“When we initially met Julia we were drawn to her energy and enthusiasm for the design process and creating the best outcome possible for us. We made the decision to hire Julia after brief stints of DIY and hiring a discount service, paths that both led to time and money wasted. We quickly learned we didn’t have the time, interest or skill to take the lead on any project and Julia was ready to jump in to not only start the process, but to educate us along the way. It’s difficult to be an informed purchaser when you don’t understand the design language - Julia took the time to answer every question we had. When friends ask how it went, we often say "it was fun!," which is usually met with shock and a bit of envy!

Our first project began the summer of 2023 to redesign our powder room and lackluster windowless home den. We picked two rooms to test drive the process and to see how we liked working with Julia, her GC and the outcome. Expectations were exceeded across the board and we immediately made plans to renovate the rest of our main floor the following summer!

Here are a few things we appreciated throughout our projects: 

• Design: it’s not an exaggeration to say we didn’t even have the adjectives to describe what we were looking for! Needless to say, Julia explained this is common and invested a significant amount of time understanding our interests, style, and how we use our spaces. Our den required a complete 180. It was a sight for sore eyes with a small desk in one corner, poor lighting and a peloton in the other. We agreed to convert it solely to office with built ins, new layers of lighting, a pocket door and a color palette of art that gives off the professional yet feminine girl boss vibe we wanted. We could go on and on about each piece of furniture and how we went about selecting it and why! It’s a curated look that gets a jaw dropping response from everyone who sees it, including my clients who see it via Zoom! Same goes for our kitchen/living/dining room. We have a city condo that feels significantly larger now that we’re using the space more efficiently with appropriately sized furniture, tasteful molding and judges paneling, and commissioned art that has a major wow factor. 

• Project Management: not only were we thrilled with the design itself, but the process along the way couldn’t have been smoother. It takes a village to do a project properly! We liked that Julia operates on a retainer fee model that, in addition to designing, includes project management hours. This saved us so much time and money because we wouldn’t have been able to do this nearly as efficiently ourselves. I cannot imagine trying to take the lead in coordinating with the GC, various contractors, marble company, wood worker, various custom furniture makers, artists etc when we don’t know the first thing about the their trades. Julia is comfortable being a pest (we say that in the kindest way!), holding contractors and tradesmen accountable so that no corners were cut and everything was just right. This became very important, having someone as our advocate to see every last task thru.

• Budget: We couldn’t guess what it would cost to renovate our spaces to satisfaction. Perhaps this is the only downside, that we learned our taste is more expensive than we originally thought (haha)! Even so, we did have an upper limit  we wanted to spend and Julia offered a few options if we wanted to dial things up/down so we could spend elsewhere. Her guidance was key, explaining where it pays off to go high-end and custom and where it’s not as necessary. We both have finance backgrounds and appreciated Julia’s spreadsheets that broke everything out. We were informed along the way and didn’t have any surprises that led to the project running 20-30% over budget. Most importantly, we trusted Julia. The process was enjoyable and we didn’t feel the need to audit her work along the way, asking for proof and breakdown of every last item. 

If you have the resources to hire a high end design service, do it! We can’t imagine finishing a project on our own only to immediately begin thinking how we will want to fix or tinker with things down the road because, although it’s acceptable now, it’s still “missing something.” With Julia Rose Interiors, she gets it right the first time and we can move on to other things going on in our lives. ”

— V.P., Client

“Truly and honestly there was no part of working with Julia that was not highly, highly enjoyable. As much as the results of my beautiful house speak for themselves, I want to also say that Julia made not only the end point, but the journey of home interior design an incredible process.

In 2020, I purchased a house with a very clear, modern, minimalist design. The walls were all that very nice off-gray, the fixtures were all chrome, the light fixtures were crystal. I chose it not for its interior design, but because it is close to my work and I really liked the open floor plan that made it feel not too big, especially downstairs. I lived there for two years, slowly realizing that aside from the location and floor plan, I actually hated every single thing about it. It was my house, but I had started thinking of it (and calling it) "a hideous gray box." And finally decided to do something about it. Luckily, my hunt for an interior designer to help led me to Julia Rose Interiors.

At our introduction meeting, Julia immediately put me at ease, in particular because I quickly realized that she was truly listening to me. I had actually talked to other designers and in talking to them (and hearing their initial ideas for my space), it seemed that they were telling me what they wanted to do in my space. Some had lovely ideas and would have created beautiful spaces, but I didn't want my home to feel like it was beautiful because it was designed by a famous designer or followed the latest fashions; I wanted my home to be beautiful because it was a reflection of me. Because I liked it, not anyone else particularly. Immediately, Julia seemed game for my vision and willing to push the boundaries of standard design trends.

And, let's be clear, Julia was not working with someone who actually had a clear vision. I am not an artist at all. I have no eye for design. So when I say I had "ideas," I mean I believe I said crazy things like: "I want my bedroom to feel like a log cabin.", "If I see one speck of gray I'll die.", "It has to be homey and cozy and also just cool and also I want the inside to feel like it's outside somehow??". I distinctly remember saying: "I want more bookshelves than is reasonable. A truly crazy person amount of bookshelves." And to every statement, some that had made other designers sort of stare at me in what I can only term politely-veiled horror, Julia said "yes and..." The clearest example of this is the speakeasy study off my bedroom. I said "I'd love if there was a 'Beauty and the Beast' bookshelf and then one of those shelves opened." and Julia said "Yes, and let's seal off the other door so that's the only entrance. What's the point of a secret door if anyone can get in?".

Time and time again in the design process, Julia thought of ideas that I never could have dreamed of and yet were somehow perfect. The coffered ceilings, which make my home feel so rustic and cool to me, was something I never could have imagined and now can't imagine my home without. The wallpaper on the ceiling of my study, the placement of the couches to open the flow of the living room, the procurement of an ancient chest for my bedroom... literally things I never could have come up with on my own. And every detail comes together so beautifully to make a cohesive home.

Another thing that I really appreciated about Julia is her willingness to explain her reasoning behind certain design choices. I had purchased a new bed when moving into the house and originally it was on my list of "we should keep this! I like it!". When Julia suggested a new bed, she took the time to explain why the shape of my bedroom ceiling meant that I needed a taller bed to draw the eye upwards. To be honest, at this point in the process, I pretty much trusted Julia with my life, but I still appreciated the explanation rather than just feeling bullied into buying something new. I feel like that's how the whole process went: early on I realized I should just do whatever Julia said and was able to feel so comfortable and trusting because time and time again, Julia proved she had a vision, reasoning, and was absolutely capable of making my house a dream home.

Then, there was the care that went into the building/remodeling process itself. There were some pretty wild setbacks that were in no way Julia or the contractor's fault (a bad pipe in my crawlspace? rats??), and Julia worked with Melvin every step of the way to make sure that the end product was magnificent. Even though I largely moved out for most of the process, Julia was there, making sure the big picture was coming together and every small detail was accounted for. At one point, she went through the house and noticed that the point where the beams of the ceiling met were not perfectly square and made sure they were redone and fixed. I can promise you that the average person (and indeed probably myself) would never have even looked up closely enough to notice, but with Julia, you get perfection. And even things I threw out at the last moment (the bedroom curtain rods had to be the double-rods for privacy curtains that still let in light; I did want to commission art for the piano room), she made sure they were all handled. To be honest, I do not think I will ever fully comprehend the amount of work that went into my house (at one point furniture was lifted in through a window??) because Julia just took care of it all.

And, of course, there was the reveal. The house wasn't all the way finished, but the school year was starting so I had to return home that day. Julia agreed to meet me at 9AM in the morning on the day she was going to give birth to her first child. I kept insisting she did not need to come, but she was of course there at 9AM to take me through my stunning new downstairs living room, dining area, and piano room.

I truly believe that there is no one else in the world who would have done such a beautiful job with my house as Julia. She was able to take my scattered vision and turn it into something absolutely stunning. I love this house so much more than I did before and would recommend Julia to anyone. I have absolutely no intention to leave this home ever, but find myself wishing I had more rooms to redecorate just because working with Julia was that enjoyable. She is kind, funny, caring, artistic, and an absolute incredible professional. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

— K.B., Client