Michael James Design, Inc.

My husband & I worked with Michael James Design on a kitchen remodel a few years ago. Mike & Maureen were very helpful and took the time to understand the changes that we wanted to make with our kitchen to increase its functionality and to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Their experience and product knowledge helped with our decision making process and having Maureen work with us to select our countertops, hardware, backsplash tiles, etc. was invaluable. We were so happy with the end result and our experience with Michael James Design that when we decided to build a second home at the beach, we knew we were going to work with them on the 2 kitchens and 4 baths that are in this new home. Mike & Maureen's attention to detail is incredible. The two kitchens are very contrasting in that, the 1st floor kitchen is the one that my husband uses more often so we wanted it to be more masculine and the main floor kitchen is my domain and I love light and airy. Each kitchen is highly functional and so beautiful. We couldn't be happier with each of these kitchens! All of the baths have their own personality as well and are simply beautiful. The process was also extremely easy because we could purchase all of the products we needed through them, including all of the plumbing supplies, our Sub Zero & Wolf appliances as well as all of the countertops, hardware and tiles. Mike's experience and knowledge even helped us through a design flaw in the architectural plans and we are so thankful that he was able to come up with a solution that actually enhanced the original design! The end results are stunning. We highly recommend Michael James Design to anyone who is remodeling or building a new home. We have done both and they truly make the process so much more enjoyable!

We hired Micheal James Design to help us design a new kitchen island with a second oven. We met Michael at his show room with rough measurements. There we picked out our cabinets and quartz island top along with the hardware. A week later Michael came to our house with two designs. He confirmed the measurements and we settled on a design. My main concern was the second oven that was going to be installed in the new island. Once we received the products the installation crew carefully removed our old island allowing us to donate it and installed the new island in one day. The finished product is beautiful. The oven fit perfectly and the new island goes well with our existing cabinets. Great job and I would not hesitate to use Michael James Design again or refer them to a friend.

From planning to installation Mike and Maureen have helped us to make an informative decision about our kitchen. It was installed a couple of weeks ago and the beautiful counter top arrived shortly after. Being an old house It was helpful having a good firm to help with those oddities an old house can have. Thanks for all the good ideas which have come to a beautiful final product.

Michael and Maureen were great to work with. Michael used his expertise to guide us but let us make our own decisions. He got us all the samples we needed to help make our decisions. He also recommended a great contractor to manage the project. There were some additional items we requested after the project was completed, and he took care of those without question. We would definitely recommend them.

I used Michael James Design most recently, for our corporate kitchen area. As with the previous two home kitchens they designed and installed for me, this project went flawlessly. The design took advantage of every space we had, in a way that maximized efficiency of space and storage. The Sub-Zero products we chose along with the other brands he recommended arrived on time and really added to the appeal of the space. I've been a fan of this group for years and the friends I've sent there have all had great results. This is the group you want to use if quality, design and attention to detail play a part in how you measure satisfaction.

Michael and Maureen are a pleasure to work with. They are friendly, yet professional - experienced and creative paying close attention to details and their customer’s requirements. I had strong ideas of what I wanted and they supported me but also guided me to make better decisions when appropriate. They remain on top of all the details from start to finish and organize flawless deliverables. We couldn’t be happier and would highly recommend MJD to anyone remodeling or building new kitchens and bathrooms. You will be in very capable hands and get quality when the job is completed. Kudos to Michael James Designs!

Michael was great. He was as hands on as we wanted him to be, but let us make our own decisions. He offered great advice all round, and got us all the samples we needed to make our decisions. There were some additional items we needed after the project was completed, and he took care of those without us needing to nag him. We would definitely use him again!

Michael James Design is a very professional and knowledgeable business with a friendly and comfortable feel. When I was considering doing my kitchen over I looked into a few design businesses, however, when I met Maureen and Mike, the business owners, I felt an immediate connection. They both listened to my ideas and took the time to understand exactly about my daily uses and hopes for my kitchen. They developed a design which they thought would best benefit me and my family. Next they met me at my house and "tweaked" the design layout once they saw the space. I was so thrilled with their suggestions and the respect they showed for my house. Once the work began I was as pleased with the pace, clean up and accommodating workers. The whole experience exceeded my expectations and I believe that was because of the tone Mike and Maureen set. I highly recommend Michael James Design.

We undertook a renovation of the main level of our two story colonial involving the kitchen, a laundry area and half bath. We concluded from the outset that we would engage a designer for the project rather than just hire a general contractor as we had done with earlier projects. After some research and interviews, we decided on Michael James Design. We are absolutely delighted with Michael's work and with the outcome of the project. Michael's design for the kitchen removed an old peninsula, which opened up the layout to allow for the placement of a 10-foot long island incorporating at one end a 4-foot ellipsoid-shaped surface incorporated asymmetrically at one end. This plan allows for 4 bar stools, which completes a nice breakfast bar space. The form factor of this irregular shaped counter creates a lovely flow end to end, which is beautifully highlighted by the complexity of the granite top. The breakfast counter is supported by an octagonal pedestal of Michael's design. It is a rather stunning design overall, all reflective of Michael's creativity. Importantly, the overall design did a great job of maximizing space utilization with more effective distribution of work areas in a manner that also increased cabinet space by at least 20%. We wanted maple cabinets and after evaluating a number of options, and upon Michael's recommendation, we chose cabinetry from Omega's Dynasty series with “Benson” door fronts, all in “Canyon” stain. The finishes are beautiful throughout with one odd exception. The wall oven enclosure includes a large vertical veneered surface on one side. On this surface were two inverted symmetrical gouges in the veneer about 4 inches apart, which was difficult to accept as “natural variation”—we viewed it as a quality control issue inasmuch as all the cabinets and surfaces in the kitchen were otherwise flawless. In the end, Michael had a skilled cabinet refinisher repair the flaws bringing the cabinet up to the expected standard. Michael handled this one significant issue with aplomb. We had difficulty coming to a decision on tile for the kitchen floor. After repeated back and forth on our part, Michael recommended one of his preferred suppliers specializing in Italian tile and stone and we finally found a porcelain tile we liked. It coordinates beautifully across the kitchen as well as laundry, half bath and entry foyer and adds contrast and interest with a contiguous Brazilian teak family room. Maureen's keen sense of color and style helped us to a decision with which we are very happy. Our interactions with Michael and Maureen were simply outstanding. They were patient and forbearing with our often long, drawn out decision-making that involved multiple revisions to the plan. We began the project thinking we had a good idea of what we wanted, which evolved significantly over the course of the project as our ideas met with the creativity and discipline of a real designer! Michael's design sense and complete mastery of products and materials was fundamental to the success of the project. Guess who will get the job in the upcoming year to renovate our master bath suite? One great benefit in working with Michael was having access to his network of highly skilled professionals, beginning with an outstanding general contractor, Rich Munroe (RAM Construction, Windham, NH). Rich and his team did all the construction work and utilized sub-contractors for tile, flooring, electrical, plumbing and painting that he had either trained himself or worked with for years. Rich's work was outstanding in every regard and he, like Michael, is a great guy to work with. The take-away here was that working with a great designer means you also get to work with a great contractor.

I hard a hard (and long) time deciding on my cabinet color. Concerned that a white cabinet color that is currently so popular would not feel as warm and homey as my very dated Oak grain. Michael suggested choosing a granite we loved first and go from there. That helped narrow it down and with their patience and guidance we got it done. I ended up with white kitchen cabinets with a pumice color island and parsons bench. I love my kitchen daily and it is both functional and beautiful for daily living as well as entertaining. Both Maureen and Micheal were professional as well as very approachable and a pleasure to work with.

Michael Did our kitchen design and cabinets and it came out absolutely fantastic . He spent countless hours showing and advising on different options and designs. Would never use another kitchen designer. Would absolutely recommend no questions asked.

We hired Michael James Design to renovate our kitchen and are more than pleased with our customize kitchen. Early on, we were not sure if we wanted to keep our original footprint with a peninsula or change to an island and have a more custom, functioning kitchen. Michael met with us many times at our home and his studio to understand our wants, needs and dream kitchen. Michael never pushed his agenda, he presented us a few different versions and let us make our final choice (which we changed a few times). The custom look with a larger window, farmer's sink and widening the opening to the dining room truly customized the look. Michael & Maureen were with us every step; choosing the cabinets, selecting the quartz counter top and hardware, along with Michael’s visits to make sure the contractor was installing to his standards. Michael and Maureen's friendly professionalism enabled us to design our "custom kitchen".