FDK Design

We have had the pleasure of working with Fiona, FDK Design, on a multiple-phase remodel of our primary residence since the summer of 2019. We originally designed and built our traditional style home in the countryside of Valley Center in 1996 which was in much need of updating–envision rich deep traditional colonial style cherry wood. Phase 1 entailed an update to the master bedroom, en suite, and kids’ bathroom. We wanted to keep the basic footprints, but revive each space and give it a special and elevated feel. Fiona was great. She spent the time to really get to know us personally, how we envisioned living in the spaces, and our natural design leanings. She immediately picked up on the fact that my husband and I naturally gravitate toward a mix of vintage, traditional and industrial. Her first concept design and sample custom vintage accent tile and color palette were on point and set us on our way. We continued to collaborate on materials, fixtures, and cabinetry. She introduced us to amazing vendors that were equally helpful with great products and service! My husband is a structural engineer, so her impeccable records of the design concept and materials specs as well as her proactive communication was greatly appreciated. We are extremely happy with the outcome of our Master Suite and the kid’s bathroom. Better than we envisioned! With Phase 1 completed in early spring 2020, we engaged Fiona again to help guide us through the biggest phase of our remodel. The downstairs living spaces. At first, we thought we would keep the footprint the same and just update materials. Fiona was patient with us, came up with a great 1st design concept with our self-imposed footprint constraints, but as my husband and I marinated in the ideas, envisioned life in a few years with our adult kids and eventually grandchildren visiting, we came to the conclusion we needed to change the footprint of the family and kitchen space to create an open-space concept with more light and better flow. This required moving a structural load-bearing wall and raising a floor. Fortunately, we had the structural engineer/designer of our home on staff . Fiona once again worked her magic to collaborate with us to modify the design concept for these spaces. Having such a great experience with her recommended vendors during phase 1, we called on them again. We completed construction and moved back into our downstairs spaces in 2021 which involved creating an open space family room and dream kitchen combo with a giant peninsula and island providing ample cabinets and counter space to cook and entertain. We also updated the powder room and lighting in the foyer and dining room and updated the staircase. We are thrilled with the outcome! The design is cohesive throughout. Opening up the family and kitchen space expanded our views and brightened the entire house, even more than we expected. Fiona has been so fun and easy to work with. Highly recommend her!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Fiona at FDK Design on a kitchen and family room remodel. She did an amazing job proposing a beautiful concept encompassing the essence of our vision, helped in selecting materials/vendors and provided guidance on how to move the project along step-by-step. Fiona is extremely talented, creative and has a wonderful eye when it comes to mixing style with functionality. I was so impressed with her efficiency, professionalism, and her ability to make a super-complicated renovation process incredibly simple. She was there for us every step of the way. I always felt important and a priority; she never let us down. At the end, our new home is better than we could have ever imagined. We love it! We feel truly privileged to have been able to have her design our living space. I highly recommend working with Fiona for all your future design needs.

We've had the good fortune to work with Fiona on a major remodel project, and are currently working with her on an addition. Both experiences have been fantastic. Fiona's easy working style, her vision for our space, and timely delivery of designs made the process smooth and enjoyable. We particluarly appreciate Fiona's approach to the initial design process, where she takes the time to sit down and learn more about her clients' design style, with any eye on the budget. Our first project turned our home into the space we had dreamed about, and we have no doubt that that our second go-round with Fiona will be equally satisfying.

Fiona has designed multiple remodels for us and is absolutely amazing! Highly recommend for any of your remodeling needs...both interior as well as exterior ;) Our first experience with Fiona was in 2015 when we remodeled a house we inherited. We gutted the entire home and Fiona's design plans were impeccable. She walked us through every step of the process. We were on a tight budget and she was able to find us budget friendly materials but then find those 'special' pieces that would make it look more expensive. Our next endeavor in 2018 was our primary residence. We were ready to tackle the kitchen and downstairs...I knew immediately that we needed to contact Fiona again. Fiona's consult with us on this project was eye opening as she provided insights to us that we had never thought of in terms of scale and size of the adjacent rooms. We found ourselves doing far more than we had initially thought about but she was so right about it all...we now have our dream kitchen, living room, dining all in one open concept floorplan...great for our large family gatherings and entertaining! Our latest remodel was during Covid in 2020. We took an oversized room upstairs and created a bedroom, laundry and hallway as well as replaced the flooring. At the same time we were completing this renovation we were working on our front and backyard. Fiona again was contacted for the upstairs...I had general idea of what I wanted but Fiona's eye for design and attention to details brought it to life. What I didn't realize was that as we were discussing some of the interior we got to speaking about the exterior (pavers, outdoor furniture, etc.)...come to find out she does it all :) She helped us pick out all the elements we needed to make the exterior of our home beautiful as well. All of our renovations with Fiona have turned out amazing and we couldn't be happier! Her professionalism, design ideas, attention to detail for both us and our contractors...you name it, Fiona is the best!

I am beyond pleased with the renovations Fiona helped designed for us. The changes she suggested for our flooring, draperies, paint and lighting made such a huge difference! I can’t wait to have her give me more advice on sprucing up my decor .

Fiona at FDK Design has an amazing eye for design and color. We used Fiona’s expertise to remodel our kitchen. She was knowledgeable, professional and patient as we went through the design process. There are so many design opinions and options to choose from when remodeling which can at times steer your project in a different direction. But Fiona gently guides and keeps you on track so the results reflect what you truly wanted for your kitchen, or home. Thanks to Fiona, I absolutely love my new kitchen. Fiona is cheerful and easy to work with, She responds quickly to questions and concerns and makes herself available when you need her. I continue to use Fiona for other design needs and would highly recommend using her for any design project.

Fiona designed our master bathroom, and helped us select carpet for our bedrooms. She is very professional, and extremely patient and tactful (my ideas were horrible and hers were excellent). She is well respected among the trade industry, and her contacts/resources saved us money. We are very happy with the final results. Thank you, Fiona!

We’ve hired Fiona for design and remodel help for two projects in the last 18 months. The first was a family room remodel which included fireplace and tv built in work . The second was a guest bathroom remodel. In both cases, Fiona’s vision and creativity were amazing!! She has a unique talent for working with clients and creating concepts. Can’t wait to work with her again in the future! -M&M

Fiona listens, and is so wonderful about the tailoring the project to your time, budget and taste. Truly a professional and so fun, generous and flexible! She is also able to manage a remodel, and be the person to hold the contractor accountable, which was a huge help in our case.

Loved loved working with Fiona! She read our vision right away and gave amazing ideas.. our home turned out beautiful!

When my wife and I decided to gut our house with some idea of what direction we wanted to got, but didn't have a true plan or vision, we felt lost and seriously overwhelmed. This is when we hired Fiona! She came in just as our home had been completely gutted and we had a short timeline to get the rehab started. She was quick to respond and never became frustated nor overwhelmed. She has a phenomenal talent for use of space and gave us some stylish, yet functional ideas that allowed us to expand our master bath and add a powder room, which we hadn't thought off, and were sheer genius on her part. Those creative ideas made the spaces much more compelling and did NOT obliterate our budget. She's patient, observant and a phenomenal listener. We felt that she truly "Got Us" and could really speak our language. We knew we wanted to do a mid-century modern remodel, but often didn't know how to voice or describe what we wanted, but she always nailed it! She was able to bring my wife's and my ideas together to create a space that we love and will cherish for many years to come. When it comes to product selection, she's the best! She know where to go and who to speak with, eliminates the fluff at gets you exactly what you are looking for. Working with Fiona felt as if we were working with a true artist, a visionary with passion for her craft! The best part about working with her is that you really feel that she is working to manifest your vision for your home, rather than pushing her personal style or vision. She is flexible with her time and 100% attentive. We loved what she did so much for us and our home that I had her design my office ; my employees love their new hip place and my clients are always impressed and comment about how chic the space looks and feels! Fiona is an incredibly talented, creative, assertive and artistic designer!

I was the GC on the Del Sur Customization Project that Fiona designed. We didn't have the opportunity to interact much on this project because my client and Fiona already had the Design and selections in the bag. I do know that my client was thrilled to work with her and my client loves the finish result. Fiona's very well detailed plans and elevations looked fantastic. Her measurements and details were exact which makes my job so much easier. The finish material selections that she made were cohesive and beautiful. The space planning was thoughtfully created. She created an original design that fit the space perfectly and was full of timeless style but yet comfortable, approachable and livable. We look forward to collaborating with her on future projects!! Greg Rossignol Rancho Santa Fe Craftsman