Alfonso DiLauro

I have had the pleasure to work with out over the past three years not just in my home but in my office. Over the past 50 years I’ve worked with numerous top well-known Decorators, but none has compared to Al. He has impeccable taste, but more importantly, he is so easy to work with. He gets things done, efficiently, with quality. A gentleman, and professional.

I purchased an old home which required significant renovations. Choosing Al to handle the design aspects of the project was easily the best decision throughout the 7 month project. I am so happy with the way the home turned out, and I know it is mostly because of Al's design and oversight. The project took longer than expected to complete, and Al stayed connected from start to finish. Al was able to take input and feedback to bring designs into reality. He went above and beyond during multiple instances throughout the project. I will recommend Al without hesitation to anyone seeking a design professional.

There are not enough positive adjectives to describe how Al turned our dark, sparse house into a warm, bright, peaceful home. Amazing, superb, wonderful and perfect do not describe what he accomplished in our Brooklyn space. He gave us many options that fit our requirements and made it hard for us to choose. He was never annoyed when we did not like something...he moved on to the next option and found more that fit us perfectly. The team of people he introduced us to were professionals and delivered quality work and product. Al helped to manage deliveries, hang pictures and window treatments. On top of all that, he is lovely, just lovely to work with. We would recommend Al highly and will continue to use his expertise.

Al was nothing less than spectacular in helping us design our new space. It was really important to work with someone who felt like a partner who really listened. Al took the time to understand our family and our lives, and really took that into account in designing a space that not only looks great, but also fits our lives so well. We are super busy and we work all the time, Al handled all the details of the project including interacting seamlessly with our contractor, which saved us so much effort. I could not recommend him more highly.

Al is a true professional and has excellent taste. He listens and then shows you options that fit needs you weren't able to express. His subcontractors have also been uniformly responsive and professional. I hired him after reading Houzz reviews; believe the reviews!

I requested Al's professional services on a Sunday and heard back from him the same day, Sunday evening. I guess I was not expecting to hear back from Al, let along on a Sunday evening. Al came to my home ahead of his scheduled time (showing he respects me and, my time). Although I thought my project is small for a consummate professional like Al, no work is too small for Al. He made me feel so comfortable and immediately went to assess and execute my project. I am in awe of Al's design abilities and coordination skills. As I update my living room, master bedroom and fire place room, I am sure I will adore my new space and I am forever grateful to you. You are a pleasure to work with.

Al was thoughtful and took the time to understand our needs and was very patient. The final product looks great.

Al is the greatest! He guided us through the remodel of our home and we could not be happier. Al is a caring professional who is attentive to his client’s requests and delivers exactly what they want. He is punctual for appointments and very responsive to emails/texts/calls. We have referred Al to many of our friends. Thank you Al.

When we moved into our new home, Al became an integral part of the process from the very beginning. Al's vision, creativity, and ingenuity helped us transform our home into a beautiful space that feels warm, fresh, vibrant, and very much ours. Al is a true collaborator; he listened to our needs, wishes, and ideas, and then developed thoughtful and unique ways to integrate them into his designs. From dealing with vendors to ensuring that my furniture was delivered in pristine condition to his ability to paint beautiful designs on a wall, Al made decorating our home feel seamless. He eliminated my stress and ensured that everything ran smoothly and was completed to perfection. Al genuinely welcomes and invites feedback, and he uses it meaningfully to ensure that his client is entirely satisfied. On a personal note, Al has a refreshing sense of humor and a contagious positive energy that made working with him a true pleasure.

Al DiLauro is simply the best interior designer with whom my husband and I have ever worked. And I don’t say that lightly. Al’s style is completely different from any designer with whom I have worked with in the past. He greatly values what people want and works hard to bring his customers options that reflect their interests and needs. He is amazingly timely in producing samples to look at. He is meticulous in organizing large projects with such precision that we felt he was in complete control of the project. His aesthetic is second to none, matched by his warm personality, wonderful sense of humor, and incredibly hard work ethic.

Al is very personal and an ultimate professional. Easy to work with. Very knowledgeable in his field. Listens to his clients and gives choices. I love everything he has done for me. I actually don’t do anything in my home without consulting with him first. From day one I felt like he was part of my family. I would highly recommend him and have.

Extraordinarily talented and down to earth Interior designer My husband, Andy, and I purchased our vintage home in 1996 and,by 2021, it was in serious need of a cosmetic update. With so many design styles, fabrics and furniture options available, we found ourselves paralyzed by indecision. Hiring Al as my interior designer solved that problem immediately! He quickly assessed our taste and need and provided us with several design options that updated our home but preserved its character. Al not only provided us with guidance on choices but also connected us with quality craftsman to complete the vision. Al is the ultimate professional who is a pleasure to worth with. Can’t wait to start our next interior design project and work with him again.

We needed to fill an area of our great room. Al was referred to us by a number of our neighbors. As soon as he came in, he took control of the situation. He made recommendations as to the design of the room, the professionals to get the work done and then he supervised all the work from design to installation all the way to completion. If we ever need interior work done, he will be the only person we would consider bringing in.

Al was recommended to me by a co-worker and working with him has been an absolute pleasure. Al really listens and takes the time to understand your style, all while working with your budget too. What started out as helping me with my dining room, turned into almost every room in my house! All because I love his design and the process was so much fun :) I can't tell you how much I appreciated his quick responses and his efficiency. My next project will most certainly include Al, he really is the best!

I was recommended to Al through a friend whose house he had just completed and I loved the design. Al helped me reinvent my tired 90's house into a beautiful, modern living space that my family enjoys. He is also currently working on refreshing the 1st floor of my beach house and I've already told him to put me in the calendar for September for the upstairs. He is a pleasure to work with. He doesn't try to upsell you on something you know you don't want. I have a lot of very nice pieces in my house and instead of insisting I buy new, Al suggested we restain/reupolster/refinish what I already own. I loved that idea. I recommend Al with complete confidence and am happy to serve as a reference for him.

Working with Al DiLauro was a pleasure. We are so pleased with the re-design of our family room. It is everything and MORE that we could have wished for. Al responded to all our questions and took us through the process seamlessly. We would HIGHLY recommend Al and look working to working with him in the future.

I hired Al to help me redo my home after my husband passed away. I wanted to make my home, my house, not our house. That is what he helped me do very successfully. Before he worked with me I was not happy coming home, Now I love being in my house. His contacts are invaluable. His sense of color & style were right on. He is not only my designer but my friend. You will not be sorry that you hired him.

If you’re looking for a true professional who has an incredible eye for design look no further. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Al in helping me decorate my home. He’s excellent in getting a feel for who you are and gives you ideas accordingly. Most important, doesn’t push and listens.

Al is a gear decorator with vision style and class. He listens to his clients and works within their budget. He is creative and can mix custom furniture and furnishings with items from Home Goods. He is patient and fun to work with. And great with color. He is great people who work with him painters drapery carpet etc. he had done my three homes. I have recommended him to my friends who were very satisfied and they recommended him to their friends. His work says it all will do small jobs to entire renovation been working with him since 2010 n now in Florida

Al was a pleasure to work with! He quickly understood my style, made excellent design choices and made himself available when I had questions/concerns! I highly recommend him!

Alfonso is an amazing designer and really has transformed my home. My home feels like a new home now!! He has an artistic ability and stays on budget. His sense of style to develop design that looks great in your home is aesthetically pleasing. He is extremely detail oriented with great interpersonal skills. Being in a home that is traditional and wanting that new flare without tearing it all apart was worrisome. Alfonso, came at the right time with his problem-solving skills and creative visualization and made it all happen. I couldn’t be more pleased with his work. Greatest part about hiring Alfonso, was gaining him as a friend. I had a blast shopping with him as well. Learned a great ordeal, but I wouldn’t make any decisions in my home without his opinion again.

I had never used a decorator before and my project seemed overwhelming to me. Al put everything into perspective and I felt comfortable with him from our first meeting. His beautiful design became a reality all within budget and timeline. It was a pleasure working with him and I plan to initiate a second project in the future.

Al was so amazing to work with. We are taking baby steps dressing up our new home and though our window treatment project was small he gave us his full attention and didnt rush the process. In addition to beautiful, his recommendations were practical and kept our everyday life in mind. We will definitely work with Al again on future projects and highly recommend him!!

Al is such a pleasure to work with. He actually made the daunting process of decorating my home fun and exciting. I love coming home to the beautiful space he helped create and I will be forever grateful to him for his guidance through the process.

Al is one of the best professionals I have ever worked with. He moved us to make great decisions in terms of colors and furniture. His guidance was invaluable. We appreciate his sense of color & design- as we totally re-did our family room.

I had a wonderful experience working with Al on my house. His sense for colors is amazing, and we were able to coordinate the colors throughout the house. Al has great taste for sophistication and yet he kept it practical when it comes to cost. We were able to use some low cost items as well as expensive ones throughout the house. We went into the house with a blank, and Al was able to envision the transformation for us. I'm thankful I was able to work with Al. We started the project in July and lasted until October. Al has a keen sense on project management. He kept everything on schedule and making sure vendors are keeping their promises. I really enjoyed working with Al.

We love Al. Funny, smart and a brilliant designer. Our kitchen/den was a huge investment for us and we didn't want to screw it up. Al made sure we didn't. But he didn't just make sure we ended up with a beautiful space. He also served as a guide/therapist through a pretty scary process. We can't wait to work with him again.

I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have worked with Al! From our first consultation I was drawn to his fun personality and his creativity. He stayed by my side the entire process and for the first time in 10 yrs, I have fallen in love with my home. He has helped me find the potential I always hoped it had. He helped with the contractors to make sure any concerns I had were addressed and properly taken care of. It was a breath of fresh air to know I had him in my corner. Best INVESTMENT I ever made. Looking forward to working together again on another project.

Alfonso was great from day one. He sat down with us to better understand our likes/dislikes and then returned with many options.....each one of them was exactly what we were looking for. Working with Al was a pleasure and I will forever call on him for my decorating needs.

My husband and I hired Al to design and decorate our new home. SInce we brought very little furniture from our old home, Al had a clean slate to work with. Al has an innate sense of color and design. He is kind, accepting of his client's ideas, aware of budgets, and his work ethic is stellar. Al made me feel like I was his only client. We went to NY design centers as well as stores in New Jersey to select furniture, tiles,rugs , lighting, etc. Al has become our friend, When you meet Al, you will like him...if you hire him, you will have the home of your dreams!

We were first-time home buyers and first-time renovators, and Al took us through the entire project without a hiccup. He gave us excellent design and renovation advice. He brought us great contractors and managed the entire project, overseeing the work, being there for deliveries, and steering us away from choices we would have regretted. He also narrowed down the countless choices for everything--flooring, bathroom and kitchen hardware--saving a ton of time and anxiety. And he had great ideas, like stenciling a design on one of the bedroom walls that looks so good and gave the room a much more finished look that we love. We've already recommended him to two of our friends. You can't go wrong working with Al.

Simply stated - Al is wonderful. He is talented, knowledgeable, reliable, and professional. He is easy to work with, and he worked well with everyone involved in the project. We will definitely work with him on future projects!

I did a photo shoot for Alfonso for the first time recently and I have to say it was a pleasure to meet and work with him. He is very detail oriented and takes pride in his work. He goes above and beyond, and without question his client loved him and his work as they raved about him the entire time I was there. His professionalism is noticed and appreciated.

It was great working with Al. He was very thorough, had great ideas, and really understood our vision. Highly recommend him.

Over the past few years I have used Al to help decorate my home. We began with the powder room, which everyone agrees it to drool over. There is never a job to big or to small that Al does not give you 110% of his time and attention, He is there for you when you are confused (as I can be) undecided or overwhelmed. . He met me in NYC to look at fabric which only took an hour, Travel time was longer. But Al always strives to make his client happy. He does this very well. If you are looking for a decorator Alfonse DiLauro is your man.

I am so luck to have Al as my designer. He is very thoughtful person and very experienced designer. He is checking every step of the project. I am extremely busy at my work , and I need someone responsibility to guide my whole house renovation. He is the right person. He does more than what he need to do. He even went to town hall to help me apply all permit that we need. He is very care his client satisfaction. He has great tasted. Everything he pick is what I like, it is elegant and lasting long. I will recommend Al to everyone that I know. He is a pleasant person to work with. I am so glad to find my Mr "right designer ":)

Working with Al was an absolute pleasure. He was referred to me by two work colleagues, and he lived up to the wonderful recommendations. From our first meeting on, he listened, caught on to exactly the feel I was looking for in my apartment, he worked within the budget provided and enabled me to be able to move into my new apartment on time. He's knowledgable about construction, interior design, architecture and he's a fantastic project manager. He made himself available to be at my apartment to supervise the work being done (and to crack the whip when it wasn't being done fast enough) and for all the deliveries. On my move in date, my apartment was ready to be lived in! He is very communicative and keeps you informed every step of the way. I would highly recommend Al DiLauro based on his professionalism, amazing taste and for being a super nice person!

I have worked with Al many times over the years and at 2 different homes. My wife and I love Al and now consider him a friend. He starts by listening and then the ideas start flying and then he listens some more then decisions start getting made. Somehow we are always surprised how Al seems to know more about what we want than ourselves. Al is not only great with design and colors but with shopping. He seems to know of places to go to get good items at good prices. He will work with you not only on the overall budget but how he charges for his time. Simply put Al is the best!

I interviewed several decorators for the renovation of my Manhattan apartment, and found in Al a winning combination of an easygoing personality and impeccable taste. The work went very smoothly with timely deliveries and great supervision. All projects present challenges, but Al maintained a very positive attitude throughout and found value solutions to the problems that arose. In addition, Al accepted to work on a project that involved not only myself but also two other persons and succeeded in working out a design that met all our expectations. It has been a pleasure to work with such an experienced professional who also possesses remarkable listening skills.

We were recommended to Al from one of his clients and after speaking with him we engaged him. He is professional to the core and a pleasure to be with. We worked together and we accomplished a beautiful apt. The day before we moved from our house he brought a man in to remove our chandelier from the dining room and hang in our apt. Al is a mover and a doer After we were there one week we looked like we were there 40 yrs. We have spread his name all over. He is terrific and a great person. He is not one to push you into things you may not want and he is open to your ideas as well. He will work with budgets and rework things to bring them up to a current status Patricia and Anthony Williams

I have worked with Al for over 20 years. He had designed both my country and city homes. Al has the most exquisite eye for style , color and scale. I have the utmost confidence in his decisions and selections . My homes never feel over decorated and each project is perfect for my taste . Al has designed homes for many of my family members my children and my aunt .He has been written up in decorating magazines I highly recommend Al he is easy to work with and has an amazing taste level .

When you live in a NYC apartment every room counts, and our living room was successfully transformed by Al into what we initially described to him as "the room where we want to be able to entertain friends, eat, watch movies, take afternoon naps, read quitely, cuddle on the couch with our dog, play piano and enjoy cocktails. Our bedroom was 13 years "tired" - a new headboard, wallpaper, sconces and new bedding...amazing! Aside from being an exceptionally talented designer, Al is a wonderful person. Throughout any project you will feel like you are working with a long time friend. Oh, and those little things like hanging curtains and touching up paint, and replacing knobs and signing off on deliveries...Al does all that too!

We hired Al to design and decorate our living room and family room. We loved his recommendations and he really worked within our price range, selecting lower cost items that all worked beautifully together. Al was very easy to work with and very accommodating to our schedule.

On a scale of 1-10, I would absolutely rate my experience and overall project end result satisfaction with Special FX a resounding 100. I was afraid that my project was too small to warrant any real attention, but Al completely proved me wrong. He transformed a tiny 600sf (less than) apartment into the most amazing, efficient, beautifully designed space, capturing my personality and working within my budget. Not only was the design well beyond my expectations (including a knock-out wall to wall closet and other built-ins), it was truly full service with him handling every single aspect of the project including selecting and dealing with contractors (and getting his way), my co-op approval, figuring out how to fit a dishwasher in tiny galley kitchen, and everything else that I had in my OCD mind. What I loved most about working with Al was his ability to help me make better and smarter decisions regarding design, furniture, and layout. If left to my own devices, my apartment would have ended up a pottery barn explosion costing so much more than necessary. My only advice is to trust his ideas; as an example - lamps, chairs, and light fixtures that I thought were going to look ok, actually ended up so much more amazing than initially thought. Also, I was unsure about colors (paint, drapes, etc.) but trusted him and I was so glad that I did. I had such a great time working with him – especially since he did all the work. He said that he gives his clients’ 100%; I would argue that it’s more like 200%. I highly recommend working with Special FX regardless of project size as I believe there is no limit to this man’s genius.

Alfonso is a pleasure working with. He Truly listens to what his clients want and comes up with great solutions. A true professional with amazing design idea. I highly recommend Al.

Al has done interior design work for me over 20 years. He worked with me on each of my moves. Most recently, my townhouse by the shore and I love it. Al listens to what you want and works within your buget. His knowledge of styles and trends is impeccable. He provides samples of colors and fabrics. Ideas for furniture pieces and with his experience you can't go wrong.

I wouldn't dream of buying or decorating a house/apartment without Al DiLauro. Al has made the process of decorating two homes enjoyable with his resourcefulness, energy, thoughtfulness, organization and wit. He is very detail-oriented. He balances spending to bring projects within budget and my homes look elegant and comfortable, which was my goal. He is available from start to finish and beyond as a trusted advisor and friend. Friends are delighted with his services and I cannot imagine ever using another decorator.

It was a pleasure working with him. Truly fabulous. He listened to want we wanted and came up with smart solutions. True professional- patient, flexible and responsive. Great design ideas. We are enjoying the space he designed for us!

Soon after we purchased a prewar apartment in Manhattan, we began to look for a design professional that would design, restore and reconstruct this new apartment to fullfill our needs. We expected to utilize our existing furnishings and supplement with new purchases to create an integrated look. We interviewed a number of decorators and choose Specialfx / Alphonso DiLauro based on reccomendations and photos of completed jobs. He quickly developed a plan within our budgetary requirements, got multiple quotes, hired and supervised a variety of vendors and executed our plans in a timely manner. In a few words Al is knowledgeable, honest and very respectfull of all your needs. He is very easy to work with and always did respond and react efficiently to all of our questions. In short, he took care of our entire project from design to constructon and finishing and even showed up on moving day for final touches and helped unpack our possessions. He is very knowledgeable and dependable and would strongly reccommend Specialfx for all design projects.

Mr. DiLauro has helped me redecorate the entire apartment and I couldn't be more pleased. He has a good eye for color and room arrangement. We worked together for several months and he has been patient the entire time. Always called back when I had a question, always replied to my emails. He came recommended to me by two of his previous clients and I will do the same.

Al is professional and totally gets my vision of what I want our families home to look like! We have used him on 3 different projects in the last couple of years (a large kitchen reface and remodel, and carpet, wallpaper redos and morst recently a bedroom gut and redo) and have loved how everything turns out! He is not afraid of getting his hands dirty and he won't let you spend money just for the sake of it. We love him and can't imagine of doing any more projects without him!

Al provided an interior design and furnished/decorated my 2,500 sq ft townhome. The townhome was a bit of a mess when we started, odd colors and no window treatments. A blank slate in need of everything. As a busy bachelor, I let Al make the decisions. I am extremely happy with the colors chosen, window treatments, and furniture selected. Al worked with my budget, was very responsive to calls/emails, and was very hands-on throughout the 3 month project. The townhome feels like home and never fails to impress those who visit. I would gladly use Al again in the future and enthusiastically recommend him without hesitation to friends.

Having worked with other designers in the past Al brought to the table a long list of qualities that we were never able to find in others. Others may have had one or two of these qualities, but Al scored 100% on all 6 of them. 1. You will never meet a nicer, warmer human being. He has a personality that you will be very comfortable with, from the very first day. 2. He was more interested in what we wanted, how we lived our lives, than in turning our house into his own. He was never shy about voicing his opinion when he thought we were going down the wrong path, but he was always very respectful of what made us comfortable. 3. Al has no shortage of ideas. When doing a complete start over in our great room, he was receptive and patient until we were comfortable with the end product. He did not get annoyed or frustrated if his initial ideas were not chosen, but continued until we were all satisfied with the choices. 4. Al has a very high shopping energy level. Going from store to store was something you can see he truly enjoys. 5. Al returns phone calls and emails immediately. 6. Al has a respect for his client's budget. He actually came in under budget. He never made us feel uncomfortable about the amount of money we could spend. The fact that his fee structure was reasonable was the icing on the cake. You may find others who have a few of these exceptional qualities, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone with all 6. That's Al.

I absolutely loved working with Al, and have recommended him many times since. Al was the first professional decorator I worked with, as I had previously been anxious that a decorator would come and and want to toss out everything I had, and start over. That is not Al's approach at all - he understood what the scope of the job was, listened to what I was hoping to achieve, and made recommendations that went wonderfully beyond what I could have envisioned, from the colors, layout and textures used. I finally understand what a different "touch" a decorator has, and the difference it makes to the look of a home. I've now used Al on 2-3 different projects of varying sizes, and he never disappoints. What I really appreciate is how willing he is to work with me regardless of how big or small the need is. Al understands that decorating a home, or touching up a home, can be a process done over time, and not something that has to be done all at once. I plan to use Al again and again.

Incredibly talented, Al is a superb decorator that I highly recommend. He transformed my New York City apartment from barren to a warm, inviting and elegant home, ensuring all details--the rugs, fabrics, blending of colors, furniture and more--reflected the persona we tried to capture. I was particularly impressed with his ability to interpret my taste in decor and unify it...borrowing the color palate from my artwork, Al made a series of selections that unified the apartment and made it appear larger. As regards the grittier details, Al called in his team of contractors to hang wallpaper, cut moldings, custom replaced kitchen countertops and coordinated everything with our building management. This saved us a lot of aggrevation which we appreciated. We are now working with Al on our Connecticut home and are excited to see his understated yet elegant selections for this weekend retreat. Most of all, Al is personable, fun to be with and attentive to detail....his sense of humor helps mitigate the more challenging moments of redoing your home.

I hired Al to renovate a Master Bathroom and Powder Room in my duplex co-op. WIth Al managing all the details, I had peace of mind during the renovation. He took care of everything; he worked with the management company for approval; he hired the contractors; he ordered and hand delivered all products to my apartment; he accepted deliveries; he was on-site for major installations. He is hands-on and all-in when it comes to a project. He is always available via phone, text message or email. His attention to detail is impeccable. He has a talent for taking ones likes and inspiration and translating it into actuality. He is spot on with his design aesthetic. He knows how to manage a budget to get the best bang for your buck. He knows where you can save and what's important to spend on. In the end, the rooms exceeded my dream and my expectations.

Alfonso listened to what I had to say and in a short period of time, my first project was completed. Since then i have used his services several times. He has a way of hearing what i am not communicating and designing my spaces as if he knows me. Truly a good man and designer.