Story & Space – Interior Design & Color Consulting

With my home project nearly done, I can say without equivocation that Kelly did a wonderful job with my guest bathroom and «lady lair». After trying (and failing!) to make the design decisions ourselves, we decided to get someone to help us, and that person was Kelly. I was looking for someone with a youthful sense of style, ability to help two opinionated people compromise on design, a designer good with color, and someone I liked. I did some research and found Kelly. Once I met her, I didn’t interview anyone else.
She charged by the hour, and got right to work upon arrival. She helped us see where we had design ideas that were actually in sync, She was willing to help us as much or as little as we needed, and in no way imposed her own opinions on us. However, she was a great guide in telling us what would work and what wouldn’t and wasn’t shy about telling us what she really thought when we asked her about some aspect of the project.
Kelly did an excellent job helping with our color choices — there are just so many shades of the colors we were looking at. She honed it down to two that would work, and they both do beautifully! We couldn’t be happier.
I would recommend Kelly without reservation. I will certainly be using her services in the future.

Kelly is amazing! This is the second house she has helped us paint/​decorate and she really gets what we like. She is amazing at helping choose colors, and in helping make a house a home. We have received so many compliments on the colors for our house (interior and exterior) and could not be happier! And her prices are very reasonable considering the work involved. I highly recommend her!

Kelly has helped us with three design projects, starting with a knockout kitchen/​family room remodel several years ago, then the complete furnishings for a vacation home, and just recently, the paint/​color selection and furniture guidance for a new condo. In all three cases, Kelly steered us on the right path while respecting our personal style. Her sense of color is exceptional, and she is timely and efficient with the use of her time. In each case we set a projected number of hours based on the level of services I felt I needed, and Kelly gave us great value. We had never used a design specialist before, and now I know how helpful it is. The final results reflect a professional touch, and we saved money in the end by getting it right the first time around.

If you are going to spend thousands of dollars or many hours of your own time painting the inside our outside of your house, you won’t want to make the mistake that many people make by choosing colors that you later regret. Our painter complemented us on the colors we chose and commented that many people hired him to paint their houses and later regretted the colors they had chosen. Can you imagine spending all of that time or money painting and then not liking the colors you chose? What a huge waste of time and money.
If you hve a color consultation by Kelly Berg you will not likely make that mistake. Even though we had a fair idea of what we wanted, Kelly’s input was extremely helpful and was money well spent. It takes a real skill to know which colors go with what and how they will look once a room or house is painted.
We learned of Kelly from our next door neighbor after we saw the wonderful results of her assistance with them. Now we are just as pleased as our neighbors are. Kelly was very efficient and filled the hour with an incredible amount of information and suggestions. She has a real gift for colors and with communication. She was so positive, energetic, unpretentious and enthusiastic that we can’t imagine ever painting a home without consulting her.

I am a fellow color consultant, but interior design is really out of my comfort zone, so I had Kelly come in to style my home for portfolio pictures. I was blown away by the magic she created using mostly items we found around my house. While we loved our wall colors, the spaces weren’t finished-​looking; we were missing the next layer: throw pillows, vases, artistically-​displayed books, candles, and other design elements. Kelly has such a keen eye for what would read well in a photo, how to bring disparate elements together, and how to fully develop a look. The before and after shots of my home look like two totally different spaces. Kelly is so easy to work with– she’s laid back and friendly, but super professional, efficient and confident. I’d hire her again in a heart beat– in fact, I already asked her to style another house for me.

As a part of my «review writing» process I always read other reviews out of curiosity for how my experience compared. I was particularly surprised with the first review that Kelly of Arte Styling received.
I hired Kelly to help pick colors for a home that I had just purchased and was in the process of doing some lite remodeling.
This was the first (and only time) that I have hired someone to perform a service like this so I really didn’t know what my expectations should be of the process or of what the outcomes would be. I think that’s the trickiest part of this is that there is some risk because it’s a creative process and really communication is everything.
I put together my own look book for my house which really helped as a communication tool. It really allowed us to both anchor on what the outcomes would be. Kelly and I had good preliminary discussions so that I would know what to expect and everything went as planned!
Working in a field where I deal with hourly costs, I can truly say that Kelly provides a great service and exceptional value.
When I engaged Kelly, I had a pretty clear directional sense of where I wanted to go. I find the most value that I got from her was the confidence building she gave me. Oh yea, I also love the colors that we selected. All this AND she made two trips all the way over to Half Moon Bay to work with me.
Have you ever tried picking paint, with or without help? It’s got to be one of the most time consuming and painful processes and I LOVE decorating. Trying picking a color palette for a whole house under the pressure of a cont actor with whom the clock is ticking with painters wanting to get going.
At one point in the process, she responded right away to my panicked emails and provided me new options when one of the colors didn’t look good at night. She was even willing to make a third trip out, on no notice to help me test a new color.
Above and beyond all of this, Kelly is really fun. The whole process felt just like I was getting together with one of my girlfriends. She’s super stylish, full of energy and professional without being stuffy.

Kelly designed our office in San Mateo. We were doing an addition and remodel. She really helped with the space planning and designed the flow to help us work effeciently in our new space. She worked hard to bring to the table a variety of samples, textures and ideas for all our needs. She helped us with paint samples, wallpaper, carpet tiles, lighting and furniture. Our space turned into a very beautiful, modern relaxing place. I would definately call on her again!

Kelly has a brilliant eye for how colors define a room and a house. She was very accommodating to our unique needs and is very easy going to communicate with. She definitely brings a fun atmosphere to design. We highly recommend her.

All I have to say is that I am completely in love with the bathroom that Kelly designed for me. I will upload pictures to show her work, but everyone who sees my bathroom feels like they are in a high end hotel which was the look I was trying to acheive.
Kelly met with us in Oakland to pick out the tiles. As I wanted color and did not know how to incorporate it she took into consideration I am a neutral gal and didn’t overwhelm me with anything crazy. We went over how to lay out the tile and went through several renderings.
Kelly was also extremely helpful when we would run into a snafu with the contractor with the tile placement as of course does happen in a project. Kelly was able to come up with a fix with in a few hours. We were grateful since this was part of a master bedroom addition that was already running late.
K-​now to the unfun part… money. Hey things like this aren’t free. Kelly was upfront with her charges and I did let her know what my budget was and set parameters on what I needed help on and what I didn’t need help on so we could focus at the task at hand. Do I feel I got my money worth-​YES! I smile everytime I step into my bathroom, so does my husband and so does everyone who checks it out with a touch of envy…
Pics to come.
No 5 stars as the services would have to have been for free. My friends know I am cheap this way and surprised I would pay for services at all.

Mis-​represented her services and charges at first meeting.
Charged me for selecting a color palette that consisted of literally dozens and dozens of colors, none of which were given any context within my house. Color palette was not at all refined or selective, just a huge selection in very broad range. This was of no valve at all.
After first meeting was not available for over a month to meet again due to various and many social commitments.
Very poor service, and definitely bad value for money.
I subsequently found someone who offer a great service, good taste in colors and excellent value for money whom I’d highly recommend…
Jessie Kaminski Interiors
408.966.5721