elements together. Also, Charlene designed a beautiful curved loveseat which softened one end of the room and added an inviting splash of color. She had two occasional chairs built to our own design and advised on other points of furniture placement. The end result is an elegant but inviting room which puts our guests and family at ease. I would wholeheartedly recommend Charlene Keogh and her firm. In addition to having a good eye Charlene is patient and scrupulously honest. She navigates the New York design world - where fabrics are discontinued, schedules are complex, and resources constantly changing – with skills honed by years of experience.