Craig Certner Design

Craig is Excellent. Creative, accommodating, inventive. He is very flexible, and many of his suggestions were things we NEVER would have thought of, yet they all turned out to be wonderful.

We used Craig for his design services for an extensive renovation of our home in Arlington. Renovation included major structural work to create an open floorplan, a new kitchen and 3 new bathrooms. Craig did an amazing job with our kitchen and bathroom design. He also provided invaluable input to optimize the new layout of the home as we reconfigured the space. Craig made tile, paint, cabinet, counter-top and other selections a breeze and helped remove stress from the process. We are very lucky we found Craig and highly recommend his services.

Hiring Craig was the best decision we could have made for our kitchen remodel. The whole idea of remodeling and the many choices available to us was overwhelming, but Craig put us at ease the moment we met him. He made the design experience fun as well as one that resulted in a beautiful kitchen. Initially, we were going to just refinish our cabinets and replace counters, tile, etc. That was actually his initial suggestion and he was sensitive to budget limitations, even though we hadn’t given him a budget to start with. As we thought about the project, however, we decided on our own that we wanted to do a more comprehensive remodel and eventually took the whole kitchen down to the studs. Once we made that decision, Craig offered us new design ideas and ways of thinking about the space. He struck the right balance of listening to our ideas and concerns, offering us choices, and also narrowing the myriad of choices out there to ones that would be good options for our vision. Throughout the process, Craig was extremely responsive and easy to work with. He was patient during the inevitable stress of having one’s kitchen torn up for weeks and the many small decisions we had to make along the way, and quickly took care fixing any small details that weren’t right. He even referred us to a great contractor who delivered our kitchen on time and on budget. We’re looking forward to working with him again soon on a bathroom remodel.

It pains me to write this, because Craig is a nice enough guy, but our experience overall was pretty terrible. His 1hr free consultation was great. He brought whole new ideas to the table for our renovation, so we immediately hired him. His taste in design was really strong. But we really should have stopped there. Ordering cabinets through Craig was our biggest mistake, and ultimately what made the whole experience terrible. First, Craig made several mistakes in each order. I was able to catch many mistakes when he would provide details, but other times he provided no details up front and mistakes and omissions were prolific. In one striking example, Craig got our ceiling height wrong and specified cabinets that were too tall. I caught that in the first kitchen order and Craig was able to fix it, but Craig made the same mistake in a follow-on linen closet order that he didn't provide details for until they were ready for delivery. We ended up having to install one tall linen closet cabinet upside down because it was designed wrong and we no longer had time or faith in Craig fixing it. It was rarely clear what we were getting for our money. Invoices were vague and lacking details, so we had to start refusing any new orders until he could provide details up front. Throughout the process it seems like Craig had little regard for our budget concerns either. "I need to invoice you for the mods that were never in the original order .. It's not much...." (6 weeks later we get a $701.86 invoice) One day we ask what we owe him for his time and he says "don't worry about it". Then later on we get a bill for his time. So I have no idea what "don't worry about it" means to him. We paid, but we really just wanted the experience to be over at that point. Further, his cabinet company is in Canada. So mistakes cost huge delays. They had several work breaks and a factory fire, causing months of delays. They were quite expensive too. Combined with the delays in fixing Craig's mistakes and omissions, they just aren't worth the hassle. We couldn't even get Craig to order extra stain to be able to trim matching molding around the cabinets and elsewhere in the room after asking several times. Craig still owes us parts to complete our kitchen to his design, but refuses to deliver those parts unless we also pay for other parts we never approved ordering. We asked for details up front, never got them. When we would raise issues with him about his mistakes and lack of transparency, he would get defensive and turn it into an argument while painting himself as the victim. His last performance regarding a drawer front he had promised to replace for free: "I added back the drawer front that the contractor damaged. I'm not pulling in another favor for you guys. Sorry. You are adamant that I'm out to screw you."

Executive summary: best money we spent on the kitchen remodel. We brought in Craig when we decided to do a gut remodel of our kitchen. Taking everything down to the studs gave us a blank canvas to work with that was, frankly, daunting. We tried a couple of the free design services and nothing felt right – everything felt too cookie cutter and bland. Designing the kitchen with Craig was truly a fun experience. He came to the house to talk with us about what we wanted, took some initial measurements, and got back to us with a design. That’s when it got really enjoyable: we had multiple iterations of “What about this?” and “Can we try that?” It wasn’t just Craig telling us what to do, he incorporated our ideas and feedback enthusiastically. There were a few times he told us flat-out not to do something and in hindsight I see that he was correct. We also had some of our own fixed requirements and he worked those into the process. The end result is amazing. The kitchen has become our favorite room in the house and a room where the whole family congregates. Wish we would have remodeled years ago but it wouldn’t have been nearly as good without Craig’s help.

Craig is a warm, personable individual who put us at ease as soon as he walked in the front door. I explained what we were trying to do - redo the powder room and kitchen, including painting our maple cabinets. He immediately made some suggestions for things we had not thought of. Craig has a great eye and I am thrilled with the completion of the project! Every minor detail adds to the overall beauty of our updated kitchen and bath.

We cannot say enough about Craig. We utilized his services for a second floor master bed/bath/laundry remodel and before we were done a kitchen was being discussed. We just finished our second project, a first floor remodel including kitchen, with Craig and once again he delivered. His taste is perfect, has an eye for the details, maximizes any space given it him, and is a true pleasure to work with. We will only use Craig!!!

Overall I am very happy with Craig's work. My bathroom was stuck in the 1960s, and desperately needed an update and modernization. I found Craig here on Angie's list, and was glad I was able to connect with him on this project; my wife and I have some design sense, and I have a construction background so generally know what goes into this, but Craig was especially helpful in pulling together some of the design elements we were open minded or unsure about. We started the project in spring 2018, and the hitch is that my wife was pregnant and expecting late in the summer, and the bathroom was our only full bath in the house. So getting the construction done as quickly as possible was important. In addition to the great design, Craig was able to refer us to a contractor that was available and could do the work in the window of time before baby came. Overall, that contractor did a good job. As far as the design itself, it turned out great. It was a little more complicated than a standard bathroom remodel, since we also took part of another adjacent room to pull into the bathroom and make it bigger to add a standalone shower. The design that Craig came up with perfectly matched our vision of a modern but not too sleek look that is spa like, aesthetically pleasing, and highly functional. Working with Craig was great as he has a great design sense. In some cases we had ideas about what we want but needed it fleshed out more; in other cases, we didn't know what we wanted and let him run with the design - this collaborative process turned out to work great. There were a number of times where we sat down with him side by side and looked at fixtures and lighting options, and he was able to help us pick out the perfect pieces for the space; in other cases, he came to us with just a few options and had us choose between those. As we were more interested in having our dream bathroom, we ended up dramatically busting our 'budget' with high end fixtures and features; but even though we will be taking a bit longer to pay it off, we are very happy with everything - you can only do it once! Craig is a really nice guy, and very responsive to our needs. My only minor criticism is that there could have been better communication between Craig and the contractor at times that would have sped up completion of the project a little bit or made things a little easier. Nonetheless, I highly recommend Craig for your project design!

Okay let's discuss Craig and his services. Back story - I have a very small house and have never gone through a renovation before. This is such an expensive proposition and I wanted to make sure I was going to get it right - aesthetic choices in the kitchen, redoing a bathroom, reconfiguring our living space to be one big open room and how to manage that flow, and how to integrate it into the part of our first floor that wasn't part of this renovation. I literally didn't know where to begin: Hire an architect because we're bringing down walls? A structural engineer? A designer to sketch the space first? I found Craig on Angieslist and reached out thinking that he would be the smartest first step in this project. He has *easily* been the best money I've spent on this six-figure job. He responded to me immediately and came out to my house for a consultation. We immediately clicked, and his professionalism and perfect attention to detail were obvious. Without hesitation I hired him to help me through this, though I didn't understand at the time exactly how much I was going to need him. Here's what this wonderful man does: He made multiple renderings of our space to help us envision how to better use it (this involves a complete reconfiguration of a kitchen and bathroom, walls coming down, etc...) His vision made complete sense, and as I wanted to make minor tweaks here and there he rolled with me and redid the renderings. Once we knew how we wanted to configure the space, he gave us an intense packet for us to get bids on this; he also introduced us to a general contractor who we decided to use for the renovation. Knowing Craig and his expectations made me so comfortable to use the person he recommended - AND this contractor's price beat the others. Instantly the money I spent on Craig paid for itself. Once we got the contractor in motion, Craig then began to bring in the aesthetic options for us to choose from. My husband and I both have crazy full-time jobs; I don't want to visit showroom after showroom to research all kinds of materials. The stuff that was really important to me I dove into (counter for the kitchen island, for instance.) But the other stuff? Craig would give us 4-5 choices and let us pick. Perfect. Instant choices that are sophisticated and match the vision we laid out for the space that I didn't have to spend hours on AND that were within the budget we'd discussed with him. Even better is the fact that the pricing he gets on these materials is at HIS rate. Our cabinets would have been $35,000; his rate cut it down to $25,000. Today I priced out appliances at a local showroom; he took the exact specs to his rep and brought the price down by 10%. Again - I'm saving more money overall than I'm spending on his services. For the stuff that is important to me, he has conversation after conversation with me about how to make it work, and we're also working on a brand new island countertop material to try to get the marble look I want without the upkeep. It absolutely requires more work on his part to get to know this material and to help make sure it's the right choice, but he didn't hesitate when I told him I'd like to pursue this. When our contractor found a flaw in our plan that was going to leave a support column in an awkward spot, he literally worked for hours on how we could either integrate it into our design or eliminate it altogether. I knew I was hiring the right person to help me make the right aesthetic and material choices when I hired Craig, and I was happy to pay for that. What I didn't know was all of the service and bonus extras that he would bring to this renovation. I didn't know I'd be able to get better rates by going through his vendors. I didn't know I'd find a contractor to work in coordination with him over the course of the project. And I didn't know that he would literally help me make every choice that I need to make, from the bathroom mirror to the tone of the flooring to the pendant lights. I literally couldn't do this project without him. He's the best money I've spent on this house that we've owned for 15 years.

We enjoyed working with Craig during a complete kitchen gut and remodel. We found it easy to work with him, as he is friendly, relaxed, and open. He has a wonderful eye for colors, textures, and design. He is transparent in his opinions, and takes into consideration our preferences and the style of our home. I'm glad we took his advice about items we would have been reluctant to do otherwise, such as mixing dark wood island with white outer cabinets -- we trusted him and are happy with the results! He helped organize the process, advising what needed to be ordered and when. I would hire him again for future projects.

Our experience with Craig has been truly amazing. We contacted Craig to help us understand what our options would be in renovating three bathrooms and a master bedroom in an old Victorian we just purchased. Craig made time to meet with us the next day and, shortly thereafter, provided us with his "vision" in detailed drawings that made clear exactly how the redesigned rooms would look (including what walls would be knocked down, where doors would be moved, and what vanities and cabinetry would be installed). He then worked with us (including on nights, weekends, and all hours of the day) to pick cabinets, tiles, colors, etc., always narrowing down the multitude of options to those that he knew would look good but would also suit our taste. Now in the midst of construction, Craig continues to work closely with us and the contractor, showing up for site visits, providing guidance and direction, and keeping us all on track. Having never before used a designer of any sort, I can't now imagine not getting Craig's input on anything. Perhaps most impressively, my husband - who was initially opposed to getting anyone else's advice - instinctively says: "Let's ask Craig what he thinks"!

Craig was amazing to work with. He has an incredible eye and aesthetic. He immediately understood what we wanted. While he fully embraced our ideas and supported our vision, he tweaked them in a way that improved them. Craig worked with us along each step of the process: selecting tiles, fixtures, colors, etc. He worked closely with our architect and contractor. He made a very stressful process bearable with his professionalism, sense of humor, and advice. Ultimately, our new/renovated home is absolutely gorgeous, yet homey and comfortable. Our home looks like it should be in a magazine! Everyone who sees it remarks upon how it successfully combines traditional with modern, for a fresh, utterly beautiful result. I wholeheartedly recommend Craig Certner Design and look forward to working with him again! I hope to work with him, in the near future, to design my dream kitchen...

Craig was so helpful for us during our house renovation. I had no intention of using a designer because I was worried they were going to make my home into something that looked too fancy, which is not my style. Craig walked into my house, looked around and said "John, I LOVE this house". It was nice to see he had as much energy and excitement for renovating my house as I did. However, looking at the picture of his other projects made me weary, I thought he was going to be too modern for my wife and I. He listened to what we liked, and worked with us every step along the way. He never made us feel bad for not liking one of his suggestions. He did make us stretch our comfort zones a little (adding an accent wall, gray island cabinets and white kitchen cabinets...) but it add paid off and I love it. The number of options are overwhelming and Craig was always able to find the right products for our style. He was also able to work with our budget (which wasn't much). The kitchen he designed is AMAZING! And his discounts will more than make up for his upfront price. He came up with a couple of ideas no other kitchen cabinet sales person was able to do From email's at 11:30 pm about bathroom faucets, to picking out tiles on a Saturday afternoon, Craig is totally easy to work with and he made this very stressful situation fun! I highly recommend

I love, love, the bathroom that Craig designed. I had wanted to remodel my bathroom and enlarge it for a long time. Craig was the catalyst that finally made it happen. He was able to walk through my home and get a sense of my style. He took some measurements, made a plan, and then came over with materials to choose from. He made the decision process easy by showing me only a few options (all of which I liked). It seemed as though he was able to read my mind when all I had said was “I’d like a gray bathroom”. I can’t thank him enough for designing a beautiful, relaxing space, which is the envy of family, friends, and even the contractor’s wife! Craig and I have recently begun work on my kitchen.

We are still halfway through the renovation process, but the design is mostly done so I wanted to write a review. Craig has been super helpful with all steps of designing a new kitchen and bathroom. We are taking down walls, so he had several ideas on how to change the space to maximize flow. He also helped maximize in our small kitchen when we didn't want to expand exterior walls to make it bigger. Craig helped us find the general contractor doing the work, and so far that has been a great experience! I am definitely picky about what I want, and Craig was very flexible and able to easily help me find finishes in the style I like. He is also just fun to work with. Can't wait to get to the end of our project! Will update the review at that time.

Craig is great to work with - he comes up with the full range of design ideas, from layout to details such as cabinets, appliances, lighting, countertops, paint color and tile design. We have always been extremely happy with the end result of his designs. We have used him on multiple projects and recommended him to friends and family.

We are very happy with Craig's work. He made the process so easy for us. We would work with him again!

I couldn't ask for a better experience! Not only does Craig work with us closely, he maintains constant contact with our architect and our contractor. Craig's assistance has helped us maintain our sanity. He has acted as our guide and advocate. I have known Craig for many years and have seen his work on other jobs. Working with Craig on my own project has been a positive experience. Although our project is not yet finished, I am confident that Craig's attention to detail and design experience will result in the condo of our dreams. I know that the end result will be absolutely stunning!

It went great. With Craig's guidance our space here at Sundin Associates is comfortable and professional. The palette and finishes reflect our agency's personality, while also respecting the history of the building within which we are headquartered. Craig's recommendations and understanding of available materials also allowed us to check off all of the items on our wish list – including "wood floors" that are actually vinyl (looks great, but is also very durable), while maintaining a reasonable budget.

From the very beginning I knew that working with Craig would be prefect for me and my wife. His humor, easy manner and ability to explain his design ideas to a design neophyte (that only applies to me) was very reassuring to us moving into our first expensive remodeling project. We did run into a numbers of issues and projects changes, but Craig was very responsive and project timelines were minimally affected. Craig is not inexpensive, but I do believe if it were not for him this remodel would have come out as great as it did. He is worth the extra money....Thank you Craig!

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This is the third time I have sought out Craig for design advice since I originally "found" him on Angie's List a number of years ago. The current project is a low-budget kitchen renovation in a vacation home. I have a contractor to do the work, and through him, found some quality budget cabinets, but really needed expert advice for selecting the perfect cabinet color, hardware, counter, and other finish options that would work well with the existing wood walls, ceiling, and floor. <br /> I emailed Craig and asked if he could meet for just an hour to review photos of the existing space, paint chips, etc., and make recommendations. As always, he replied right away to schedule a time convenient for both of us. I had a bag filled with paint chips of the colors in which I could have the cabinets painted, and I had been agonizing over every single option--but as soon as Craig reviewed the photos of the space, he shuffled through the paint chips to find "the color" he thought would work best. His eye is like magic. Once he explained the cabinet paint option, we discussed the other options (backsplash, hardware, counter) and had a definitive plan in no time flat! <br /> Although this will be a simple kitchen renovation, I wanted to be sure all my selections would work well together and stand the test of time. I am confident the options Craig recommended will make for a beautifully renovated and perfectly coordinated kitchen. <br /> Whether your project is large or small, I recommend you consider Craig. He is experienced, talented, and a pleasure to work with. <br />

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Boy, we?re we lucky! We needed help remodeling the condo we had just purchased ? and we didn?t have a lot of time to get the job done. Plus, we needed to find someone who could work with a couple who had never before used a designer. <br /> Then we found Craig. At our first meeting we knew he was the perfect choice. He knew what we thought we wanted, and managed to direct us toward what we needed. His choice of colors, materials and fixtures was impeccable. And it was a collaborative process ? on the rare occasion that we weren?t in agreement, he always came back with a suitable alternative. <br /> Now that we are living in Craig?s design, we appreciate his work even more. The kitchen cabinets utilized every inch of space available ? and even created some space we never envisioned. The new bath is bright and spacious. The pantry adds stylish storage space absent in most condos. <br /> Every visitor remarks about the color palette, the drapes, the light fixtures ? how it all works together. <br /> Thank you Craig! <br />

Craig's design of both rooms was fantastic. We love our new bath and laundry room. I'm overwhelmed by choices and needed just a few options. Based on some example photos of baths I liked, Craig gave me two options and nailed it. I now have my dream bath. Unexpectedly, I love our laundry room even more. It is beautiful and tremendously functional. I could have never created something like it on my own. <br />