July 2010 by Jen R.
This is one of my first Yelp reviews, and honestly, I wish it were going to be a favorable one...but it is not. I had really high hopes for Barry Johnson Design after visiting Brick Monkey and really liking the style that is exhibited there. The store itself is fantastic. The price points are good and on top of that, it is just eclectic and the displays in the store are really nice and unique. There are many layers of furniture, textures, fabrics and accessories that look like they are part of someone's home or collected over time, versus the canned displays you see in a lot of home stores. Needless to say, I was excited to get this same look in my home via Barry Johnson Design. He arrived at our home and my husband and I were eager to speak to him about our thoughts on the room, it's use, our style, our color preferences, etc. Rather than taking the time to ask these basic questions or establishing a relationship with a new client, he pretty much just launched into taking room measurements, deciding that the wall color needed to be changed, etc. When he left, we really felt as if he hadn't asked us anything at all about our needs. He returned a few weeks later with rug and fabric samples that were pretty off the mark on what we'd envisioned. That was not surprising considering he hadn't asked us anything. He said he'd put something else together for us and come back; however, he never returned, called, emailed, texted or communicated again. I think most people would say my husband and me are pretty relaxed people, so I doubt the interaction was too overbearing for him to follow-through. And frankly, if it was, I think a more professional designer might have made contact to say, "you know, I don't think we're a good fit and here's someone else I think might be able to help you with your needs". In a field where personal interaction, professionalism and knowing your clients' preferences are so critical to success, we were pretty disappointed with his services. I will say this: he did not charge us for anything described here at the point he bailed. (He would've begun charging later) However, that's not a great metric for the type of customer service one should receive. We've since purchased a lot of furniture from a store in SF that provides complimentary design assistance and the service there was bar none compared to Barry Johnson Design, including a person coming out to our house, asking us all the basic questions a designer should ask, etc. On a positive note, I am sure Barry is a very talented designer. If you gave him a blank slate, had no preconceived idea about what you wanted or needed from the space, etc. I bet he could come up with something beautiful; however, this was not our situation and I doubt it's most people's situation that are coming to read this review. In fact, I Googled Barry Johnson Design when I first thought about hiring him. The reviews were not so favorable and mixed, but I tried to keep an open mind and just offer him the experience. On another positive note, I would continue to shop at Brick Monkey and I'd give it a good 4-5 stars; it's really a nice store, and it's clear his talent has something to do with that. However, if they are going to continue their affiliation with Barry Johnson Design, I really think they need to address the way in which he works/doesn't work with clients to meet their needs. Word of mouth is a very important thing.
