Style by Gillian - Design/Renovate

Unit 26. 8-16 William St Ryde. 2112 We required a 20 year old 2 bedroom, two bathroom unit to be renovated, refurbished and updated. The project involved the following: # Remove old carpet and replace with sound dampening floorboards. # painting all rooms throughout # replace all lighting # replace two bathroom sinks and taps # replace all window blinds. # Through clean throughout # Gurney clean patio and Alfresco area. Gillian project managed the whole process and sourced all suppliers and trades to complete the job. In all the project took only three weeks from beginning to completion. All work was completed within 3 weeks in a no fuss matter of fact and focused manner. Her eye for detail is second to none and her capacity to source material and remain within budget is outstanding. Gillian approached the project management task with complete professionalism and at all times supervised and managed trades personnel. It was a pleasure to have Gillian’s focus and expertise on this project .

We were delighted with our experience with Gillian and the finished project Gil was enthusiastic and full of great ideas Gil helped us design a space for my elderly parents and coordinated all the tradesmen who were extremely professional in their work ethic and results Gil was constantly on hand to attend to any questions we had Having Gillian coordinate the project removed all the pressure from us We would thoroughly recommend Gil to anyone looking to renovate

Gillian was fabulous. She knew exactly what I needed, directed my focus and dealt with my busy schedule. Would highly recommend.

I had put off renovating my home for 10 years, fearing the whole process. Then Gillian was by me side, helping me through the 1001 decisions/options & obstacles. Gillian oversaw the entire reno, even allowing me to take a road trip in the middle of it, knowing my project was under her very capable & caring eye. The result was a fully renovated family home (with a few gorgeous changes suggested by Gillian), a close friendship with the builders, and other tradies, as well as a very happy family. Gillian has style & energy, which is exactly what I needed. Most importantly, Gillian listened to us and ensured the build was kept inline with our goals. Thank you Gillian, for making my dream come true.

With no experience in house renovations, the modern transformation of my childhood home was fast becoming a nightmare. With unreliable builders, a lack of time to project manage and a fast approaching move-in date, we needed help! It was Gillian who came to our rescue. Gillian presented herself as a “renovation coach” … she was all that and so much MORE. Upon meeting Gillian, she made it a priority to bond with our family and understand our collective needs and wants. Her honest approach, expertise and ability to bridge complicated building technicals to our level of understanding made the decision-making process very easy. This included budgeting and prioritising projects, considering alternative and more affordable solutions, to choosing paint colours, bathroom vanities, a modern spiral staircase design and bar wall finishes amongst many things. This level of personalised service continued throughout our entire renovation process. Always incredibly organised and passionate, Gillian scoped out each task with her team of professional and client-focused tradesmen. Additional specialised labour and materials were also competitively sourced by Gillian, where necessary. Gillian’s weekly to-do lists, timely updates, and fastidious project managing were lifesaving in keeping the renovation schedule on track, coordinating all the different parties and organising my tasks. Renovating an old house comes with its many challenges. From new building standards to unforeseen issues that can dishearten even the brave. Having Gillian by our side through the entire process eliminated much of this stress. She is a natural problem solver who does not compromise on quality. She not only accommodated my busy schedule but was always present onsite to resolve such challenges and perform on-going quality control checks. We cannot sing her praises enough. Engaging Gillian was the best decision we ever made!

Gillian was great to work with, with great energy and a can do attitude. Her approach is authentic and practical, all her product recommendations were spot on and she has great relationships with suppliers. She also recommended excellent trades in particular Scott Carmichael genius but modest carpenter / builder. I was very happy with the outcome on my job which involved completely stripping out and remodeling a bathroom and laundry and creating a powder room, and installing new flooring.

This woman is amazing. She has creative ideas, is a problem solver and is totally professional. Gillian's attention to detail is outstanding as is her communication about all aspects of the project. Her tradesmen are terrific and Gillian only works with the best. Over the last few years, I have done 2 projects with Gillian and her team. I would not work with anyone else.

My family and I are so grateful to have Gillian to help us moving from overseas, with limited information of my house and very tight timeline, she nailed it amazingly! We aimed to “survive” in the house for the first couple months, so the direction given to Gillian was to “buy some furnitures” that could function the minimal daily life, however we achieved far beyond, we’ve got pretty lounges, warm and cozy dinning room, a chilled deck to relax, comfy full furnished bedrooms. Our house is a rental and on the day we got the keys, Gillian accompany us to walk through and inspect the house, there was a leakage issue in a bathroom and she helped to push the repairing work done asap, meanwhile she gave us advices on how we managed our daily life while the repairing works were undergone in the house. She is not just a home stylist, she is liked a very closed friend/family member and is caring of all members of my family. She is so kind and nice and we are blessed to know her through Houzz. Gillian is always responding timely, always gives us good advices, even we could only communicate over WhatsApp for a month before our family arrived, she is very productive and honest, and won’t overcharge you. Highly recommend Gillian.

We had a great experience with Gillian. She helped us to prepare the house for our baby arrival. She was good at working to our budget, was very hands on and went with us to buy everything we needed. Gillian was very responsive and even half a year later we can contact and ask her questions and she will always help. She knows a lot of tradies to do the job and they were good! House looks so much better now . Thanks to Gillian!

I contacted Gillian through details found on the houzz app, to help improve the layout of my newly built house which wasn't very functional. However, due to critical illness , the major trade who started this job couldn't complete it.Gillian stepped in and got the remainder done in 2 weeks. She negotiated a refund of paid works that had not been completed which was the majority and hired a new trade and directed them to remaining tasks. She also helped get a very good electrician who finished all work in a day. The job included: 1) fix all electricals 2) remove steel frame from the demolition 3) have the walls remade in new location 4) choose and help source new pendants and improve lighting 5) gyprock new walls and make new ceiling cornices 6) paint 7) tile the gaps left in floor after help choosing the replacement tiles Negotiate a refund from the old trade Thank you Gillian for your help especially at a time when its difficult to find reliable and good trades to get the job done.. 5 stars to u

Gillian was a fantastic designer. She came up with smart ideas on space utilisation and chose furniture that suit my small office space with only half of my budget. I would highly recommend her.

"FIX OUR BROKEN BATHROOM PLEASE" Our main bathroom was only renovated about 12 years ago (by the prior owners) and though it still looked OK superficially, the poor workmanship and decisions of the renovators was really starting to show. For instance, bad decisions by them meant that when showering, water went over the main floor (a door couldn't even be retrofitted) and the travertine tiles (fitted on the walls and floor) were made for external use. These were beginning to come loose and as they were pitted, collected dirt and were impossible to keep clean. Due to the layout of the bathroom we knew nothing would change positionally, so we immediately thought of Gillian who had been such a fantastic help to us previously, during the restyling of the main areas of our home. She came in like a whirlwind, listening to our needs and quickly formulated a plan. The timing for everyone couldn't have been worse. We were in the middle of a COVID epidemic and Gillian knew that this was going to have an effect. Not only were all tradespeople fully vaccinated, she helped us choose all the tiles, fittings and fixtures with not only style and functionality but ensured that everything was immediately stocked and available so as to not hold up the build. Her bathroom specialist, Paul Ghosn and his crew, were just brilliant under these trying times, unhassled by our tweaking and the inevitable unknown revelations a complete re-build reveals. We've said it before and we'd say it again, Gillian's planning, vision and project management skills are exceptional. Steve and Debbie Newport, NSW

Have you heard the phrases ‘Your Home is your Castle’ and ‘A Home is where the Heart is’? I really felt the true meaning of it when we embarked on our renovation journey. The Intent: My wife Shirley and I started out with the intent of only redoing our floors since the house we purchased in 2013 had 3 layers of old flooring tiles (Yes you read that right !! the previous owners took the easy way out and layed tiles over tiles). Additionally, we also wanted assistance on design/colour-schemes to repaint the inside and square off the traditional wall arches in our house. This was not a very big job but nevertheless, anyone embarking on a house renovation in Sydney is often faced with the fear of partnering with unknown trade contractors as those recommended by friends or family are most likely to be busy at another project and not ready for yours. We were lucky: We sat on the above intent all through Covid in 2020 and up to Easter 2021, not knowing where to start. Then one day by sheer luck my wife Shirley, saw a review of Gillian Pembroke and scheduled a meeting with her. The fist time Gillian visited, she came fully prepared with our house plans, samples and pictures of different flooring options, paint swatch cards etc. She was full of energy and our home was a buzz for the 3-hours she spent with us walking through the floor plan with her blue sticky-tape and marker notes. We listed down items as a scope of works and within a week Gillian was back again scheduling meetings with her trade groups of Builder, Flooring Contractor and Painter. I couldn’t believe this was really happening so fast – it would have taken me weeks to get on the phone to request trade to come to my place for a quote. We were also rejected: As a customer my thoughts on painting was "its a simple job". I didn’t fully understand the intricacies that go with it and I didn’t understand what the fuss was all about. So I pushed the suggested painter and Gillian on this topic… and to my surprise both of them said to me ‘to go find your own painter’. That was a shock to me, but it also gave me the confidence that I was dealing with the right partners who were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in to get a professional finish and keep to their standard The Right Path: I was confident we were on the right path....and we really were. The main Trade Group organised by Gillian; PMCG lead by Paul Ghosn, his son Chris and wife Mary were fantastic, they are amazing to work with and followed through the entire renovation with quality and detailed craftsmanship transforming our home (The pictures speak for themselves) Flooring was a massive task with jack-hammering the 3 layers of tiles, then levelling prior to fixing the new floors ..... Ash and his team from LifeTime Floors made sure they gave us the best floors ever !!! they scheduled multiple visits to meet the various stages of renovation and they literally hand-crafted our staircase to perfection. Thank you Gillian

Ten years of dreaming all pasted in my inspiration folder whilst I saved. I knew how much I had to spend, I knew the priorities. But what I didn't know …. Where to start and in what order,? How far will my budget realistically stretch,? How do I get the design to flow through the house? How do I schedule trade? Are the trades good? What’s reasonable pricing? So I looked at Gillian reviews on Houzz and decided to call to get professional help. Reviews and local where both important to me. Gillian surrounds herself with trades not only good at job but genuinely good people like Scotty from SIC Carpentary, Scotty also did the little extras that I added on the to do list without complaint. Also Academic wardrobes, installed significant amount of cabinetry in house, taking on some new concepts that were a first for them like hidden offices in cupboards. Their products had great finish and again they came back and remeasured when I changed the layout in the parents retreat at the 23rd hour. It pushed the budget but the outcome is fantastic. Gillian was great to ground my ideas into workable solutions both from budget, spatial perspective and lifestyle. By example recommending materials that withstand two dogs, cats, and child rather than something that would be high maintenance for our lifestyle. Once designed was agreed, Gillian handled schedule with the trades and did visual quality review of the work. Any little defects, the trades were promptly (& graciously) back to fix. Thankfully all finished before this round of lockdown (we lived in whilst renovating). The outcomes are both functional, add to our lifestyle and beautiful. Very happy customer.

Hello … ‘Gillian has been my Saviour’ … When you suddenly have tenants vacate & realise that you have the daunting task of erasing 12 years of rental history … you need someone with clear vision, integrity, who has a great working relationship with their talented team of trades people. Gillian was able to quickly gain a sense of what we wanted to achieve, guided us with empathy & put steps in place to bring our 2 bedroom apartment into a new sparkling reality in 2 weeks! If you desire a high quality finish, whilst meeting a friendly & punctual team of trades people, Brad, Mae, Sean, Daniel & James, then save yourself valuable time & energy … contact Gillian … We couldn’t be Happier with our ‘Apartment Rebirth’

It was great to have found Gillian and help us on our House Restoration journey. Gillian has a great eye for detail, a great contractor referral list, and is very fun to work with

I reached out to Gillian after my mum called me to choose a colour to paint the inside of her house. Gillian not only came up with an amazing colour range, she also helped mum replace all the flooring in the house, the lights and the blinds! And, all a couple of weeks before Christmas! We were blown away by her access to trades at short notice. I cannot recommend her services highly enough :-)

Wow! Are we glad we know Gillian! Getting through a renovation is the nearest thing I have experienced to a Near Divorce Experience - apart from doing grocery shopping with my beautiful wife. Renovating is not for the faint hearted - unless you have a guide who has been to hell before and can show you the way through. Enter Gillian. She did the most magnificent work on our renovation. She works with first rate tradesmen who were thoroughly honest, did what they said they would do and provided value for money. Gillian worked with us and and our budget. She instilled us with confidence and gave us the courage to make some bold decisions that have paid off in spades. The end result of engaging Style by Gillian has been delight for my wife and I. We love our house. My wife is a music teacher and all her students are delighted to come into the new studio. I have been working from home since Covid. And, I just love it.

We bought beautifully renovated and completely empty house during the COVID. We were looking for a person who can see the whole picture, has style and good management skills. Let me say that Gillian is 10/10. Moreover, she is a good psychologist, able to understand the customer and find the proper approach for everyone. She takes care of every single detail as it is her own house, manages the whole process from start to finish, able to foresee a few steps ahead due to her experience in the field, and can adjust to any circumstances. The entire project was implemented without a single flaw. And in the end, you feel that she is more than just a consultant.

We were extremely impressed with all the support and coordination Gillian provided us as we prepared our house for sale. She consulted on the right areas to focus on to attract buyers and add value to the property.

"We want a forever Home" For many years we've been reviewing the local market for a larger, modern home and also contemplating renovating our home of more then 10yrs. At the beginning of the year we decided to get a few quotes from builders/designers, however we were still in a quandary as we had never experienced or been involved in a major renovation. Daunting to say the least! Thankfully we found Gillian, She was exactly what we needed. Her wealth of Experience, Knowledge, Professional Approach, Creative Flare, Project Management/Direction & most importantly the network of trades that she had worked with/respected & without hesitation would highly recommend. Gillian & I worked very close together throughout our renovations. Nothing was ever an issue. I loved her enthusiasm, attention to detail, her consideration & flexibility to allow us to have as much input as we wanted. Our project carried out over 5 months and we are so happy to have had the principal trade Mike & Ray Hamze from DCR to micro manage the renovations. They were brilliant, accommodating and open to suggestions & changes. Nothing was a problem. We had many other associated trades who were also incredible to work with. We would have no hesitation recommending Gillian. She is an amazing lady, gets involved boots & all. We are so appreciative & extremely greatful for everything that she has done to help us and our family to create our Forever Home..

This has seriously been a case of "Love it or List it". Gillian and her crews have done the most amazing job transforming a tired, dull and lifeless house to an elegant, modern and beautiful place that we actually enjoy. Gillian has surrounded herself by a team of professionals who clearly know their crafts and go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that everything happens, not only in a timely manner but to high quality. They also happen to be delightful people who are honest, have a strong work ethic and good ideas. Painting, floors and blinds all happened on time, if not ahead of time! As for Gillian, she is a dynamo! Her attention to detail, creativity and management of the project has been outstanding. Gillian has been able to capitalise on the strengths of the property, encourage us to take risks to modernise the look of the house whilst also taking into account our tastes and budget. This woman has style, creativity and she works hard, leaving nothing to chance in terms of management. We always knew exactly what was happening both in terms of the long term timeline and on a daily basis. This is not the first time that we have had work done on the property but it has been by far the best experience and outcome. I seriously wish we had known Gillian years ago. Love it or List it... no question. Here to stay. Thank you Gillian.

When my wife and I decided our house was getting a little tired and needed freshening up, she suggested we use an Interior Designer\Project Co-ordinator. I was horrified! What? Be dictated to by someone that doesn't know us, our taste and comfort levels? Boy was I wrong! Gillian sat us down, went through our likes, dislikes and the hopes of what we wanted to achieve within a budget. She went through the house with us, wanting to know what was important (such as family antiques and heirlooms which were highly valued emotively), what it was that we didn't like, what worked in the house and what didn't. She guided us through the big-ticket items such as the purchasing of flooring and furniture. Her palette choices were spot on too, as part of the brief was to bring light and modernity to a weary setting. The tradespeople Gillian brought in to do the work were fantastic too. Professional, efficient and fast - and more importantly, I didn't have to second-guess their credentials or chase anyone up to finish. She rattled cages to ensure an A1 job done on time. Gillian held our hand from go to whoa and we couldn't recommend her highly enough.

We received a difficult letter from council stating our pool was non-compliant. 4 areas needed extra or new fencing. I was stuck, so I contacted Gillian because I'd seen her work on Instagram. I liked how she seemed to work out what clients wanted and find the right tradesmen for them. I wasn't disappointed,especially because we were on a a tight time frame for council plus a tight budget. Gillian was not only helpful but also creative. Within 10 days she had Hamze men from DCR Carpentry and Construction to visit and measure and then install lovely improvements all within our budget. The bonus was our pool area now has a beautiful mirror feature. The whole experience with Gillian was easy because of her reliability, care, hard work and eye for detail all within a tight budget.

Gillian and her team of hardworking tradesmen renovated our home including kitchen, bathrooms, repairs, flooring, painting, wardrobes. They kept well to the schedule and delivered on time. They are experienced and can give practical advice. Having them freed us up to not have to worry about many details. The tradesmen were happy to come back to fix and adjust things.

Gillian had great ideas on how to update our tired interiors with lighting, window furnishings, floor coverings and painting while retaining our furniture. The trades people she recommended were reliable , honest and eager to ensure that we were very satisfied customers. While we did not need Gillian to project manage the work being done, she has remained involved and ensured that everything was completed to a high standard. The initial consultation covered numerous items to follow up, places to shop and of course recommended suppliers. These were most useful. At the end of the day, we have a new house without having to move.

Having lived with a 1970’s “original,” unworkable kitchen/laundry layout for 5 years, I was dying to update our kitchen, and knew I needed help designing the best use of the space. Not sure where to start, I began the search for someone with practical reno experience and was lucky enough to find Gillian. On her first visit she quickly sussed out our issues (which included a confusing entry to the house - via the laundry!) and introduced us to Kitchenworks. In 5 minutes Sam and Gillian worked out that the old kitchen was too small in relation to the scale of the house, and proceeded to design a kitchen which incorporated the laundry space. Fast forward to the project - orchestrated by Gillian, with trades managed by Kitchenworks. It was a great team effort, with helpful coaching along the way by Gillian (not to mention an intro to an amazing painter). We can’t believe this is our house - the new kitchen is so big, functional and bright! And no one will ever knock on the laundry door again when they come to visit!

My beautiful new kitchen! Gill was wonderful she gave me so much clever design and practical support throughout the process of my renovation. Meeting her at Kitchenworks Belrose she worked through all the elements of a new kitchen for me, Colour cupboards, polished concrete benchtops, soft close drawers, pantry pull out shelves... this lady knows her stuff! She then coordinated all the ins and outs with Kitchenworks and I did not have to worry at all. The "schedule" of visits of all the tradesmen worked perfectly and everybody turned up on time if not early, Gill even was onsite for some of the trade visits as I had work commitments and couldn't be home! I could not recommend Gillian more highly to anyone wanting design/style/renovation advice , she was a really professional person to work with!

Gillian was amazing. We wanted to get our house ready for visitors to come early next year for a wedding. We've lived in our house for 18 years and though we'd had the kitchen and bathrooms done a couple of years ago. The remainder of the house felt tired, dark and a bit old with exposed wooden beams and ceilings.. It needed dragged into the 21st century and Gillian knew exactly what we wanted and needed the moment she walked in. The house needed a full refresh of paint to remove the dark wooden ceilings and a refresh of floors too to update our look. The outside decks needed replacing too and the railings and woodwork needed a new colour too in order to update our look inline with inside. Ray that replaced our decks was amazing. We were struck with how fast he worked and how good the completed job was. Brad organised the painting had an industrious team of painters and in order to give him maximum painting time we decided to move out for the duration. This paid off in spades as the whole job got completed efficiently and quickly as Gillian was frequently on site to answer questions and keep everyone on track. This all resulted in a fast efficient job and we were back home in no time. We love our new home and can't thank Gillian enough for all her help and advice.

This is the first time we have done such big renovation and without Gillian's help we would have undergone a lot of stress trying to get quotes from different trades and hoping for good quality of workmanship. She also guided us through designing our new home and most of the time we were only being charged when she is on site. Overall, the consultant cost was under $4k for a $200k+ project.

We recently hired Gillian to organise and coordinate the cleanup and restoration of an extremely neglected townhouse. We were so distressed at the condition of the townhouse we didn't know where to start but Gillian got stuck into the job and organised all the tradespeople and had them working quickly and efficiently. Gillian's attention to detail throughout and her styling of the house has resulted in a clean fresh interior and exterior. An amazing transformation in a relatively short time. An excellent job.

Gillian recently styled a townhouse that we have listed for sale, she done a great job on a modest budget and surely enhanced it's overall appeal.

As someone with no renovation experience, we were lucky to come across Gillian to guide us through. She has a great eye for detail and attention, and understood the ins and outs of the start to finish process. In addition, Gillian brought with her a great team of trades, in particular painter Brad Lin, and handyman Mike Hamze. Both Mike and Brad are extremely competent, left no stone unturned, and extremely friendly to work with. They don’t take any shortcuts, and made sure everything was completed to the detail that we required.

Highly recommend Gillian for Interior Design or renovation co-coordinator role. If you are renovating for profit(ie investment property) or on a budget or designing your forever home, Gillian is definitely your go to person. She is incredibly knowledgeable in all aspects of Design, renovation work and is across the latest trends designs and colours. She is flexible and logical and solution oriented and best of all you also have access to her network of skilful trades people and resources making your project process easier. She has the ability to help you with budgeting your project, is very organised has excellent time management skills and is reliable. She has a beautiful friendly personality and is easily approachable and generous with her time. Gillian is invaluable and I would definitely recommend her as part of your team if you require the services of a Interior Designer/Renovation Co-coordinator

Let me start with a confession. I almost didn't contact this dynamo because she she used the word "value" in her description. I was foolish enough to think "value" meant "budget". What it means for Gillian is exactly what it says - getting maximum impact for every minute and every dollar you invest in your project. Simple. Thank goodness I did. We have completed several renovations and worked with many people as we slowly but surely realise our home's potential over the last 14 years of "save and do". No one compares to Style by Gillian when it comes to assembling an amazing team of dedicated and passionate professionals. They all call back, they all show up and they all do a great job. From day 1. She is super generous with her time and sharing what she knows, including contact lists, without any "catches" or "kick backs". One trade did not even remember that I found them though Gill! We are not yet complete, but I have complete trust that no-one else could have got us this far, this fast, this well and with this much "value".

Gillian has a really good eye and also understand what I like. Its been great working with her, so far One Bathroom down and 2 to go, I look forward to continuing with the remainder of our home.

Gillian was highly organised, enthusiastic and very helpful. I asked her for some advice on external colours for our renovation as well as ideas for window furnishings and bench tops. Her communication before during and after the consultation was very prompt and very useful. She provides a friendly, professional service that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

In making a decision on how to refresh our 13 year old home, I had no idea on how to start or the key areas to focus. Contacting Gillian was the best decision over the project as she gave directions and listed what I needed to do and in what order! Gillian detailed best options, helped with colour choices, while explaining and teaching how to make the decisions for best return as we are looking at selling in the near future.

Wow ! What a little dynamo Gillian is!! I work with many Interior Designers, but Gillian wastes no time in getting to the core of what the clients need and how it will be achieved for the best possible price in the quickest time. She has all her trades expertly coordinated and her communications skills certainly make my job supplying curtains a lot easier! Gillian keeps everyone on their toes, but it is obvious she knows exactly what she is doing. Her clients are not spending on useless items and they are getting fast quality results. If I keep up my vitamins I can keep up with Gillian!!

There I was with a storm-damaged mouldy study/ bedroom and a picture of a built-in desk that I liked. Then I lucked onto Gillian. She could see that I was feeling totally overwhelmed so she talked me through how I used the room; what was essential and what was desirable. From a total negative she created a room that makes me happy every time I go in there. From my picture of one detail Gillian developed the total style of the room, consulting with me as the ideas took shape. She organised quotes for the job and then co-ordinated the whole process with task sheets that kept everyone on track. Her tradesmen were experts and Gillian's clarity meant that they clicked in with each other at every point. Gillian's main strength is her personal engagement with the client and the job. She is perceptive, imaginative and totally engaged. I heartily recommend that you contact her for whatever project you have in mind.

Gillian Pembroke came to my attention by word of mouth. I then looked at her Houzz profile and knew I needed her help with the multitude of jobs needed to get my house ready for sale. I was swamped with too many ideas and plan of attack. I didn't really wan to move - but maintaining such a large home was draining me and my bank account. It ended up being a very good meeting - I realised with her input that I could rent the larger portion of the house with some minor repairs, including a simple wall built in place of the door. We then set about improving the (old wing) so me and my two daughters and pets could make that our home. She provided very reasonable and good trades to carry out the big, but now clear list of jobs. Additions of affordable storage and better use of space. Since then with her assistance, we have taken a well built - but very tired original building and with clever colour choices in paint - toned down the many clashing bricks and wood work and made it feel very contemporary and fresh. Simple money saving ideas like painting a lot of small tiles with a feature colour has meant I could afford some other items I really wanted. She is exactly what she stated in her website, an affordable Designer and Renovation specialist.

I have worked with Gillian Pembroke - "Style by Gillian " on a number of projects in the last 5 years. Whether it be just improving a lounge room or a total house renovation or fit out (she designed and sourced all the trades for a big permanent dwelling houseboat last year), she comes into the job with such a genuine interest in creating a stylish finish that reflects the customers personality. She enjoys a great report with all the various trades she introduces and makes working on a project a very co-operative and positive experience. Gillian's direction of us trades is always very clear, it is obvious she understands what is involved in each job. Unlike a lot of designers she doesn't take a % or commission - she wants the best product for the job. She not only has great design ideas: she also has so many contacts and contractors available and wanting to do their best for her clients. I would recommend you give her a call.

I, Paul Ghosn - owner of PMCG Bathrooms and Kitchens have been asked to provide a recent 'trade reference ' for the services of Gillian Pembroke, "Style by Gillian ". I have had numerous dealings with Gillian. She is often having me visit some of her clients for a quotation or advice. She seems to understand her clients wishes and respects them. If I get the job - I always offer a gratuity - for the fact the designer, or agent has referred me. Every time Gillian says "thanks Paul - no need I get paid for my design/co-ordination by the client just do your best " . We just completed a job - a pretty demanding one in a house that needed – 3 bathrooms and a laundry rebuilt in 3 weeks, plus other improvements. She found all the trades, had a calender for each of us - so we knew who we had to share the house with. Gillian was overseeing the whole thing. She chose clever ways to make my job quicker - hired a big tipster so no trips to the tip every day. I had wanted to put in frameless shower screens - but that would have added a good week - but she said no - find a good stylish rimmed one, etc. sourced the mosaic tiles for the features - beautiful but very affordable as well . The client was away a lot so Gillian was the one I had to run things by - she was on site most days. All my men had nothing but praise for how she dealt with all the headaches that come up - renovating especially when the job is squashed into 3 weeks, and kept her cool too. Each day she had a work sheet up - giving us all the ideas of what needed to be done as a priority - it helped seeing there were many other trades in the house. All this plus she was always making drinks and ensuring the boys had food. What I really noticed is how much knowledge she has on many different levels - one minute she is in the kitchen figuring out an electrical issue, or adapting the design of a cabinet that doesn't fit - next helping me decide how to make a drain work in a bathroom which had all the old plumbing in the concrete slab. I have worked with designers before - but Gillian seems to be much more than just pretty ideas. She brought in excellent painters, the construction team, electricians, plumbers, cabinetry - and as she has history with us all - we all try to do our best work. It's a win win. I really enjoy working with her on a project - she seems to be the perfect link between the client and us the trades/ builders. Paul Ghosn, Managing Director PMCG Enterprises P/L trading as PMCG Kitchens and Bathrooms ABN 49107428660 Licence No. 207963C Office PH: 8883 5517

We needed help with our bland newly renovated house. We painted all our walls white to be safe. Well how wrong were we! We had just spent all this money renovating, not much money left in the kitty and were totally unhappy with the result. This was until I found Gillian.. Well I think she found us! Our house is now a home! Full of texture (Gillian taught me this!) and colour. Colour we were scared to use but with Gillian's advice and certainty on how it would look good we did it! Gillian also used items and furniture we already had. (some items did need to go but that's good too!) This was refreshing as I was expecting a designer to come in and start over! Gillian is very very affordable and is not out to empty your pockets. She will listen to you and is very honest. Ps Gill loves tea.. Have the kettle on.. :) Juliette De Palma

Review for Gillian Pembroke "Style by Gillian " March 2016 - John Spencer (first time renovator). I saw Gillian's website which impressed me, and I had a good talk with her about how she could assist me. I was wanting her advice/input about purchasing an apartment in Sydney's North and a plan for renovating. With her encouragement I bought a total "renovators delight". I wanted maximum gain from my investment. She methodically went through the property, and introduced fully accredited trades that she had recent history with, and it was obvious they shared a lot of trust and mutual respect. Gillian put together a very detailed Task List - stating everything that had to be done - room by room, trade by trade. She had a very solid technical understanding of many aspects of their work. I asked her to introduce all the trades required, but she was open to having people I knew work on the job as well. The task list meant all the trades quoted exactly what was required and I got a lot of prices within a week or two. She also helped with adapting plans based on sticking to my budget, something I had no experience with. That multi page Task list - was basically the template for my renovation. All the trades got a copy and quoted from her instructions - they all seemed very happy with having things set out so clearly. Once all the tasks were decided on - of course things got altered along the way, a result of having to make compromises based on my budget. Gillian printed the "Final Task list", which she laminated and put on a white board on the wall in the laundry. Everybody followed the tasks, marking off when things were completed. As a first time renovator I found this really helpful, It made me feel informed and empowered. Practical things such as having copies of the front door key made (marked Gillian's job, no address) and these were given to the various trades when they were hired and at the end of the renovation, the locksmith just changed the chamber! Gillian is a very good communicator and genuinely seems to enjoy the process of home improvement. She was there with her work boots, very comfortable in this domain. She also made a Timetable, with who was doing what and when, plus a Contact List (phone and email) of all the trades. This was also on the whiteboard. Everyone working on my job had a copy of these. This also really helped keep the trades on task, and they could call each other if they wanted to (cut water or shut down power etc.). What really impressed me was the genuine camaraderie on the job: I didn't expect that. There was a lot of goodwill with Gillian and all the various workmen, and between the different trades themselves. The fact a number of the men had done other projects before meant they were very co-operative and seemed happy sharing the site together. It made things happen quicker and I feel resulted in superior work. Of course there are always things happen that you cannot predict - but Gillian had her finger on the pulse the whole time. She was in touch with all the trades and things got sorted very efficiently and with a good dose of humour. Essential. This included keeping the other residents of the apartment block advised of noisy work etc. She made notices and put them under their doors, this really helped keep the peace. I visited daily but she oversaw the changes that had to happen when things crop up. I met with her on site every few days. Her various crews of trades didn't need to be pushed or baby sat. We stayed on budget and ahead of schedule - I got to move into my sparkling new home two weeks earlier than expected. She coached me through the whole process for a really reasonable fee. I couldn't be happier! - JOHN SPENCER

Gillian is a very approachable designer who really takes the time to learn what your style likes and dislikes are. She provides names and contacts of reliable tradies and firms, and is involved in the process all the way. It was Gillian who introduced me to the fabulous Houzz site, and together we built up a style file for the lounge area and the bathroom and powder room. She was able to liaise with the plumber so that we could understand what he meant with all the technical specs, and went around with him to make sure we were getting what we wanted when he came to measure and quote. Although we have not yet started the bathroom renovation, we have updated our kitchen dining area and it looks fantastic. I thoroughly recommend her services.