Residents Understood

Despite their «we’re hip and young» sales pitch, Residents Understood fulfills the classic high cost, low flexibility stereotype of an interior designer. Here’s our experience:
We contacted Residents Understood in mid-​December for help furnishing our living and dining rooms. It took them two months to come for a consultation. They then sent us a draft budget and offered to complete the design by April, which meant that any couch or dining room table we ordered wouldn’t arrive until June. We wrote them a polite email asking to reduce their budget by 15%, and asking if they could design around a couch and table if we ordered those pieces right away, so that we wouldn’t have to wait four more months before those pieces arrived. Rather than making a counteroffer or explaining why our proposal wouldn’t work, they wrote back an hour later turning our business down flat! So after waiting for them for two months, we’re back at square one.
I don’t know whether Residents Understood is just a hobby for Kiera and Jessica, but unless you’re willing to give them a blank slate, a blank check, and an infinite timeline with no questions asked, you can certainly do better elsewhere.

We bought a condo near Dupont Circle that seriously needed help. We had just sold our LARGE house and moved to the Virgin Islands… but wanted something in DC for visits back North and hiding away in hurricane season. We had used a design consultant on the house and decided to try it with the condo. The only problem was that we were from NYC and didn’t know anyone in DC. So we went on the Houzz website where we found an excellent review for Kiera Kushlan and Jessica Centella (Residents Understood) and interviewed both them and two other possibles. They seemed not only to have good design ideas, but were also professional and VERY organized.
Our building is a bit retro and after several discussions we decided on something mid-​century. After the planning and drawings, we were so comfortable that we asked if they would oversee the work while we were away for the Winter. They did so. In the end, we also re-​did the bath — which they also advised on. And at each stage, if we felt something was too expensive or just not what we wanted, they found great alternatives. Very good communication.
They knew contractors (who were great) and delivered a final product that we are thrilled about. It was probably cheaper than doing it ourselves in the long run because there were contractor and supplier discounts and because it went so smoothly. Perhaps we are used to New York prices, but their fee seemed extremely reasonable.
It is hard to find people with good ideas who can actually EXECUTE the plan from start to finish. This was a great experience ! Although I rarely outright say this — I would recommend them to a friend without reservation.