Tile Designs by Laura

My builder recommended Laura to me and gave me names of other customers who had used her services. In one word… FABULOUS! The selection in her store is unbelievable. Within an hour she helped me pick out the most stunning basket weave marble tile with a plain marble 6″ border. My order was placed before I left and ready for pick-​up within three days. Even my tile guy said it was one of the most beautiful designs he’d ever seen. Love it, love it, LOVE IT! I can’t recommend her highly enough. THANK YOU, LAURA!

My tile guy recommended Laura to us and I am so happy he did! I know what I like, but am not that good at putting it all together. Thanks to Laura’s great eye for design, our bathroom project is coming together with ease and I am so excited to see the finished product. She has a huge, wonderful selection of tile and takes her time with you to design the perfect space. Is she busy? Yes, she is. But when it’s ‘your turn’, you have her complete attention and she takes care of every tiny detail.
Before we met Laura, my husband and I went to Tile America and we were «all over the map» with what we liked. I was so frustrated because we couldn’t pull it all together on our own. We consulted Laura, told her what we liked, and she brought out the most beautiful tile and stone for our bathroom project. It is going to be like a spa and so peaceful. Thank you, Laura! I will recommend you to anyone I know who is in need of your wonderful eye for design!

Not a good experience. Would recommend using different place.

Great service for designing in tile and stone. My wife and I went there to look at samples and everyone was nice to us. They helped us with our project from start to finish and even helped organize the delivery and installation. Laura was really fun to work with and I am very happy with the finished bathroom. Recommended!

Laura is indeed the best in CT for both selection and service!
My experience there was Great! Her store «Tile Designs by Laura» is packed full of (yet organized too!) a wide range of products including stone, ceramic, porcelain tiles, and much more.
She was easy and fun to work with, certainly takes pride in her work… and has an awesome design eye. Laura was very knowledgeable about all things related to tile and design, promptly returned each of my calls, and was eager to share her expertise.
The staff is also just as pleasant, and everyone there really pays attention to details. Laura herself was happy to help with the initial design concepts, product selection, cost comparison, delivery, and even organizing my installation. She did a great job on my bathroom project, and I will bring her store all my future tile business.
I highly recommend Tile Designs by Laura!

So, I’ve read the first two negative reviews and was mortified. On a recommendation from our kitchen designer, we went to Laura. Her store is great. The selection is fantastic. My wife and I gave her the layout and what type of styles we like etc. we gave her samples of the new cabinetry, granite, etc. She was amazing! She has an incredible eye for design, color combinations, etc. We ordered our kitchen floor tile (400sqft) from her and used a tiler she does work with. I cannot tell you how happy my wife and I were with her tile recommendation and the layout she designed. it was WAY above and beyond what we would have come up with on our own…
Next, the backsplash. Again, we went back to Laura and she helped us pick out some beautiful tile and designed a great focal point for in between the range and range hood. We also had a dry bar area which she did something totally different with. She was great giving us samples, answering any questions we had, etc. She even stopped by a few times to see everything so she could really pull everything together. oh yea, she also picked out the color paint for the room which was perfect!
Last, we decided to do the bathroom off of the kitchen at the last minute. We went with a beautiful basket-​weave for the floor. Completely amazing! it tied into the kitchen perfectly. She came over that time as well to check out the vanity, etc so that the flooring would be perfect and coordinate with the Kitchen.
I cannot tell you how totally satisfied and pleased with Laura’s products, design, customer service etc. Not to mention we got into a timing jam with the completion of our projects with a party we had planned at our house (50+ people). Laura literally bent over backwards to ensure that not only would we have the tile in time but also that the tiler would be able to do the job in time. She is AWESOME!!! I would highly recommend her for any tile project you have. I’m also going to be using her when we redo the master bathroom next year (+/​-​).
Thank you Laura!!!

Experienced designer with good ideas but «oh-​so-​abrasive!!» She was downright insulting to us at times. Ventured in some time ago on the recommendation of friends who are repeat customers (who I will now have a serious talk with due to our ill experience).
As the customer, it is your responsibility to 1) work within our plans; 2) recommend design choices based on information we present to you; 3) suggest alternative options as needed, based on your knowledge and experience — in a RESPECTFUL and PROFESSIONAL manner.
It is DEFINITELY NOT your role (or right) to disparage and belittle us for pre-​existing design choices/​architectural features within our home that cannot be changed or that I may not choose to change. The conversation should concentrate on the design and steps needed to accomplish the project. I make my purchases based on fair pricing and as importantly, on the level of customer service I receive. Customer service is as important to me as the quality of the product offered at a business. I highly value supporting small businesses but only if it meets my standards.
UPDATE: Based on the response below from the ‘business’ owner, sounds as though she does not take constructive advice well. Oh dear. You gotta live and learn!

Can I write a review with negative stars? I’ll start off by saying that the selection of tile she did have was good, but that’s where it ends. Laura is awful to deal with. She has zero competence in dealing with customers.
My wife and I went in to look at the tile and picked out what we wanted. Laura had a good eye for design so we went with her recommendation. We wanted to bring a tile sample home to check it out in our room, but she had already loaned the tile out and said for us to come back in a few days and she’d have it for us. We came back on the day that she specified. In overhearing her with other customers while we waited, we could hear that she wasn’t in the best of moods. Well, we all have our off days so we let it slide. She said that she didn’t have the tile in for us to take home and just stared at us blankly. No apology, no nothing. We pressured her as to why she didn’t have it and why she told us to come there if she didn’t have it and she started sighing and mumbling that she had one broken piece we could take, but she’d have to go find it. We agreed to that and off she went into their back room making certain we heard how much stuff she had to move and basically throwing a tantrum so that we could hear her.
We took the piece home, decided to order it, and brought the tile back to her store. We we ordered it and after purchasing the tile, awaited her call that it was ready for pick up. The day came and we got it all loaded up in the car and came home. After further inspection of the threshold/​saddle piece she sold us, we weren’t happy with the natural stone spots on it. We know stone is all different, but with spending $ 80 on it, I didn’t want to be unhappy with my purchase. I brought it back and asked nicely to return the piece because I didn’t like the spot in the center. Well this was a big deal and she got all snotty with me for being picky and said «if you think you can find a better piece than that, then good luck because you’re being too critical.» Not exactly the best response from a salesperson. Every time I had to go in there I would get so aggravated with her because she’s just down-​right awful.
I’ll finish with this: If you know exactly what type of tile you want, then I’d say go there. Her prices and selection are good, but not if you’re like us who had never bought tile before and needed her assistance.

I have bought tile from Laura twice. Although she has a wonderful eye for color and design, the service is very problematic. Here are specific problems I encountered:
1) when she estimated the tile needed for a job, she overestimated by an entire box which she would then not take back; (2) the store is understaffed and I waited an hour once for service; (3) when I did not return her call within 24 hours, she actually yelled at me on the phone and told me, «how dare you!»
Again, great eye but the service issues outweigh the design benefits.