Melinda Mandell Interior Design

My wife and I live in Palo Alto and have used Melinda and her professional team on several occasions. We have been more than pleased with each new project (living room, family room and master bedroom). Melinda listens very well (she’s a quick study). she quickly understood our tastes and desire to blend modern with traditional. With each presentation we were given two very thorough choices and we liked all of them. We were heard. Melinda and her staff are fun to work with, knowledgable, and have wonderful, creative suggestions.

Melinda worked with us for about 6 months to develop plans for a huge remodel in Palo Alto (entire new layout including moving walls and stairwells, etc.). She was able to understand and articulate our aesthetic right away, and always brought samples and images that really appealed to us. She was flexible with meeting us at home during times that were convenient for us, which was so helpful as we had a new baby. And she was so patient with our dog who would rifle through her purse constantly! We ended up abandoning the remodel project suddenly when we stumbled across a new home we loved. She handled the change of scope so professionally, and quickly pivoted to provide furnishing concepts for the new home. She arranged a day out in San Francisco to choose the big items (sofa, fabrics, etc.), brought tons of wood/textile samples to our home, and also pointed us to the right showrooms for plumbing fixtures, etc. She sourced beautiful items both custom made and ready-to-ship which fit perfectly in our new home. I appreciate her enthusiasm for American craftsmanship and her eye for beautiful details. Melinda was flexible and easy to work with, and we always felt like her only client even though I know she had multiple projects happening at once. Much of the billing came near the end of the project, and all the bills were detailed and transparent with no surprises.

After completing a full remodel of our kitchen, we were not satisfied with our result. We realized that we needed a professional designer to help us make changes both with color and materials that best fit our wants and needs. Indecision was a big problem with our initial remodel and we failed to create a kitchen that we enjoyed being in. We met with Melinda and she asked us a lot of questions, listened to our concerns, and encouraged us to go outside our comfort zone. She brought us samples, material specs, plans, and illustrations that were very helpful in the decision process. What was most helpful was the fact that she possessed a pool of tested and qualified contractors. This lowered our anxiety on finding people to do the work. We ended up painting the cabinets, replacing the backsplash and countertops as well as installing new flooring. We also selected materials for window coverings to enhance the look. Her expertise on design and color added just the right touch to make our kitchen beautiful. We also refinished our hardwood floors, painted throughout, and installed new baseboards and crown modeling. We were so impressed with her that we have decided to use her to overhaul and decorate our living room, dining room, breakfast space, and family room.

Melinda's work on our Master Bath/Master Suite remodel exceeded our very high expectations. The project scope included design, permit, materials specification, fixtures, and project management. Melinda is a clear, organized and thorough communicator who kept our project moving along well. She did an excellent job navigating the many different personalities and moving parts of the project. She is a creative problem solver and was able to identify local experts to remedy unexpected issues. We particularly valued Melinda's impeccable reputation with the contractors and subs who often commented, unsolicitedly, that they found her work to be outstanding. She invested the time to deeply understand our style, preferences, and desired outcome and used that to balance making beautiful choices for us that we wouldn't have otherwise considered while at the same time deferring to us in areas where we were particularly opinionated. We trusted Melinda completely and she added tremendous value and insight. We recommend her without hesitation.

I'm so grateful to have worked with Melinda. Our budget was very limited and she was able to point us in some creative directions that allowed us to get function without giving on design.

Melinda did an amazing job for us on a short time frame remodeling project that required a lot of "rolling with the punches". She was very efficient in using our time to get to decisions and chose quite a few elements that really made our home design pop. Melinda is very patient and flexible and has a keen eye for contemporary design. We will seek to work with her for Phase 2! - Nirmala and Jay

Melinda is a talented designer. She is professional, punctual, and highly creative. She designed drapery for our formal living and dining rooms that maintained our traditional style but in a fresh, contemporary manner. Melinda was thoughtful in her finish selections. She offered several fabric and material options that all met our budget considerations. Her workroom is fabulous and you can tell that they take great pride in their workmanship. Melinda worked closely with us every step of the way. From concept to install, she kept us involved. It was a wonderful experience working with Melinda and we highly recommend her to anyone considering a remodel or new build.

The perfect balance of form and function, Melinda Mandel was wonderful to work with. She is practical, task oriented, delightful and has great taste. She amazingly balances tact and persuasion to help prevent esthetically unsound decisions. Melinda very quickly was in touch with our vision, as well as our budget. She worked really hard to keep everyone involved to meet deadlines, and did so with the utmost tact. She recommended a number of other professionals - lighting, flooring, stone manufacturers etc. and they were all fabulous. Melinda always ensured that the work performed was of the highest quality and made sure that no 'short cuts' were taken. Everyone who has worked on our project has since told us how happy they were to work with Melinda and how exceptionally professional she is. The end result of Melinda's design and hard work has been beyond our expectations and we couldn't be more thrilled. Melinda is an absolute pleasure to work with and we can't recommend her highly enough.

She was fantastic. She didn't have rigid color palettes that many people offer, she really worked with us to find the perfect colors for our house. She knew the colors really well and was flexible. She was a great listener. She was way more expensive than others I spoke with but the end result was fantastic.

Color palette, bathroom mirrors and floors, hardwood and / or laminate floors, redesign lighting, kitchen tile and granite countertops, backsplash. Went shopping for sofa, chairs and accessories. I liked working with Melinda. She has great ideas and she's a joy.

Color palette, bathroom mirrors and floors, hardwood and/or laminate floors, redesign lighting, kitchen tile and granite countertops, backsplash-went shopping for sofa, chairs and accessories. I liked working with Melinda, she has great ideas and she's a joy.

I had hired Melinda to work on a complete remodel of our 4000+ sf home. She completely redesigned the kitchen and family room (these were stripped down to the bare walls) and all the bathrooms in the house. My kitchen ended up getting a design award. The family room fireplace is a favorite amongst my friends as is the family room furniture that Melinda helped me select. She has great color ideas, and gave very meticulous drawings to the builders. I am very happy with her and have recommended her to a number of my friends.