Karen Hamilton Design

Karen was fantastic -- she was extremely pleasant and courteous, gave us great advice and then completed everything on time or sooner than promised. The brief was to install new drapes and blinds and get some old chairs reupholstered. Karen recognised that the chairs were nice antiques and showed us very similar new fabric that was an almost exact match to the old material. But luckily she was very supportive of our idea of making something modern of the chairs. And the fabric she found was perfect (see photo). Karen brought many more samples of fabrics than I ever thought existed. It was a bit daunting at first but then she made the process of selecting materials very easy with her considered advice and great design sense. The contractor who hung the curtains and blinds for her did a great job, too. All in all, we couldn't be more pleased with the results.

I am home full time, and as such spend a lot of time in my home. Karen’s work has made me so happy to be in that space! We have put new blinds into my family room, found a rug for the floor, re-hung curtains in my lounge and put blinds into all of my children’s bedrooms. Some of these were not as easy as it sounds. The rug was for a huge area, and non-standard size so finding something that is perfect at my price point was impressive. Through that process Karen has, as one would expect, been aware of my taste and vision. But her wealth of knowledge and attention to detail meant we got to get all the little things right. From discussing fabrics and material to which side of the blind to put the cords, to what colour handles were required, Karen was onto it. Always punctual, friendly and accessible, yet there were many laughs with Karen on the way too.

Karen Hamilton was recommended to us as we contemplated with trepidation renovations to our home. The initial brief was to update our bathrooms and dressing room. Karen immediately demonstrated to us her understanding of our needs and we felt at complete ease as she calmly and carefully took us through a planning and design journey that was practical and certainly within our budget. Recommendations for interior items were offered by Karen once we had agreed on the design and it was evident to us that she understood our taste. During construction Karen made herself available to consult with the builder throughout the project. This removed pressure from us, since we were both working and more importantly we did not have an understanding of construction and the many pitfalls that we had heard from others. Our project, under Karen's supervision, was completed on time, within budget and we never experienced the renovation hassles that one hears from friends. For us it was a delightful experience dealing with an obvious professional.

When my husband and I met with Karen for the first time, we needed a lot of guidance. We had renovated a few years prior, only to find ourselves in boring “white on white” rooms. I needed colour and warmth, but didn’t want a “country kitchen” feel. My husband and three boys didn’t want to live in a house that was too feminine. Karen suggested a gorgeous, deep green for our entire main living area. She also helped us decide which pieces of furniture to keep and what to replace. Karen arranged our living area in a way that unified the space between the living room, the dining room, the kitchen and the back garden. The effect is absolutely stunning and makes our living space cozy and inviting. Everyone who sees it for the first time comments on how lovely it is. Karen decorated the bedrooms for our 3 boys with warm brown tones and window treatments that are beautiful, but with a distinctly masculine style that will carry them into their teen years. She custom designed built-in robes for their bedrooms that are amazing – nothing you would find in a “closet shop.” All three of the boys love their new rooms. A year after this work was done, Karen designed and completely managed the transformation of our main bathroom. This involved structural work to the house (builders, plumbers, painters, etc.) and the design and custom build of an amazing double vanity. Karen managed it all, start to finish. She found us the right people, the right tiles, the right hardware, lighting, toilet, shower – everything! She oversaw every detail for us. The bathroom is just beautiful. It’s clean and bright and suits the style of the rest of the house without being fussy. Working with Karen was a pleasure. She’s a great listener and she understood our style and goals from the beginning. She gave us a realistic estimate of the costs of our projects and made sure that every detail was covered. I look forward to working with Karen on our future projects.