Reviews:
We could not be happier with our choice to work with Kisha through our design process, and the outcome has exceeded our expectations!
We started with a modest project, which unraveled into a major home renovation that, most of the time, felt completely overwhelming to us. Kisha did an amazing job turning our concepts into a beautiful home that we feel reflects us well. She helped me feel organized and provided ample support when I felt overwhelmed by the limitless choices of counter slabs, wood flooring, and shades of blue paint.
She was flexible, patient, and responsive as the scope of our project evolved, and helped us decide where we could save money, and where investing in higher quality materials would be worth the value. Both her experience in and passion for design are evident, and we are so glad we had her guidance through this process. The result is a beautiful and functional space that we love calling home.
-Amy Nett
Kisha helped us design our guest bathroom and was a pleasure to work with throughout. She was enthusiastic, upbeat and knowledgeable at every interaction with us and introduced us to ideas, materials and a vision that we would not have considered on our own. Most importantly we found her to be very professional and appreciated good communication throughout our project. Always answering calls and emails in a timely manner, following through on any requests for options or more info and always prepared for our meetings. Kisha also has an excellent network of suppliers and contractors in Santa Barbara which we were able to make use of. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone.
-Ross and Anne Davidson
Kisha is amazing in her understanding of the needs of the client, honors the budgetary constraints creatively and is open to suggestions and discussions. She is very personable and has a great attitude towards the demands and perspectives of the client. She has great attention to detail and design. Her style is simple, clean and minimalist.
We absolutely loved what she did to our offices and enjoy the openness and the vitality it brings to the workplace.
-Rashmi Sethi, Mosaic Network
Kisha has helped me with remodeling two houses now, and each time she has come up with absolutely brilliant design ideas that made a difficult space work out really well and her sense of making things come together in colors and style is on point.
She takes the time to go over everything in detail and is very knowledgeable about what and where to get everything.
I will be using her expertise again this summer for my studio I’m building. I highly recommend her for your next project.
-Christina Kerndal Hansen
Kisha is a wonderful person to have as your designer. Her positive energy, great sense of style and patience make her easy to work with.
She makes any project, whether its a commercial space or residential, look amazing.
-TileCo Santa Barbara
I hired Kisha to help me with a year-long major house remodel, and she's been fantastic! She not only has a great eye for design, but she's also sensitive to cost constraints, and she's been an essential sounding-board for me on literally every aspect of the project. I would have been lost without her and would recommend her to anyone in a heartbeat!
-Alan Kuhn
Kisha is incredible and has so much good energy. She picked out beautiful finishes for our bathroom and kitchen remodel. We wanted a timeless feel for our older home, and she nailed it. She has a gift for putting together tiles, finishes, counters, colors...all the important pieces that you really need to get right. An important part with working someone in your home is feeling comfortable with that person--with Kisha I felt like I was working with an old friend.
-Suzanne Cohen
My fiancé and I loved working with Kisha! She has a great eye and made our vision come to life. Her calmness and attention to detail made us very comfortable through the entire process. Any time we had a question or wanted to change something she helped guide us and made sure we were happy with every aspect. We loved that she made vision boards/plans and options to choose from, but not so many options that it felt overwhelming. She had unique ideas that we had never even thought of or considered. 10/10 would recommend working with Kisha!
-Shannon Michalowski
I have worked with Kisha over the last seven years. She has redone 3 of my properties, all different types of architecture. The last being an 80-year-old historic home. I have pretty much given her full-rein on each project. I have told her my thoughts and what I liked and she has taken over. She has given me many options and has helped me save money with outside vendors and purchases, she is a hands-on type of person. I have just purchased a 5800 sq ft home and am looking forward to her helping me turn that home into the home of my dreams. I would recommend her on any projects whether it be a whole remodel or new construction.
-Joe Antonucci
Kisha transformed my drab childhood home into an upscale, modern retreat. She had a great vision, and I couldn’t be happier with the results! Kisha was a pleasure to work with, and guided us through the process, making us feel at ease with the contractors, and helping us stick to the timeline. A true professional!
-Laura Cogan
Kisha has a great eye--and a careful one. She listened to what we wanted, didn't try to sell us more than we wanted, and took great care with shades of fabric and design. We were very pleased with the outcome--and the care shown by the people with whom she subcontracts. Plus, she is a very pleasant and upbeat person!
-John and Mary Wiemann
I've had the pleasure of working with Kisha twice now and highly recommend her services. The first project was for a partial home remodel and the second for an apartment. Kisha is easy to work with and has a great eye. She takes the time to understand your needs, style and budget then works her magic. You know when you see a room in a magazine or go to an open house that's been staged and you say to yourself "I wish my place looked like this". Well, it can with Kisha's help and in a way that reflects your personal style. There were a number of pieces I wanted to keep for sentimental reasons and Kisha was able to incorporate them into a look that is both fresh and modern yet speaks to my family's history. As a result, my home feels like my home.
-Joanne Bromwell
I would highly recommend Kisha Gianni Designs! She helped design our Santa Barbara office. Her understanding of the space and our design wishes were exemplary. Kisha helped us with finishes, furniture and décor. We couldn't be happier with the final product!
-Reese Spach
We cannot say enough good things about Kisha Gianni. We hired her to modernize a tired commercial office suite, and we couldn't be happier with the results! Kisha is a rare talent.
Gifted in both residential and commercial design, she listens to what you want and responds to the needs of the space she's renovating. Her judgement, taste and integrity are impeccable. What's more, she and her terrific contractor, Don Kifer, were a delight to work with throughout the design and construction process. True problem solvers, they're practical and cost conscious, without sacrificing materials or fine craftsmanship. In fact, they finished on time and on budget, and delivered a beautifully rendered new space that reflects
Kisha's unique and tasteful creative vision. The "before" and "after" pictures are revelations! In short, Kisha Gianni is the real deal. She has done such a wonderful job that we've already hired her to upgrade the rest of the building. As far as we are concerned, she gets five stars and beyond.
-Marilyn Osborn and Jeff Eckerle
Kisha's expertise extends through all areas of design for both residential and commercial which is a skill hard to find. From start to finish, she is patient, thorough, and knows how to get the job done. She is very easy to work with which allows her to connect to her clients and create beautiful spaces that last.
-Gina Flint
If you need your coffee in the morning to start your day then you will love Kisha Gianni! She is like having 40 cups of coffee because her energy, enthusiasm, clear design thoughts and professionalism are so infectious!!! I had a bedroom that I did not love and didn't really know how to begin to create a unique and timeless space. Kisha really convinced me to get a four-poster bed from Restoration Hardware, which I had some reservations about, but in the end she was absolutely right. My bedroom is a heavenly spot now and still needs a few more pieces but they will be found when the time is right!!!
I have always felt that I have a good sense of what I like, but sometimes the expertise of a designer helps you put your own thoughts and ideas into a path that is much more clear.
-Dianne Flanigan
Where to begin my rave about Kisha...
It began with a frumpy, dumpy, depressing house that I decided one day could be fixed with white walls. I headed off to the paint store, took home a zillion chips that all called themselves white, and promptly got too confused to do anything. Admitting defeat, I called Kisha, and asked for some advice about white paint. She took a quick look around, and gently let me know that it would take more than paint to cure this house. She then took on the Herculean task of a total remodel, and completely transformed my house and my world.
Room by room, Kisha patiently, kindly, and artfully worked her magic. She was a wise and skillful navigator through the myriad choices and possibilities we faced: tile, fabrics, floors, fixtures, door-knobs, furniture, appliances, and more... She knew the best people for all of the many projects, she knew the best venues for the best values for all our purchases, and was always mindful of our budget. Although she was busy beyond belief, she always made sure everything got done right away.
And, perhaps most important when there are so many remodel horror stories, we had fun! We brainstormed, we shopped, we hung tons of crystal drops on a chandelier one afternoon, we laughed as we paged through design magazines. She sent me pictures of things she thought I might like, took me to stores she knew would interest me, and always kept us moving forward. I also appreciated her tactful way of dissuading me from some of my enthusiasms!
While Kisha has the amazing talent of being able to see a disaster of a room, and know just what it needs for perfection, she is also aware that people need to live in these spaces, and that well, we sometimes have quirks to consider. In my case, it was cats, and she was mindful of their comfort and safety in all aspects of the project.
When we first set out on this adventure, Kisha told me about a client who would come home to her finished house, and say "I love you, house!" I remember thinking, that will never be me; no matter what we do here, I will never love this house. Happily, I was wrong, and because of Kisha, I do love my house.
-Suzanne Forester
Could it really have been over a decade ago that we found Kisha? Her interior design business was blossoming and we hired her to redo my husband's study. The room was a mishmash of furniture collected over a number of years. She was very patient with us, respectful of our ideas (of which we had and have many) but knew just when it was time to open our thoughts and eyes to a fresh direction. Even though we were not going to replace everything in the room, she saw to it that we had a big picture that included painting, lighting, flooring, accents and furniture.
And since then, room by room, Kisha has updated and refreshed almost every room of our vintage 1939 home. She has the ability to dress a home, commercial office, or you name it, from beginning to completion with attention to every detail. She has the resources to coordinate with many different contractors and supervises and works well with them. And she is more than willing to work with clients step-by-step considerate of their time and financial constraints. She gives you do-it-yourself ideas as well as recommends (or searches for) just the right item for a specific space. She is up-to-date with what is “in” fashion and most attentive to what is right for you and your space and how that space will be used.
We have worked with Kisha long enough now that I smile inside as she is leaving our home (we are almost finished with a den redo which we love) and says, “You might look for a new pot for your kitchen utensils” or “Someday it would be fun to replace the patio furniture on your deck,” (and then emails a few fun ideas – never pushing, but opening thought).
Intelligent, creative, diligent, thoughtful and caring, resourceful, and gracious, beautiful inside and out, Kisha has been a gift to our home and family and we highly recommend her.
-Don and Maureen Loster
I met Kisha in 2015 after I built a new home in Santa Barbara and needed some help accessorizing it. As I was new to the area, I wanted it to take on that Santa Barbara flair while still incorporating some of my prized pieces. She was great. She helped me create a cozy home with the flair I wanted but could not put together on my own. She worked with me to incorporate the pieces I wanted to use and helped me find new pieces to give it the flair I desired. She did all of this within my budget. At times, she would make suggestions that challenged me but she knew I needed to be challenged and that I would be pleased with the outcome. She did so very tenderly, never hurting my feelings or making me feel bad for poor design choices. I am very happy with my space. I would recommend her to anyone and have.
-Sarah Pashke
I felt very comfortable from the moment I met Kisha because she was so easy to work with. She explained the design process step-by-step and took the time to educate me (she provided me with many options to make it work for "me") without ever making me feel pressured. She is a true professional and made the whole process fun and exciting leading up to the day of the beautiful reveal!
The contractor (Jorge) was wonderful and demonstrated team-work throughout the whole process....I felt no stress which made it a wonderful experience. I believe in self-care and now coming home every day is a joy and a relaxing experience--how many can say that!? My son loves to share how much he enjoys his condo and how cool its design is to his friends. I still get compliments from first time visitors. I have the Before and After pictures as part of my favorites and bring them out when the opportunity arises!
-Martha Ruiz
Kisha is a pleasant and engaging design professional with lots of creative, contemporary (but not trendy) ideas. We hired her for an "overhaul" of our family room including new flooring and furniture. She was able to make lots of great suggestions for solving specific design problems and was sensitive to budgetary issues.
Kisha is more than willing to collaborate and find mutually agreeable solutions. In one instance, she strongly encouraged us to spend the money on a plaster finish for the fireplace. Both my husband and I viewed it as extravagant, but moved forward with it and we were delighted with the overall impact it had on our family room. The extra expense was offset by Kisha finding savings on the furniture purchases.
She was also willing to work with out contractor on an custom design for a large wall unit. She clearly communicated her design ideas and they were translated into a finished unit that is exactly what we wanted.
As a business person, Kisha is always on time for meetings and responds promptly to emails and texts. Her invoices are clear and concise. We would not hesitate to work with her in the future.
-Nancy Harter
We collaborated with Kisha Gianni on multiple bathroom remodels and could not have been happier with her services. She is not only a creative and innovative designer, but was in tune with the current trends in modern interior design and decor, very knowledgeable with a wide array of brands, websites, and suppliers, and was able to incorporate our preferences in style; while considering our budget. In addition, she was fully aware of building codes, laws, and regulations to ensure that our project was both safe and permissible in our area. She is always responsive, and supplied all the information we needed in order to complete our project in a timely manner. Thank you Kisha!
-Amy and Keith
-Laura Mihalka
Regarding the redesigned Santa Barbara Women's Imaging Center:
I walked in the door certain I was in the wrong location. I asked the front desk for Pueblo Radiology’s location, and they kindly assured me that I was in the right location for an ultrasound of my breast. “Really?” I asked.
I was in awe of the sleek finishes of designer floorings, soft paint colors, spectacularly framed artwork, a tasteful logo and perfectly designed sign. It wasn’t a cold and uninviting space, that is so often commonplace in health, especially in imaging facilities. I was then called back and greeted by my tech, and brought to my personal dressing room. Wonderful drapes framed an adorable chair, racks of magazines, and a neatly folded gown, a beautiful sage green robe, adorned with stitching of the logo and the most delicate touch of a rouched back, creating a lovely cinch around my waist. Here I was preparing for imaging of a painful lump in my breast, but I felt like royalty, relishing in the luxurious surroundings.
The purposefully beautiful environment struck my attention...Thank you!
-Erica (online review from a patient of the Santa Barbara Women's Imaging Center)