Universal Designers in Pelham

“I thought that finding an honest contractor who follows through with what they promise would be impossible but decided to take the chance with Essential and finally do my first renovation. I was very nervous at first but the contractor Peter was extremely patient and was with me every step of the way. His team which included a talented designer put together a picture perfect kitchen, powder bathroom and master bedroom bathroom. I was blown away by the attention to detail and if you’re looking for a wonderful experience limiting your stress level for such a major project then Peter and his team are a great fit.”

“Julia provides professional, cost-effective interior design services using a relaxed approach that takes a lot of the stress out of decorating. She has a great eye for color and sense of style and she can pull a room together quickly. Additionally, her use of on-line vendors eliminates a lot of the expense and guesswork that can hallmark the frustration of working with more traditional designers. She is easily accessible and open to coordinating your ideas with her own. She is also a lot of fun to work with!”

“I helm a women's networking group in New York City and host events monthly. The ladies of M&P Design Group designed the banner that sat at the end of the runway for a June fashion show. All sixteen women who were walking were 'role models' versus 'runway models.' All sixteen were South Asian, which is my brand, and all sixteen were employed in Science Technology Engineering or Math fields. I was making a statement about the jobs of the future, and highlighting the ladies who occupy them now. I asked Julia and Alex to come up with banner design which would serve as the backdrop of every photo taken. They collated all the symbols and designs from the event to-date and created the most stunning design for a runway backdrop. And turned it around in the time they indicated they would. I'm someone who is very focused and gets things done. I appreciate it so much when I find fellow lady entrepreneurs who share the same work ethic--and creativity!”

“Courtney was very courteous, knowledgeable, and patient. She continues to answer all of my questions and has walked me through the design and build process step by step.”

“I have known Nancy for about 10 years and have provided custom woodworking for her personal homes, and for her clients, with project costs ranging from 1000 to 40,000. Nancy is comfortable working in any style, and has a firm handle on function and form. In my opinion she stands out in her ability to effectively communicate with all parties involved in a project and hence, eliminate nearly any potential mistakes or misunderstandings. She is a pleasure to work with (and work for) and her clients are never disappointed.”

“Eileen is a superstar! We have worked with her for almost 2 years now. She redesigned our home office and the built-in shelves in our family room. We loved her work so much that we also hired her to furnish and design our recently purchased beach house in LI! She was able to set up all of the bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces before the Memorial Day holiday. Not an easy task - but she did it!! She is honest, reliable, creative and just super friendly to work with!!”

“We had an amazing experience with DesignbyRUCHI. We reached out to her to design a nursery for our soon to arrive daughter. Ruchi came on board quickly and showed us multiple options within our budget and made everything on our wishlist fit in the room (which wasn’t huge to start with). She was a thorough professional with an eye for detail. Throughout the project, Ruchi was very flexible with our choices and guided us through it all. She was always very quick to respond to emails and messages and really thought about everything. We would highly recommend DesignbyRUCHI and work with her on our future design projects.”

“We can’t say enough about the amazing way Alison renovated our 1960’s house from an outdated design that did not meet our needs to a beautifully functional design that we now love! We renovated our kitchen and two bathrooms, which can be a daunting task when the situation seems hopeless and you don’t know where to start. Alison brought a holistic approach to the design, creating a functional space that was consistent with the period of the house. She made sure the design worked well with the adjacent space, and helped us with every detail along the way including selection of tile, plumbing fixtures, flooring, appliances, etc… Our kitchen and our master bath were both extremely space challenged and very dated. Somehow Alison found space where there wasn't any before. Our master bath was a postage stamp sized cubicle with a closet style shower and 1960s green tile. Alison had the vision to expand that space into an adjacent closet while maximizing our other closet space in the master bedroom. She designed a beautiful walk-in shower with waterfall tiling and a new expanded vanity, which allows my wife and I to use the bathroom at the same time. We now have an expansive walk-in closet in our master bedroom without sacrificing significant space in the master bedroom. Our kitchen may have been even more of a challenge than our bathroom and the changes that Alison made completely transformed the functionality and beauty of the kitchen. We started with a 1960's galley kitchen with original cabinets, very limited storage space, an undersized oven, and laminated countertops that were space constrained with our microwave and other appliances. Cooking together in our old kitchen was an impossible task as we were constantly bumping into each other. Alison's vision for our kitchen included bumping out the kitchen wall adjacent to our dining room and using the space where the wall had been for new gas cooktop, serving area and additional cabinets. The dining room side of the expansion now includes beautiful glass cabinets that display our formal china. Alison totally reorganized the flow of the kitchen to allow several people to work in the kitchen comfortably. She expanded the entrance from our living room into the kitchen giving it a much more open feel. We now have over twice the amount of cabinet space we previously had and numerous features that make the kitchen far more functional. We are extremely grateful to Alison for make our home so much warmer and more beautiful.”

“Edward FitzPatrick of FitzPatrick designs is a pleasure to work with. He takes great pride in his craftsmanship and his attention to detail really shows in his work. Through the entire process, communication was excellent. Ed is both punctual and organized. My wife and I are extremely pleased with with our new kitchen and would never consider using any other contractor for future projects. With the thousands of contractors out there, Ed has really superseded our expectations and sets himself apart from the rest.”

“Lanny Lerner is an outstanding architect who listens carefully and observes astutely to produce design that is beautiful and functional. He recently worked with us on our Manhattan apartment--we are delighted. I highly recommend Lanny Lerner.”