Loveletters

Ruth - Half Moon Bay

My house burned down so we had an involuntary building project. We hired an architect and he figured I would need a lot of help with details, choosing fixtures, paint and flooring. He gave me Win's name and she saved my life. I couldn't have done it without her.

She really understood my taste and so instead of having to look at 300 tiles I would look at 5, same with paint colors, trim and molding. She worked with me through the whole project. It took almost 2 years. And then when it was built she helped with furniture. She did everything. She's knowledgeable in all phases of decorating. She worked very closely with the architect and when he couldn't find room for a laundry she found a way to work it in.

Ruben and Dariann - Calistoga

In 2003, we moved from our home in San Carlos where we had lived for more than 15 years to Calistoga. We had purchased a 1983 craftsman-style house.

Win came to spend the night with us to evaluate the first draft floor plan of our proposed remodel. Since we both like to cook, our first priority was to improve the kitchen area which was very small with minimal storage. Win made us both feel very comfortable as she listened to our concerns and she was also very observant of our artistic tastes.

Later that day, she made the recommendation that we move our kitchen location to the living room! Being a retired engineer, I thought the idea was far-fetched and not practical because of roadblocks such as cost as well as plumbing and electrical issues.

Win did her design homework and laid out the cabinetry to scale on her notepad complete with sinks, oven, and cook-top the next morning.

After contractor review with Winn present, the project was "a go" and our remodel began.

Looking back on the project, we marvel at the pleasure our kitchen and great room have given us. Had it not been for Win's vision, we would have settled for the speedier plan of just making over our old kitchen by making it a little better but still inadequate for our needs.

It was a real pleasure to work with Win.

Maria, M.D. - San Francisco

Win's helped me with every room in the house except the bedrooms. We recently got a chair for the living room and it came with a cracked bottom. The company wanted to repair it by screwing it together and she said, "No that's not good enough," and she got them to replace the chair. She's really good about following up and making sure everything's perfect.

Several years ago Win found a dining room table and chairs and got fabric to match the seats. The fabric goes with everything in my house so wherever I move it, the chair looks fabulous. This is the first dining room table I've had that still looks great after four years.

I have a 1934 small San Francisco house and we redid the bath with black and white tile and subway tile and she picked out the counter, the medicine cabinet and the knobs and it's this little jewel. I couldn't be happier. It's 7x5 and it's a wonder.

She does beautiful work. She follows through. She makes sure she brings wonderful people in to do the work. They do really good work, they're careful, they clean up after themselves and they don't overcharge. I can't say enough good things about her.

Helene & Kurt - El Granada

We've used Win numerous times over the years. Overall she's been really successful at figuring out what we're about and what we like.

She's done everything from suggesting furniture layout to advising us on buying decisions to shopping for and with us, coming up with paint colors, advising us on window treatments and creating custom designs. She designed a bedspread and rug, and made a custom chair and window coverings. She's even helped us arrange our tchotchkes in the living room.

We both felt decoratively challenged and with Win's help we've come to realize that we have a lot of good instincts and that we can trust our own design sense. She really validated that-we have kind of contemporary eclectic tastes and that's great.

Julia - Half Moon Bay

Win has done a lot of different things for us both in our businesses and our home. We always rely on her for color consulting both exterior and interior for our businesses and our home.

In a commercial remodel recently she helped with tile choices and furnishings. We always have her review the contract furniture and, though we're limited in our choices, she helps us find something that's consistent with the design style we've chosen. She's helped us buy new furniture and worked existing furniture into our design plans.

I recommend her to people all the time.