SHELLEY REED COLOR CONSULTANT

I was very pleased with the consultation experience with Shelley Reed and would highly recommend her services. She was interested in my ideas and values and preferences, responding to those while also presenting many interesting suggestions and choices that opened up new possibilities in the kitchen design. She was very clear and made drawings to illustrate her ideas. For instance, I needed help to decide on the color of counter top that would go well with the cabinets I had picked. The choice for the floor was another tough decision for me, and she was able to help me by looking with me at the pros and cons of the various choices and how they would impact the plan for the kitchen as a whole. I think one of of the most valuable insights she gave me was to think of the kitchen space as a whole, and not get lost in the parts. Her ideas helped to crystallize my thinking. We talked about color, and how to reach the idea I had of the kind of kitchen I wanted. She had many suggestions for stores in the Boston area where good materials could be found for my kitchen, for backsplash tiles, for example; she made recommendations about craftsmen, for example, a person who did floors very well and for a reasonable price. Shelley's energy and enthusiasm made for a very stimulating and exciting several hours, and I came away from our meetng with a much clearer idea of how to proceed on my kitchen renovation.

Having already put at least 12 paint samples on the dining-room wall, I connected with Shelley - frustrated. At that point, all I could tell her about The Color was that I wanted green, my husband wanted blue and that we both wanted lightness and iridescence. After a few questions very little time, Shelley worked her magic by suggesting that a small amount of a different paint color, when mixed with one of the samples, would do the trick. She just knew.... The color we now have on the wall is blue in shadow, light green in light and always magnificent - soothing, neutral and very sophisticated. We followed Shelly's advice on color for the ceiling and woodwork as well. It all goes together seamlessly. Yesterday I spent the afternoon watching the snow fall outside our dining room window, and all seemed right with the world.

I was impressed by Shelley's scope of knowledge, encompassing areas ranging from floor-tile selection to how to achieve a better balance among pieces of furniture in a room. Her intutions about what does and doesn't work well visually mostly resonated with me. I especially liked her ability to listen to my preferences and respond to them; she presented her ideas cogently, without pushing them to fit some abstract notion of "correctness." (I've encountered the latter with other interior designers.) She honed in on myriad details of my home and furnishings that would otherwise have eluded me, as familiar surroundings can cause one to lose perspective. Very pleasant and easy to talk to as well; I would have enjoyed and benefited from twice the time spent with her.

Working with Shelley was a pleasure. From the first contact (a phone conversation) to the on-site consultation she was responsive, enthusiastic about the project and full of ideas that were very tactfully presented and never overbearing. She brought fresh ideas to our project at a time when we were feeling construction fatigue, and helped us navigate an overwhelming array of color options. We had some ideas in mind before contacting her and she quickly picked up on our aesthetic, proposing some things that we never would have come up with on our own. Though we were not focused on discussing interior design, she did offer some helpful perspective in this area as well. Our on-site meeting was very efficient and Shelley was careful to maximize the time we had together. We finished the consultation with a list of color choices for each room and for the exterior of the house, which was all included in the consult fee (no follow-up needed). Now that it has been painted, we are very happy with how everything turned out and would gladly recommend her as a color consultant.

Shelley is wonderfully energetic, supportive and inspiring. As we walked through my house for her to get a feel for my taste and issues, she presented a constant stream of ideas, all of them creative and good and most of them things I would do in a minute if I had the time. She was incredibly supportive of the good decisions I had made, which I sensed was part of her "mission"--to empower people to have confidence in their own taste, and tactful about the mis-steps. She gave me ideas for color, placement of furniture, placement of curtain rods, etc., and we discussed alternatives for flow in an area that I may remodel in the future. My only caveat is that the time just flew by and there were a few things on my list left un-discussed at the end of the time, so keep an eye on the clock if you really want to get all your questions answered.

The project went very well. She was organized and efficient, and we used her time well. The room looks great and I am left with a number of ideas I can continue to shape it with even further.

I was impressed by Shelley from the initial phone contact when she asked for a comprehensive description of my home and expectations, before even seeing the site, displaying a sensitivity to the hourly cost of the visit. Once here, she offered to do a quick run through of all my rooms, making spot- on comments about minor improvements that could be easily made. When it came to the kitchen colors, she was very sensitive to my tastes, and patient with my indecisiveness, showing me various combinations until we came up with a 3-4 tone palette (which I would never have discovered myself) that reflected my own sensibilities. She was also extremely knowledgeable about housing construction, wall repair, etc. Additionally, she has a lovely professional manner and is very pleasant to work with.

Shelly is fabulous! A professional and an expert in her field. In a very short time, she assessed my color preferences and suggested colors and options that would 'work' in this house taking into account the space and light. It was extraordinary! Without her assistance I would have had a color mess. Her advice was 'spot on' on everything. Not only for color decisions, but also for window treatments, and where to buy hardware for the kitchen and bathrooms. She was so knowledgeable about paints, their properties, what to expect from morning to night and flexible and helpful in so many ways, you knew that you could just trust her judgment. I wish I had another house to work with her on!

In a word: Amazing! We had recently purchased a new home and wanted it to be perfect. We had worked with a designer who lacked vision and wasted 2 months. Sensing our frustration, Shelley worked to fit us in her busy schedule and ensure our needs were met. She listened to our taste and wishes and worked with us to select paint colors for the entire house and coordinate with furniture, fabrics, rugs, tile and floor stain color. She takes the time to get to know you and makes suggestions accordingly, for paint as well as for shelving, outfitting closets etc. in order to make the house fit the needs of our family. We immediately incorporated some of her ideas and they have transformed the look of the house. She understands how a room will look when put together! In addition, Shelley made herself readily available without an additional charge to ensure that the house was as perfect as we wanted and gave us references for other service people. We are very grateful for her help and services!

Shelley is just a dream come true for anyone who has indecision around paint colors. The paints we chose, we would never have picked out on our own. We painted the room ourselves because of the time restrictions.

Shelly was quick to respond on email, punctual for the appointment, and got to work even before she walked through the door. She definitely realized that her time was not cheap, and wanted to make sure that we felt we got what we paid for, and when she left we were definitely satisfied. The amount of time and money she will have saved us in the long run with her ideas and knowledge definitely makes her visit a worthy investement. She was very friendly, polite but was not shy in telling us something needed to be changed (such as our cheap brass light fixtures..) I would highly recommend Shelley Reed if you need some help/inspiration in designing your home.

She was very efficient, understood the clients needs and did not impose her vision on you. She was considerate. She was able to give us information to find the things she was talking about. She did more than we expected.

Shelley was extremely helpful in helping us pick our colors. After our session, we did end up getting a few extra colors, other than the ones we had picked with Shelley. But our final decision went back to the Shelley inspired picks. We are so pleased with the results. We also ended up going to a furniture store she suggested and have completed our dining room. I really recommend using Shelley if like us, it takes you ages to make a decision when it comes to paint color. She was great.

Shelley is very professional and excellent at steering her clients without dictating what they ''should do.'' Although she clearly states she is not an interior designer -- that her service is in the area of color selection -- she provided some key tips to help me with other areas of decorating. She stated it would be a two hour meeting (cost $250) but we went over by 45 minutes which increased the price. She did ask before the two hour mark if I wanted to continue. It was WELL worth the price/time because of the amount of time and money she saved me by avoiding wrong decisions. Plus she gave extra tips that were extremely helpful.

I REALLY APPRECIATED HOW EASY SHE WAS TO WORK WITH, AND HOW KNOWLEDGEABLE SHE WAS. ALL OF THE POSITIVE REPORTS ON HER ARE TRUE. SHE'S JUST SO HELPFUL AND ACCOMMODATING. I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE HER BACK. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER.

SHELLEY IS A GREAT INVESTMENT. SHE SAVED US HOURS OF SAMPLING AND WASTING PAINT (AND ARGUING WITH MY SPOUSE OVER COLORS). SHE ADDS VALUE NOT ONLY BY HELPING ONE NARROW DOWN CHOICES, BUT ALSO BY TAKING THE HOMEOWNERS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT INTO CONSIDERATION. INSIDE SHE LOOKS AT FURNITURE, RUGS, ARTWORK, WINDOW TREATMENTS, ETC. OUTSIDE SHE LOOKS AT LANDSCAPING, OTHER HOUSES, ETC... AND ALL THE WHILE, SHE GIVES GREAT ADVICE ABOUT THINGS SHE NOTICES. TODAY SHE SHOWED US HOW THE COLORS WE CHOSE FOR THE OUTSIDE COULD BE TIED INTO OUR ENTRY WAY IN A WAY THAT TIES IT ALL TOGETHER. SHE KNOWS WHAT IT IS ABOUT EACH COLOR THAT IS PLEASING, BUT ALSO HOW IT MIGHT WORK IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION. FOR EXAMPLE, SHE SHOWED US HOW ONE COLOR WE THOUGHT WE LOVED (ON THE TINY LITTLE PAINT CHIP) WOULD LOOK ON A LARGE SCALE AND WE REALIZED IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE MISTAKE. AGAIN, SHELLEY IS A GREAT INVESTMENT. YOU WILL HAVE HER BACK TIME AND TIME AGAIN ONCE YOU SEE HOW EASILY THE PROCESS SHOULD GO.

WE HAVE A NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME, AND WHEN WE FINALLY DECIDED TO PAINT THE INTERIOR, OUR PAINTER SUGGESTED WE CALL SHELLY. WE HAD ALREADY DONE MOST OF THE COLOR SELECTIONS OURSELVES, BUT HAD SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING FINISHES, COLOR TRANSITIONS, AND SELECTION OF CEILING PAINT. SHE NOT ONLY WORKED WITH OUR IDEAS, BUT SHE PUNCHED THEM UP A NOTCH. AND, SHE STOPPED US FROM MAKING A FEW MISTAKES. AS A RESULT, THE HOUSE LOOKS FABULOUS, AND WE WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING. AS AN ADDED BONUS, SHELLY IS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR NAMES OF FAUX FINISHERS, FABRIC STORES, AND LOCATIONS WHERE YOU CAN GET DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES. IT WAS A REAL TREAT TO WORK WITH SUCH A PROFESSIONAL.

SHELLEY WAS ON TIME, AND FULL OF GOOD IDEAS. SHE IS VERY CREATIVE, AND HELPED US THINK ABOUT OUR ROOMS IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAN WE HAD BEEN STUCK IN.

SHELLEY WAS VERY ACCOMMODATING, PROFESSIONAL, AND EASY TO WORK WITH. THE EXPERIENCE WAS A PLEASURE. SHE FOLLOWED UP WITH A NOTE, SOME ADDITIONAL IDEAS IN WRITING, AND A GIFT FOR OUR OLDER DAUGHTER. SHE DEFINITELY WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS.

SHELLEY DOES NOT WASTE A MINUTE OF TIME. BE READY TO TAKE NOTES AS SHE PROVIDES A WEALTH OF VALUABLE RECOMMENDATIONS AND INSIGHTS. WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE INTERIOR WALL/TRIM COLORS THAT SHE DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PREFERENCES. WE APPRECIATED SEVERAL FOLLOW-UP CALLS SHE MADE DURING THE PAINTING PROCESS. AS NEWCOMERS TO THE AREA, WE HAVE ENJOYED VISITING THE FURNITURE STORES AND OTHER RESOURCES THAT SHE MENTIONED AND HAVE HIRED THE FLOOR REFINISHER THAT SHE RECOMMENDED.

SHELLEY IS EXCELLENT. SHE HAS A QUICK INSTINCTIVE GRASP OF A ROOM'S POTENTIAL AND WAS ADEPT AT GUIDING US IN OUR COLOR CHOICES. SHE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

SHE IS PROFESSIONAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND VERY EASY TO TALK TO AND WORK WITH. AS OTHERS HAVE NOTED, SHE HELPED TO MAKE THE PROCESS FUN FOR ME AND MY HUSBAND. SHE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS WITH US (THAT, TOGETHER WITH THE TRAVEL FEE, IS WHY OUR COSTS ARE SOMEWHAT HIGHER THAN OTHER REPORTS LISTED). HOWEVER, SHE WORKS VERY EFFICIENTLY AND WE COVERED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND COLOR SELECTION DURING OUR APPOINTMENT. WE FELT HER COLOR AND DESIGN GUIDANCE WERE WELL WORTH THE MONEY AND WE WOULDN'T HESITATE TO RECOMMEND HER.

SHELLEY HAS STRONG OPINIONS, WHICH MOST OF THE TIME ARE VERY GOOD. SHE STEERED US AWAY FROM SOME CHOICES THAT PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED, ALTHOUGH WE'VE MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO SOME OF THE CHOICES SHE MADE.

SHELLY WAS PROMPT, COURTEOUS AND MOST IMPORTANT WAS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT PAINT AND COLOR. WE HAVE ALREADY PAINTED TWO ROOMS BASED ON HER RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE RESULTS ARE EXCELLENT. WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH SHELLY'S WORK.

SHELLEY WAS PROMPT, RESPONSIVE AND PROFESSIONAL. SHE IS EXPERIENCED AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT SHE WAS AN EXCELLENT LISTENER. SHE SPENT THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MY HUSBAND AND I WANTED. I AM NOT SURE HOW COMPETITIVE THE PRICE WAS OVERALL AS I HAVE NEVER USED A COLOR CONSULTANT, BUT AM VERY HAPPY I DID!