Downsizing Services in Brunswick, Victoria

“Retiring, downsizing, moving State and in need of a new kitchen. Stressed? Oh yes! Where to start? Well, out walking our Dalmatian Bella, happenstance brought us to Keypiece Design Studio. We walked in unannounced and the rest as they say is history! Jo-Anne took pity on us, placed us firmly under her colourful Bird of Paradise wing and guided us seamlessly through what would have been a minefield for us. Imagine this poor lady visiting our home for the first time to be met with only one painting on the wall, little furniture and even less object d'art on show. No clues there then as to our lifestyle, likes and dislikes! She listened, engaged and actively encouraged our input. Jo-Anne's vast design experience, calm determined demeanour, exciting and innovative ideas resonated with us and saw us eager and impatient to proceed. Her relationship with Emma, Contractors, builders and suppliers alike was conducted with respect on both sides which saw the project move along swiftly. On paper the kitchen plans were inspiring. In reality the finished kitchen is my dream of stylish contemporary design. Everything and more that I could have hoped for. Soaring to ceiling wall cabinets with the most elegant sexy handles. A double butlers sink, my husbands only plea for inclusion. Being such a messy cook the huge double recycle pullout storage bins brings a self satisfied smile to my face every day they are used. The innovative graphite colour powder coated tin backsplash - Jo-Anne assured it was easy clean - and she was so right, is a triumph drawing the colours of the wall cabinets and bench tops together and a great talking point for guests. The black and white mosaic island bench ties in the kitchen and adds a dramatic pop of colour and interest. The handsome spotted gum wooden flooring grounds (no pun intended) not only the kitchen but also the dining and sitting room creating a spacious open feel that flows.There were no nasty surprises or budget overruns with work dovetailing seamlessly. Sometimes in life one just gets lucky. Luck was certainly involved in finding Jo-Anne but there was no luck involved in the design and implementation of our kitchen - that was due to sheer professionalism. Thank you Jo-Anne.”

“Sophie provided an excellent interior design service resulting in the furnishing of all the windows in our new home and a secondary rental property. Sophie's accuracy in finding the exact items briefed is too her credit and shows her experience. Sophie also provides outstanding follow up service and to this day still sends thru new ideas to furnish our home I would highly recommend Interior Decorating by Sophie.”

“We were stuck in a house we didn't like and were thinking about downsizing. But the location (North Melbourne) made us think twice. We approached Vikki for advice on what could be done with our double storey town house that we had lived in for 15+ years. We quickly realised that she was a very talented designer with excellent contacts, but most important we knew we would be able to work with her. Vikki reconfigured the downstairs internal rooms to give us an additional study/bedroom, downstairs shower and bathroom and added a deck to the rear of the family room for outdoor entertaining. She transformed a 1980's looking house into something that today we are thrilled with. Vikki's technical knowledge was invaluable throughout the project. She redesigned our hallway replacing west facing windows with ones that were smaller and 300% more energy efficient. She was as comfortable drawing up specs for a builder as she was choosing furniture and drapes. In any renovation there are many ups and downs, but Vikki was unfailingly patient, using good grace and humour when dealing with us and the many other suppliers involved. It was a huge project - but one that has transformed the physical layout and appearance of our house and made it somewhere we truly enjoy living in. We can't thank her enough and would recommend her without hesitation to anyone contemplating a similar exercise.”