“We started the process of engaging an architect back in early 2018, with the thoughts of adding a second story to our house. Charlene was brought on from the beginning of the project for her expertise in Space Planning, which was instrumental in feeling comfortable and confident in signing off on the Architectural Schematic Design. We are finally done with our project, and I can say with confidence that Charlene’s role in the overall project was key. She has knowledge of optimal spaces and dimensions for the best flow. These are things that architects might not think about since they are wearing a different type of hat, looking at things from a more structural standpoint.

Charlene is personable and made sure to get an idea of how our family functions and gain a deep understanding of what our goals were for the addition. It was so important to talk through this with an expert and she was able to work closely with our architect as well. For example, one of my big wishes was to have a functional mudroom. From our limited existing space, she actually managed to create a perfectly sized mudroom with access from the garage and included all of my requirements (laundry and storage and space for an indoor refrigerator so I didn’t have to step into the garage to get to it!). We even discussed what may seem like minute details, (like which way all the doors should swing), which is so important in the flow and usage of all spaces. Another example, is that she was able to notice that in the plans an upstairs storage area sat right above the mudroom, so she was able to implement a really cool laundry chute! In another instance, we were set to create an indoor/outdoor living space (which we so often see photographed so beautifully in magazines and on Instagram). She asked us all the right questions which ultimately helped us to decide, instead, to build a beautiful banquette area with large functional windows above it, and added some usable square footage to accommodate it. We were able to maximize space and can even seat 10+ people in that area versus wasting that space to create a big open space that we would not appreciate as much. Charlene understands that aesthetics are important, yet she emphasizes the value of function first. She often said “It almost doesn’t matter how pretty it is if it doesn’t function well —because you won’t use it!”

These are things that add SO much value to day to day living that I am so grateful for. She helped to create 3D drawings of certain spaces to help us feel comfortable with the layout and scale, and also think about the furniture aspect and how and where things would be placed. Everything related to the architectural design is done up front and oftentimes, once approved by the city, it is not easy to alter, so I highly recommend hiring a Space Planner from the beginning. If we did not hire Charlene, I know that we would not have as functional a house that we absolutely love. Thanks Charlene for helping us create our dream home!”

— Lucinda W.

“Dear Charlene, 

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for all that you have done to help us transform our house into our dream home. Just think of all the mistakes we would have made if we hadn’t met you and had tried to design ourselves!  Having worked with you closely for over 7 months to do a complete house remodel, we are more than impressed with your strong work ethics, great sense of design/style, ability to space plan, resourcefulness, patience and dedication to achieving perfection.  

Where do we start to thank you.  First, we would like to thank you for sharing your expertise on all the various materials for countertops and flooring to chose from.  We are so thankful that you introduced us to the beauty and functionality of Neolith countertops for our kitchen and bathrooms.  We love it so much and enjoy it everyday.  Also, we would like to thank you for your excellent space planning. You worked your magic and turned our bonus room from a low use, uninviting space to one that is warm and bustling with our family daily activities.  Furthermore, we want to thank you for all your hard work and dedication that has enabled our project to finish in a timely manner.  Whenever an obstacle surfaces in our remodel, you worked hard to resolve it to prevent delays.  For instance, when our contractor could no longer remodel our staircase, you quickly did a thorough search and found us a new contractor, who ended up transforming our outdated staircase into an elegant, magnificent one.  Last but most importantly, thank you for listening to us and getting to know us so well that you came to know our meaning of beauty and our needs in terms of functionality.  From this you were able to design the most fitting home for our family.  We cannot thank you enough for making our remodel a smooth and enjoyable process with our dream home as an end product for our family to enjoy everyday.  Thank you, Charlene!” 

-Tina and Richard Y.

“I am so grateful to have had Charlene’s vision and guidance every step of the way when we remodeled our home.  There were some instances my husband and I had some disagreements, and I’m so thankful I ultimately listened to Charlene’s unbiased, sound advice.  She is extremely attentive to detail.  For example, I had expressed to Charlene that I felt claustrophobic in the standing shower in the master bathroom.  While the bathroom was spacious, the standing shower was quite small, which was surrounded by 3 walls and a frosted glass door.  It felt extremely closed and suffocating when inside the standing shower.  And I was almost convinced by my husband to “just leave the walls alone as is”.  

But Charlene was determined to help me resolve my claustrophobia.  She suggested installing glass on the top half of the wall, adjacent to the sink, and a full panel glass door.  This allowed me the ability to see beyond the shower stall, into the rest of the bathroom.  It truly made a world of difference on the perception of openness and relaxation.

During the remodel, we coincidentally had a water leak from the upstairs, which caused damage to the wood flooring on the lower level.  Our budget only allowed us to replace the wood flooring, but NOT the stairs nor banister.  But she stopped us right there.  She advised us to fix the floor, stairs, and banister at the same time.  Otherwise, the 80’s banister would NOT go well with the modern new flooring, and that we’d ultimately regret it.  So we waited and saved a little more money, and invested into remodeling all of it.  Now, every time I walk into my home, I am so thankful we took her sound advice.  Everything just flows so well now.  Every detail made a significant effect on the home.

This entire house would have had a completely differently outcome if I did not have Charlene on my team.  I am eternally grateful for everything Charlene has done for us.  Our home came alive after she helped recreate it.  Charlene was worth every single penny.  She is very professional, yet very personable.  She is extremely meticulous and has amazing work ethic.  She is a true expert in her field.   Thank you, Charlene, for not only transforming our cluttered and disorganized home into a beautiful and relaxing sanctuary, but also bring peace and calmness to our bodies and minds.  You are truly a gift.  Thank you!

With Love,

Dr. Y S & Family”

“I heard about the remote design services of DMA through a friend. I was looking for some design help, but because of the pandemic, I didn't know where to look. I didn't even know that virtual design consulting even existed, so I was glad to have been referred to DMA. I've consulted virtually with Charlene on multiple projects over the last few years, in 3 major cities, and I am extremely happy with the results.

Charlene’s design sense, professionalism and response time have been amazing. I started each project by providing her with a basic floor plan, measurements/dimensions and photos of the areas that needed work. She asked a lot of questions to get to know me and my design goals, and worked closely with me to help achieve them. She would then provide me with a space plan that was conducive to my needs and requirements, to which I would give feedback or simply approve. From there, she would provide me with furniture recommendations, and even help me order the products. What I thought would be a long painful process ended up being efficient and even fun. Ultimately, she saved me time and money during this process, and helped me avoid some potentially costly mistakes.

Working with Charlene has made my frequent moves less stressful because I know I can turn to her to help make my new space my own. She gives sound advice and is always looking out for my best interest, for things I may not have considered or thought of. She is super responsive and easy to communicate with.

It's clear that she is fully dedicated to this work, and I feel lucky to be working with her.”

-Chris L.

"Working with Charlene was a breath of fresh air! Charlene is truly a professional, very creative, and her work ethic was beyond impressive. We have worked with other designers in the past, and no one comes close to Charlene. She is very organized, reliable, and extremely responsive! Whether you send her a text, email, or leave a message, Charlene ALWAYS gets back to you. And this made our experience so pleasant (unlike our other designers in the past, which we felt like we had to constantly be on top of and send multiple messages before getting a response!). Not only is Charlene super easy to work with, she also is SO good at what she does! She really has an eye for design. We had Charlene design our master bedroom, kids room, and play space, and we couldn't be happier with the finished product. When we initially met with Charlene, we told her our vision for each room. She was so great at listening to what we wanted and adding in her thoughts and perspective. She was great about helping us see the big picture and offered so many creative solutions for some areas that were hard to design. She made our vision become a reality and added so many more touches that truly complete the look we always wanted. We cannot say enough good things about Charlene and definitely plan to use her again for future projects!"

- Allison D.

"Hi Charlene,

I just want you to know how much I appreciate you.  I don't know where to begin.  You are great to work with, hard working non-stop, very professional and you always listen to what I want.  Super understanding but really good at helping me figure out what I want and then from there it's like magic.  I'm known to change my mind and you never make me feel bad about it.  

We've worked together on a couple projects thus far, one being not so big and just now finished a bigger one and I can't stop bragging about your work and you.  I'm so blessed to have found you and I can't wait to move on to the many other projects I have in mind.  You love what you do and you're great at it but most importantly you are a beautiful person inside and out.  

I think we have become great friends and will probably end up best friends (my family teases me that Charlene is your BFF).  I love working with you and really can't wait to start on kitchen, family room and the list goes on.......  I almost forgot I really appreciate how you always try to help me stay on budget and save.  I'm terrible with budgets and you do a great job at reminding me very kindly to stay on budget. That to me is a friend and not just a designer.

I'm sure we will stay in touch and I look forward to getting together again. Take Care and thank you!!!!

Yours truly,

Michelle A"

"When my husband and I decided to redesign our home, we were in the dark about what is involved in the interior design process.  Working with Charlene, of Dress My Address, far exceeded any expectation we had about working with an interior designer.  From the initial consultation to the end of the project, there is open communication regarding your needs, vision and most importantly your budget.  Throughout the entire design project, Charlene utilized a plethora of resources to ensure we were getting the best possible product-whether it be a couch to a picture frame, for the best possible dollar.  Her extreme attention to detail made us comfortable knowing we were getting quality pieces that would last us for years to come.  Seeing the transformation of our home was an amazing experience.  The feeling of comfort and happiness from coming home to a beautifully, well-designed sanctuary is absolutely priceless!   My husband and I would like to thank Charlene and her staff at Dress My Address for her passion for what she does, it has definitely paid off on our end!"

-Christina P.

"Thank you again for the amazing job you did in our living and dining rooms! You made the whole process so easy for us and now we get to live in our dream home. It's still a (wonderful!) shock to see the transformation when I go downstairs every morning. I can't believe this is my house!

Thank you for truly listening to me and my ideas and for being so patient with my opinion changes and my need to talk through every tiny detail (to put it mildly haha). I actually felt like I was talking to a friend. Thank you also for respecting our budget - we've heard a lot of nightmare stories about other interior designers who kept pushing their clients to spend more and I feel like your work was so much better and yet at the same time adhered to the budget. I'm so thankful that we found you!"

-Jennifer Y.

"I am writing this letter to those who are considering using Charlene's services for your interior needs . I have been in the Window covering business for 27 years & have been doing business with Charlene for close to 6 years now & can honestly say she is of highest character ! She runs her business based on integrity , honesty & punctuality . Also she has a great eye for what she does which takes the stress out of your decision making . I would highly recommend her services also simply because she is a really great person & you won't be disappointed!"

-Jim, Van Go Blinds

"My dad moved into his newly remodeled house with all his old and outdated furniture last year. I am a realtor myself and wanted to help my dad buy new furniture that fits his house but I didn’t have the time to do it, so we hired Charlene to help us. She stopped by to give my dad a consultation, took some measurements and came back with a sketch and design board for his house. At the end of the consultation, I already knew she would be able to help my dad to re-design his house because she really took the time to understand his needs. At the beginning, my dad had no idea what type of furniture and decorations he wants and Charlene patiently took the time to give him several options to recommend some furniture that fits his house and budget. Charlene took great care in listening to his needs, and making adjustments to the layout of the house. Then, she was able to find the perfect pieces for my dad and the best part was that it was all within his budget. I am so glad we hired her as she is very easy to work with, creative, reliable, efficient and really looks out for your best interest. Now my dad can go home after work and relax at his comfortable home! We have already received so many compliments from family and friends. Thank you Charlene and I will be definitely be referring more clients to you!"

- Sheiline L.

"I just wanted to thank you again for staging our home. Now that the sale of the house is behind us, I can be honest and admit that when the realtor gave us your card and recommended that we stage the house, I was rather skeptical. I was proud of our house and wanted prospective buyers to feel like it was a family home, and I was afraid that staging would make it look artificial. I could not have been more wrong. When you were done, it still felt like our home, just a better version of it! You were able to see and correct flaws that I overlooked and yet you kept the essence of the house. I actually hope to work with you again on decorating our new home! You have a great aesthetic acumen and I know you would do a wonderful job in creating a warm environment for our family to grow in. Thank you again!"

-Alice Y.

"After purchasing our second home that needed a complete renovation, the first person I wanted to call was Charlene! We worked with Charlene on our first home where she designed and completely transformed our living space. The opportunity to work with her again on a much larger project brought excitement to what was a huge and overwhelming ordeal. Again, we were amazed by her dedication, resourcefulness, and design ideas. She worked hand in hand with our contractors to ensure that timelines were being met and facilitated in every single aspect of the project. Hiccups and setbacks come up in any renovation project, but Charlene was able to maneuver through the hurdles and keep us right on track. Words cannot express how invaluable Charlene’s presence and expertise was in creating our forever home.

Charlene has been such a huge blessing to our family. Knowing and working with her has had such a positive impact in so many aspects of our lives! Thank you, Charlene!"

-Alfred P.