Jen Talbot Design

We were impressed by the online presence of JTD and after an extensive research of Chicago interior designers we have decided to choose Jen Talbot for our residential project of 4 bedroom unit in a newly constructed high rise building to be fully furnished in a modern and sophisticated style. We have signed up the contract and started the project. Within a month of working with Jen we have realized that was nothing we have imagined it should be when you work with “high end interior designer”, her work was not meeting our requirements, needs or expectations for the below reasons: drafting and finalizing the scope of work - this process was inefficient, there were multiple typos and corrections in something as simple as our names, she is not willing to put anything specific that should be there for the client, the scope of work will be made very generic hundred hours of work is her reviewing Pinterest and copying the styles of other people and calling it her “creative process”, making alterations to PowerPoint deck It also includes a power point deck with a few “mood boards” which includes snapshots from Pinterest or online “inspirations” from other people After taking measurements by JTD of the space we noticed multiple marks on the wall were left on our brand new walls Communication between the client and the designer was slow, she would respond with a delay of few days It was very hard to get her respond to the design needs that was expressed a few times, during the meetings she would say she understands what our vision was, but then the changes to “the deck”were still showing what she thought would be best for our space in her own mind The furniture she wanted to place in our space was mostly from the “unknown sources”, you can forget known brands, most of the items will need to be made on order by her contractors and customized, but she would price them like they were high end Jen was walking the space a few times and we were shocked to see that she did it know much about the fire code or any regulations required in the high rise building - she was misinforming us that ie. the fire detectors could be painted or begin the wall panels, she does not have interior design qualifications, but acts as she has We wanted our space to look sophisticated with modern artwork, she was told specifically what we were looking for instead she was only promoting her friends artwork She is not listening to the client i.e. she was 3 times trying to push on an oval seating space that would block the city views and most of the daylight even if we were objecting it from the start We have been struggling to get her respond to our changes, she would still be pushing “her ideas” Most of her “Pinterest” design inspirations she would not be able to price accordingly, she would just came up with a number and you will not see any receipts and be informed of the actual cost Her design, pricing and invoicing processes are very manual and old fashioned - expect the combination of power point, excel and Pinterest She would use her contractors without giving any insight or any transparency how much anything actually cost, and add her margin and bill her hours on top of that The visualizations of the space included in the deck that you get are simple and made in “sketch up”, one of the most basics software on the market Her billable hours were not transparent or communicated in any way, she would simply send an invoice without any information what work has been done and justify how it was billed Her design would exceeded the budget over 30% and it would still be far from our needs or expectations Over time we found that Jen comes as “a polite bully”, far from a collaborator or a good listener We were not happy with the work and design that was made and branded as JTD. We decided to terminate the agreement, paid everything that was agreed in the contract. Jen still sent us an additional invoice to pay for “additional hours” without any information what the hours were spent on. We refused to pay this invoice after termination the contract and she initiated a debt collector on us. We do not recommend working with Jen Talbot if you have a clear vision in your mind and you want her to work and collaborate with you to make your space modern and sophisticated. She sticks to her forms, framework and ways of working, she is not open to experimenting or listening, only pretends to do it. If you are looking for someone that will listen to you, be transparent, original in design, pushing boundaries, responding to your needs this is not your designer.

When I think of working with Jen, I think of someone who is professional, timely, and precise. Jen is the perfect designer to hire for a home renovation, as she expertly guides you through the entire process while staying focused and on budget. I can't recommend Jen highly enough!

Jen is fantastic on so many levels. My husband and I bought a house and had a tight timeline to get some work done before we moved in. We wanted to focus on renovating the kitchen, and get some guidance on the rest of the house too. This included turning a galley kitchen in to an open concept living space, painting the entire house, and redoing all the floors (hardwood and carpet). Jen worked with our budget, recommended and managed our contractors (we didn't even live in the state when the construction started on our home), and did an awesome job with all of it. We hired her initially to help with the big stuff, but loved working with her so much that we have re-hired her to help finish off the rest of our house-- which includes a guest room, a family/play room, kids room, office, and master. Our budget was not on the high side-- but Jen never made us feel like that was a problem. She worked with what we had-- both in terms of budget and existing furniture that we wanted to keep. She was completely amenable to working with us on some projects where I wanted to be a bit hands-on, and she was great at making decisions for us when we had no clue what we wanted. She is always willing to roll up her sleeves to get something done-- whether it's lugging furniture around the house to find the best spot for it, or hanging curtains because we kept putting it off. Jen used Pinterest to get a feel for what we were looking for, and made us believe that we could actually have a beautiful, kid-friendly home! Even our realtor was shocked at the transformation of our kitchen, which I think says a lot. Jen is practical with her recommendations (always keeping our lifestyle in mind), and pushes us a little bit when our design ideas need a bit more oomph. (In the nicest way possible, of course!) I would trust Jen to do any type of project-- big or small. Her background, experience, and brilliant design brain would be unstoppable no matter the task. She is professional, punctual, and driven. It doesn't hurt that she's super fun to be around, too!

I highly recommend Jen Talbot Design for your home renovation and interior design needs. Jennifer helped me redesign my entire home, indoors and outdoors. Including a kitchen remodel, lighting and tile overhauls, paint and floor color selections, structural changes to maximize efficiency, and interior design & furniture selections for every room. There wasn't a challenge she couldn't tackle from construction needs, to finding gorgeous fabrics for reupholstery, Jennifer handled them all with ease. Not only is Jennifer an incredibly talented designer, she is also wonderful to work with. She is thoughtful, authentic and optimistic. She spent time getting to know my style and was always open to listen to my ideas. Jennifer helped guide my decisions to stay within budget and still accomplish the impact that I desired. Her approach and personality made the major task at hand a lot of fun!

Jen Talbot has amazing creativity and vision. She has rearranged space and added numerous self-created decorations for our projects; each could stand as a work of art on its own. Fun to work with, a fantastic eye for color, and the perfect person to hire when you are looking for that extra something.