Ruth Kirschner
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $10,000 – $49,999
I have worked with Helen for one year. She sensed immediately the kind of home I wanted. She took me to the vendors that were appropriate. I am visually impaired and relied heavily on her for color choices. She did not disappoint. From furniture to floors to lighting she had all the answers. She was patient with my sometimes inability to make a decision and knew how to get me to that point. She had resources for everything! Helen was always on time for appointments and she was always accessible via email. It was a pleasure working with her.
Michael Klausman
Relationship: Client
Project Price: more than $100,000
We embarked on a complicated renovation and without her calm and expert guidance, the project would have devolved into a disaster. Helen was innovative and always conscious of our wishes and our budget. Her plans were innovative and refreshing yet utilitarian, a rare combination,, we have found. I cannot overrate her professionalism. One last observation, she always returned phone calls in a timely manner.
Cassie Haykin
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
Helen was wonderful to work with. After purchasing our first apartment in Manhattan, we had lots of blank space in our living room for which we needed inspiration and direction. Helen helped us find a “vision” and made what could have been an extremely overwhelming process easy to manage and efficient. She brought it all together for us, and was the ultimate professional.
Helen also helped us modernize our kitchen, and some of the built-in furniture the seller of our apartment left behind. Helen changed the look and feel of both our kitchen and bedroom – without a major overhaul. We are so grateful for her critical eye!
Throughout our work together, Helen provided invaluable insight and market knowledge; and helped us prioritize to meet our budget. She was also always available to answer my questions and share her input. We love the finished product! My only disappointment is that the project is complete and I’m not in touch with Helen every day anymore!
I would highly recommend Helen for any project and can’t wait for my next one, so we can work together again!
Ann Bart
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
I have known Helen for over 25 years! During that time, I came to know Helen personally and was able learn firsthand how caring she is and how warmly and respectfully she regards others. When it came time to choose a professional to work with to renovate/decorate my home, there was no doubt – Helen was my choice. Since then, Helen has worked with me on 2 additional projects – both of them a huge success. Helen has a unique combination of skills. She understands design beautifully and always brings value added to the table while working with my personal aesthetic. She is smart, fun and a pleasure to work with.
Judith Felton
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $10,000 – $49,999
Apart from her exceptional aesthetic sensibility and her gift for making beauty, form and function work together, Helen is a designer who listens. First and foremost, she takes the time to understand the client’s unique preferences, requirements and budget constraints and how the space will actually be used. She sees possibilities where others would be stymied, but she will be direct and straightforward if she feels she can’t meet the client’s expectations. In my case, the challenge was to create a psychotherapy office in our small apartment in a way that would accommodate the needs of my patients as well as my family without compromising the comfort or privacy of either. Helen’s design and subsequent oversight of the construction not only gave me an exquisite and functional space in which to work, it made our apartment even more appealing and livable.
Julie
Relationship: Client
Project Price: more than $100,000
Helen is a pleasure to work with. She is very professional, has terrific design ideas, and has great contacts with builders, cabinet makers, etc. She has worked on several projects for me and I have always been extremely satisfied with the results.
George Manolakis
Relationship: Colleague
We have worked with Helen for 25 years and have successfully completed many many wonderful projects.
Helen has excellent creative design & decorating.
She also is very caring and involved in all aspects of projects.
Mike Barletta
Relationship: Colleague
Helen and I have worked together on many projects through the years from the very large and involved to small and basic. Helen has always provided me with concept drawings as a takeoff for shop drawings to build the cabinetry the customer envisioned for their home. As a professional designer and decorator, who is dedicated to the customer’s wants and needs, Helen was a pleasure to work with and I always looked forward to each new project.
Sheryl Kagen
Relationship: Client
Project Price: more than $100,000
Helen is fabulous! She has great taste and vision. She listens and treats each person’s project as unique avoiding trendy clichés. Her work reflects her client’s personality, not hers. I can say this with authority since I have recommended her o several friends who have been thrilled.
She works well with all ages (new young marrieds and recently retired). She has many connections with vendors and can always find the perfect piece. She understand and respects her clients’ budget and deadlines.
In my case, she worked with me in renovating my entire apartment in NYC in 2015. In this job she negotiated with vendors, supervised contractors and managed the project through our coop’s intricate renovation process (more paperwork than you can imagine!)
Ruth Herfurth
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
Helen was fabulous to work with on the built-ins for our living room and our kitchen renovation. She could see we were easily overwhelmed so would bring 3-5 samples of pulls, tile, countertop, etc., and then stand back and let us work with them. She was never pushy but always available. When we ran into a snag, she jumped in and took care of it even though the issue wasn’t her responsibility. She brought good suggestions, direction, and contractors. I can’t wait to work with her again!
Diana Holtzman
Relationship: Helen was referred to me and I have used her for two projects
As an Interior Designer Helen Grubel is wonderful to work with. She allows your own style to come thru while guiding you through the project. Her taste is exceptional and although fun to work with, she is always professional. Her resources are endless and Helen always considers the budget while working on a project. Helen makes herself available when her clients need her. I was thrilled after my first renovation which was ten years ago and hired her again for a second project three years ago…
Andrew Cooper
Relationship: Client
Project Price: more than $100,000
The combination of Helen’s expert sense of style and extraordinary taste, and the confidence to not just execute our preconceived design ideas but rather to push us to consider options outside of our box, has made her a resource we have, and will continue to, come back to time and time again. Her work has been outstanding in all respects, as the results reflect.
I am a real estate broker, and primarily sell apartments in the very large complex where I live. It is important that my apartment is as comfortable and inviting as possible, as I often bring clients to see it, so they can envision what they can do with the less attractive unit they might be considering. From the kitchen – now about 15 years old but looking like it was done yesterday – to the soft soffit lighting and exquisite baths Helen designed, people are taken with how much can be done and how wonderful their future home can look. On numerous occasions my clients have become Helen’s clients, and have thanked me for the recommendation.
When we outgrew our vacation house and became frustrated trying to find something that would better meet our needs, we decided to tear down all but the foundation and enlarge and rebuild it. We got Helen involved from the very earliest planning stages, and, working with our architect and contractors, she was instrumental in creating an award winning home. She was easy to work with, but exacting, and would not let us accept work that was only 95% perfect. Helen sourced the materials we used, from concrete counters to ceramic and stone bathroom tiles to plumbing and lighting fixtures and flooring, designed our kitchen and baths, and worked with and guided us in selecting the furnishings and accessories. Her imprint was on almost every aspect of the house, which no doubt resulted in its selection as the Overall Favorite in an Architectural Digest competition, as selected by its readers.
Helen Grubel has been a pleasure to work with, and we consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to do so.
Elise Luskin
Relationship: Client
It is with great enthusiasm that I write this letter about Helen Grubel, my interior designer. I have known Helen for almost 10 years and she has been fantastic to work with.
When we initially met, I was planning a renovation of part of my home. Midway through that project our home was destroyed by a fire and we needed to rebuild it entirely. Helen literally helped with every aspect of the re-design.
She was and continues to be a pleasure to work with always strives for perfection. As we were dealing with numerous vendors and tradesman, it was not unusual for something to catch Helen’s eye that was troublesome, even if my husband and I were pleased with the initial result. Helen holds everyone accountable to the highest standard, herself included. She has incredible taste but makes certain to give the client multiple options that reflect their aesthetic preferences.
I have the utmost respect for Helen, her integrity and commitment to the design process and her clientele. She is hard-working and always reachable and accountable. On top of that, she is fun to work with!!
Mark Rosen
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
Helen has done two wonderful, interesting, and successful projects for us in our UWS apartment in NYC. Her ability to listen and understand our desires, prepare creative plans, and manage their on-budget implementation is superb! She has a real knack for getting the most out of smaller spaces without making anything feel cramped.
The first project was to re-make a tiny “maid’s room” and half-bath into a home office and half-bath with a desk that converts to a double bed-sized sleeping platform. The half-bath has a ‘wow’ factor that is appreciated by visitors!
The second project was to renovate our master bedroom and bathroom including a closet expansion. The tile and marble work in the bathroom are outstanding. The bedroom is restful, quiet, and calm…just what we wanted.
Without reservation, we have recommended Helen to friends. We’d do the same again!
Ilana Nowick
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $50,000 – $100,000
Helen was very professional to work with yet very comfortable as well. She steered me in the right direction when it came to picking furniture, fabrics, etc. but also listened to what I had to say and my opinions. She is amazing at designing built-ins that enhanced the area. The whole design experience with Helen was very enjoyable and I would definitely use her again!
Mary Burke Salik
Relationship: Client
Project Price: $10,000 – $49,999
Helen did an amazing job designing and decorating our Manhattan apartment. Her vision, creativity, attentiveness and attention to detail were extraordinary. She really spent time with us to determine our needs and our tastes and always considered them while still pushing us to ideas and designs we wouldn’t have thought of. She was meticulous in the design and incredibly attentive from concept to implementation. We love our new home and are really grateful for Helen’s professionalism, taste and skills!