Showcase Your Place

We completely remodeled/transformed our 1952 contemporary transitional farmhouse in Walnut Creek over approximately 9 months. It was a big project - we took the house down to the studs throughout and replaced basically everything. We also completely refurnished our home. We hired Julie part way through the rough work to take us the rest of the way through the project. She exceeded all expectations. She took ownership of the project and saved us from the endless details that we were not equipped to handle (or even identify) without her. She helped us resist our worst impulses while always being respectful of our input and personal taste. She doubled as my therapist when the project unexpectedly veered off course and turned me into a ball of stress, and always knew how to get things back on track. She held my contractors accountable and coordinated everything with our suppliers. She was responsive and engaged with us at every step. The finished result is better than we ever imagined, with incredible attention to detail, and a unified design throughout our home that exudes a modern but warm ambiance. Bottom line, Julie is a design expert and a total professional. For six months of my life, I couldn’t live without her. My only regret is that we did not hire her sooner. If you have the opportunity to work with her, I suggest you take it.

Julie did an amazing job helping me with my two bathroom remodels, from selecting the tiles fixtures, toilet, and sinks to overseeing the entire project. She was easy to work with and manage everything while I was traveling. I’m extremely happy with the results and would highly recommend her for any remodeling project.

Julie is so insightful and creative! My story is not so unusual. I live out of town but needed to sell my cousins house which had been neglected for years and so outdated. This house is over 5000 sq feet in an exclusive area. It appeared impossible to know where to start until I met Julie, recommended by my realtor. Julie made herself available to my schedule, always prepared with information, and her communication and insight were so valuable. she didn't hesitate to give me advice but listened to my opinion. I felt that we worked/completed this project as a team. I was lucky to have the best!

Julie did a fantastic job helping us with our kitchen and whole home floor replacement project. This was our first experience updating our 30 year old home and Julie was instrumental in guiding us through the process, suggesting vendors and resources and choosing finishes and color palettes. Julie accompanied us to the slab yard to pick quartzite, helped us choose hardware, faucets and sinks, guided us through which door panels to pick for our cabinets and what flooring would work seamlessly throughout our whole house. Julie is very respectful of our budget and she really worked with us to educate and help us to direct our resources where it will matter the most. She is very skilled at anticipating issues/challenges before they occur which ultimately saved us time money and frustration as first timers. Above all, Julie is easy to work with and she makes the process fun!

Working with Julie was a genuinely positive experience, particularly given the circumstances under which I brought her in. I had already made significant progress with my contractor before looping her in, which meant she was working backward into a project rather than shaping it from the start. That is a harder job than most people realize, and she handled it gracefully. From a practical standpoint, she checked every box. She was responsive when I had questions, showed up when she said she would, and was especially helpful as a liaison between me and my contractor. That piece alone saved me more than a few headaches. Her ideas were thoughtful and well-suited to the space, and she brought a perspective I would not have arrived at on my own. If you are looking for someone who is professional, communicative, and easy to work with, I would not hesitate to recommend her. I am glad I brought her in when I did, even if I wish I had done it sooner.

Julie has done an outstanding job for us on 2 home remodels, including one remote remodel. She is well informed of current trends and what is going to last versus be just a trend. She is well connected with teams of experts to help with items such as flooring, tiling, and staging. She is very flexible, listens carefully, and provides on site, well thought through recommendations. Her follow up with suppliers is top notch. We will use her for any future home activities regardless of which state!

Julie Giampaoli, the owner and design expert of Showcase Your Place, has done a remarkable transformation in our Orinda home. From start to finish, Julie offered sage advice, shared many options, introduced us to some of her favorite manufacturers, accompanied us to various showrooms to pick counter stone, flooring, paint colors, cabinetry, lighting fixtures, and furniture, plus a myriad of other items we wouldn’t have known to select, and generally held our hand through five months of design expertise. We could not have done this remodel of our kitchen, dining room, and living room without her incredible attention to detail and her exquisite design sense. Suffice to say we are overjoyed with our “new” home, and we give Julie tremendous credit, as she joined forces with our excellent general contractor and his team, for an overall perfect result. We can’t give her high enough praise. You’ll be thrilled if you choose to work with Julie and Showcase Your Place!

Julie is an excellent designer who works with you and makes your life so much easier. I would definitely recommend her to anyone who needs a knowledgeable and caring professional.

Two summers ago, our home flooded and we were forced to remodel and redesign most of our home. We initially hired a local one-stop-shop construction and design group in Danville, but after several months, it became clear that their design team lacked the experience to meet our needs. That's when we realized we needed expert help. Our realtor recommended Julie—saying she was the only interior designer she would ever trust in her own home—and she was absolutely right! We brought Julie on in mid-July, and within just a few weeks, she had steered our project back in the right direction. She helped us redesign and transform our space and select stunning materials, including countertops, cabinets, tile, lighting, and wall finishes. She guided our selection of furniture, art, and other finishes to complete the beautiful transformation of our home. She possesses exceptional design expertise, extensive industry knowledge and connections, unmatched eye for beauty, outstanding customer service, and natural design talent. We will never work with another interior designer again, unless Julie retires. We feel so lucky to have found her and have already recommended her to our friends. Not only do we now have a stunning home, but we’ve also gained a caring friend in the process.

Julie helped me remodel my kitchen, family room, and powder bathroom, and she did an amazing job. She has a great eye for modern design and saved me from making several costly mistakes. I loved working with her — she was professional, easy to communicate with, and really understood my vision. I highly recommend Julie to anyone looking for a talented and reliable designer.

I already knew what magic Julie could produce, as she turned my son's Lafayette home into a showplace 3 years ago. I felt the big surprise was going to be on Julie as my taste is nothing like my son's and is in fact fairly unusual in anybody's books. Julie walked in to half of my home featuring African decor, and the other half Vatican Antiquities. All my trepidation was for naught. Julie took on the challenge . The biggest challenge was going to be the master bathroom. She accompanied me to a tile store that had exactly the unusual look I was going for. The side tile she picked even had fossils in it! Since I have some physical challenges, she made sure that bathroom was "safe" for me and kept it stylish. Leave it to Julie to find grab bars that don't look like the typical ADU. So I'm going on and on about the bathroom, but Julie also picked paint colors, furnishings and, accents. After she was done with placement ... my home actually looked like it was totally put together and not just the remnants of architectural digs. If Julie can take on a challenge like mine, there's no end to how she'll perfect your home.

We worked with Julie for our whole house remodel. She is creative, resourceful and effective. She listens well and in the same time never is never shy of speaking up with her own opinion and recommendations. Our remodel turns out to be both functional and beautiful and have received a lot of compliments. Julie is a delight to work with. I am so happy with her work and have referred her to multiple of my friends to work with her on their projects.