Michael Lyons has been a dream designer for us. He was easy to work with. He is; a visionary, creative, thoughtful, detail oriented, passionate about his work, hard working and diligent. He listened and took to heart what we wanted.
A little about the process that we experienced with Michael and our remodel:
We interviewed five designers before selecting Michael. Michael stood out from the rest for a number of reasons, a few are:
1. CID (Certified Interior Designer, having a formal education in design).
2. During our first few meetings with Michael he imparted knowledge, passion and pride in his designs and work.
3. He drove us to a few of the homes that he had completed and a couple that were in progress, we noticed his unique design on each project.
4. This is what he does for a living, nothing else. He works, lives and breathes design.
Our project was fairly sizable as we had our 3600 sq. ft. home pretty much gutted, moving out to our casita for three months. Later we had our casita remodeled by Michael, of course.
Michael:
* Listened to what we wanted, asking us about our lifestyle, etc. so that he could design a home that works for us and he did!
* Is detailed oriented, to the finest degree, amazing what he has come up with!
* Updated us regularly on how much we had spent, when to expect the various contractors, there were no surprises.
* When determining pricing he would, as he says "value engineer" costs, meaning effectively reduce costs by shopping different vendors/materials/etc. thus trying to keep our total costs down.
* Returns calls/emails/texts usually within the hour but definitely within 24 hours.
* Arranged for the movers both out and in.
* Stands behind his contractors work.
Needless to say, our home is beautiful with the various stone, textures, colors, fabrics, wall treatments. Another dramatic touch, Michael turned our drab master bathroom into a spa.
Friends told me that after a few months their designers put them on the back shelf, or so they felt, not contacting them as quickly as they had when the project was fresh. That's not our experience with Michael.
Michael has been so right-on that we're finding it difficult to make a decision without having Michael weigh in.
Last but not least:
An example of his sensitivity for his clients/us; we had a 16 year old deaf dog who also had failing eyesight. We would leave him in the backyard during the day. Without mentioning to me, Michael had large, professionally printed signs made, for our sliders, that stated our dogs issues as well as warning the contractors to keep the doors closed - who would have thought about that?
Besides Michael working for us, we have come to call him a friend. He is a very kind and considerate person both on the job and off. Maybe you'll get the opportunity to know Michael as we have.
Thanks Michael for being a part of our lives.
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