Universal Interiors, LLC

My wife and I hired Nancy Schnur, the owner of Universal Interiors, at the beginning stage of planning a major remodel of an 1800 sq. ft. condo in a Waikiki high-rise. Our tastes are a little edgy and in the direction of contemporary. The unit looked like it had an interior right out of the 1970s. We were at the stage of brainstorming about what to do, how much to do, how to handle the kitchen, etc. I had my own pretty strong design ideas, but fitting them together into a coherent plan was greatly facilitated by consulting with an interior designer. Nancy contributed a lot to that process, and she was particularly helpful in planning the kitchen cabinetry and layout. Her services were reasonably priced, intelligently thought through, and we would recommend her highly.

A small studio apartment that I got needed a complete renovation. I had made arrangements for previous contractors who had already installed a new tile floor throughout the apartment and lanai, replaced the kitchen counters with quartz countertops, and replaced the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and tub fixtures, and the toilet. I planned to keep the Murphy bed and some of the bentwood and rattan furniture, but the cushions needed recovering and one of the chairs needed repair. I live on the mainland and had only two weeks in Honolulu to paint the interior and make arrangements to complete the renovation, to get the apartment ready for eventual renting. It was clear that I needed help on the design, and someone to manage the installation of drapes and new furniture. Nancy did a great job picking out a range of items and recommendations for my approval. She handled ordering of the new desk and chair, drapes, fabric for the sofa and two chairs, area rug, lamps, art prints, and bed coverlet. She then kept track of the order and delivery status, and also agreed to pick up and deliver some reading lights that I had ordered. The custom floor lamp had to be built and shipped, and was the last item that Nancy personally delivered. Nancy persevered through the four months it took for all of the items to be created and installed. The result is outstanding. The apartment feels good to be in, and the additions that Nancy made show quality and beauty. I am extremely pleased with her work, and could not have finished the renovation (let alone found the gorgeous furnishings) without her.

The job was done to our satisfaction although we did fine tune some of the decor.

Nancy was extremely professional and accommodating of the fact we had two toddlers running around during our consultations... she met us at our house, got a sense of what we were looking for and our lifestyle, and provided us with advice on colors (for interior painting), room layout, and furniture ideas. We followed up on the painting; we haven't yet moved forward on furniture due to uncertain economics... She also helped us select appropriate window coverings for a front bedroom that needed to block light at night entirely (headlights came in through the window...) and for the kitchen (to address glare but still allow views of the distant ocean). The window shades turned out perfect.

They have been phenomenal and we have worked with them for a year. She would always let us know what the cost was ahead of the work being done. She was instrumental in arranging the apartment to our needs and to the style that we like. She is very creative with what she does.