Interior Design Testimonials
“I first contacted Joanna Cohlan of Fresh Eyes For Your Home for design, decorating, and project management services approximately one year ago. At that time, the main bathroom of my Dobbs Ferry home was completely demolished, due to a serious plumbing issue. Through Angie’s List, I found Joanna, who was able to come to my rescue. My husband and I were so pleased with every aspect of our new bathroom design, and the relative ease of the project, that we hired Joanna to completely renovate, design, and decorate a two bedroom apartment we purchased in Manhattan this January. This decision was the best we could possibly have made aesthetically, economically, and emotionally.
I cannot say enough about Joanna and her work. My one concern about this review is that it is so consistently and overwhelmingly positive in every respect that I worry people won’t take it seriously. From the first phone call, and continuing without exception to the present, Joanna has been responsive, attentive, communicative, flexible, prompt and “on the ball” in every sense, all the time. Her professionalism has been exemplary. She is perceptive and a quick study, and is always respectful of my budget, looking for ways to most efficiently use her time. She’s a smart and creative problem solver, and her sense of space and its use is uncanny. Her design and decorating ideas are brilliant. The sales and management personnel at my new coop, and the contractor on the job have asked for her card on numerous occasions. The apartment is beyond beautiful: sleek, clean, modern, yet warm and inviting! Lots of unique touches, and a bit of whimsy. A huge bonus: she is funny, personable, unpretentious, easy to talk to.
Joanna is more than able to take on both major and minor construction, design and decorating projects which are fraught with frustration, aggravation, confusion and expense, and turn them into “no problems”.
Thank you Joanna!!!”
— Chris Cassorla, Dobbs Ferry, New York
“I first met Joanna when she helped stage my house to sell. She helped me declutter and “re-use” what I already had, plus add a few inexpensive touches to pull it all together. She then helped me completely furnish the condo I moved to. I really wanted a “new” look but didn’t want to spend a fortune. She introduced me to many new things and helped guide me with color and style – and she was very mindful of my budget. I didn’t have to break the bank but I got a lot of quality. She pulled it all together, down to the decorative touches that really make a room. She also helped me arrange all the photos I’ve taken throughout my travels, in an artful way. Joanna has a great eye as well as a great personality. She didn’t try to completely overhaul my style but helped open my mind to new ways of looking at things. She made our exploratory outings fun and I learned a lot along the way. She was an absolute delight to work with.”
— Didi Kirtley, Somers, New York
“Fresh eyes were exactly what I needed for my home! After living in my home for 15 years, it was looking tired and dated. As soon as Joanna Cohlan walked through the door, we started rearranging furniture and the few things that she suggested I purchase, made a huge difference in the room. Joanna was so right! She has a great eye for color and style. Just lowering my dining room chandelier, about 8 inches, was a dramatic change! In Joanna’s sweet, bubbly manner, she had me realize I needed to add some color (beige has always been my safety zone) and we did. I love it! Without spending much money my home has a new look, just by using much of which I already had -removing, replacing and buying a few necessary pieces, my house looks updated, uncluttered and I can enjoy every thing I have. Working with Joanna has been fun, professional and a real delight! I would recommend her to anyone!”
— Diane Feuer, Mt. Kisco, New York
“We recently bought our first house and needed help decorating it. We are so happy that we worked with Joanna. Joanna was very patient with us and took time to get a sense of our taste and budget. She had such creative ideas for decorating, things we would never have thought of ourselves. Thanks to Joanna, we now have a beautiful home that fits our lifestyle and our personalities. We are so grateful to Joanna for making our home so beautiful!”
— Pam and Murray Goldfarb, Chappaqua, NY
“Joanna went through my house, moving and removing, adding and subtracting, and when she was finished I couldn’t believe how beautiful and fresh everything looked. It’s exciting to come home and I didn’t even have to buy a single thing.”
— Nancy Drexler, Accord, New York
“Joanna was the answer to my prayers. I wanted to redecorate for the longest time but was overwhelmed by the prospect of doing so, and simply couldn’t begin on my own. The entire process, from the initial consultation to the final product, was a joy. Joanna skillfully distilled what was important to me, and incorporated those elements into my home. Having limited space, I wanted it to be beautiful but functionality was essential as well. I was impressed with the depth and breadth of Joanna’s design expertise which informed every choice that we made. It felt wonderful and comforting to have her invaluable guidance when shopping and working together. I now have a beautiful and harmonious sanctuary that I love coming home to every day. If you think that you cannot afford to work with a designer, the truth is that you can’t afford not to! Joanna’s wide network of resources and contacts saved me a tremendous amount of money. Hiring Joanna for this important project was the best investment that I have ever made, and I am so happy that I found her! Thank you, Joanna!”
— Ava Slepicoff, Forest Hills, New York
“Fresh Eyes came to help us redecorate our family room and turn it into a media room. My husband and I had no idea how we wanted to proceed but we knew that the room needed to be completely redone. Joanna had some immediate ideas that we were extremely impressed with to maximize the use of the space and we were so thrilled that we hired her on the spot! It has been a wonderful experience and collaboration. She has a great sense of style and color and, focusing on our priorities, worked within our budget with endless enthusiasm. We highly recommend Joanna and would be happy to give anyone more details regarding her work.”
— Julie and Ron Latz, New Rochelle, NY
“Joanna Cohlan is a rising star – catch her while you can! Her taste, design and practicality are always on point. She has an incredible ability to look at the big picture as well as an attention to detail that is unrivaled. Not only did she decorate and furnish my pied a terre on Beekman Place, but she completely pulled together my Chappaqua home. My living room reflects who I am – an eclectic mix of antiques and modern with warm woods and cool steel sharing the spotlight; and, my bedroom a soothing refuge. All within a budget – because who wants to spend more than necessary!”
— Lynn Hamlin, Chappaqua, NY
“We worked with Fresh Eyes for Your Home twice and loved both experiences – first with our parent’s home – which sold above the asking price! – and then with ours that sold for our asking price the first day on the market! Joanna worked quickly and had terrific ideas that transformed our spaces dramatically. Her fees are reasonable and added value to our homes which resulted in these successful sales. Now she’s helping us decorate our new home. We absolutely recommend her to anyone selling or decorating a home.”
— Amy & Tom Newman – Croton-on-Hudson, NY
“What a fabulous job you did turning our “fixer upper” into the beautiful home we’d always wanted. We can’t thank you enough, especially for staying within our budget and taking our opinions and tastes to heart. When the house went on the market, it sold within a month and at a great price. We wish we could take you to North Carolina with us! Can’t thank you enough!”
— Barbara and Neil Stutzer – Ossining, NY
“It’s amazing what an impact a fresh pair of eyes can have on your surroundings. Fresh Eyes for Your Home has helped many of my clients re-envision their homes helping them prepare for the demands of the marketplace. What a difference it has made… quicker sales, higher prices, and happier buyers and sellers. I couldn’t ask for more nor could my clients.”
— Valerie Leis, Associate Real Estate Broker, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
“We feel very fortunate to have been referred to Joanna to help us stage our home. To be honest, we were not looking forward to tackling the work and were not sure where to begin. Although we had put effort into keeping our home in good shape over the years, we had recently become empty nesters, and there were critical rooms that hadn’t been revitalized in a long time. Joanna helped us get started by being clear about what was most critical to accomplish and breaking the work down into manageable projects. Her ideas were great, and she was always encouraging. As we tackled each task, we felt real partnership with Joanna. It was clear that she cared as much as we did about making our home look its best. She also provided recommendations that we could do on our own to save us money. Her sensitivity to cost, while not compromising on the quality of materials where it counted, was very helpful. We were able to stay within our budget and accomplish everything we needed to do. We certainly would not have full confidence that our home was looking its best without Joanna’s help. All I can say is, Thanks. We truly could not have done it without you!”
— Lucy Visceglia and David Coulam, Croton-on Hudson, NY
“I have decided to put my house up for sale this spring and so I have begun the nasty job of getting rid of things that I can’t take with me. Two examples of this are my treadmill and universal gym equipment. So after donating them I found my home with one large empty room. This left me with the problem of how to organize and rearrange all of my belongings to fill this room and optimize the appeal of my home. I knew I needed professional help and so I called Fresh Eyes For Your Home. I’m so happy I did!! Joanna came over, walked from room to room with me and in her enthusiastic bubbly manner began planning. When we finished rearranging all the furnishings my house looked beautifully appointed, cozy and without the feeling of any clutter. The real beauty of what Joanna has done is that I am now enjoying rooms and furniture I hadn’t really appreciated for years. Both the furniture and rooms seem new. The only problem is now I don’t want to try to sell my house!!!”
— R. Apton, Armonk, NY
“Joanna is a gem! She took the stress out of the stressful situation of selling a home by knowing exactly what was missing or needed to be replaced in order for my house to show in the best possible light. She knew the best tradesmen to call and where to buy high quality items so that the entire transformation didn’t significantly dent my profit. Best of all, she somehow, she got it all accomplished in one week and it looks amazing. Before I hired her some aspects of my home really turned off real estate agents and their clients, but after, they all rave about how well it shows.”
— Julie Watson, Scarsdale, NY
“It was a pleasure working with Joanna from the initial meeting to determine the repairs and upgrades to be done as well as removing excess furniture and rearranging existing furnishings to make my very contemporary home warm and inviting. Joanna has a cadre of tradespeople for everything. The result of her work was a home that showed beautifully to the Realtors and their clients… and a sale in a few weeks to a family who saw the house on the first weekend it was shown. They bought our house fully furnished since they loved everything “just the way it looked.” We are moving to our second home which is already fully furnished so we are indeed fortunate. I have the highest regard for Joanna’s talent, knowledge and professionalism.”
— Frieda and Neil Pilson, Chappaqua, New York
“I was so hesitant and nervous about decorating our living room/dining room. I didn’t know where to begin, and felt totally overwhelmed with the project. I interviewed dozens of decorators and knew when I spoke with Joanna Cohlan that I found the right person. She is delightful, talented and a pleasure to work with. Joanna pulled it all together. Our living room /dining room is beautiful and more than we could have imagined. We love the room! We highly recommend Fresh Eyes for Your Home.”
— Jeanette and Fran Siconolfi, Bedford Hills, NY
“When we started a big addition on our house the thought of picking materials was overwhelming. So I decided to get some professional help to keep from making costly mistakes. Meeting Joanna was like reuniting with an old friend. She made me feel comfortable and was able to get the feel for my style immediately. Joanna became my conscience and helped me pick tile, stone, vanities, and paint colors with confidence. She brought out and built on my choices and taste not pushing her own.”
— Stephanie Smith, Yorktown Heights, New York
“Joanna Cohlan is an absolute pleasure to work with. We recruited her expertise for our family room and while she worked on furniture layout and accessorizing, the most brilliant addition to the room was a multi generational family photo wall. Joanna’s idea was to frame selected photographs and build a wall of photos above our sofa that would inspire conversation and stories about loved ones and family events. We love the room, particularly during Shabbat, and the individual framing and overall arrangement is stunning!”
— Dr. Rochelle Goldsmith and Dr. Mark Apfelbaum, New Rochelle, New York
“Joanna at Fresh Eyes is really awesome. After decorating my kitchen on time and under budget, she designed and supervised the complete renovation of my professional law office which is absolutely gorgeous and a pleasure to work in. Joanna is easy to work with, creative, professional and eager to please. I will use no one else.”
— Helaine Brick-Cabot, Chappaqua, New York
“Joanna is a godsend if you are undertaking a renovation. She is a good listener and a fabulous designer. She understood just what we wanted for our bathroom and translated it into a bright, elegant space that reflects our lifestyle and our aesthetics, while respecting our budget. A master at guiding us through the decision making process, steering us to the right vendors, and negotiating with our contractor, Joanna was our ally from start to finish.”
— Merrill Lee Fuchs and Richard Abbott, New York NY
“I am amazed how much I now love my living room! Joanna came in and saw what I didn’t see. She removed some pieces and rearranged the rest. She completely transformed the space and I didn’t have to buy even a lampshade! My only regret is that I did not have her when I moved in three years ago. She transformed my living room from just a place in the house to a beautiful room totally in sync with my personality and lifestyle where I love spending time. Thank you, Joanna, you’re a decorating genius!.”
— Eileen Giuliani, Mt. Kisco, New York
“Joanna Cohlan of Fresh Eyes for Your Home can work miracles. I have had the pleasure of working with Joanna as both a client and a real estate agent. She is skilled at readying and styling a house for the marketplace. Her impeccable taste, sense of color and creativity can transform a property or a room from dull and worn to inviting and alive. I recommend Joanna to all my clients for staging and decorating.”
— Marion Lipton, Real Estate Sales Agent, Bedford, New York
“I had always wanted to work with a decorator so when we decided to do some redecorating in our living room, I thought I could use some help. Not knowing any decorators or where to start, I went to the internet. I read through several sites, and after studying Joanna’s and reading the testimonials, I felt this is someone I would enjoy working with and having in my home. Right from the start, my experience with Joanna was positive. I loved our conversations and shopping trips and I have learned from her. Joanna is bright, talented and a great listener. All her suggestions were on the mark. Joanna was always respectful of our budget. We purchased some new pieces that worked beautifully with what we had. She took a tired looking living room and re-vitalized it with style and comfort. It is now a room which we very much enjoy.”
