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February 2024 by Chris Ostrow
Cathy and her team did an outstanding job with our whole kitchen refresh and entertainment center renovation. They addressed all our concerns, including the too-high kitchen island and dated TV niche, with skill and creativity. The new range hood not only solves the functionality issue but also adds a stunning aesthetic touch to the space. I appreciate how Cathy intuitively understood our desire for a French Country feel, translating it into beautiful color choices and design elements. The increased prep space has significantly improved the kitchen's function, and the unified look between the kitchen and family room creates a sense of openness and cohesion. Throughout the project, Cathy's professionalism and ability to collaborate made the process smooth and enjoyable. We couldn't be happier with the results and would eagerly work with Cathy again in the future.
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January 2024 by Dean Kim
We just finished a remodel of the great room in our 30 year old home. We have never used a designer before and chose CathyTonks simply by reading reviews and visiting her website. How fortunate it was that we chose Cathy! Our great room was beyond dated, with old cabinets and shelves, a non-functioning gas fireplace, and a small, dark empty room in the corner. Obviously, we wanted to update the room, but wanted something different and unique. On our first visit with Cathy, we could tell why her company is called “Designs With You In Mind” as Cathy prioritizes what is important to the client. We knew we wanted to have a modern look with fireplace, TV on the wall, and shelving, but because of the asymmetry of the room, we struggled with coming up with our own design. When Cathy later showed us her design for the wall, we were blown away. The design also recreated a full bar in the small room in the corner with quartz countertop, beautiful sink and fixtures, and stunning backsplash/shelves. We also thought that her contractor and workers were excellent and easy to work with. In closing, thank you, Cathy, for transforming our mundane great room into a piece of art!
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June 2023 by Marie C.
I was excited about doing a remodel of my house. I selected Cathy to do our remodel. She asked for a $10,000 down payment, which we provided in January. Yes she said she wouldn't be available until March. By September with many calls, we finally received preliminary drawings with some of the things I asked for. She did bill us monthly for the work since March about $1,000/mo. We received preliminary drawings in September, no budget. I requested a budget for the project, I was told she would need to finish the drawings and detail before we could receive a budget. At that point I had already spent $7,000, so I asked her to stop work on the project. She sent me a bill for another $5,000 for the work done in September. What $13,000 for preliminary plans and no budget??? I was done at that point. Sadly I have done my remodel.
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January 2023 by Dean
What a fabulous place to explore our remodel vision.
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December 2022 by Dean Dodson
What a fabulous place to explore our remodel vision.
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August 2021 by Glen Sullivan
Cathy was very professional and provided many great options. She guided us through the entire process and made things simple for us to understand. She clearly set expectations and met or exceeded them.Service: Refurbishment
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July 2021 by Marc Jang
Consummate design professional and artist that listens carefully and thoughtfully to her clients to create spectacular "designs with you in mind". A written testimonial will not adequately articulate how our journey with Cathy flourishes to present day. Ask Cathy if you would like to speak directly with us about our experience and we will happily accommodate.
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June 2021 by Lori Arguello
I had the pleasure of working with Cathy Tonks and her team. Cathy gave us our dream home! She is knowledgeable, organized, friendly, communicative, and pays attention to detail. Her team was professional, skilled, and trustworthy. My before and after photos are just the kitchen, however Cathy basically was involved in the renovation of the entire home (approximately 4200 sq ft). If there were ever any issues (very few) Cathy promptly corrected them. My husband and I are busy professionals so it was so nice to have someone like Cathy to coordinate and oversee our home renovation. She handled everything and consulted with us when needed. We knew our home was in the best hands with Cathy. I would highly recommend Cathy for any of your home renovation/remodel/decorating needs.
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June 2021 by Jaime Sanchez
Cathy has a gift for transforming your home from ordinary to truly beautiful! She pushed me outside my comfort zone in the most amazing way. She brought me a beautiful herringbone floor that is so special. Little details such as unique cabinet hardware, and beautiful pendent lights that make my home unique and special. She makes designing a home that fits your needs fun and stress free. Cathy created a plan, presented several different options, and stayed within budgets. I highly recommend DWYIM for your design and home renovation projects. She will leave you with a space you love coming home to. Thank you to Cathy and her team for putting together such a lovely space with lovely little touches.Service: Refurbishment
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June 2021 by Kathy Wikstrom Boehm
We were privileged to have Cathy and her team remodel our master bath. Cathy is an excellent designer, contractor and project manager. She surrounds herself with an outstanding group of experts. The quality of our completed project is so appreciated. Cathy is very responsive and communicated step by step throughout the process. We are very pleased with our results and would recommend Designs With You In Mind.Service: Remodeling
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June 2021 by Kaeli Tully
We furnished our front room with Cathy, it turned out AMAZING. Our room is functional and beautiful. She took so many factors into consideration, from maximizing seating to choosing high quality materials that could survive our lifestyle.She has years of experience with a wide variety of projects. Her expertise was evident as she navigated the way through the process. Highly recommend!Service: Refurbishment
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June 2021 by Laura LeBlanc
Cathy and Designs With You in Mind (DWYIM) saved our renovation/remodel after we had to dismiss a contractor/designer that did not share our vision for our home. It all started when our built-in wall microwave failed, and it shared a common control panel with the wall oven. These units were original to the home and 30 years old and parts were not available and given that the oven was a 27-inch unit we wanted a larger double wall oven. As we considered how to renovate the kitchen the original designer could not seem to get what needed to be done into the existing footprint of the home. He wanted to blow out the exterior walls and increase the square footage of the home, something we did not want to do.We found Cathy Tonks and DWYIM, from the first site visit we knew we had a winner. Cathy listened to our ideas and asked us what worked and what did not in the existing space. Since extraordinarily little worked, and we wanted a more open plan it was decided to remove several interior walls and achieve the open floor plan that we had dreamed of. Cathy was able to achieve our dream space. We now have top of the line appliances, 30-inch French Door double wall ovens, an awesome copper vent hood, and a space that is both functional and beautiful. We love our kitchen.The DWYIM team is more than just the designers. Cathy brings top of the line crafts to the job construction, plumbing, electrical, tile, and paint all expert in their field. The crews worked clean and quickly. We were kept in the loop and we would use the craftspeople again any day.We were so pleased with the kitchen and living spaces that we had the DWYIM team renovate the master bedroom and bath. We now have a master suite that is just drop dead gorgeous, one that will allow us to age gracefully in place.The DWYIM team has been awesome at every step of our journey. And yes, we will recommend them to anyone.Laura and Fred
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June 2021 by Mitchell Heller
When it came time to remodel and update our Custom Fireside showroom in Elk Grove, we turned to Designs with You in Mind because they did such an excellent job in helping design the remodel in our Sacramento showroom. We love the design of our new displays and the carpeting that she helped us select looks fantastic. Come in and check it out!
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June 2021 by Sharmy Gaboriault
We had them do a kitchen remodel! Our ceiling was really low with horrible lighting! We needed new counters and a breakfast bar. The whole kitchen Was retextured and painted throughout.Our experience was amazing with this team! They were always on time, professional, and allowed us to be involved in all of the decisions! The designer was fantastic!!! We would definitely refer this company to anyone that is looking for the best experience of remodeling!Service: Refurbishment
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December 2019 by David B.
Imagine a French blue operating room with 4" tiles everywhere except where the double-wide mirrors magnify your imperfections. Yep, that's what our master bath was like. I had some idea of what I would do to change things, when I saw a friend's newly-remodeled bathroom, which was genius! Cathy Tonks (DWYIM) was the designer/engineer, and we immediately contacted her to honcho our own master bath remodel. Cathy's understanding of the customer with whom she is working, what materials are the best (albeit not necessarily the most expensive), and her ability to really design with you and your function in mind blended into a result that is stunningly perfect for us. Written by Sally Bent
