Joan Hawkins Art & Interiors

Joan was ostensibly very focused on getting a cheap solution quickly. My primary needs were 1) blackout window treatments; 2) a large area rug; and 3) a comfortable bed. The blinds and rug arrived fairly quickly at a good price, and were sufficiently attractive. The problem was the blinds were exterior mount, but not wide enough to block the considerable exterior light. The custom rug was too small for the room. So while Joan was quick and responsive, she did not provide the products I needed. Joan advised me to allow her to build a bed for me, rather than buying one on-line -- saying I could get a much better product for less money that way. The bed took months to complete, and when I finally said it had to be installed, as we had guests coming and no where for everyone to sleep, she brought her crew over for the installation right in the middle of dinner the one night my brother and his wife from China were in town to visit. This was completely disruptive AND the bed was not even fully assembled so that no one could sleep in it that night. When the bed finally was assembled, it gave off a terrible odor of pine plywood and/or resin. Joan and her upholsterer advised me to take the mattress off and open the windows for a few weeks to air out the smell. I did this, reluctantly, as it was the middle of winter, but that's not unbearable in Mississippi. But the odor did not abate. I was flying back and forth to Mississippi and would try to get Joan to address the problem intermittently. She picked up the plywood bed board at one point and painted it. This did not address the problem. I am still trying to get Joan to replace the wood in the bed; she will not. I cannot sleep there -- and it's been well over a year -- because the odor is so bad and causes headaches. Joan had her subcontractor call me, and he said he has never had a problem of this nature before with beds he has built. He said he would explore a solution, but has not. Joan will not respond to my requests for her to address the problem. It has been a nightmare.