Interior Designer reviews across the US

Incredible design work. Loved working with Design Matters.

I have worked directly with Julie Cavanaugh on two seperate home designs. She is the best! She is able to really understand my wants/needs and will come up with suggestions if I'm not sure about the direction of the design. Not only is her vision impeccable, but she also has the team members to back her up and see the vision through to completion. She has a vast knowledge of the industry, where trends are headed, and how to find the crafts people to implement the design. She really listens and fits the budget with what I can afford, giving many options to choose from at different price points. I highly recommend Design Matters.

Julie and Design Matters did such a gorgeous job with our remodel. We redid our kitchen and main living area, as well as our primary bathroom, and added a new office, pantry, and mudroom. Julie and her team elevated the project every step of the way - from recommending we open up our entire living area to redoing floors and walls throughout the home. The layouts the team created have been so functional - even after living in the home for four months, there's not a thing we'd change. Her selection of materials was unparalleled - all of the finishes appear luxury and unique, and the house just feels like "us."

Brilliant Interior Design by Julie Cavanaugh and the Design Matters team. Now working with Julie on our THIRD remodel project!
Julie is excellent in the early phase spacial planning, often recommending small changes that yield big benefits in the flow and efficiency of the house.
She has an unparalleled design aesthetic that creates rooms and color palettes that are unique and beautiful. Uses a variety of materials and textures, and great cabinetry design.
Very distinctive work that always gets a "WOW" from guests.
And to top it off, she and the team are very fun to work with!

We worked with Design Matters for over a year on our home renovation in South Bay, and the experience exceeded our expectations. Julie and Lauren, in particular, were outstanding—always highly communicative, collaborative, and proactive in offering us a wide range of options at every stage.

We partnered with Design Matters for architectural design, permit applications, comprehensive renovation plans, and material procurement. Their process is impressively well-structured, covering every aspect of the renovation journey: from initial design concepts and detailed architectural diagrams to navigating city approvals, managing permit applications, assisting with material selection, and ensuring smooth submissions and timely delivery. We highly recommend them.

Design Matters brings an extraordinary sense of beauty and purpose to every project. Their eye for detail, refined aesthetic, and thoughtful approach create spaces that are not only functional but truly inspiring. The team is collaborative, intuitive, and deeply committed to bringing your vision to life with elegance and clarity. If you value design that elevates everyday living, Design Matters is a rare and trusted partner. We are LOVING our new home, thank you Julie, Lauren, Cristina and team.

Ally was great to work with we love our new furnishings!!

Ally listened to our concerns and ideas about our home. Not only did she change it but gave it a new life! We could not be happier with her services and choices she made to our NEW home!

Ally Whalen Design had a clear vision of how to furnish and decorate our lake house that exceeded our expectations. She listened to our ideas and incorporated them into the overall design. Our family and friends are all blown away by the results. Most importantly, the quality of the furnishings match the quality of the house itself. It all works together seamlessly.

We thoroughly have enjoyed working with Ally in her turn key renovation and design of our waterfront condominium. She has developed very creative ideas for the space and has been quite responsive. Soon she will be bringing the project to a close and we look forward to enjoying our new waterside retreat.

Ally and her team are the best!

Ally was able to take my entire home from concept, to reality in a manner of a few months. Ally is very easy to talk to, shares great ideas and has the right balance between setting and taking direction.

She delivered a beautiful and sharp design that really pops. She heard what I was looking for and delivered. She will give you as many or few options as you are looking for (usually all are unique) - You will be in great hands with Ally and her team!

Ally is the most amazing designer I have ever worked with. She can see design solutions in the most chaotic or design challenged situations. Ally came up with amazing floor plans while I was renovating my home that maximized space, convenience and fit perfectly between the existing parts of my home and the newly renovated portions to make the entire home look like new construction. She also added design details that made my home a one of a kind masterpiece. She was invaluable as she helped me select appliances, hardware, tile and paint colors. She is also a pleasure to work with so you feel like you are working with a close friend. She created incredibly sophisticated yet comfortable and functional spaces. I cannot recommend her highly enough. If I could give her 10 stars I would. I have recommended her to countless family members and friends and they have all been delighted with her work as well! She is an award winning designer and as you work with her you will quickly see why!

Working with Ally Whalen Design was a dream come true! We hired Ally for all of the design work for our recent home remodel. We completely gutted the main level of our home. Ally transformed our kitchen, great room, sunroom, laundry room, master bedroom & bathroom and guest bathroom. Ally spent a lot of time with us on our initial consultation to understand our lifestyle, as well as our renovation plans. She made several suggestions on construction and flow, as well as color schemes/styles. Ally guided us with all selections on paint, flooring, lighting, counter tops, cabinets, hardware, furniture and accessories. She also worked well with our builder to make sure all of us were on the same page with the renovations. We absolutely love our newly remodeled home! Ally did the most amazing job- every room truly could not be more perfect! Ally is also the sweetest person and a joy to work with! I highly recommend her!

Ally hit the Mark!
She has that special gift of pulling an extraordinary amount of details together to achieve the Coastal Comfort that we were looking for in our newly constructed home.

Her professionalism, sense of style and follow up skills made it a smooth collaboration. Oh and they were ahead of schedule!

How did we approach hiring a designer? We were mindful of who asked the right questions and actually listened to us.
Once we sent our Vision pictures? We let her do her job and she created each room.

On a scale of 1-10? She is a 12.

Trust the process as she and her team will create the home that you envisioned for years to come.

We are very happy with everything Ally did for us in our house. Ally and her team were really wonderful to work with. We will definitely be using her for future projects!

In Ally we trust!
After purchasing our vacation home which needed a complete renovation, we knew that we would need a lot of help with design. After talking with Ally onsite, we knew she was the one! She is knowledgeable, open to suggestions and worked well with the contractor.
During the renovations, we were living out of state. Ally checked in on the renovation and gave us confidence the project was moving along.
As for the design, the process was easy. We sent her inspiration pictures and she went above and beyond them! Our timeline for the project was tight, she kept us on time and pivoted if needed. She respected our budget and stayed within it.
When we walked in for our reveal, the house was transformed into a home! Better than we imagined! When Ally said “toothbrush ready”, she wasn’t joking! We walked in with our clothes and sleep in our incredibly beautiful home that night! Still pinching ourselves that the house is ours and are so grateful for Ally and her team for making it possible!

We were building a new house and hired Ally as our designer. Being from out of town, we put a lot of faith in Ally to oversee the design and build process. We gave her a budget and some general ideas of what we wanted and she did the rest. The results were way beyond our expectations. We were blown away when we first walked into our new home! She and her team picked out everything from paint colors to furniture to custom artwork. From silverware to linens, everything we needed was there and in it's proper place. We felt like we had walked into a design magazine. We could not be happier with the results and with Ally and her team.

Vivian saved the day! We had already committed to a contractor and kitchen renovation but were getting overwhelmed with the details. Vivian came in and helped us narrow down our choices, so that we could move forward with our project.

Enjoyed working with Vivian. Not only was she professional and always on time but her design suggestions were phenomenal and easy to get behind. Also her contacts for cabinets, appliances and tile were great. Look forward to next project. Thanks for your hard work on our project.

Vivian was great to work with. She was very receptive to our input and helped us select the materials for our kitchen remodel!

I engaged Khoury Design to design a bathroom and closet remodel for my home. Vivian was wonderful to work with. She took the time to meet with me multiple times and was always available for questions. She was flexible, creative, and up for the challenge of creating something amazing from next to no space. Her final designs reflected what I wanted—she transformed dead space into something practical and beautiful. I absolutely recommend!