Interior Effects by Michael McNamara

I have worked with Michael McNamara of Interior Effects on three major projects: the interior design of my home in 1993; a kitchen and bath design for a total renovation in 1994; and the interior design of my condominium in 2011. I have consulted him on many other occasions over the past twenty years. His knowledge and experience have been invaluable to me in creating a tasteful and welcoming home for my friends and family. He works within my stated budget and holds me to it. He is delightful to work with.

I have known Michael for 12 years. Michael is not only an incredible designer, he is honest, down to earth and a joy to be around. He always has a positive attitude. Regarding his skills as a designer, he has a keen sense of space, how to organize it and how to create new spaces within existing spaces, allowing a room to feel much larger than it is. I have seen him do everything from a quick make over for pennies to the creation of whole new rooms. Having years of experience, he knows every aspect of his trade. From fabrics to wall coverings, window treatments, kitchens, bathrooms, he has it all covered. And he doesn't have just one style, he has the ability uncover your unique style. I highly recommend him.

Michael helped design the interior of our new home from paint to furniture selection while also incorporating our existing furniture. Michael has great ideas but is always mindful about decorating to the customer's tastes. He was also invaluable in helping me deal with my contractor to ensure that the job was done correctly. Michael stands behind his work. When one of our new chairs that he had ordered broke he made sure that both matching chairs were replaced at no cost to me. Michael is a pleasure to work with--keeps his appointments and always has good wit and humor. I've recommended Michael to numerous friends who also rave about him. He's the best.

Twenty years, three homes and two states – that describes our experiences with Michael McNamara. Through the years we have collaborated with him updating a suburban home (Glenview IL), decorating an urban condo (Evanston IL) and designing and decorating a laid back Florida home (Vero Beach FL). During each experience Michael demonstrated his creativity and sense of style developing innovative solutions in each of our residences that reflect our lifestyle and personalities. He shows a great appreciation for your current possessions and does a great job blending old with new. He knows exactly what you want before you know what you want or need. When building our home in Vero Beach we worked with Michael pre and post construction. Pre-construction consultations and Michael’s recommendations were spot on and the end results are the envy our neighborhood. A post construction consultation resulted in rehanging or moving every piece of art work. We truly enjoyed working with Michael and we look forward to working with him again in the not too distant future.

I have worked with Michael McNamara of Interior Effects on design projects at three residences over the course of 20 years. Michael assisted me in the interiors of all three residences (colors, window and wall treatments, furnishings), as well as two full kitchen renovations. I have returned to Michael time and again because he listens carefully to my wants and needs, he is attentive to my budget, he helps me use the furnishings I already have in creative ways, and he has consistently connected me to skilled contractors. The result each time has been a place that really feels like home and that I'm excited to invite my friends and family to visit. For me, it's also important that Michael is FUN to work with. After all, when you're undertaking a major renovation, you wind up spending a lot of time with the designer you're working with. I can't imagine working with any other interior designer. I'm afraid I cannot recall the costs of the three projects, but the dates were (roughly) 1992, 1999, and 2007. I have consulted with Michael on smaller projects in between the major ones.

Michael did our condo remodel before we moved in. Key points: He listened to us very carefully and then presented options that were all of interest to us in every room. Always 100% prepared and always on time for meetings and follow-up documents/info. Worked flawlessly with the contractor. Very fair on hourly charges - on two monthly billings I asked him if he was certain that the had charged for all of us hours - he said that he had!!

There are not enough stars for Michael. We have relied on him for interior decorating advice and procurement for about 20 years - full living room, "den," master suite remodel, full furnishing and placement in a vacation condo, extensive additional furniture 20 years after he first worked on our sorry graduate-student "themed" home. He is so easy to work with that we quickly got to the "what would Michael suggest" stage between official jobs with him. With us at least, from day one he made it clear that both of us, and Michael as well, had veto over any of his suggestions, and he is gracious about our vetos! He is extremely creative in working with "stuff" of ours that otherwise would defy rational placement or use in our home (7-foot grand piano in a small living room, cherished grandmother's well-worn precursor to Lazy Boy recliners, you know what I mean). And the results are exactly what we want every time we call on Michael for help. Our home is not intended to be a showcase, but rather a comfortable place for us to live during our working years and now in retirement, but our home is very elegant and we think tasteful and welcoming to our friends. Neither of us has a good eye for what works, but Michael does, and he has an uncanny ability to "know" what we will like and what will work for us. We cannot recommend him too highly! Priscilla & Steve Weaver, formerly Chicago, Illinois, currently near historic Buncom, Oregon.

Michael does a wonderful job of incorporating beautiful style with a reasonable budget. He also is great at finding perfect compromises when opinions differ. He comes highly recommended!

Michael is a very competent, no stress designer/decorator. He is a perfect balance between creativity and reality. He delivers "wows" that are aligned with our tastes and budget. He delivers projects on time and on budget and without excuses. He simply gets the job done without drama. Michael can come up with unusual, big ideas (switching our dining and living rooms was brilliant) as well as solving the mundane (replacing the complicated silk window treatments with simple, easy shades). I have recommended Michael to several friends and all have liked him and his work.

We have actually worked with Michael on three occasions; the most recent in 2013 and 2014 as we remodeled a townhouse into which we were moving. Michael consulted with some of the other subcontractors, always working with them on ideas, and helped us "create" the perfect space for our retirement living. One of the biggest assets he provided, was choosing the right paint colors for our various walls...a task that leaves my wife and I totally perplexed. He also worked on all of our window coverings from suggesting what would work, to ordering and/or having them made, to installation. He is always prompt, efficient, and easy to work with.

We have worked with Michael McNamara of Interior Effects for 15+ years, having just completed our 4th home with him. Our most recent project involved a 7500 s.f. home where we sought to complement the home's architectural Tudor character on 2 levels, and create a "modern lounge" entertaining space in the lower level. The project included every square inch of the 13 room, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath house, extending to the patio. During construction, Michael met with our architect, kitchen planner and bath planner to creatively solve design challenges - while concurrently designing, buying and manufacturing the interior decor - and throughout helping us hold to our budget. For the interior design, he involved us in the selection process (which we enjoy) and used our input to create a number of concepts for each room, threading a unifying palette throughout. One of my favorite techniques he uses is the "Both Like", "One Likes", "Neither Like" piles - where he rapid fires multiple fabrics, furniture pieces, rugs, etc at my husband and I - maintaining marital harmony by later only drawing from the "Both Like" pile! As always, Michael respectfully works with our existing pieces and purchases, while suggesting new items to complete spaces and provide needed functionality. To say our project is a success would be an understatement - friends and family feel incredibly comfortable here, and we have been approached to host a number of charitable events where the house is part of the appeal. We absolutely love our finished house, and know the time and attention Michael put into our project has truly created our "dream home'.

Michael McNamara has helped me over 20 years with at least 3 projects. The major one, 14 years ago, was a move from one condo unit to my new one, requiring a major overhaul of the new unit. The result was excellent; changes he made have endured nicely. More recently, he oversaw the renovation of my master bathroom, helping me select the new tile, glass doors, toilet, and other fixtures. He made suggestions I would not have known to consider. He found the general contractor, discussed options, and checked on the work. I had thought to rip up the terrazzo floor of the shower stall, but he and the contractor convinced me this was an unnecessary expense, entailing a lot more time, and that the surface, in fact, was in very good shape. I have always been able to rely on Mr. McNamara for such good advice; he is not intent on finding the most expensive solution. Also, I feel his consulting costs are quite fair. I will use him again, as need be. Several friends feel the same way.