Marti Kellogg

In the 25 years that my husband and I have been together, we have worked with at least half a dozen interior designers. These experiences have included: decorating a newly-built guest house, designing the interior of a large vacation home on Nantucket Island, re-doing the interior of a spacious New England home, and many others. Most recently, we hired Marti Kellogg to create a very special environment for the home we built on Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho. As a result of all this building/remodeling/adding-on over the years, we have come to understand that finding an interior designer who listens carefully and who also has the interpersonal skills to "make things work" under conditions that are often very challenging is, indeed, a gift. We have had frustrating experiences, somewhat satisfactory experiences and then — well, then — there's Marti. My husband and I do not always agree (understatement!). But we do agree that the end result needs to be truly unique and frankly, spectacular. In the case of our home in Idaho, we had an additional challenge: the house needed to be beautiful . . . but "bulletproof"! In other words, with sleeping space for 13, we expected a constant flow of houseguests, ranging from infant grandchildren to teenagers to adults. Also, being on a lake in northern Idaho means you will need to expect: wet bathing suits, sand, skiing and snowboarding equipment and clothing, camping gear, hunting gear, fishing gear . . . you name it! Marti listened and made sure our home would withstand the constant "traffic" and activities without the house showing signs of wear and tear. Marti is an excellent listener as well as someone who has the rare ability to facilitate differences in opinion between, let's say: a husband and wife! She negotiated the tricky waters of our design demands with calm, consummate professionalism, finesse at all times, and unfailing good cheer. Her design sense is infallible. We could not be happier with the end result and more importantly: the end result was achieved with the absolute minimum of stress along the way, due to her remarkable ability to navigate the tricky waters of two clients who don't always agree! I should also note that she worked extremely well with our builder and our architect. As anyone who has ever built a house knows, this is no small feat, because "artistic temperaments" and the practicalities of building often lead to acrimony. Not with Marti in the picture. Also of extreme importance: Marti not only respects and works within an agreed-upon budget, but she also maintains a top-notch, spreadsheet approach to the current and projected expenses relative to the budget. If she recommends something that is higher for a particular item or detail than she originally estimated, she is always ready with a perfect solution to trimming back in another area, without compromising the end result desired. In our experience, this is a rare talent indeed. We recommend her without hesitation and welcome the opportunity not only for potential new clients to view our home in Sandpoint at any time but also to speak with us in person so that we can answer any questions. Marti can supply our contact information. We have been so delighted with her work and with our relationship that we regularly fly her to our principal residence in southern California, where she applies her versatile design skills to a completely different environment. As a result, she continues to create just the right "feel" in southern California with the same excellence as she does in the Pacific Northwest.

"The renovation of the former St. Joseph’s Catholic church (built 1908) into the Heartwood Center was a 2.5 year project that required great care. Our intent and expectations for Marti and the architect were to honor the past but build for the present. Throughout the project, Marti listened carefully to what we wanted but held firm when we suggested something that she knew would not work. From the start Marti was involved in the in the process, first with the exterior finishes, then moving to the interior. Many decisions were made with her assistance, including colors, textures, fabrics, flooring, lighting fixtures and theatrical elements. She worked closely with the sub-contractors to cover all the details. We are very pleased with her active and whole-hearted participation in our project. It was key to creating such a beautiful multi-purpose facility."

We've contracted Marti on two separate occasions. First was a remodel with furniture purchases. She worked closely with our contractor to open up and update the home. She coordinated and narrowed selections and led us to having custom pieces created by craftsmen for that extra special touch. Purchases were skillfully handled from order to "white glove" delivery service. For the second project, a complete new build, we brought her in from the beginning. Her work with our architects ensured our vision not only came to life but in an extraordinary way that only her insight, experience, and talent can bring. With her efforts we know we will have something outrageous when our project completes in 2017. Can't wait!