Of course, every designer wants happy clients. I want clients to understand that my success comes when they think of me as their guide. Somebody capable of showing them a life that can be lived better with the work that we do together. Here is what some of our clients had to say about their path. Click on the link of the project to see how their dreams came true.
We chose Corinne after meeting her because I just liked her. I felt like we had a connection. She is just so easy to be around and to talk with and she truly listens to me. She showed us how she works, and she was very organized. She got to know my style quickly. At one of our early meetings, we poured over a huge table of fabrics, and she wanted to know, first what I hated and then what I loved. It gave her a quick sense of my taste and from there on because I felt heard, the process felt comfortable for me.
I had to have a designer for such a huge project. Corinne brought everything together as far as all the different mediums, the different concepts and many things I would never have thought of. In the past, other designers have pushed things on me I did not like and then regretted.
There were a couple of times with Corinne when I was not sure about something, certainly something I would never normally have chosen myself, but if Corinne felt strongly enough to ask me to trust her I did, so I think trust is a huge thing. It shows the connection that she and I had. She knew not only that it would look good in the overall design, but that I would love it. Corinne was not about just ordering the most expensive items, we never felt like she would take advantage of us in that way. She also worked so hard throughout the life of the project to find the most interesting little items. Early on, I thought, this woman is just so good, and she knows my style already! So, she has worked on several projects for us, but it was great to have her on the mammoth house specifically because she really understands the mountains and how and where snow accumulates, and the wind patterns, and the sun direction.
The Mammoth house is just so beautiful. It’s just amazing, you know, every little thing, all the different fabrics, trims, the window coverings. It’s the detail in the house. Even though it is a big house, when it’s just me and my husband, it’s still so comfortable. Home for me means that I can just walk in and be engulfed. It is very warm. It is a place where we bring all our family and friends. There are three major living/entertaining areas, and we use every single one, and when you are in any of those rooms, it does not feel like a large home at all.
Corinne is so talented, why would we not hire her? We became friends during the process, and I enjoyed the times we met at her studio, sometimes with the architects and contractors. The best thing is that I can trust her. I trust her to know what I like and to get the job done. If I need something, she is there for me and everyone on her team is amazing.
Kathy, Mountain Magnificence
Corinne had helped us with a previous remodel, and we did not hesitate to use her again when we decided to build a new home from scratch. With the remodel, Corinne had been quick to figure out why a room wasn’t working. With the new build, Corinne brought an ease, organization and artistic vision that made the process fun and satisfying from start to finish.
We wanted something for Mammoth that was modern but warm, and also reflected the nature and atmosphere of the area. Corinne began by diving deep to understand both of our aesthetics -- brainstorming through web and magazine photos, shopping trips through the LA design center, and a visit to our LA home. Corinne was respectful and fun as we considered options. She respected our wishes and boundaries but also was not a "yes" person. Because we had a strong relationship, she could lead us to consider different options, and things flowed naturally. For example, we never would have considered dish drawers or foregoing certain kitchen upper cabinets had she not guided us to that, and we are thrilled that we followed her suggestion. There was no aspect of the house that we did not discuss with her.
Corinne also was genius at incorporating the unique aspects of our site. For example, she recognized that our two guest rooms, which face in different directions, would get different light at sunset. One of them faces a mountain range that turns beautiful shades of lavender pink over the White Mountains. Corinne knew that we are not fans of pink, but she subtly brought in lavender and grey tones to reflect the sunset.
Corinne paid attention to who we are. She made me realize that I have a "thing" about chairs with personalities. The "Yeti" chairs in our living area are the culmination of what Corinne brings: her understanding of my affinity for unusual chairs, her grasp of what the space needed, and her determination to go out of her way to find the right pieces. Corinne found these particular chairs in San Francisco.
Corinne is also adept at navigating the different tastes of a married couple. She somehow managed to mediate any disagreements with humor and wisdom, and we were both pleased with her proposed solutions.
These are just a few examples of many. The result of our work with Corinne is a home that we can’t wait to get to and love being in. It is beautiful and relaxing and it feels like us. We love welcoming people to the space. We could not have wished for anything better. We can all have a vision, but putting it into place is the hard part. Corinne made it happen.
Karen, Mountain Modern
We purchased a newer Townhome in Mammoth, but it didn’t look the way I wanted it, and I was ready to completely remodel it. I started looking around to see who I could hire, because I could not do it myself. I knew I wanted someone capable of doing everything – all of the new design for the remodel, working closely with the contractor and purchasing and placing the furniture, so that it would be turnkey. I did my research and homed in on Corinne, based on the work I saw on her website. I knew that she was the one I wanted and I was ready to sort of beg her. I did not interview anyone else. Our project may not have been what BDG typically does, but she did not say “no”. I had to be persuasive; we made an appointment, she came, met me and she put us on her wait list. I was persistent because I’ve been in Real Estate for years and have done a ton of remodels. My hot buttons are maybe different than the people that want it fast or on a budget. I am picky about what I want. I want quality. I could tell by looking at her work that it was quality. It wasn’t about the money.
I knew that she understood what I wanted - something more sophisticated and cleaner and very finished. I worked with Zee, the senior designer, a lot, too. The design process went smoothly, they started ordering and were able to go from start to finish with the construction, even in a very difficult snow year and I was amazed they were able to get it done in about a year. They kept everything in storage in LA and trucked it up and professionally installed it all over a few days. When we walked in I was SO excited - it was everything we wanted and more, I mean, it just looked so great! Now that it is done, it makes me feel like I want to be there, as opposed to the day I walked in and bought it. It was just a turnkey, beautiful experience and now, I just love it.
Teri, Townhouse in Mammoth
I just like the way she works. She is down to earth and there is just no pretense. She got to know me so well – she has me down. She does not force a “look” on you. She has creativity that I realize I did not see with other designers.
We used her for a big project in the desert because why work with anyone else? It worked out great and she was able to use so many of her truly great and dependable resources. Her group is very organized, and Corinne gets the whole design and spatial thing. She presents good choices and listens to feedback but isn’t afraid to let me know if she has strong feelings about something. She usually turns out to be right. She has so many resources in her studio to pull together her designs and they go out and search for whatever else they need. Between the resources she is able to bring together, the way she presents choices and her personality – she is so good - you get to the end result, and it is wonderful. The desert home, well, it’s just more than we could imagine.
And she is working on a small project for us in Turks & Caicos which was very dark and now it is updated and light and bright. This project is very complicated because of the international shipping, but her Office Manager, Julie has that process down. In all the projects they have done for us, you just come in and you want to be there – it is home and comfortable - homey and cozy - not pretentious. Anyone who has been to our places says that. I just loved working with Corinne.
Marilyn, Desert Grace in the Portfolio
The challenge at first was to figure out how we wanted the house to feel. We knew we wanted someone with a “mountain” specialty and some of our friends had worked with Corinne. So, we hired her before we got started. We originally thought a designer only did the interior, soft finishes, but she worked with the architect looking at the plans, sort of over his shoulder. It wasn’t that the architect wasn’t doing his job, but he was just as humbled as we were to have her input, and the same would be true for her interaction with the woodworking/cabinetry person. The great thing is she understands the kinds of things that architects and craftsmen understand. She is somebody you can trust because she genuinely listens and actively works on figuring out what it is that you are after. I learned that true design is about the finer elements of the process. It is not about just decoration.
She works at a high level. Our project was complex over several years. Besides putting the fine points on the architecture, she touched virtually every aspect of the project down to the last doorknob and pillow. We are excited to share our home with friends and it has proved to be timeless. Twelve years later it looks just as great, and it is where I want to be.