A Touch of Whimsy

In my family room and living room, Karen did furniture placement and she brought in pictures, mirrors, pillows, decor. I absolutely loved everything that she bought for me!! Yet there was no pressure for me to have to buy them. I bought everything but a wreath. And there was no markup on what she bought. She made my rooms cozy yet classy!!! My husband and kids loved everything!!! And on top of all the great changes Karen made to my home, she was just so fun to hang with. Full of energy and so happy and positive!! I didn't want her to leave and I can't wait to save up a little more $$ so we can attack another room. She performs miracles!!!!!! Give her a try!!!!

When my husband suddenly wanted to paint the entire upstairs of our house, I chose Karen to help pick out paint colors after reading all the great reviews on Angie's list. She lived up to them all. She was very prompt to come to the house, she was energetic, fun and has a great eye for color. She listened to me and worked well with what my husband and I were trying to achieve. I hope to have her out to the house again to help with the downstairs!

I had just moved into my home and needed some assistance in staging my furniture, wall hangings and decorations. They just weren't falling into place. Karen walked in the house and started moving things immediately. Overall a very productive and fun time!

I chose Karen based on her excellent reviews on Angie's list and reasonable fees. As others have said, she is energetic, enthusiastic and has a wonder eye for color. I wanted advice on the color palate for my new home and had brought some items to the new home to show her some of key furnishings that I needed paint colors to complement. While she started off in a direction which was too bold for my taste, she quickly adjusted and we were easily able to get on the same page when I gave her my initial feedback. She listens, but still has her own good ideas. I will continue to use her to give me advice as I move into the next phases of the decorating (painting is going on now)--such as choice of window treatments. She is willing to tailor her advice to what you require--I am quite decisive and know what I like, but I'm sure she would also be good at taking the lead role in designing your space.

Karen definitely has a good eye for color and I will consider her ideas for furniture placement. She was prompt and gave me options on how to best use our appointment time before coming. I needed someone quickly and she fit me in right away. I would definitely use her again. She does have strong opinions, but they are worth considering whether you take her advice or not, as she has good taste!

Karen was fabulous to work with. We purchased our home 2 years ago and knew we wanted to decorate but were completely overwhelmed. We didn't know where to start or what color scheme to use. Karen showed up with a variety of fabrics, colors and books. Within minutes we were building color schemes and discussing fabric options and styles for our family room. Even after The day Karen eft she has continued to send pictures of items she has found. Karen's excitement is contagious and her personality infectious. I have a much clearer idea of which direction to take our family room and kitchen. I highly recommend Karen and would not think twice about using her again. She provided furniture placement recommendations for our existing furniture that has made such a tremendous impact to our hope. We've received several comments regarding how the space has opened up and is much more practical. We were not sure what to expect but if you have any reservations please put them to rest and be assured this will not be a decision you will regret. We only wish we did it sooner!

Karen is a very energetic person who obviously loves her work. Her enthusiasm is over-the-top. She would get just as excited as I would when we discovered the right fabric or piece to create the right look. We met on several occasions, either at my home or Direct Buy, where I purchased all of the new fabric and items. She was able to work me into her schedule at convenient times for me, and was able to spend as much time as I needed each time we met. She introduced me to a seamstress who was able to do all measurements and make the window treatments, outdoor cushions, etc. The time spent was high quality. We accomplished a lot in a short time period. I could not have asked for a better experience or outcome in all of this.

Karen was a joy to work with. I loved how she showed me how/where to use things that I already had to decorate my home. She made suggestions on furniture set up and things for me to get to complete the design. She was fun to work with and I would reccommend her to anyone who is looking for a decorator.

Karen is great to work with. She is very nice and full of energy. We walked through the house and moved furniture for better placement and moved the few decorations and pictures we had. She showed me which paint colors should go where. We had previously picked out very few decorative pieces for our house. Every time my husband and I would see something we liked in the store, we could not imagine where it would go in the house so we would not buy it. It was great that Karen went on a shopping trip with me. Each time I found something I liked she would say yes or no, that won't work. She was also great at giving suggestions on some things I wouldn't have picked initially. Karen came back to our house and helped hang all the artwork and place the decorations. Everything she did looks great! She even offered to meet me at a hardware store at a later time with no charge to help me pick out hardware for my dressers. I will definitely work with her again and recommend Karen to others.

Karen is so much fun to work with it and gets down to business. Wish I found her sooner to do some interior decorating for me. :)

Great overall experience. I knew that I was going to be off the first week in April and she was able to work me in immediately. She arrived and immediately went to work. She also gave me name of some consignment shops to try and get some money out the accessories that I wasn't going to use. It really helped that she doesn't schedule people back to back so if one job runs over, like mine did, she can continue to work with you until you are finished. I can't wait to have her back and work on the screened porch next.

We really enjoyed working with Karen. I called her late on a Wed and explained that we needed someone to help that coming Friday or Saturday. She was able to rearrange her schedule and we met that Friday afternoon for three hours of high energy, non-stop advice. We felt like she was professional, prepared and gently honest with her advice -- and fun. After we worked our way through the house with Karen we felt confident and excited in the choices she helped us make. We look forward to enjoying the finished product Karen helped us design.

I called Karen because of Angie's list positive reviews. We talked on the phone to schedule an appointment. I told her I wanted to redo my whole house and that I needed a plan. I specifically asked her if I needed pictures of rooms, colors, etc. of what I liked so she could see what my style was. She said no, we would talk when she came for the appt. She did arrive on time which I appreciated. However, we never sat and discussed anything when she got here. We moved straight to paint colors - I mentioned I was thinking about green and without discussion - green was the color . No other suggestions or ideas which is why I hired an interior designer. She did make a suggestion about my furniture that I disagreed with and she was dismissive with her reply. I asked her about furniture placement and she didn't seem to know how to help me there either. My friend was here so she ended up answering the question for me and helped me measure the room while Karen stood and offered no direction. Actually, my friend started asking questions to help clarify what I wanted. (she could tell I was getting aggrevated) The questions that the interior designer should have been asking! After an hour I was so frustrated that I told her it was time for her to go even though I had scheduled a 2 hour consultation. I paid her for an hour (which I later regreted,but I honor my comitments). She even asked me if she was helpful to which I answered "no" and she still took my money! This review is late as I didn't want to unfairly judge someone since I don't do interior design. Since Karen's visit I have talked to 3 other designers individually. Each one said that before we met I would need pictures of rooms that I liked so they could determine my style and get an idea of what I liked. Each one also recommended that I needed a general idea of a budget. All that was before they would even meet with me so that they could be more focused, not waste time, so "I could get my money's worth" as one designer put it. I came away with nothing for my money when I hired Karen. My experience was so bad that I still haven't hired someone else. I don't have money to throw away!

I sent an email inquiry about a possible color consultation for my new home. I received a friendly, prompt response with an explanation of what services she offered and the cost. Although we are not ready to move forward due to a construction delay, we will definitely contact her for work in the future. It was a real plus that she told me what dates she had available and that she would be able to meet with me in a timely fashion. I look forward to working with her soon.

We selected Karen O'Hora with A touch of Whimsy based on the positive reviews we read on Angie's List. Our house is 17 years and we have just added a new screened in porch and deck. We have not done any interior work on the house since it was built so we were looking for someone to come in and help us lay out a plan to start the redecorating process. Karen arrived at our house and jumped right to work! She went through the house room by room asking questions, making recommendations and offering suggestions. She pulled out her painting samples when needed to discuss the color schemes for the house. While Karen was here, she helped us completely rearrange our family room furniture and accessories to make the area more open and appealing. The time was very productive from our perspective. We had negotiated a fixed price for the session and Karen was clear she would work through the entire house regardless of the time frame. After about 2 1/2 hours we had to end the meeting due to another commitment. By that time we had covered all of the downstairs rooms that were in the "first phase" of our project. Karen offered to meet us if we went to a store to pick out our room colors at no additional charge. We were pleased with the results of our consultation and would recommend Karen to anyone who is trying to figure out where to get started with their Interior Redecorating project!

I really enjoyed working with Karen. She jumped right in as soon as she arrived and started moving furniture around and she gave me a couple of different ideas for how to arrange my furnture and helped me decide which additional pieces that I should get. She also had some great ideas for things to put on the walls and gave me some tips on where I could find things that weren't too expensive which I really appreciated becuase I'm fairly new to the area and wasn't aware some of these places existed. I'm feeling much less overwelmed now that I have plan for what I need and where can go to get it.

She re-arranged our great room furniture so that it is much more airy and attractive. She also suggested some specific colors to put on our walls although we have yet to purchase the furniture. She gave us info on a painter that she works with. She gave us several hints on accessories as well. She suggested places to sell our old furniture. She spent about 2 and 1/2 hours with us.

Karen was exactly what I was looking for. She was on time and very energetic. She was at our house for two hours and it seemed to fly by. I wanted someone to help steer me in the right direction when it came to redecorating my kitchen. I also needed to make sure it flowed with the rest of my rooms and get ideas for future decorating. By the time she left, I was so motivated and excited with the plan that she helped to lay out for us. What I think is so wonderful is that I can do my decorating in stages and call her when I need her. Once we get some of the big projects done I plan on calling her again and having her come back out and help me with the little details as well. She was willing to do whatever we needed of her and didn't feel like we had to spend a fortune to get what we wanted.

We contacted Karen via email and on the same day she responded to set up an appointment. She arrived on time, loaded with idea books and paint samples. We discussed our ideas and she was full of tips and colorful changes, always concerned with our needs and budget! When it was time to go, she had written plans for every room, color and decorating idea. Brilliant.... We LOVE that our average house has blossomed into a beautiful and warm home. We would recommend A Touch of Whimsy to anyone looking for some fresh ideas for your home.

Karen arrived with a ton of energy and made us immediately feel at ease. She quickly figured out our style and adapted everything to this. She was complimentary and took her time. She did not try and recommend items that wouldn't fit with our taste. She also didn't try and upsell us on items or services that we weren't interested in.

I needed help with my dining room, living room, master bed and bath and kitchen. Karen helped me pick out paint colors, rearrange furniture, gave me leads for some needed vendors and expert decorating advise. When Karen arrived, she went right to work and exceeded my expectations. When she left I had clear notes of items to be done and references. Choose Karen!

Karen was so fun to work with. I needed help with my new home, figuring out where to place the furniture, decorative items,etc. as well as figuring out what did not work. I knew I needed to purchase some new pieces and Karen helped me come up with a game plan for that and recommended some stores to look at. She also helped me pick paint colors for the rooms that needed an immediate color change. She was very respectful of the items that had sentimental value that I needed to keep and work around. I'm only sorry that our time flew by too fast, she could have stayed all day! I would hire her again in a heartbeat and totally recommend her.

As a starting point, I gave Karen a list of what I planned to do and what bothered me in each room. Karen then went through the house, room by room. She pointed out what already worked. She advised me on window treatments--best color choices, what styles and fabrics would work, and where to shop for the best quality and value. Karen and I rearranged furniture to create a more pleasing balance (she's physically stronger than she looks), and she advised me on what sort of furniture would complete the look. She weeded out a LOT of nic nacs to create a more spacious look. (I knew I had too many but needed somebody to tell me that.) She helped me to choose a countertop for the kitchen and confirmed my belief that the white stove and microwave would be better replaced by stainless steel. I wondered whether I should replace the kitchen cabinets, and she said they were fine as they were--just replace the knobs and the cabinets will look updated. She noted that the living wall clock I had planned to repair for $200 didn't go with anything anyway and advised me to get rid of it, and she suggested a consignment shop that might take it and some light fixtures that I didn't like. She suggested Oriental rugs for two rooms, which I thought might be a good idea but wasn't sure. She suggested a priority list that was basically to tackle the ugliest things first and leave the "could be better" things until later, when they might turn out to be okay. I plan to take MOST of Karen's advice because it was right on, the notable exceptions being using the antique English tavern table in the breakfast room (it's a gate leg table and I keep whacking my knees on the supports) and painting the breakfast room chairs dusty teal--although it's a favorite color, it's just a bit too adventurous for me. Karen has an excellent sense of scale and balance. After she noted that the artwork above the fireplace mantle needed to be BIG and bold to stand up to the two-story ceiling, I now see what's there as being undersized. I would not hesitate to recommend Karen to anyone, especially someone who looks at a room and says, "Geez, what do I do now?" In my case, I had a not only a problematic floor plan and awkward furniture also but a recent lifestyle change, and she helped me to develop a plan to accommodate them all.

Karen is the best! I had such a great time working with her. She came over for the initial consultation to come up with a plan. Although it was just a consult she immediately began rearranging some of my furniture to better suit our space. We set up a day the next week to start work. When she came over she was ready to go! We were able to get my laundry room completely organized, family room decorated, as well as master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and gallery. She has great ideas of how to use the items you already have as well as suggestions as to where to get additional items for the best price. Karen was the best money I have spent since we moved into our new home. What was once a maze of boxes is now very cozy and feels like home. I'm already planning to have her come back to tackle our home office next.

I am extremely pleased with my decision to call Karen. I got her name from Angie's list and as another reviewer said,"I wish I had called her sooner". Karen explained in our initial phone call her that her consultation fee was $175 for a 2 hour consultation. She assured me I would have a clear plan of her recommendations and that much of it could be done during that 2 hour appt. I was able to schedule the appointment the following week. She was very accommodating when I had to move the original appt time and she called to confirm the appt the night before. She arrived on time and came in ready to work. Karen is very easy to work with and wants to help you create a look that works for you and your family. She gave her recommendation but wanted it to be a look I was really happy with. I appreciated her fresh eye to see improvements that could be made in room arrangements as well as the necessary accessories that pulled it all together. She was very good about using what I already had, but made tactful suggestions if she thought something had become dated. It was easy to talk out ideas with her and she kept me from going back into the same old decorating habits. I am really happy with the end result of our consultaion. It was not a start from scratch decorating project but I feel like my house has a more up-to-date look just by putting the things I have in new places . Karen created a small list of new purchases to make to add the finishing touches so now I won't have the multiple trips to return things that aren't working. My cost ended up being a tad higher because she stayed an extra 45 mins and I decided to add the extra $25.