Decorating Den Interiors - Julie Disselkamp

We hired Julie H. of Decorating Den Interiors by JT, to provide a rug in the living room, wall art for the stairway, and to do a tile backsplash in the kitchen. This was the first time we had ever used an interior decorator of any kind, so some of our problems were due to our own ignorance of how this process works. Our first mistake was signing her retainer for 10%, ($500.00), of the "anticipated project cost", that we established at $5,000.00. If we had thought this through before hand, the amount would not have been this high for the type of service she provides, but we made some incorrect assumptions about what we would be paying for. This amount is only credited to your total cost if you proceed with all of the rooms that you specified to be done as noted on the retainer agreement. The retainer is non-refundable and will also NOT be credited towards partial purchases, (in our case, if we had only done 2 or less of the original specified rooms). Our Mistake was that we did not read the requirements of the retainer before we signed it. If we had, we would not have proceeded. We were stuck with having to use her services or forfeit $500.00. What we paid for was to have her "to do research" to find items that she felt would look good in our home. She then brought various tile, rug and art samples for us to look at and pick from. By us setting the project cost at $5,000.00, she did her best to have us spend that much. The choices she presented to us were limited. She did tell us up front that the way she made her money was by buying the items at wholesale and then charging us retail price for them. The exception was having the tile work done. We paid the tile supplier and the installer on our own. As far as the tile goes, all she did for us was to provide samples for us to pick from and furnished us with the contact info for an installer. Other than that, we have done all of the "leg work" ourselves. After we found out what the actual prices were for our original pick of the rug and wall art, we asked to look at something different that didn't cost as much. She came back to our house with basically the same rug samples she had the first time. Choices were very limited again. We looked through a catalogue she had for a different piece of wall art. She found an item that she described as "metal panels" that would go well with the metal wall art we already had in the stairwell. When the wall art was delivered, we discovered that the pieces were actually painted wood. The catalogue did describe them as painted wood panels, but we didn't read that part. We just looked at the picture she showed us and used her description of them as "metal panels" to make our decision to order them. When we called her to let her know that we weren't happy with the wall art, she made excuses and wouldn't offer any kind of help to try to find something else or to refund our money. The bottom line is that we made mistakes ourselves. But her services were not what we expected. Prices of items were not discussed up front, our choices were limited, and in the end we were stuck having to go with what she offered us. We should have forfeited the $500.00 and been done with her.

When we bought our new two bedroom condo we needed someone to help us with space planning, paint colors, and selecting new furniture and accessories that would blend in with some of our existing furniture that we wanted to keep. Julie helped us to create a polished, cohesive look in a style that fits our taste – and our budget. We get many compliments from our family, friends and neighbors on our home – it looks like a page from a design magazine! We couldn’t be happier. Dick & Donna Powell Edina, Minnesota

Julie has an eye for design that will help create that 'wow' factor, while also keeping your space functional. She thinks spatially and can see the overall picture that most of us cannot. Julie combines her interior design skills with her art sense to enhance any space to fit your lifestyle. Julie's ability to bring great aesthetic to any space helps you tell the 'story' of your home. Her personable, warm nature also makes her easy to work with, which is one of the most important qualities when looking for a designer!