We loved working with William and Wayne from the moment we walked in their showroom to the moment we walked into our completely finished remodeled house. William and Wayne were absolutely delightful to work with every step of the way. We appreciated that they both had a sense of humor and that they balance each other well, both with respect to personality and taste. Seems like a small thing, but when you and your husband are squabbling about whether you want a 29" sink or a 31" sink, it's nice to have others in the room who can offer more objective pros and cons for whatever options you're torn between. Because they've worked with so many different clients and because they have such different personal tastes, they were great at respecting my husband and I's taste, and helping us to find "exactly what we wanted but didn't know how to look for." I never felt like we were being pushed away from our personal aesthetic, but they were excellent at steering us towards options that would look good with the rest of the design and with the existing character of our house.
They also excelled at "crisis management," which was much needed given my worry-wart personality. When something was going "wrong" at the house, or when I decided for the sixth time that the backsplash we'd chosen just really wasn't what I wanted, William and Wayne were really great at talking me through the situation and making sure I was feeling comfortable and in control again (or, if not in control, then at least back to a place of calm). Not an easy task!
William & Wayne were really helpful in walking us through the stages of the remodel: which decisions need to be made in what order, how long do we have to make certain decisions before we need to place an order in order to stay on schedule, etc. We got a lot of value for the small design fee we paid - their business is set up so that they make their money on the cabinet and countertop purchase. That made me feel good that they were never trying to up-sell us on the fixtures, accents, or extras.
Our William & Wayne remodel was not "cheap" - our finished product definitely looks like quality, because it is quality..but, we also paid for quality. That being said, they were transparent about prices and made sure to help us stay on budget when we were choosing our tile, backsplash, and fixtures; and they have some good industry connections that offered us a cost savings on those purchases as well.
So why the four stars? There were a couple things that we wish were handled differently/better from the get-go. We were really unhappy with the company they put us in touch with for ordering all our plumbing fixtures. Others may have a better experience, but we felt like we were jerked around on plumbing for weeks without being offered a clear reason as to why or how it could be done better next time around. So, ask questions to make sure that potential issue is resolved.
Next, though I absolutely love the cabinets we got (such neat drawers inserts etc) their showroom is not 100% sufficient for showing you all the different available options and what they look like in person, and the Wood Mode website is pretty hard to navigate/use to figure out what your options even are. Definitely take the time to talk through your needs and budget so you can be sure you're getting the best corner cabinet option for you, etc. They're professionals and would likely choose really great options for you even without that, but I wouldn't feel comfortable placing an order for my cabinets without asking a lot of questions about "what's in every drawer", so to speak.
We recommend double checking decisions regularly along the way - from double checking the plumbing purchase list to double checking that the microwave cubby was fully trimmed out. I'm a detail oriented list maker, and there were times when we'd find details missing on the revised set of plans. That's not a big deal if you're taking the time to look over and QC plans, but if you're hiring a designer so that you "don't have to do that" then I'd recommend choosing a designer that's a little more Type A. For us, what was more important for us in a designer was their ability to keep us (ok, me) grounded through the whole process, and a Type A wouldn't have done that as well - so this trait may be a pro or a con for you, depending on what you're looking for.
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