Elements in Design

Our kitchen is featured in the video that just appeared on Unilocal,and when I realized that I had never written a Unilocal review for Elements in Design, I set out to correct that oversight on my part. We bought a retirement home in Palm Desert in 2012. This property needed a complete remodel. We lived in San Diego at the time, and we had previously experienced a complete remodel on our San Diego home.
We set out to find a designer and contractor for the Palm Desert project. I narrowed the search to three designers to start, and we Skyped with Penny for the initial interview. Based on what we had learned from our previous remodel, we felt that Elements in Design was right for us, and we stopped the search after this interview. Our property is in an average-​priced community, and our budget was modest. Our tastes, however, are high-​end, with an emphasis on quality (on a scale of 1 – 5 with 5 being highest quality, our vibe is a 4.) So we wanted to pack a lot of design and function into our 1540 square feet as we intend to age-​in this home and live in the desert year-​round.
Our decision points for selecting Elements in Design for our remodel included: 1) Penny’s previous projects demonstrate that she can deliver design to the homeowner’s tastes and budget; 2) Penny serves as both designer and contractor; 3) Penny had worked with HOA’s and our retirement home is in a gated community/​country club area in Palm Desert; 4) Element’s in Design fee structure was fair and consistent with our budget.
This remodel was extensive and happened over a summer in the desert. There were issues and problems, of course. Even though problems got downright bizarre at times, the issues were less difficult than those we encountered in our first remodel in San Diego, so we were able to stay calm for the most part. Penny dealt with everything professionally and sensitively. She accommodated some of our quirks that had impact on her designs. She kept us on track and guided us through the process of making great design and materials choices.
In fact, if we have one constructive criticism, it is that Penny probably should have pushed back on us harder for a few of our choices, perhaps by pointing out how a choice was inconsistent with our overall plan. For example, leaving flower beds in the courtyard when our overall plan was to have as little maintenance as possible in our retirement home. If we had slowed it down, and discussed the consequences more carefully, I think we would have gone with her design which was to remove the flower beds. It is very difficult to take the time to deliberate about each and every decision when there is a deadline with so many decisions to be made and implemented. Penny has the experience to know when the homeowner is perhaps making the wrong decision for the long-​term, or even for the budget. But when confronted by a stubborn homeowner that appears to know what they want (like us for example) Penny tends to acquiesce. We encourage her to develop a technique to push back harder. Perhaps by saying something like, «OK, we go forward with your choice, but this is ‘APA’ against Penny’s advice.» I come from the old-​school of professionalism where we owe it to each other to give constructive criticism, and that is why I’ve taken so much space to give this one. I want it understood that I looked hard to find anything to criticize.
At the end of the day, we are so happy with the results that we have nothing but positive thoughts about the remodel. We get ooo’s and ahh’s from everyone, even four years after the completion of the project. The most recent complement was last week from a new handyman who said, «I will never allow my wife into this kitchen. She will look at me and tell me to duplicate it in every detail for her. It is exactly what she wants.»
We are in our fourth year here, and are considering some adjustments to accommodate new functions in our life. We have already talked to Penny about these. We will also be needing to replace some furniture (we moved our old furniture into our remodel.) We will absolutely go back to Penny for guidance with any new purchase. She has a terrific skill and we trust her eye for design and quality.
We recommend Elements in Design without a moment’s hesitation.

Penny is the best! She came over all way to my house and gave me honest opinions. We initially planned to do a home addition but Penny did a professional estimate and then convinced us to change our mind because we could have better organized our home. Highly recommended!

Thank you Penny!!! I hired Elements in Design for interior design work and she was amazing at turning my newly purchased boring home into model home! From working with my budget, time lines, scheduling, and going above and beyond to make sure our family was happy… Penny was a pleasure to work with! When we have the budget available I’ll be using Elements in Design for our addition. I highly recommend using Elements in Design for any home project whether it’s a remodel, addition, or consulting

Penny and Colette are simply a phenomenal team. They were like my fairy god-​mothers, transforming our once simple and empty house into an impressive and eye catching home. We wanted our interiors to be decorated in an elegant yet comfortable fashion, while having a short time period to do so before the holiday rush of entertaining family and guests. Penny and Colette both delivered flawlessly and we couldn’t be happier with the results. They were extremely efficient and cognizant of our short window of time but were still able to choose artistic pieces within our tastes and budget. All the while, they made the process fun and exciting.
I can’t even begin to express the joy I feel every time I walk into the house to see the amazing transformation. They’ve managed to make my home an escape, all in a matter of a few days! We are so thoroughly impressed and grateful to have worked with Elements in Design and undoubtedly will be referring to them for our design needs in the future.

I contacted Penny about a small kitchen problem we had with our oven range and counter tops. She was very prompt in getting back to me, professional and knowledgeable. She gave me very good advice on the options I had and spent time walking me through them even though it was just an initial call. I wish we had worked with Penny when we remodeled our house 4 years ago.

We have worked with Penny on multiple re-​modelling projects in two different houses over the past years, one in San Mateo, one in Hillsborough, and have been absolutely delighted with her and her team. We’ve done multiple bathroom remodels, a bedroom remodel, family room, and even a full kitchen remodel.
Penny ‘s creativity and eye for design and color are quite extraordinary, and it has been a pleasure to work with her, Colette, and their teams of contractors, all of whom have been effficient, unobtrusive, and easy to work with /​schedule around.

I found Elements in Design by the Unilocal reviews and the numerous stars and was not disappointed. Elements in Design is worth every star. I was first impressed by Penny’s professional attention to customer service. My husband and I had no idea where to begin or how to furnish and decorate our new remodeled ‘great’ room. Because we were not sure where to begin, Penny suggested a 2 hr. consult/​work appointment where she would come and consult, move furniture, hang pictures-​WHATEVER– and that is just what she did! She was amazing. She takes the time to really listen to what it is you like and your style; she wants to understand what you want to use your space for then goes from there. She utilized every minute of our time to helping us and yes-​she does move furniture around! She doesn’t try and sell you anything-​she is great about using what you have and knows where to find a good bargain! However, if what you want is all new furnishings and décor; she does that too and will even go shopping with you. We intend to use Penny again when we are ready to go shopping. She has an exceptional eye for detail, color, and flow of a room. We loved her ideas and what she accomplished in just two hours in our home. I highly recommend Elements in Design.

I live in Northern California and needed to have a lot of work done in both my master and guest baths. I had absolutely no idea where to begin, so I started looking for a contractor on Unilocal with very high ratings. I found Elements in Design and was initially «wowed» by the numerous five stars that Penny had accummulated. I have to tell you, though, the five stars are no exaggeration. Elements in Design is worth every single star, and if I could give Penny even more, I would do it in a heartbeat!
Penny has it all — a contractor’s license, a degree in interior design — and best of all, she’s a delight to work with. So is Penny’s assistant, Colette. Both are responsive, easy to reach by either e-​mail or phone, and they have a way of making each client feel as if s/​he is their most important customer.
I needed a lot of assistance in picking out tile and vanities and countertop materials, etc., and Penny and Colette were there to help. They even took me shopping, which could not have been an easy feat for them, since I hate to shop. I hate to shop for anything — much less for materials about which I know absolutely nothing — but Penny and Colette made the excursions fun! They were able, when I wasn’t, to find just the right items for both baths, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Like Penny and Colette, John (who does the installations) and Rick (who does the fabrications) are true professionals. Their work is precise and done in a timely fashion; and this is the first time I have ever worked with a contractor who was able to pinpoint the date that a job would end and stick with it. No excuses, no delays. Penny and Colette knew how long the work would take, and their prediction was on the money.
If you need a contractor and/​or an interior designer — no matter how large or small the job may be — call Penny at Elements in Design before you call anyone else. I am positive you’ll be glad you did!

We had Penny come to our house to help us design a space-​saving plan for our guest bath remodel. She took into account that we were doing part of the work ourselves and drew up a plan that we love. Even for just a small consult she spent many hours doing the drawings, and then over an hour at our house showing us her ideas plus answering all of our questions. This helped us a ton to have a starting point for the remodel and also to get proper permits. She was very patient and thorough and we definitely plan to use her for all our home remodel plans!

We had the best experience working with Penny to Design our master bedroom /​bath remodel. She also ran an amazing construction crew. Our project came out great. The thing I always like to emphasize to people when I tell them about Penny is that she is a master at re-​working awkward spaces to make them more functional and liveable. She is truely gifted with space planning!

Penny has successfully completed two big projects for us, the kitchen/​family room as well as two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Can I just say that my remodel would have been a disaster without her amazing design capabilities and hand holding. She helped me not only choose little details but pointed out designs that were so much more practical. I love my house now and it is all because of Penny!

i had a room addition done with the company.
overall very positive impression.
it’s headed by penny chin, a very together, organized, and responsible designer/​general contractor.
i do recommend hiring a general contractor running a project taking care of any possible snags. she works within my budget, making great recommendation; the most important part: taking care of dealing with other sub-​contractors.
for example, one paint sub-​contractor whose paint work on the closet door i didn’t like, penny was there to take care of this, and got it done with quality. that and a few other small project snags i wouldn’t have been able to deal with if i were to run my own project.
In an industry filled with so many flakes, who procrastinate, or slack off once the project locks in after starting. Penny chin’s company is an exception, she cares about her professional reputation, even if it’s just one time project.
becky chow

We contacted Elements In Design for our bathroom remodel. I loved working with Penny! She is creative, goes above and beyond to work with our budget, style, and personality. Our family will forever appreciate her work and attention to detail.

Penny Chin and I have worked together on many different projects from residential to commercial properties. I have been very impressed with her work that I hired her when I moved in to my Belmont home and also when I opened two showrooms in Burlingame. Penny’s work is versatile, from contemporary, modern to old world traditional. Her attention to detail of each room is impeccable, from the furnishings, accessories, color and theme which flow throughout the house — leaves one in awe. I highly recommend Penny Chin to all of my clients who are in need of an interior designer. She has my confidence and trust that they will be well taken cared of and more than satisfied of a job well done.