Erika Altenhofen, CKBD

Erika designed the remodel of our outdated 1990’s kitchen, and I had so much fun working with her. She listened to my ideas and was thoughtful in putting together a design that mirrored my vision in a way I could not have done for myself. She identified and created a cohesive concept for our kitchen that tied it together with a variety of styles that had evolved over the years in the rest of our home. She was attentive down to every small detail and carefully led me through all the decisions for colors, materials, patterns, style. She was professional and intuitive; she connected with me and made it all happen. She transformed a drab, inefficient, uninspiring workspace into a haven that I'm inspired to be in. I’m over-the-moon happy with what she did for my soul.

I am most pleased with having Erika Alternhofen as our designer. She has truly been professional, gracious, clear, patient, and responsive in her communication and interactions with my husband and me at every step of our process. Her creativity and problem-solving ability have also been consistent as we've had to make several modifications and adjustments to our renovation decision making. For example, whenever we've had to make decisions or choices on options, she is clear about plusses and minuses as well as potential impact or issues. In addition, she usually has given us alternative ideas and possibilities, so her range and depth of knowledge and experience have been extremely valuable. Yet, she leaves final decisions to us and being comfortable of our our choices. We have been very pleased about our design results. Also, her working relationship with Shane Longie has seemed mutually respectful and respected. In other words, they complemented each other to take care of us and our needs. They were both fun and very pleasant to communicate and work with throughout our experience with Neil Kelly.

We first encountered Erika Altenhofen during a seminar she was giving about kitchen remodeling. Her presentation was well thought out, professional, and answered our questions of whether we wanted to proceed with remodeling or just keep on hating our present kitchen. I could tell she would be easy for me to communicate and work with and that she knew what she was doing while designing a kitchen in a small space. We started the process that week. It has now been 7 months and the work has started. Her drawings & suggestions have been wonderful giving us a timeline, costs,and a finish date. We are so excited to see and live in the finished project with more storage space and an updated more functional kitchen! Thanks, Erika, for always being prepared and on time for appointments. You have helped us deal with the pressure and guided us through a stressful time. You're the best! Dick and Judi McLane

I have only good things to say about Erika. She quickly discerned what was important to me and what was not. She developed a design based upon my tastes and needs, while offering practical guidance. Erika was realistic about budgeting and conducted our cost conversations with sensitivity and poise. I have found her incredibly easy to work with because she is both authentic and professional. She possesses a remarkable combination of artistry, pragmatism, diplomacy, leadership, collaboration, and humor. If I were made out of money, I'd hire her design my many vacation homes. Sadly for me, I'm not made out of money, but Erika nonetheless designed a practical, beautiful 81 square foot kitchen that will function brilliantly for me while being uniquely gorgeous. It'll make me smile every day.

We weren't sure how to begin our project. Erika stepped in and knew exactly where to begin. She listens carefully and with a trained eye, points out how to achieve the end result. She is quick to respond to every email, phone call, and text. She never made us feel like a bother. She always got us an answer to our questions. We we didn't think we needed a designer because our project was simple and small, Erika proved us wrong. Through her knowledge and guidance, we found out that paying attention to those details allowed us to achieve a beautiful result. Erika was confident from the beginning what the end result would be, though we didn't see it. Thank goodness we listened to her.

Patient, knowledgeable. Good eye for color and style. Willing to work to ensure client desires are met. Highly recommend.

I could not have asked for a designer better able to turn my partially formed ideas for a new kitchen into reality and to improve on every one of them. She is professional, thoughtful, patient and creative. She was able quickly to identify my aesthetic and to help me find the design and products that fit with it. Although honoring my choices and largely following my ideas, she was also able to offer alternatives that, in virtually every case where we asked for her recommendation, turned out to be the better ones. As the project continued, I came to rely on her recommendations more and more. In addition to her designer's eye, her practical knowledge of the industry-- from construction and code compliance to tile and fabric selection to appliance choices-- were invaluable. Her communication skills, attention to detail and her unflappable response to the inevitable glitches in a project the size of ours were extraordinary. I would not hesitate to have her design any future project and, in fact, might hesitate to begin one without her. She has my highest recommendation!

Erika Altenhofen was our first contact when we approached Neil Kelly for a consultation and we were immediately impressed with her collaborative approach. We found Erika to be a consummate professional: highly skilled in the field of design, extremely conscientious about details, excellent at follow-up and communication, personable, engaged and genuinely concerned. There were the inevitable hurdles, in addition to the special challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which she handled with grace and professionalism. She remained deeply involved throughout and saw the project through to completion. Erika was a pleasure to work with and earned our complete trust.

Erika was very pleasant to work with and came up with clever solutions to kitchen storage problems when we needed to replace our old cabinets. She was responsive to our questions and answered them promptly. When a different style cabinet door was installed other than what we had ordered, we were impressed that she noticed it, but my husband and I had not. She contacted us immediately and offered that her company would replace the doors. but it turned out that we liked the installed with cabinet fronts as installed and were pleased with the "happy accident". Erika put us at ease and gave us good advice. We were impressed with her knowledge and attention to details.

Working with Erika has been a true pleasure. She listened carefully to our ideas, offered her expert advice, and put it all together in her beautiful design. We enjoyed the process and would recommend her enthusiastically!

I can't say enough about Erika Altenhofen of Neil Kelly Company of Portland, Oregon. From the get go, she was all about listening to what my vision was and working with me to come up with a beautiful design. It was a lot of fun working with her in choosing the materials and getting her expertise and suggestions all along the way. She is smart, talented, professional, friendly, responsive and has great ideas and a bright vision. I think the finished product is spectacular! Working with Erika and all the experienced and professional team at Neil Kelly Co. made my dream kitchen a reality. I am very proud of the final result and am looking forward to getting cookin' in the kitchen! Not only did she do a whole new kitchen, we added a linen closet in a funky hallway and it looks like it was there all the time. Everything looks like it was in a 1941 house, only updated for 2021. Thanks Erika and team!

Erika Altenhofen’s super skill is her ability to interpret my vision. She expertly guided choices through artful questioning to create the French country kitchen renovation of our dreams. From the creamy honed quartz and customized island to the crown molding and rich, brick tiles that laid the foundation for our new old-world kitchen. Rubbed bronze drawer pulls and handles coordinate beautifully with the bronze island dome light. Her attention to detail is excellent. We experienced a smooth transition to this new beautiful, functional hub of our home. She is extremely professional and we highly recommend her work. Georgia & Joseph Bestgen