J. M. Interiors

I had not worked with an interior designer/decorator before, so I was a little anxious. Judy Murnan, the owner of J.M. Interiors, has a very good way of putting a client at-ease. She brought an impressive variety of upholstery sample books over and was patient with my selection process. She offered good insights into the durability of materials, and when I initially chose a very expensive covering, she was polite and very respectful in letting me know that. I am a person who "is not afraid of color" and I went into the experience expecting the designer to be a little horrified by my penchant for bright, bold, saturated colors. Judy was nothing of the kind! She was very perceptive, and again respectful of my choices, and she has a great way of helping you figure out which of your options you will really like. She was really good about respecting my desire to make an existing chair - which would not be reupholstered - the centerpiece, or color guide, for the rest of the redecoration. She has a professional, nice way of steering you away from mistakes. I wanted two different materials on my chairs, with contrasting piping. Then I wanted the same thing on my sofa. She reasoned that a sofa done in one material, with the same piping, would be a wiser choice because it would be useable and even resaleable in a variety of rooms. That made sense to me, and I'm happy I followed her advice. She is very careful around your existing furniture, which I truly appreciated. Her upholsterer is a fellow who works for only a few decorators and his work is superb and delivered on-schedule. Likewise, her draper is exceptional -- I'm choosy about my window coverings and like just shirr-on curtains/drapes with no jabots nor swags or cornices. The draper did a flawless job on my panels and hung them perfectly, herself. As an economy move, I wanted store-bought sheers. Judy was supportive of that and shopped with me to choose the best available in my price range. Judy has an incredible eye for color. I was keeping some vintage wallpaper in my dining room and thought to use some paint I had on-hand for the wainscoting. Politely but firmly, Judy swooped in and suggested a color that works *so *much *better than what I had planned. I was on a budget and Judy respected that. She's not the cheapest and she shouldn't be. I definitely believe I got every bit of my money's worth in the quality, amount and perfection of the job. Her hourly rate is way lower than many decorators in town and you definitely get your money's worth, there.