Interior Spaces

After the purchase of a major Town House in southern France we started to work with a french project mgr. to plan and budget the restauration of the existing house. It had been quite a challenge to turn that old winery into a Boutique Hotel. Permission has been given fm the town for 5 guest rooms, 2 apartments, a major pool and public guest areas. After some months we’ve realized that our selection of the french project mgr, has been a huge mistake and that we could not trust his complete set-up. In addition we lived and worked that time still in Germany and had not been on site as much as we would have needed to be. So that situation had to be changed – asap We knew Shari Canepa and Interior Spaces for years and some of her work and decided to ask her for assistance though California is not quite next door to Southern France. We also knew that she had been involved in a major building project herself. We explained her the situation and she agreed to come to France to meet us in Marseillan. Though I had my own ideas I had no plan how to layout the guest rooms to best integrate bathrooms/showers without loosing too much room space and on the other side having an acceptable size for showers, etc . This and the layout of open breakfast/kitchen/lounge area have been my most important issues and I would not have solved these challenges without the professional concept of Shari. Primary plans and ideas Shari had sketched within a week and her advice on materials, furnitures, complete set-up of the overall guest house, apartment, public areas, terraces and garden with pool have been very professional. One thing I really want to highlight is that she integrated our existing furniture, paintings and personal ideas into the overall concept. We thought in the beginning that the immense distance would make it very difficult to cooperate and meet deadlines. We also had an issue first with the different metric systems and we got proved wrong as Shari coped very well. With the existing technical solutions we could communicate perfectly over continents throughout the working period. We have not been too worried about the language situation as Shari does speak good enough french. I will attach some images of the old situation and some during work period. The images of the results you can found under www.petithotel-marseillan.com

I couldn’t be more pleased with the recent work Shari and Interior Spaces did to completely remodel my 1500 square-foot condo. Shari was great to work with. Her professional knowledge, design expertise, and ability to effectively work with a wide range of contractors, resulted in exactly what I wanted to achieve: a beautiful modern and contemporary home with a casual elegance. Every person who has walked into my condo, from friends and family to trade professionals, has exclaimed its unusual beauty, and has commented on the attention to detail. Shari helps her clients take a thoughtful approach to considering the lifestyle of the home in her design plan. I was impressed by her vision to maximize space, a big priority for me, and design something that was perfect for the space and my needs. She really listened to me. When we couldn’t find furniture that worked, Shari designed it. She created designs for two bathroom vanities, the dining area cabinet, and a unique storage space in the master bath. Shari and her team have exquisite taste, an amazing eye for color, and excellent attention to detail. Every element was considered in designing the complete space. Shari took great pains to ensure that the flow of the rooms is interesting but also that the rooms relate to one another. The results are stunning! I am absolutely thrilled with the results of my remodel. I highly recommend Shari and Interior Spaces.

I have had Interior Spaces, particularly Shari Canepa, do a number of projects for me over the years. From individual jobs, rooms, and complete remodel. She is the ultimate professional. She takes all aspects of design, budget, finances, and one's lifestyle into account. We trust her judgment completely. I have also seen many of her projects for other customers and am continually amazed that her style is so flexible. I know I will use her services again and again. In addition Shari is a great teacher of design and is very patient with a lot of questions from the client. She is gracious and helpful in educating and working with clients on their projects.

The first job that Shari Canepa and her Interior Spaces staff did for me was a home in Rancho La Quinta. While some furniture came with the home when I bought it, Shari designed and had constructed a large sofa system that perfectly fit in an unusually shaped living room. She and her staff worked with me on including a special audio visual system with wireless speakers and state of the art components. The second bedroom was outfitted with a sofa bed in a fabric that she selected that complemented some Panamanian art - it made the room special. A detached guest house was also included in the effort.

We used Shari for two different houses, the first in Santa Monica and the second one in the desert. Our Santa Monica house still has her gorgeous color scheme and all the cabinetry and furniture which she designed. We recently bought our second house in the desert and employed Shari to design it. Everyday we wake up and we look at our beautiful house and we think of her. We can not thank her enough for all the hard work and many hours she put in on our gorgeous house. It is fabulous. We especially apprecited your having a contractors license which is one of the important features which separates Shari from other designers. Of course, we told Shari what we wanted mostly from a functional point of view and she was very attentive to our wishes. She is a good listener. However, that being said, we relied heavily on her advice for overall theme, color selections, scale of furnature, room focus, house focus, and generally what looks good with what. With Shari's guidance working with our local contractor (both of them speaking "contractor talk"), we totally redid our bathroom by taking out the original tub and putting in all new vanities, mirrors, toilets (two of them) and a magnificent stream shower. Shari also redesigned our kitchen, moving the appliances and picked a marvelous color palette which she carries throughout the the entire house. Example, navy blue kitchen cabinets (repainted original cabinets) with large, blue custom kitchen sink. Wow! The house plalette is absolutley beautiful and it is the first thing people comment on when they visit us. Shari has a remarkable eye for color - bold and daring yet remarkably peaceful all at the same time. We love out house. THANK YOU SHARI.

Shari has exquisite taste, but better than that she takes into account the seasons, the light during the day. She came up with many wonderful, I would say ingenious ideas when she was helping me with my new place in Pac Heights. I highly recommend Shari, her decisions are long term elegance with a definite contemporary, even edgy attraction. Her knowledge of materials is deep and global and her decor is very livable, and agreeable. Chic comfort!

Shari Canepa of Interior Spaces is a seasoned professional. She designed and managed two bathroom remodel projects for us within the last several years. Her design sense is exceptional. She was able to create two bathrooms that were (and are) functional, and that reflected our vision. She is competent to take a project from inception to completion and has the knowledge to make architectural changes. We have been very happy with the results. In addition, we had been looking for an entry fixture for over 10 years to no avail. Shari called up one day and had found the perfect chandelier for us. We were thrilled!

After all these years of experience, it's become intuitive with Shari: her skill with the aesthetics as well as reflecting the sense of person in a design. You need both in balance when you hire a designer. Another of her skills I appreciate most is fairly rare in interior designers: her spot-on, on-the-spot problem solving. You know, when you start making substantial changes in a space, you never know what hidden problems will reveal themselves. You have to make good creative decisions quickly to stay on schedule. That's one of Shari's strengths. My husband's an architect and I'm an architectural colorist. Shari's helped us personally over the years and we've worked together on projects, both, and we're always eager to do it again because it is such a fun and satisfying experience. We've seen her work on Ikea-budget and get-me-the-best budget projects, with no attitude about either and great results no matter what. You couldn't do better to have her as a design director on your project. No hyperbole; that's my honest opinion.

Shari Canepa is wonderful to work with. I hired her as a consultant to assist me with developing a marketing strategy for my design business. With her help I reorganized my workflow procedures, and billing. She also came up with several new avenues that I had not considered to approach new business. Consequently, I've had the best year ever since opening my business in 2006. Her extensive experience leading a successful design business over several decades, coupled with her honest and thoughtful approach to working with clients are huge assets. I highly recommend her.

Shari and her Interior Spaces colleagues helped us with a complete remodel of a beach home. New kitchen and extensive "facial" works, but no structural work. Shari was incredible to work with and the final product exceeded our expectations. Shari's creativity and ability to adapt to her client's style really showed. She now knows us, knows our taste, knows our style, and we are using her (and trust!) for additional projects.

Shari did a wonderful job ensuring that every detail of my vacation home was ready on time and on-budget. She incorporated existing items, unique artwork, some vintage finds, and new purchases for a casual and eclectic design that really fits this charming and unique property. Shari listens carefully and was great about finding ways to keep costs down. Shari is talented, responsive, and detail oriented. Shari is good about following through when there are items to expedite or complications to resolve.

Interior Spaces did the complete interior design for my new house - custom furniture, fabrics, Murano glass lights. They started with a layout design, got my feedback and then let me review all of the furniture and lighting orders before they were placed. They have terrific sensitivity when choosing designs, colors, etc. that in the final result are exquisite. I have received so many complements on the interior of my house.