Contractor Reviews & Testimonials

Hear from some of our happy customers.

Ann Marie Morgan shares her experience on having her master bathroom and closet remodeling project done by Irene Designs.

Peg Longo has been dreaming about her new bathroom for a long time. She collected her ideas and clippings from magazines. However, she needed some professional design assistance. In this video Peg shares her experience about working with Irene Designs.

Home Remodeling Award

On November 10, 2016, Irene Designs, LLC received the Connecticut Better Business Bureau’s honorable mention award for Superior Customer Service.  (At left, Paulette Scarpetti, CT BBB President/SEO, presents the award to Irene Samson, the Owner of Irene Designs, LLC).  See the full post here.

From the beginning, Irene and Gene were exceptionally accommodating. They came out and looked at the projects we wanted to have done and gave us some great ideas. Irene went back to her office and worked up several potential designs while remaining in contact with us during the whole process. When needed, Gene would stop by and take additional measurements. Upon completion of the design stage, Irene and Gene had us over to their office to review the proposed designs. Once the design was chosen, Gene went into action within days he was there and the demolition started. As things progressed Irene was there to make sure things were on task and to handle any potential problems. A major problem was encountered and within 24 hours we had a couple of design proposals. During the construction phase, all the workers were extremely knowledgable, polite and in-tune with any special requests we had. The work area was always neat and cleaned up at the end of each day. Irene spent many hours with my wife and I shopping for all the essentials that go into a project of this size. The end result was fabulous, functional and done on time. As with any project this size, there minor touch-ups and Gene or his crew were right there to make sure they were done to our satisfaction. The entire process was great, never any undue pressure and the pricing was reasonable.

– Fred B.

I worked with Irene Samson on the remodeling of my raised-ranch style home. After touring through my home and taking pictures and notes, Irene asked what I was looking to do. I told her I wanted a larger master bedroom, a master bath and a walk-in closet. I had 3 bedrooms and I thought I would convert 2 of the bedrooms into one large bedroom, bath and closet. Irene accomplished this though her solution was to convert 2 different bedrooms than the ones I had in mind. She showed me several designs and layouts which helped with the decision making process as I could see what the end result would look like. Irene also suggested some other useful and decorative ideas such as a linen closet, shelving and oversized windows. She assisted me in selecting tiles for the bathroom and knew my taste and style by paying close attention to detail currently in the house. She offered suggestions for lighting and ideas about the walk-in closet that were very helpful. Irene also gave me various ideas to consider possibly for the future. She was not “pushy” but wanted to bring up some ideas that I may not consider on my own. Irene also ensured that any usable doors, windows, closet doors or whatever that I already had were used if at all possible to save on costs. I enjoyed working Irene. I would use her services again and recommend her for any remodeling projects. She has great creative ideas to share, her prices are reasonable and she is a pleasure to work with.

– Pam K.

After making the decision to renovate our home last year, we decided to hire Irene Designs. We had considered four contractors. However, the combination of Irene’s talents as a consultant and Gene’s abilities as a contractor seemed to be the best choice for our renovation project.

Gene’s experience in construction and remodeling plus his ability to resolve unanticipated structural problems was appreciated. He always worked closely with us to assure that the finished product would meet our expectation. Likewise, Irene was always willing to discuss options for modifying and decorating our home. Her recommendations for the kitchen floor and design of the backsplash for the kitchen countertops plus the tile patterns of the bathrooms all helped to make these rooms focal points of our remodeling project.

– Chip & Barbara

Irene Designs, LLC
4.8
Based on 38 reviews
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Deloris SamudaDeloris Samuda
12:39 06 Jun 23
Irene was very professional and knowledgeable in assisting us with a kitchen.
Jonna Rigon-BinnsJonna Rigon-Binns
19:01 30 Apr 23
Irene Designs is amazing! If you are looking for someone to help your vision in YOUR style, use Irene! I consider myself a mini Martha Stewart but I knew when to call in the professional for vision for my remodel. Irene used her intuitive method along with her technology magnifico and WOAH!
Gayle HoffmanGayle Hoffman
21:37 07 Apr 23
We are so glad we hired Irene Designs to completely remodel our master bathroom and closet. We’re also congratulating ourselves on hiring Irene’s husband Gene as the contractor—more on that later. She is a skilled listener and communicator and has the technical wherewithal and artistic ability/creativity to translate your requirements into a strikingly beautiful and functional design. Our initial goal was to enlarge the shower by removing the dated Whirlpool jacuzzi. Naturally we wanted to keep the budget realistic while also creating a bathroom that would add to our home’s ultimate resale value. One of her many suggestions included creating a new entrance to the bathroom closet from the hallway to eliminate the current door-behind-a-door access. She also recommended that we move the toilet to enlarge the closet and move the shower into the area where the jacuzzi used to be. Throughout the design process she worked hand-in-glove with Gene to provide us with revised budgets and remodeling concepts via 3-D plans, dollhouse views and photos based on our input and their recommendations. Ultimately, we opted for a pocket door into the closet rather than a new entrance, to keep the reconstruction to a minimum. Word of advice: don’t skimp on the shopping spree with Irene! She quickly learned what attracted our attention during a visit to Universal Ceramic Tiles. She was quick to find an alternative tile for the shower floor to complement the shower’s accent wall when that manufacturer’s supply was out of stock. Always conscious of our budget, she referred us to Catskill Granite Countertops for the 72” vanity, since they offered a vast array of remnants. We appreciated Gene’s ability to coordinate the ordering/receipt of fixtures and material selections with the complex scheduling of his sub-contractors. And we were very fortunate with his well-chosen contractors: Sal the electrician; Walter the pocket door expert; and especially Ray who completed the demolition plus all the general carpentry, painting and tile work. In summary, we now enjoy a beautifully designed and renovated master bathroom and closet—and only wish we’d hired Irene and Gene much sooner.
Armida OradeiArmida Oradei
01:33 16 Mar 23
Irene produce a detailed 3-D rendering and Plan. I strongly recommend the quality of her work. The project got approved.
Waynette BaileyWaynette Bailey
19:06 20 Feb 23
In need of bringing my 1990's kitchen to present day, I hired Irene Designs to handle my kitchen remodeling project, which included kitchen design, kitchen planning as well as kitchen construction. Two issues that I needed addressed were 1) Two half walls separating the kitchen and dining area and 2) I had no real prep area. I was impressed with the fact that within 5 minutes of entering my home, Irene mentioned these two issues before had the chance to. A 360 degree render, provided by Irene of our discussed kitchen layout was an amazing tool and gave a visual learner, like myself, a much easier time seeing how things would look. It was comforting having Irene during the shopping experience. Without her, I'm sure I would have chosen the wrong countertop. Gene was extremely pleasant to work with during the construction phase and his workers were not only prompt, it's obvious by their craftsmanship that they care about their work. Needless to say, I highly recommend Irene Designs for Interior Design and Kitchen remodeling. I have already discussed continuing to do business with them. Before & After photos attachedWaynette L. Bailey
Stephen HaeckelStephen Haeckel
20:55 06 Jan 23
Irene came up with a great design! We hired Irene to help us with our kitchen design. Original floor plan of our home in Higganum, CT had the door to the garage right in the middle of the side wall confining the kitchen space to approximately one quarter of the main floor. We were considering taking down the wall between kitchen and formal dining room. We wanted our new kitchen to be bigger and we wanted a bigger island. With the existing set up we didn’t have enough wall space on the garage side to have a nice hood over the cooktop and we couldn’t make it a “statement” bump out.Irene came up with several new kitchen designs (11 options) and we were able to see them all in her 3D renderings. We were going back and forth discussing our new options and making changes. The plan we settled for had our garage door moved a couple feet to extend the wall space for kitchen cabinets and to allow for a smooth traffic flow around bigger island. We got two walls taken down instead of one. Irene came up with an idea to get rid of the front hallway to add room to the main area. Our powder room and coat closet were relocated towards the garage wall, and it looks great.Our kitchen remodel was performed by another contractor but having clear interior design concept along with architectural drawings laid a good foundation for the project and helped in the estimating process. Irene also assisted us in the selection of cabinetry and finishing materials.We are very happy with the project outcome, and we will reach out to Irene Designs again when we get to our master bathroom design next year.
Virginia AleksunesVirginia Aleksunes
21:12 17 Aug 22
We could not be happier with Irene Designs and our bathroom remodel. This is a very small bathroom and I could not comprehend how Irene could fit in a larger shower and retain enough space for a nice vanity but she did it and did it beautifully! Irene, a capable, knowledgeable interior designer and, Gene, a skillful and competent remodeling contractor are an amazing team who have the vision and skills to pull off any work you wish. In addition, Denys (tile) and Walter (carpentry) were very congenial and beyond meticulous in their work. They all explained their work every step of the way and kept us informed so we could make decisions as unexpected situations arose. They found a false wall, previous work that was not up to code and a plumbing mishap to fix. They gave us advice and remedied each situation perfectly. Yes, we will hire them again as we can’t recommend Irene Designs highly enough for your bathroom design and remodel. They will not disappoint.
John DiTomassoJohn DiTomasso
02:11 23 Dec 18
Irene was able to show us how to use our space to it's greatest advantage. She listened to our ideas and incorporated them into her design. We could never have selected the tile design for our bathroom without her experience and knowledge. The communication was excellent and I learned a lot from the process. This was our first experience with getting help from a professional and I would highly recommend her services.
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