DESIGN Q & A

Paul was awesome to work with in the exterior design of our new patio, steps, and sidewalks. He was very responsive and professional. He met with me right away at home and we talked for about an hour about my ideas, thoughts, space usage. He took measurements and a week later, he sent me three different design/layout versions. We discussed them on the phone and came up with a final design which he added all the measurements to. The final design product allowed me to provide to the various contractors (cement, fencing, landscaping, etc) people a copy of the final design along with measurements which is invaluable. I believe he is price well and worth every penny. He had so many ideas I never would've come up with on my own but he also kept in mind my ideas and thoughts so it was a team effort. I would highly recommend to anyone who needs help with design/vision of a household project.

It was great! He gave me ideas for a different style lighting, wall hangings, new shelving to display my travel collections, etc. I had made a long table runner several years ago, and he suggested making some wall hangings to complement the runner. Paul was very personable and professional - very easy to work with. I highly recommend him to anyone interested in interior design.

Great ideas! We have incorporated most of them and are getting many compliments from our guests! He came and for 2 hours moved furniture, looked at paint samples, moved pictures and gave us tons of ideas for changes.

He was wonderful and I actually ended up hiring him to do a follow up job.

Paul provided many suggestions of things we could do that we had not thought about. He quickly understood our questions and was full of great ideas that we had not considered.

My experience with Paul Livdahl at Design A&A was wonderful. Working with Design Q&A proved to be an excellent choice and I would highly recommend Paul to anyone considering consulting a designer. After 9 years in our home, I was in need of a change and wanted to really pull together a polished look that suits my style. We had made some changes, but were feeling a little stuck. Paul came over, took in our style and the way we really utilize each room and provided great ideas on where to go next. We covered a wide array of questions and by the end of our appointment instead of feeling stuck I was excited to keep moving forward. His suggestions were constructive and thoughful, and his explanations thorough. He really listened to who we are and what we like and worked to help us elevate that, saving us time and money in trying out things that ultimately wouldn't have worked in the space. I wont hesitate to call on Design Q&A in the future!

The service was great. There were no additional charges. It was supposed to be two hours and the guy who came out stayed a little longer than that. He was great and I probably will go back to him another time and use him again. He was friendly, informative and helpful. He was a nice guy. I loved the paint colors he suggested and I have already implemented probably three or four things that he said to do. We have a lot of brass in our house and he said, "Just spray paint it black." And it looks great and it looks like new stuff. It costs about $3 for a can of paint. It was a really nice experience.

Paul scheduled us within a couple days of our initial contact. Then he was very prompt when he arrived. He took a few minutes to get to know us and our likes and dislikes and what our future plans were for the home. He then gave us lots of great suggestions on things we could do that would update our home to more current styles and colors without costing a lot of money. He then gave us the options of doing foot work and looking for paint, carpet, etc and then hooking back up with him or he would also do the footwork looking for the colors etc and charge a fee for that. We were very pleased with Paul and very excited to hear his suggestions.

Paul is excellent! His skill and talent is exactly what we needed to help us design our basement layout for a family room, rec room, and storage. He took a lot of time to get to know us and what we need and want. He designed the space based on that and what he had to work with and around in the large room. He would do as much or as little as we wanted. Being a designer involves detail, creativity, a good "eye", and excellent people skills. He has it all. He designed eight (yes, eight!) options, and shared the link to the website so we could play with them if necessary. We could tell that he spent time on our plans. He gave us advantages and was honest with concerns. He also asked for feedback, which we appreciate very much. We are very impressed with him. We highly recommend Paul for any home or room design assistance.

AWESOME! I was in bad need of a decor intervention. I was stuck on what to do to update my house and what I could do about all the golden oak that I never did like even when it was the thing to have in 1985. Paul called and left a voice mail and e-mailed me shortly after I purchased the Angie Deal. We had some brief e-mail dialogues about my goals and he gave me some advice to help make our session the most productive (if I have rooms in the house that I like, which ones I don't, look through Houzz.com for decor I like, etc.). I wanted to know if I could/should partially paint the golden oak in the house (there's a lot of it), I needed window treatment ideas and I needed a fresh eye to tell me what furniture/furnishings were outdated. I told him anything he said would not hurt my feelings and I really wanted to change the look to a younger, fresher look; I didn't want him to hold back to spare my feelings ;). He was very kind with his suggestions. Paul arrived promptly at our scheduled time and we toured the house and I showed him the rooms I like (MBR that has new furniture, the kitchen that was remodeled last fall and the family room). He asked me if the golden oak bugged me as much in those rooms and surprisingly, it didn't bug me as much in the family room or the kitchen (just patio door and door trim is oak) as it does in other rooms; in fact, I barely notice it in there because the walls and carpet in the F/R are a very dark brown-ish green and the kitchen cabinets are enameled in a grayish-cream color. (This bit of information he got from me came into play later when he picked a paint color for my L/R). I also wanted to achieve a cleaner, less cluttered look and I have too many pieces of artwork and particularly accessories...some I bought and many gifts...and many of the things were expensive). It's hard to know what to do with all that stuff. After Paul listened to my thoughts, we got down to more specifics. The #1 priority was what to do about the golden oak. Paul thought if I wanted to paint some of the oak, I really was going to need to do the whole house or it would look piecemeal, which is what I was afraid of. I don't really have the time to do all that painting myself and it would be expensive to hire it out and I don't want to invest a ton of money in this house since we don't plant to stay here long-term. So, based on that, Paul suggested painting the L/R, entry, D/R a cooler color - a gray shade! I never would have picked that color! He said it would help make the golden oak disappear. He found a shade that looked like it would go well with my tan carpet and bronzy/gold chairs. He then suggested woven woods, inside mount for the windows in a chocolate brown shade (he picked out some colors and I have already ordered samples). He said the current window treatments were "heavy" if I wanted a lighter, fresher look. (He probably wasn't even down the block when I had the drapes down and in the trash can). I have a very large oil painting in my L/R and he said that his first impression was that the picture was hung 6 - 8 inches too low. I have since raised it up the full 8-inches and what a difference! I think it could even go a little higher, but I'll wait to get further along and have him back for fine-tuning. He also suggested eliminating most items that are purely decorative and pointed out a few examples. I took a whole carload to Salvation Army that same day and another carload to Turnstyle today. More to go! I had two torchieres in the L/R that I wasn't sure about and Paul said he could "go eitther way on those". The more I look at them, they are starting to bug me, too, so they are going to the bsmt for the time being (that's where things go that I'm not sure I'm ready to part with, but they never usually come back up ;)). He confirmed for me that the curio cabinets need to go, so I am going to pack up all the stuff in them and get rid of those. I have a bathroom that I want to have retiled and asked him what he'd pick and he suggested a black slate as it doesn't get slippery when wet like some tiles and not to do a grid pattern (more dated). I plan to run out and get some samples of rectangle black slate tiles this week. I was originally thinking of doing a dark brown, but that keeps hanging onto all those warm tones, so I LOVE the black slate idea; again, I never would have thought that would have worked. With what I have purged and done already has already hugely improved the look. Once I get the blind samples and get rid of some more stuff, I plan to have Paul back to look at the paint color sample on a big sheet along with the blind samples before I order anything. Paul has a great eye and he really helped me get unstuck and pare down. I'm THRILLED with the progress already. Highly recommend!!!

Paul is terrific. We used his services a couple of years ago, and liked his work so much that I called him again for help as we prepare to sell our home. He did a great job helping me prioritize the work that needs to be done, choosing colors (he's got a great eye for color), and answering a bazillion questions. When we've sold our home, I'll ask him to help me with our next home (a condo, because we are downsizing). I especially appreciate that he's down to earth in terms of making suggestions that help us get the most for our money; some interior designers seem--in my opinion---to be unconcerned about the cost of what they recommend. Interior design is not something I'm good at, and it's been wonderful to have Paul's advice and guidance. I am so pleased with what he's recommended.

Not at all what was listed on Angies list for services that would be provided. Forgot our appointment and the most disappointing was no follow up at all. I would not recommend this service and would love to get my money back !

Went very well. Paul provided good ideas, many of which I incorporated into my design choices. He was great to work with.

I now have direction! I only wish I'd gotten him to my house sooner. It would have saved me a lot of time, money and effort to have had him help me with a design/home improvement direction as soon as I'd moved in. I didn't think I could afford design service back then- but this is something I would now say anyone lacking focus and wanting to do home improvement can't afford to pass up.

Paul was very responsive of our requests and questions. He would update designs in a timely fashion. We would highly recommend Paul Livdahl of Design Q&A. He's one of a kind, with an incredible eye for design. Objective. Creative. Insightful. Truly top notch. A great partner.

Paul arrived promptly at the appointed time, He was very professional in his approach and gave us very innovative ideas regarding our kitchen space. He then drew up a quick design of his ideas. He spent a considerable amount of time on our behalf and he was very good in his follow up. If we were to look at another architectural/design project, we would definitely consider using Paul again.

Paul came to our house within three days of us calling. He spent three hours going through the house and yard with us asking questions and providing suggestions as he went. He took measurements of our bathroom and pictures of the various types of tile we had purchased. He provided two rounds of 3-D drawings which really helped us envision what it would look like. He was very interested in making sure that we got what we needed and expected.

I thought that all the services were included in the $50, but to have the complete service it was $900.00. I decided to contact Angie's List and request a refund. The gentleman I spoke with did say he was having trouble with the wording of the deal and agreed that the text was not clear in what services were actually provided.

Paul is both professional and full of enthusiasm. Being a bachelor, I am not big on interior design but Paul made me feel comfortable with the process and guide me through the things that were most important and not. As a matter of fact, I liked his work so much, we hired him to look at helping us redesign our office space, which he did an excellent job with!

Paul paid close attention to our budget and decorating preferences and produced a variety of options for us to consider. He was also knowledgeable about furniture stores and pieces that would meet our budget while still being good quality.

I called Paul and he came over the next day. I showed him around and he answered the questions I was asking and also provided some ideas in other parts of the house that were very helpful. He followed up with referrals for some potential service providers and specific suggestions on where to find some of the items we had talked about.

Paul did a great job on our home remodel designs. It is a relatively tricky project with a fairly big scope. He took a significant amount of time with us to ensure he knew what we wanted. He offered great suggestions during our consultation and met with us a second time to address some of our questions/concerns. He provided us with the design options we specifically requested, but also took the time to understand our lifestyle and offered suggestions that we hadn't even considered. He highlighted the pros and cons of design options and layout decisions (as well as his professional opinion). He also went above and beyond what we hired him to do and provided us with an initial look at colors and materials for our designs (and we liked most of those too!!). Our only slight concern (which I graded a B under "punctuality") is that he sometimes indicated he could complete a revision by a certain date and was late by a few days. However, he did let us know about the delays and he was always very professional (and ontime) for our in-person appointments. We would definitely hire Paul again and recommend him to our friends and family!!

Paul is excellent! I could not have been happier! He provided ideas and suggestions that were fabulous - stuff I never thought possible. He helped me to best incorporate and modernize the furniture in my room (one of my goals) and even helped move it around!. He brought great recommendations as to where I could purchase the items I needed, even gave me the dimensions of future furniture. He presented colors that I had not considered and then explained to me why they would work and why others would not. He didn't push "his" ideas on me at all; rather, he used his expertise to best advise me in order to help me. ALL of this while he kept my budget constraints in mind. He really took the time to listen to what I wanted and needed. He was professional, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable. His advice was spot on and immediate. I didn't have to wait for him to return to his office and put a package together. While I'm sure there is value in that, Paul's instant advice was what I was looking for and what I needed. He took my scattered thoughts and molded them into a great vision and I am so incredibly happy with the outcome. He really connected everything for me. There is no doubt in my mind that I was lucky enough to find the best in the Twin Cities! I wholeheartedly recommend Paul. I would refer him to my mother and grandma any day! Superb. Amazing experience!

Paul was exceptionally helpful from beginning to end. He listened carefully to our goals, asking questions along the way that helped define our vision and preferences more clearly. We had just moved to a new house that was about 100 years newer than our last home, and were looking for help melding our antique and classic furniture with the more modern pieces we were buying. Paul helped us prioritize the many projects we were considering as we settled into the house, and his advice to remove the popcorn ceilings throughout the first floor remains the single best piece of advice throughout a long re-location process. His emphasis on high value added projects and purchases sticks with us still, as we have seen the value in improving small but key architectural details. With our blessing, Paul spent some time early on developing 3-D renderings, and at some point, we recognized that the work we needed to do with Paul could probably proceed without those drawings. Paul was flexible in switching gears and moving to a process that better suited our timeline and our needs. We are very happy with the results, and plan to ask Paul to work with us again when we're ready to take on another project.

I searched through Angies' list again to find a designer to help us to design our new master suite. After going through every single reviews for the designer, and after the green sign from my contractor, we decided to meet up with Paul. The initial meeting went very well. As other reviewers mentioned, he was great to talk to and nice person to work with. He seems down to the earth type of person. He listened very carefully and took pictures of the materials I collected. In a week or so, he came up with 4 different layouts just to get the idea of what we would like and what we don't. We were basically getting rid of the wall between the bathroom and the closet and make the bathroom bigger. Then we added a walk in closet where we have the attic space above the garage which is located next to the bedroom. So, there were many possibilities to the bathroom and the closet area from the master bedroom. He used the 3D program we can easily download and play around at home to see what we liked the best of each sketches. We asked him to change to see every possibilities. He was very patient with us. We ended up having the entrance at the corner of the bedroom leading each side either to the bathroom or to the closet. Now the entrance is the main focal point of the bedroom. He was really nice throughout this process giving his opinion but not being pushy. No diva designer attitude from him. But he was really trying to convince us to add a window in the bathroom when asked. We have a very private backyard but we were concerned about the location of the window because of the roof line. I am so glad he was persistent about it. I love having window there looking out. Actually almost every time I look out the window looking at the trees and the sky, I think of Paul and thank him. It was really reassuring to see what it would look like in 3D and with your actual furniture in the space before tearing things down. Now we have our dream master suite and I won’t change a thing because thanks to Paul, we changed enough times in the 3D program. Thank you, Paul and best luck to your work.