Interior Motives

We worked with Sam from Interior Motives on our remodel. She guided us from start to finish by recommending a top notch contractor for our job, cabinet company, and was very resourceful in making all of our project dreams come true. She was easy to work with and she understood our style. We loved working with her and can’t wait for our next project.

Mary was incredible to work with. I trusted her recommendations and decision making capabilities. She really helped me navigate through a process that I was very unfamiliar with. I felt like she was advocating for me and my husband and wanted the best for us.

Mary's professional input into the interior and exterior design of our home was an essential element which allowed us to convert our vision into the reality of our Tahoe dream home. She was a joy to work with, flexible and patient as multiple members of our family had opinions which shaped her recommendations. Mary also collaborated well with our builder to help translate design concept to construction. We highly recommend Mary and Interior Motives.

From start to finish, working with Interior Motives was the most vital decision I made in the process of a major remodel that was recently completed. Not only from providing an impeccable interior design perspective, but also seamlessly coordinating with the contractor to ensure the project stayed the course was a huge factor in the overall scope of the project. I often felt that Mary took on the role of "Project Manager" for the job in addition to recommending tasteful and appropriate interior selections. I would very highly recommend working with Interior Motives without hesitation for any and all remodel projects that you may have. Again, it was the best decision on a project that turned out perfectly.

We enlisted the help of Mary and Sam with our remodel in South Lake Tahoe. We didn't have very much experience with choosing building and design materials at all. We met with Mary and Sam and talked about the space we were remodeling and what we envisioned that space to ultimately look like. Mary and Sam were then able to present options to us for every element of our remodel. Because Mary and Sam listened to our thoughts and opinions, they were able to present us with a manageable number of options that were in the realm of exactly what we were looking for in each aspect of our remodel. This helped us to not feel overwhelmed and ultimately helped us to create a space that is beyond what we could have ever hoped. Throughout our remodel Mary and and Sam have understood our desire to create a special place for our family. Toward the end of our remodel we told Mary and Sam that we had extended family members coming from Europe for Christmas. Construction delays went much closer to our guests' arrival than we had anticipated, but Mary and Sam took it upon themselves and worked tirelessly to get every aspect of our home ready for our guests. For this we will forever be grateful! We are continuing to work with Mary and Sam to fine-tune our home. We are always excited to see what they have to show us next! We are so appreciative of all that Mary and Sam have done for us. They are the best!!

Interior Motives was excellent to work with. It was during the pandemic and we could not travel to the project. Everything was done on FaceTime and conference calls. Mary had an excellent eye for color and timeless design. It was truly a pleasure working with Mary and Sam and we could not be happier with our new home. They were with us from the start of the build through completion. It always felt like a true partnership.

Talented, trustworthy, reliable, responsive, hard working, and professional. These are words that describe Sam French of Interior Motives. My husband and I hired Sam/Interior Motives in 2019 to design and manage a complete remodel of our cabin’s original kitchen (built in 1947) in South Lake Tahoe, California. It was a big project which took over five months to complete while my husband and I were in another state for the winter. Sam was there every step of the way from the project’s beginning to end. In the beginning, Sam spent adequate time looking at the rest of the cabin to understand our design style. She listened to and honored our desire to have an updated kitchen with modern conveniences, but still stay true to the character of our vintage cabin. She understood and worked within our budget. Sam met with cabinet vendors and designed a beautiful, functional kitchen in a tight space and on a budget. As the project progressed, Sam set up design meetings, routinely made site visits to the cabin, took photos of our project’s progress and emailed them to me, interfaced with the contractor and vendors when necessary, and kept me on schedule with finish selections, etc. Mind you, all of this was happening in early 2020 when the rest of the world was shut down due to a pandemic. My husband and I are thrilled with the result! Our kitchen is adorable, functional, and blends beautifully with the rest of the cabin. South Lake Tahoe can be a frustrating and difficult place to do home renovations or improvements. Most people here do not want to work very hard, and the ones that do are so busy they don’t even have time to return your call. Not Sam. Although her business is thriving, Sam answered the phone herself the first time I called Interior Motives. She remained that responsive to our telephone and email communications throughout my project and beyond. Her business connections enabled my husband and me to find a competent, trustworthy and hard working contractor. Our kitchen remodel truly could not have been accomplished without Sam. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with several other interior designers, in different cities and states. Sam is by far the best. In fact, my husband and I were so happy about our experience with Sam that we purchased some window shades from Interior Motives after our kitchen remodel was completed. Sam was every bit as professional and helpful with that small project as she was with the large kitchen remodel. My husband and I have no regrets about doing business with Interior Motives.

We recently remodeled our 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in SLT. It was a big project and we could not have done it without Sam. The decision making for so many details can be overwhelming. Sam was great at laying out priorities so parts of the remodel weren't held up. She guided us in stain colors and types of wood for doors, baseboards, trim. Colors in general, where hard to decide on and we loved all the results, from the exterior paint to the interior walls. She was responsive and quick to help us when we chose the wrong style of exterior rock. Pictures of the kitchen (before and after) are attached. Houzz only lets you put in 4 pictures, otherwise you'd could see all bathrooms (turned out excellent) and living room. Thanks Sam, for being so patient with us and sharing all your creative ideas!!

I started working with Interior Motives in 2010. My house in SLT had never been updated. I live in Texas, so I needed a local design firm to help me – not only with ideas, but implementation of those ideas, and someone to be my “eyes on the ground”. I am not one to give over the whole design to someone else. I develop ideas and run them by Sam. I would find a tile in Texas and send a sample to Sam and she would take it to the house and give me her opinion. Sam and I would both research light fixtures, furniture and whatever other items came up and collaborate and make a choice. Sam would state her opinion about choices and there would be a conversation before I made a final decision. We did two jobs: the renovation of the downstairs first and two bathrooms a number of years later. The remodel of my master bathroom was fun. (See attached picture). I found some nontraditional cabinets and the design took off from there – especially with the tile design being the main focus in the room. Sam worked side by side with me every step of the way. She even took delivery of the cabinets and worked with my contractor get them to the house. Interior Motives will do as much or as little as you want. Sam was always responsive to my questions and issues in a timely manner. I respect their experience and expertise. I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Furnishing a home in South Lake Tahoe, CA while living in Daytona Beach, FL could have been difficult. Sam and Interior Motives were so helpful and made the project fun for us. Sam presented us with options all along the way so we were a part of every decision. It has now been 10 years and we would not change a thing. We are pleased to recommend Sam and Interior Motives. Their professionalism, knowledge of product quality, and ease to work with, make for a great client experience.

Sam had excellent ideas and suggestions and was very responsive to all our questions and concerns. She helped us long distance as we are remodeling a house in Lake Tahoe and currently live in New Jersey.she had to be our eyes and ears and totally succeeded.

I have worked with Interior Motives for over 10 years. Their expertise in design and their product knowledge is unparalleled. They listen to their clients and blend their design knowledge with the clients ideas to create spaces you love living in.

Interior Motives were fantastic to work with. My husband and I purchased a vacation rental home in South Lake Tahoe and they provided us with exactly there service we needed to get the house set up from 3000 miles away. After one three hour consultation the nailed our style and helped us push our color boundaries outside our comfort zone. They respected our budget and partnered effectively with our management company. They continue to provide excellent service.

We could not have asked for a better experience. Our vacation condo was beautifully remodeled but completely unfurnished and I was unnerved at the prospect of trying to manage it from afar. The Interior Motives team made it effortless and fun. Sam worked with us every step of the way to explore our tastes, offer good choices and, ultimately, make sure every detail was taken care of. We love our beautiful, stylish Tahoe home!

We have been working with Interior Motives since April of 2017. My wife and I both agree that it was one of the best decisions we made regarding the complete remodel of our 4,859 sf home. Both Sam and Joyce were patient with us, have wonderful ideas and really helped us along in ALL of our finish selections. They have catalogues, furniture displays and samples available at their design center. We look forward to having all of the furniture delivered in a couple of months and enjoying our beautiful superbly decorated new home this summer. Thanks Sam, Joyce and Jen!!!

You can not ask for better designers than the folks at Interior Motives ! I manage the largest estate in Lake Tahoe. We have completed several large projects together within the past 3 years. First off, they were always kind and friendly. They always returned my calls and were prompt for appointments. Their approach is to get an idea of what you are looking for and then provide you with a presentation of designs that works for you. If you are not pleased with their initial presentation, they are more than happy to present different ideas. They can design anything from the "Tahoe Cabin Flavor" to high end modern appeal. I also found they are very affordable ! I would highly recommend them.

In 2011 we purchased a 5 bedroom vacation home that needed everything. Interior Motives somehow managed to guide me in furnishing every room including linens, all necessary kitchen items, all necessary bathroom items - even hairdryers. We made most decisions by email but samples were sent to me when necessary. Most recently in 2017 Interior Motives managed the updating of 5 bathrooms to our total satisfaction.

Back in 2014, I started the building my dream home in Nevada and I was very fortunate to hire the services of Interior Motives. I relied heavily on the Interior Motives team (Sam, Joyce and Jennifer) to help me to help me identify all the necessary items required to complete my home including all the furniture. They are very knowledgeable of all the different options required, have a great feel for the Tahoe area and offer top notch professional services. The entire Interior Motives team was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend their services to anyone!