Collaborative Interior Design

I started a whole-house remodel on South Street in Davidson and quickly realized the need for interior design. My architect recommended Collaborative Interior Design. Sandy managed all the details from paint to flooring to fixtures and has a great understanding of the construction process. She was always available at on-site meetings, at the various vendors to hand pick materials, and ad hoc when questions arose. Details are so important to a home and Sandy nailed it. I am thrilled with the outcome.

Sandy did an outstanding job with an update on our old home (which we reviewed in 2018) so when it came time to select someone to help us with our next project - designing our new home from the ground up - we immediately turned to Sandy again. She is the consummate professional who combines her passion for design with her genuine desire to help you achieve your dream. She has extensive knowledge of the entire construction process so was invaluable to us from the initial meetings with our architect to working with our builder to making all of our design selections. She was a true partner, listening to us and working hard to help us articulate our vision and then to bring that vision to reality. As we had never been through a new home build and design process before, we 'didn't know what we didn't know' and her input and advice made all the difference. She kept us on track, making sure our builder was never waiting on us to make a decision and ordering furniture and design elements on a schedule that kept our transportation and storage costs to a minimum but also had us 'ready' for our move-in day. Sandy treated our project as a true labor of love and we will forever be grateful for the time and effort she put into helping us create our dream home.....it's even better than we had imagined!

We wanted to update our new (old) home and have more efficient use of existing space. We found Sandy Kritzinger (Collaborative Interior Design) on Houzz.com and she stood out among others. Sandy understood what we were trying to solve for, brought us creative solutions, and helped us envision things through her design boards that we may not have otherwise considered. The project with Sandy involved a family room and kitchen remodel, as well as working through plans for future phases of renovation/additions. She helped us pull together the architectural/construction, design, and decorating phases of our renovation. Sandy understood our desire to do some of the legwork and installation ourselves to help keep costs down. She reviewed our architect’s drawings for current and future phases; worked with us on the design, selections, and sourcing for the family room and kitchen; and plans for future phases/additions. We used some of the tradesmen and resources that Sandy recommended, and she kept us up to date on the status of each. They were good to work with and we could tell how well-respected Sandy is in the industry. We love the transformation to our home! With Sandy’s help, we have achieved the look and feel of a peaceful and welcoming rustic, lake cottage.

We couldn't be happier with the outcome of our new home. Building a home is such a complex and taxing process. Sandy was instrumental in helping with the design and build our custom home. She was always there any time of day or weekend to help us move forward and assist us with every detail. Our builder had an aggressive timeframe, and making builder selections on time and within budget was a priority. Sandy also took the time to understand our preferred style. Her creativity and eye for detail made the entire project come together beautifully, and she managed to get ahead of as many of the supply chain issues as possible so that we could function in our new home right after we moved in. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and extremely organized and on point. We highly recommend Sandy for any project. We LOVE our new home!!

My husband and I recently completed a full house reno on our 20 year old townhome as it was in desperate need of updating and modernizing. This was the first time we had done a reno and the task seemed quite daunting given all the work involved, decisions required and the fact that my husband and I are polar opposites on the design spectrum. We were very fortunate to work with Sandy as she made the entire endeavour seem easy as she shepherded us through the project from start to finish. She was able to take our disparate tastes and objectives to design around our eclectic art collection and collections from our travels to a create a wonderful haven. Sandy was very patient with us in addressing our many questions, guiding us around the design choices and coordinating with the contractor. We really loved the design boards she created for each room as it helped us visualize how everything would come together. In many instances, we took a leap of faith and deferred to Sandy’s design recommendations when were quite indecisive. We love the end result! Our home is truly a haven now, it makes so happy to look around and see the transformation. If we are ever so crazy to do another full reno, we definitely want to have Sandy as our partner! We highly recommend Sandy, she is a pleasure to work with and wonderful collaborator.

Sandy is a great listener, adapts to people's preferences, and at the same time provides imaginative paths to consider. She led us through a kitchen design process that also touched other areas of our house, and made suggestions we would never have thought of. While Sandy has a great eye for coordination across rooms, her concepts are refreshing and treat each space uniquely. In addition to her design capabilities, my wife and I greatly appreciated the ease of working with Sandy. She has a very friendly manner and is responsive to the ideas preferences we expressed.

Sandy was wonderful to work with from beginning of our house remodel project until the end. She was responsive to phone calls/emails/texts and always projected a calm confidence that made the whole process much easier to live through. She was professional and we could count on her showing up at our house whenever she was scheduled to. She was also flexible when I requested a couple changes to our original plan (which I asked for early enough in the process that things could still be changed out.) All in all, I would highly recommend Sandy and would be pleased to work with her again in the future.

Just as the name of her company, Collaborative Interior Design, implies, Sandy worked in full partnership with me to select the perfect products and design for the whole home refresh we just completed. She has a keen eye for design and detail. I love that she just starts moving furniture and rugs when she wants to get a better idea of how something will look and work in a space. In fact just from the initial consultation, her rearrangement of the existing furniture and rug in the living room made a HUGE difference! Her team of contractors, painters, and handyman are simply the best--and of course she would not have it any other way! She, and they, sweat the small details up front and all along the way. I've added a few photos below, which only approximate the lovely design elements Sandy brought to this project. My husband and I couldn't be more pleased with the way the bathroom remodel turned out, as well as the way our house feels completely up to date through simple touches like new paint, door and cabinet hardware, lighting, mirrors, light fixtures, area rugs, and accessories. These touches all add up to an amazing space that was a joy to co-create with Sandy and team.

This was my second project with Sandy, and it was just as great of an experience as the first. This one focused on a condo renovation in Southend. The entire place needed a facelift, but the main focus was a bathroom gut rehab. We went with a loft/industrial style, because the space allowed for it, and it’s also my personal preference. The end result is awesome. In terms of the experience with Sandy, the main points mirror those from my other project (Feb 2020 review). Her approach is a collaborative one, so she and I made the decisions in partnership. We had to work together to balance our ideal scenario with the budget and with the condo’s potential market value. Sandy was again helpful in weighing the costs/benefits of options, so that the selections represented good design choices AND good financial decisions. Also, I used two of Sandy’s preferred contractors for the work. They were both excellent, in price and quality. Sandy’s vendor referrals represent tangible value for me, as it saves me days of research, and I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of her people. (Many of her recommendations are folks she’s used for her own projects.) Lastly, the entire process was simply enjoyable. Even with my two projects overlapping a bit (potentially confusing and stressful), Sandy helped keep things on track and the design process was honestly fun. I hope to be done with renovations for a bit. But whenever I do tackle another project, I will definitely pull in Sandy.

Full indoor and outdoor renovation, refinishing hardwood floors, replacing all interior trim, lighting, staircase, refinishing kitchen island, replacing carpeting, three full-bath remodels, interior finishes and fixtures, full furnishing and window treatments etc, and a complete outdoor living space addition, outdoor living room, open deck area, outdoor kitchen, and landscaping. Exceptional experience working the Sandy. Her attention to detail is unsurpassed. Sandy is super easy to work with. Her communication is great. We worked very closely on my project for several months. She is fully committed to making sure the client gets what they want. Sandy has a knack for being able to customize most anything to fit certain spaces perfectly. Would highly recommend her.

We hired Sandy specifically with the intent to update and renovate our home so that we could sell it. We are so glad we did! Sandy came highly recommended and we quickly realized that her talent and vision is incredible. She is so knowledgeable, patient, and organized. She guided us through every step of our renovation, providing us with invaluable insight and advice. Our home needed a lot of work and she took the fear out of moving forward and she made us feel confident that we were making the right decision. Sandy was able to help us figure out our options and she made sure that we were able to stay within our budget (actually under). Sandy knows exactly what she is doing, she has the contacts to pull it all together, and she was well respected by all that worked on the project. She managed every aspect of the renovation process for us and she made it so easy. The best part is that she ensured the quality of the work was excellent. Her standards are high and she made sure that those performing the work rose to the occasion. Everything turned out perfect. In the end, she turned our house into a jewel. The transformation after our renovation and with her design help was shocking and exciting. We could not be more pleased with how our home turned out. I am certain it is the reason we were able to sell our home the very FIRST day we listed it. I trust Sandy implicitly and can wholeheartedly say her services will add more value than you can ever imagine. We can’t thank you enough Sandy. Hiring you was the best decision we ever made. I just wish we had done it sooner!

In case the following review is too lengthy, I’ll sum it up by saying that working with Sandy was a pleasure, and the finished product is beyond my expectations. I worked with Sandy on the design/renovation of my newly-purchased lake house. It was built in 1969, stood at around 2,800 square feet, and had 5 beds, 3 baths. In short, it needed to be nearly gutted and redone. I hired Sandy due largely to the style of some of her past projects being quite similar to what I had in mind. Specifically, I was shooting for a rustic/industrial mix, and liked the work she had done along those lines. Many other designers in the area seemed to have a style that would result more in a cookie cutter suburb-looking house that just happened to be located on a lake, and less in the cozy and peaceful retreat that paid tribute to the surrounding nature vibe (which was my end goal). Additionally, I found her pricing to be competitive and fair. Finally, as her company’s name suggests, her process is a collaborative one. I wanted to take part in the design process, rather than blindly hand decisions over to someone and then just cut the check. I learned more about tile and flooring and paint and bedding and light fixtures and so on… than I ever expected to know. But it resulted in our playing complementary roles in the partnership, and probably in both of our feeling as if we built the house with our own hands. Sandy’s value came from three main factors. First, most obviously, was the design aptitude and experience. Part of the reason I hired a designer, was to push me out of my comfort zone, and prevent everything from ending up a typical male-chosen brown or grey. Sandy delivered, challenging me here and there, and presenting ideas that added interest to the house, while still respecting my style. She demonstrated excellent attention to detail and sense for the space and the vision, even accounting for how the individual elements would play off of each other, to form the full effect. Also, as part of that style and design guidance, she was able to provide recommendations that maximized the impact of my reno budget. For example, she advised on where putting extra money into higher-end finishes (reclaimed wood, for instance) would make a significant impact and create a “wow factor”. And conversely, she was able to steer me toward “standard” options in other areas that would be less impactful and didn’t require the extra investment. Second, she was able to help me arrive at conclusions that, without her, would have taken hours upon hours of googling, and would still lack practical knowledge. For example, she has a band of vendors that she trusts, and they do good work. At the outset of my project, I was insistent upon calling several options, pricing them out, looking at reviews, etc. But it wasn’t scalable for me to do that across the board, and it wouldn’t even necessarily result in the best decision. By the end of the project, I was jumping at the chance to just roll with one of her recommendations. There’s significant value in that network, and in not having to agonize over vendor selection. Finally, she was helpful in guiding me through the process. This was my first property, and definitely my first renovation. And with a full-time job keeping me busy, I was only able to learn so quickly on the fly. She was gracious in walking me through what factors I should consider, and in anticipating questions and decisions that would need to be addressed. And she was also able to handle the tactical items (confirming specs with vendors, asking clarifying questions, etc.) that I either wouldn’t have had the time to do, or wouldn’t have thought to do. Lastly, I’ll say that I work in consulting, where we often evaluate team members via the theoretical airport test. That is – if you were stuck in an airport for hours with this person, would you be ok with it, or would you pray for it to be over (out of boredom/frustration/whatever). I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed working with Sandy. I looked forward to our meetings, and the discovery/decision processes that unfolded; and I always walked away feeling like we accomplished a lot. So, I would be fine getting stuck in an airport with her. As long as she doesn’t make me look at any more tile samples ever again. ;)

I absolutely loved working with Sandy to put the finishing touches on our home! After managing a year-long renovation, I really needed her fresh eyes and vision to complete the project. After one meeting, I knew that she understood my goals and her excitement about the project re-energized me. In addition to her design skills, her keen attention to details was extremely helpful in ensuring the final construction details were well executed. Sandy is truly a 'Collaborator' - she worked closely with us to integrate the art work we had collected into the design. She's embraced our desire for a modern home that would still feel warm and inviting. She helped us maintain our focus and kept us to our timelines for move-in. Sandy selected the perfect colors for accent walls in our home, along with the furniture, carpets, and decor items for our home. We always receive compliments about how cohesive the house looks and how livable it feels. It was especially helpful that she has resources with skilled tradesmen for custom items such a built-in bookshelf that she designed and sourced for us. She knew exactly where to find the right furniture pieces and streamlined this process for us as well. She works very efficiently and came to every meeting prepared. At the same time, I never felt rushed to make decisions until I had clear understanding of the final results. I would do one thing differently next time, I would bring Sandy into the project earlier -- she would have been a tremendous help and saved me weeks of time during the design and finish selection phases of our project Sandy, thank you so much for helping turn our dreams into reality!

We turned our entire house over to Collaborative Interior Design. (Seriously!) We built our home 18 years ago. We love our location and neighbors, but the house needed refreshing after years of wear and tear from our active family. We didn’t have the expertise to pull off a cohesive plan, and frankly didn’t have the time. Sandy took care of everything. She helped us pick a beautiful, modern color palette, and created a design plan that greatly enhanced the look and function of our home. She found high quality flooring, carpeting, cabinets, fixtures, furniture and accessories for our project. Due to her extensive list of contacts, we were able to contract with the best craftsmen and tradespeople in the area. Our kitchen is a cook’s dream. Our bathrooms are gorgeous, spacious and bright. The teenagers have fun, functional spaces that highlight their individuality and creativity. Our new family room beautifully accommodates large functions and smaller gatherings. She even transformed the exterior with a new front door, planters and carriage lights. Sandy is a talented designer and an astute project manager. She was easy to work with and completed our (huge) project on time and under budget.

Working with Sandy was a great experience from start to finish. She listened, made great recommendations and followed every aspect of our house update to completion. From big suggestions (kitchen cupboard reconfiguration) to small (hallway lighting), Sandy offered ideas that were the perfect combination of our personal tastes and the most current trends and we couldn't be happier with the end result. We would definitely hire Sandy again!

Sandy was great to work with and we are so pleased with the finished product! She helped us completely redo our office and refresh our master bedroom, dining room, and entry hall to be more cozy and inviting. I appreciated her collaborative approach to the design process and willingness to listen to our unique needs and wants. She is very professional, responsive, knowledgeable on the design process, and has great contacts for custom furniture / designs. I would highly recommend Sandy!

I built a new home completed in October of 2016 and wanted to finish it after the one year warranty time was up. I had moved belongings from both a suburban home and a northern lake house and wanted to make the furnishings all fit together, which, with painting, required a whole house redo. Sandy was just the ticket. She is professional, knowledgeable, and so creative. Where I saw blank space, she saw a vision. Her ideas were in sync with mine and she always had the right person or resource to turn to to complete a task. The project from start to finish seemed to complete so quickly and I'm thrilled with my new home. Oh, and she's really warm with a wonderful sense of humor. You can't go wrong.

Sandy helped me completely re-style my room. Her knowledge of current trends in color, furniture, fabrics, wall hangings,tile and more made the completed design both pleasing and comfortable. She knew where to go for custom cabinetry to complete a custom desk space for me as well as a custom coffee table that matched the sofa design. Her professionalism produced a fantastic result for me. I could not have gotten this great design without her guidance and knowledge.

I am a Real Estate agent. I worked with Collaborative Interior Design on a sellers home that I had listed for sale. The home had been on the market for a couple of years with at least two other agents. Sandy worked with the seller to put a plan together quickly and with a budget they were comfortable with. Her work is amazing. She gave a comfortable updated look to a tired outdated home. She selected colors and materials that buyers are looking for and added furnishings and accessories that sealed the deal and stayed on budget. The home sold quickly, at a price that the sellers were happy with. They were finally able to move on to the next chapter of their lives. I welcome the opportunity to work with Collaborative Interior Design again soon.

Sandy is amazing! We have loved working with her to make our new house a warm and inviting home we’ve always dreamed of. She has listened to our wants and needs and her suggestions have been spot on. We are so thrilled about all the things Sandy has helped us do with our home and we highly recommend Collaborative Interior Design to any one seeking interior design services.

Sandy is wonderful! She is incredibly easy to work with. Sandy was able to quickly understand our aesthetic and make awesome suggestions. She was able to transform our office, dining room, living room, and kids play area and stayed within budget! I would highlight recommend Sandy!

When we moved into our house I knew that the brown cupboards, brown walls, brown floor and brown counter top, along with a poorly designed kitchen, were not going to work for me. But I didn't know where to start. I connected with Sandy and she immediately understood what I wanted to accomplish in my downstairs, and how to get it done. We completely reworked the whole space - paint, walls, floor, entirely new kitchen. She did an amazing job helping to find the materials and colors that suited the new style perfectly. The thing I loved about her though was that we did all this work, and she helped to find things that would make the most impact for the right price. We had some lights recommended by the kitchen contractor and she found similar (if not better) lights for at least 1/3 of the cost. She was fantastic to work with - professional, organised, good communication. If something didn't go to plan (as things do with big projects like this), I knew I could call her for a voice of calm and reason. We absolutely love our whole downstairs now, and our kitchen is stunning. I would recommend Sandy over and over again - and I have!

When we moved to NC our old furniture was completely out of place in this much larger, different style home. I kept buying things and it seemed like nothing worked to make the space better. I was embarrassed to have guest. Then came Sandy! Sandy transformed my living space to a home we are proud of. She captured our style completely. What I loved the most about working with her is that she doesn't impose her style on you. She tells you what works and doesn't work within your style preferences. Her prices are reasonable and her schedule is flexible. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

I'm an experienced contractor that, until recently, has not used the services of an interior designer. Currently, I'm building my dream home on the lake and wanted to make sure it was special. Sandy was referred to me by a friend and has exceeded all expectations. Here are a few adjectives that descried my experience with Collaborative Interior Design. Direct: Sandy will tell you right up front, what to expect and how she likes to handle a project Frugal: That's right, she is frugal with your $$$ Smart: Has the ability to visualize the end product before she starts Dependable: Very under rated these days Flexible: She doesn't insist on doing it "her way" When looking at the photos, remember the project is only half done.

Sandy has worked with me on several home projects and the results are always stunning. The most recent was a redo of our children's playroom to a home office. I am always amazed how she can take a room and totally transform it into something we absolutely love. She has special aptitude for design & function at reasonable cost. She will work within your budget and create something fresh, new, warm and lovely. She is so incredibly talented that I can't say enough good things. If you every have the opportunity to work with Sandy, don't pass it up!

I could not be happier with the work Sandy did on my new place....Shes a true pro that is always punctual and really worked to make sure I understood my options while always making sure I was getting the most for the money. The place looks awesome...very creative. Its a place now that I can show off. I highly recommend Sandy!! Very pleased!

Sandy with Collaborative Interior Designs helped my family with a fairly large decorating project including our living room, entrance and dining room. Her expertise saved us significantly more than she charged us. She is worth her weight in gold! Our project included ripping out carpet and replacing with hardwoods, painting our entire downstairs, replacing our front door with double doors, a new dining room table and chairs, a new coffee table, multiple rugs and entranceway furniture, ripping out an old fireplace and replacing with stone and a reclaimed wood mantle as well as many accessories and drapes. Sandy's talent exceeds simply having an eye for design. She is skilled at knowing where to purchase items as well as where to spend money to get most bang for your buck. She paid for her self by saving me from making a poor decision to order our dining room set from an expensive retailer. Rather we found a local guy to hand make the table saving us both time and money. Sandy is lovely to work with. We have since referred her to numerous friends who have been equally pleased. Every day I walk through our house and still love the work she did!

We really enjoyed working with Sandy Kritzinger at Collaborative Interior Design. She created a stylish, functional, modern design plan for less than we anticipated spending. We look forward to updating several other rooms in our house with this firm. Sandy provided thoughtful, professional and practical solutions for our busy family. We highly recommend this business.

Sandy transformed our home into a beautiful, tranquil, and functional space. But she didn't just make it look good, she made it "us". From the pictures that my late dad took of our kids (that she enlarged into canvases hung over our couch) to the storage ottomans that hold my son's many books, our place is filled with things that have meaning to our family and we love spending peaceful time at home together! She stayed within our budget and helped us find beautiful things at reasonable prices. She is very personable, reliable and extremely talented! We will continue to use her for all of our decorating needs!

Sandy was a pleasure to work with on my recent remodel. She's an expert in color selection, design, and scale. She is highly skilled in capturing and applying order and semblance to a clients vision and making recommendations that work within all budgets. I highly recommend Collaborative Interior Design.

I was referred to Sandy by a friend who recently had interior house work done. I was looking for assistance with creating a comfortable space in my house (downstairs and upstairs). We focused only on the downstairs, so we could stay laser focused on one area of the house before moving upstairs. Sandy was easy to work with and really listened to what vibe I was looking to create in my home. Our first session was spent collaborating on what I wanted to create, while she provided input based on her wealth of experience. Once we agreed on a plan, Sandy and I collaborated on specifics for the space ranging from paint rugs, couches, end tables, coffee tables chairs, kitchen table, lamps, chandeliers and other lighting, art work, and finishing items to really bring the space together. Although she was the one with many of the ideas, her patience allowed me time to process, and in turn those ideas became my own. In a few short sessions, my downstairs transformed into the space I always envisioned and I could not have done it without Sandy and the experience she brings to the table. Phase 2 is for me to leverage Sandy to transform my upstairs which includes a master, guest, and my two daughter's bedrooms. If you are looking for an honest, patient, knowledgeable resource to help with your interior design, look no further. Sandy is the real deal.