Olive & Melon Design

We hired Mel to redesign our kitchen, which had been a victim of an unexpected flood. She not only improved its functionality but also created a transitional kitchen featuring the warmth of a traditional design paired with neat touches of a more contemporary kitchen, including a more practical lighting scheme by contrasting textures and tones and devising a cohesive feeling that facilitates fun in the kitchen. She is an excellent listener, aims to please you, and aligns your ideas with her expertise, resulting in an exceptional final product.

I worked with Mel on a condo and remodel and she was great. She has a wonderful personality and was so easy to work with. She had great ideas and really listened to the kind of design I wanted to have. Despite having the contractor from hell she persisted and the end result was beautiful. She also has her own charity where clients can donate used furniture to her and she creates new homes for young adults that have aged out of foster care. What a great idea and a wonderful thing to do. I absolutely recommend her for your design project!!!

Mel was lovely to work with, had so many creative ideas for our small space, and did great job of actualizing the many ideas we had for our home.

We purchased our home in January 2018 and officially started working with Mel when we came up from Florida for the closing. We chose her based on her outstanding Houzz reviews and after an impressive and reassuring phone consultation. Our goal was to have almost all of the home updated before we moved in at the beginning of April, and this had to happen while we were still living in Florida. It was an extremely ambitious (crazy) deadline and Mel delivered! We worked remotely with Mel over the next few months to choose paint colors for every room, new flooring and carpet, new light and plumbing fixtures, furniture, and more. The process was very fluid and efficient, and she made great use of Houzz idea books to show us different options for every room. To keep us involved in the process she frequently texted photos so that we could see the progress that was being made. Mel went above and beyond, stepping in to manage multiple vendors onsite in addition to performing traditional design work. She understood our budget and was very careful about keeping purchases within that budget and still delivering beautiful results. We had never worked with a designer before but after many decorating disasters in our previous two homes we decided to take the plunge. It was so worth the investment. Every room in our home looks put together and serene. In addition to being a talented designer with a fantastic eye for color, Mel is very easy to work with. She has a wonderful sense of humor and in a short period of time felt like and became a friend. We would recommend Mel to anyone looking to enhance their space, whether a single room or the entire home. She is just wonderful!

Mel’s eye for beauty, style and design is unmatched! She has worked patiently with me over the past few months to furnish and decorate an entire new-build townhouse. I wish you could see it in person but everyone who visits can feel the love that has been put into this home. Mel has offered me excellent design input and made it a fun process to choose everything from furniture, lighting and appliances to rugs, window treatments and artwork. Her down-to-earth, confident enthusiasm has been uplifting on so many levels and I have enjoyed this project so much. She has created an elegant sanctuary for me that is filled with beauty, simplicity and impeccable design. I couldn’t be more grateful to Mel or recommend her more highly!

Mel is very talented at understanding your style and the look you want and very knowledgable about how to achieve that look. She’s given me great design recommendations and has helped me select, purchase, and install window treatments, fabrics for reupholstery, paint, wallpaper, area rugs, etc. I have always found her to be extremely reliable regarding keeping appointments (in my home and at design centers) and meeting agreed upon deadlines. And she is a great communicator, keeping me up to date via email and text. Regarding costs, I find her to always be reasonable and fair. Bottom line is: It’s a joy to work with Mel (She’s likeable and fun) and I love the result she has achieved!

We hired Mel to design a new home office in the Spring of 2018 after never working with a designer before. She was patient, explained the process, answered all of our many questions and diligently worked within our budget. We chose Mel due to her portfolio of clean modern looks with elegant pops of color and she didn’t disappoint! I am most pleased with how she listens - to my taste, my feedback, likes and dislikes to evolve a space until it’s perfect. She is so easy to work with, I sometimes forget she’s just not a friend helping me decorate. We were so pleased with the process and outcome that we’ve hired her to re-do our entire first floor.

We hired Mel to help with renovations and decoration of a “vintage” condominium in University City. She provided advice room by room and came up with suggestions for colors and furniture updates we would not have considered. She was willing to work with our aesthetic using our artwork, accessories and furniture filling in where necessary. In particular, she made a few suggestions on the structural renovations which were creative and made the space much more livable. She is a pleasure to work with.

I have worked with Mel McDaniel Design for several projects in our Row Home with assorted scope and sizes. We could not be happier with the overall experience and end results! Mel's unmatched creativity and style has greatly improved the quality of our home, giving it a refined yet comfortable feel. She is accessible and flexible to various ways of working and budgets. Mel can translate a "feeling" into a room beautifully and I'm so thankful to partner with her! I have and will continue to highly recommend Mel to anyone who wants to refresh or transform their space. Thanks Mel!

I give my whole-hearted and unreserved recommendation for Mel McDaniel! My wife and I hired Mel when we had to re-do a bedroom/bathroom suite to accommodate an elderly relative moving in with us. We live in a 95-yo historical building, so in addition to the normal budget and aesthetic constraints, we had to deal with multiple layers of building technology and harmonizing with 1922 finishes. Mel came through for us in every way. She's friendly and easy to work with and she really provided us with options that we would never have thought of on our own. She guided us through dealing with suppliers and accompanied us to various showrooms. The result is a suite that meets the mobility needs of our relative, plus looks great. The kicker is that we probably saved a couple of thousand based on Mel's recommendations. Can't give a higher recommendation than that!

I had the pleasure of working with Mel on my living room renovation. She is incredibly creative, yet always practical, and 100% professional. She adhered to an agreed upon budget, set and met deadlines, used high quality workshops for upholstery items, provided descriptive invoices, and shared designer discounts. No time was wasted with Mel. She arrived at every appointment prepared and ready to work. She made the project fun and the results are FABULOUS!!!! I have since hired her to work on a new project and I know we will have another great experience and great results!!

It was a real treat to work with Mel. She is enthusiastic and soothing, creative and practical. We tackled 6 rooms in my home and I am delighted with the results. She has an excellent eye and a great set of contacts and recommended vendors.

I feel so thankful that I found Mel. She was easy to work with, great at what she does and just a delight to work with. I hired her when I bought my townhouse and she's transformed my entire house from an empty space to a beautiful one where I feel safe, comfortable relaxed and inspired. Coming into the process I had very little knowledge of design and lacked an idea of the style I wanted to achieve. Mel helped me through that process and helped cultivate my appreciation of design and art. I had so much fun and learned so much thanks to Mel. I now enjoy exploring the world of design and have an even stronger appreciation of how great Mel really is at her craft. I highly recommend her!

We hired Mel to help design, furnish and decorate our living room and kitchen. She was such a pleasure to work with, so helpful and professional. She helped with overall design, customizing/ordering furniture and all the finishing touches. She understood our visions and helped bring them to life. She also took personal items that are so special to me like, drawings, pictures and incorporated them into the space.

Mel has been an absolute joy to work with! We were completely gutting and redoing two bathrooms in our house and my husband and I had drastically different styles we were aiming for. Mel was able to listen to both of us and create two completely different and equally beautiful design plans. She was always responsive and never offended by questions or thoughts we had. She was also able to find lovely pieces while still being respectful of our budget. I would highly recommend her to anyone.

Mel is a talented thoughtful designer; she listens to your thoughts, likes, dislikes and then transforms your house into the home of your dreams. I can not say enough positive things or recommend more highly. You will not be disappointed when you engage her.

For my birthday, my son gifted me 10 hours with his decorator Mel McDaniel. Since then an amazing transformation has occurred in my house. Mel and I started in 2 rooms and now are completing our 5th. Mel seems to understand exactly what I want and knows how to accomplish it. Her sense of color and vision for the room is outstanding. If any problems arouse either with the contractors or the items ordered Mel was always there to handle the problem and help find a solution. I walk around my house now with a smile on my face. I cannot believe I live in such beautiful surroundings. She is a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend her.

Working with Mel was such a wonderful experience! Mel took my ideas and turned them into reality thus transforming my home to my dream home. Mel was always responsive, conscious of costs, prompt and very personable (she even made accommodations for my four legged child!). The contractors she brought into the project were also a reflection of her standards. It was such a pleasurable experience working with Mel and I do hope our paths cross again.

Mel helped me furnish and redesign my living and family rooms. She is the consummate professional and absolutely delightful to work with. Her taste is flawless and she helped me put together the rooms I always wanted. The furniture, tables, pillows, and art work that Mel helped me select make these rooms very special places for me and my family. Mel 's positive outlook and genuine interest in helping me figure out "my taste" made this project fun and completely stress free. I look forward to doing more projects with Mel.

Mel is fantastic, professional, and respectful, even with our small job of picking paint colors and deciding where to hang pictures. She took extra time to listen and really read into our style. She showed up on a weekend, last minute for us, and provided expert advice. She is super personable, and doesn't push her style agenda onto you; she really respects what your opinions are, and gives her recommendations along the way. Mel is the best!!

Mel is a true pro who cares fully for her customers' happiness. She has the ability of being able to tap an endless stream of both traditional and nontraditional ideas to meet your vision, and is extremely resourceful. In short, she works hard! Creative and classy concepts, budget-conscious execution, professionalism, and a positive approach, are just a few of Mel's many attributes.

Just three letters is all you need to remember when you have a home decorating project: MEL! When my Dad moved into a retirement community and had no idea how to make his two bedroom unit comfy, he called MEL. When I wanted to make my study into a place where I can read, think big thoughts and be surrounded by memories of people I love, I called MEL. When we wanted to make our house into a home and redecorate our stilted, stale living room, we called MEL!

Mel was professional, had wonderful vision, was on time with all of her plans and projects and was so easy to work with. She completely revamped our home from a more traditional style to a transitional/contemporary vibe. Having little creativity or vision myself, she offered wonderful ideas for how to update our home and make each room more functional. From colors, to furniture, to placement of things within a room, Mel did it all and made the experience wonderful and fun! She can also work within any budget! I highly recommend her.

Mel has transformed my bedroom into a very warm, cozy, and welcoming space. It can be totally dark and I now have bedside reading lights, ahhh! I will hire Mel to continue on designing throughout the house. Awesome work Mel!

Mel excels in all aspects of interior decorating. She has a natural feel for taking a regular space and turning it into a spectacular space. On a personal level, I guarantee you will love working with her. Easy going and full of ideas, she has an uncanny ability to find out what you want, even when you don't know what that is. A true professional with a passion for detail. Mel brings out the best in the home.

Mel assisted with new window treatments, furniture selection, accessories, and lighting for my Foyer, living room, Den, and Dining room. She has a great sense of style. She has a good eye for color when it comes to mixing prints with different fabrics, and picking paint for your wall color too. Very, dependable, and affordable!

“My experience with Mel has been nothing short of wonderful. With her keen eye for color, quality, and style, she helped create a bright, inviting, and warm kitchen that captured the essence of my personal taste and my need for a spacious, functional environment. Her ability to hear the clients wants and needs, and marry them with what she knows from experience will “work best”, makes her a trustworthy and reliable resource on any sized budget. Mel is gracious, kind, and easy going--not afraid to jump in, grab a drill, bang a nail, or go out of her way to help you find that perfect piece. What I love most is that she encourages me to express my unique style and preference, while gently guiding me down the right path. Everyone who enters my home comments on how beautiful and warm it looks and feels! I recommend Mel to anyone who’s ready to make their house a home”.

I cannot say enough good things about Mel McDaniel Design. Perhaps the biggest complement I can pay her is that with very little input from us she was able to achieve the vision we had for our home when we moved into it nearly five years ago. Thanks to her work, it now feels more like a home to us than it ever has. The spaces are also more functional and make better use of the furniture and other items we already had. Working with a very small budget, Mel achieved dramatic results. As it was not within our budget to purchase major pieces of furniture as part of the re-design, she was able use what we had, yet make the existing pieces feel brand new. We gave her an idea of what our personal style was and what furniture pieces we did not want to have removed as well as certain colors and styles that we did not particularly enjoy. Beyond that, we wanted to give Mel as much creative freedom as possible. We do not regret that decision. In our living room, for instance, she used a print that we had long been wanting to frame as the new centerpiece for the room. This newly framed art now served as her inspiration for the design and color scheme. Our couch and entertainment center remained. Other pieces to which we were not as attached were removed which helped to de-clutter the space. Around that she changed the paint color on the walls, updated the wall scones, replaced our curtains with custom made curtains and window finishings, added bookshelves, a small console table and new throw pillows for the couch. What really made the space shine, however, was her use of pieces of art, both old and new. By using framed photos that we had already ( or ones she found frames for) in addition to other pieces of art that had significance to us, the room instantly felt like ours. Many of the pieces had been hidden in the past and we now were able to fully appreciate them for the first time. These personal pieces were surrounded by newly framed quotations and prints, candles, plants and books, all of which blended together seamlessly in the room. She achieved a similar effect in our entryway, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, guest room and bathroom. We love how Mel used much of what we had already in her design work. This not only helped to keep our costs down but also gave each a room a very personal feel. For things we did not have, Mel was very good at finding items at a reasonable cost, often through vintage markets . Additionally, she has surrounded herself by an excellent team that includes a graphic designer, general contractor, framer, seamstress, welder and metal worker all of which provide top of the line services. Our friends and family continue to be amazed by the transformation of our home. We have Mel McDaniel Design to thank for it.

Mel has helped create beautiful rooms and spaces in my house. She combines her expertise in style, space, proportion, etc....with what my husband and I like. She does this with a great deal of patience, efficiency and professionalism. She is always willing to help with any project no matter how big or small and handles each project with the greatest level of care. She is mindful of budget restraints and balances quality with price. I would recommend Mel for any size design project. She is a joy to work with and a talented designer!

I have worked with Mel on several projects in our home. She has consistently been terrific. She has great ideas, easy to work with, mindful of my budget, and is reliable. She initially helped me coordinate and furnish our formal living room. She listened to my inital thoughts and helped me build on those ideas and make a room really work together. We picked out fabric for couches, chairs and pillows. She advised on what sizes of additional furniture and helped me source items, thankfully, she also helped me stay within my budget! Mel also advised me on colors for our walls in the living room, laudry room, kitchen, wallpaper in the office and most recenetly, wall colors in the family room and dining room. I am currently working with Mel on a redesign of our family room and have been thrilled with her ideas and color choices for walls, carpet and fabric. She is focused on making the room work for us and incorporates my design ideas into the room. Thank you Mel for making our house better.

Mel, we can't thank you enough for the great work on our home. Many decorators come in with a preconceived notion and style. You were able to successfully work with the character of the house, our thoughts and your own expertise and produce a result that far exceeded our expectations. You made it easy and fun, including us in the process when we desired and removing all of the difficult obstacles. Your team combined an eye for design and an ability to execute on time and on budget. Best of luck with all of your future projects.

Mel does beautiful work and I cannot recommend her highly enough! When working with Mel, I have found her aesthetic to be unerring, her ideas inspired, and her execution exacting and of the highest caliber. While respecting my needs and tastes, she pushes me to try new things in just the right ways. I never feel intimidated yet always feel I am in excellent, professional hands. I love the ideas Mel bring to the work and trust her to manage the entire project. Of course, it is so important to feel comfortable with someone who is designing a space you hope to love! I have always thoroughly enjoyed working with Mel. While fun to be with, her professional approach always makes me confident I am getting the best from the many vendors involved. Mel has worked in every space in my home and is amazingly competent at pulling together an entire home in the most beautiful way. I could not love my home more and I have Mel to thank for it.

Mel is a very professional and a talented designer who is easy to work beside. She has transformed my 25 year old residence into a more modern and functional home. Mel presented options within my budget, sometimes suggesting simple solutions such as painting walls and adding "knicknacks" to my "garage sale pile" to freshen up spaces. Needless to say, our new home is more comfortable now. It feels much lighter and fresher having been touched by Mel's talent.

I have worked with Mel McDaniel for many years on numerous home design and renovation projects and can not recommend her highly enough. Mel has an array of design talents and is an absolute delight to work with. She has helped me with everything from closet reorganizing to leading the design of a large home office addition. I don't think there is a room in my house she hasn't made more beautiful. Specifically, Mel has an excellent eye for color, an enviable ability to accessorize, a gift for bringing my vision to life...time and time again. The best thing i can say about Mel is she has made my house a home.