Interiors by Design — Local services in Dubuque

Where to start. If I could give 6 stars I would. When my wife and I decided at the beginning of 2016 to stay at our home instead of sell it, we knew it was time to "bring it up to date". When we saw IBD online and set up an appointment for Lynn Ford to come by and talk, we were sold in the first 15 minutes. Sitting at our kitchen table, she was very knowledgeable and patient with our ignorance. Never shoved anything down our throats, and from our first meeting was all about helping us save money and get the most out of our budget, ie suggesting that we don't need to replace our kitchen cabinets to get a fresh new look we will love. She had great ideas, and when she said IBD is full service and if they don't do it they know someone who will, we said sign us up. As Dave Tranel (owner) pointed out, there wasn't a room in our home they didn't do something to. New granite in kitchen and three bathrooms. New sinks and faucets. New flooring in EVERY room...a mixture of carpet, tile and resurfaced hardwood. Removed wall. New furniture. New lighting. Re-painted every room...and the ceiling. Capped our stairs with hardwood. Stained and painted our oak stairway in our entryway. Window treatments. Resurfaced cabinetry. New custom made Amish island...and the list goes on. We came up with a rough plan, which changed frequently as we went along, and Lynn got to work putting together samples for us to try out etc. She was in touch regularly over the spring and summer of 2016 as we went through this large transformation. Dave Tranel even helped move furniture on carpet install day. A sampling of people we worked with through IBD...Josh did an absolutely amazing, no, flawless, job lacing in our new hardwood and resurfacing from honey oak to walnut coloring. Casey from Imperial Stone in Dyersville helped us pick out granite in subzero temps, and her crew worked within our overall schedule to install, and its beautiful. Mark the "Do It All" guy has spent so much time with us he's almost family now...lent me tools, worked on his birthday and Father's Day and did so much great work in our house I can't even think of it all anymore. Sheila in Peosta is working on our window treatments as I write this. And Jen in Maquoketa is working with us right now to re-do our fireplace and kitchen cabinets. And of course the "Carpet Crew" who installed new carpet in six rooms and a stairway. These are just a few of the folks that have helped us. It has been a long process and we have wanted to give up a few times but thankfully IBD was there to help us.

Of all the folks, "Lynnie" has far and above lived up to everything we expected. She has a great memory, remembering details when we couldn't, and always made us feel like we were her only client when I know we weren't. She made a point to swing by our house at times that were convenient to us (nights/weekends), if just to say "hi" and see how it was going. She has met contractors on site when we couldn't to let them in and supervise. Her decorating eye has been a blessing as my wife and I know what we like when we see it, but couldn't put together a theme to save our lives. She made decisions when we couldn't and of course made us paint the whole stinking house again, INCLUDING THE CEILING, but we couldn't have done it without her. Dave helped us through a couple spots of doubt and was always close by if we needed anything. I still have his cell number in my phone. We have made some new friends at IBD and I know we will be long standing customers. Their pricing is competitive and reasonable on what can only be described as quality higher end pieces. We are HUGE fans and will be cheerleaders for them and spread the word. If you are trying to find a full service company to help you with your remodel, big or small, or you just need a certain piece of furniture for a room, I would not hesitate to send you to Interiors By Design. Thanks Dave, Lynn and crew for a job well done. Even though we are not done, we love it...

In January 2024, my husband and I decided to sell our home of 44 years and move from a small town north of Seattle WA to Dubuque. It was “that time of life” when being closer to adult children and downsizing was the right thing to do. We only knew three people in Dubuque at that time – my daughter and son-in-law and our realtor. They agreed to be our on-site help as we looked at houses long distance. An exciting and scary endeavor! We poured over Zillow, looking at new builds in new neighborhoods as well as charming properties brimming with history. But I kept going back to a listing for a 1970’s ranch style house with great bones in a terrific location on a lovely piece of land. The drawback was the 1970’s design. How could we take on a major remodel in a new community where we did not know contractors? Where to begin? Our realtor, Pam Helmer of Ruhl and Ruhl, recommended David Tranell and Interiors by Design as the local team that could handle all aspects of a down-to-the-studs makeover of our 2500 SF house. Simply put, choosing Interiors by Design has been one of the best decisions we ever made. The firm absolutely delivered first class service. We are settled in our home now and every detail has exceeded our expectations. And quite honestly, I love the reactions from friends and family who are blown away when they walk through the front door. At each step of the months-long remodel, I felt heard by Dave and his team. They listened to my ideas and often made suggestions that were better than what I thought I wanted, which is exactly what I hoped for. They came up with ideas for using space more efficiently (moving the laundry area from the basement to the master bedroom, for example.) Their creativity along with their practical, cost-conscious approach to materials and labor ensured that every finish in our house is what we want at this stage of our life – comfortable, welcoming, easy care. I first met Dave when I flew to Dubuque for a whirlwind two-day trip in early February 2024. I was so impressed with the way he organized meetings with suppliers and with Lynn Ford, the crackerjack kitchen designer. In two days, I was able to make decisions on everything from door styles to bathroom fixtures to countertops and cabinets, as well as the new kitchen layout. It was an incredibly productive use of my time that allowed the reconstruction planning to move forward before we had actually moved from Seattle. Working with Interiors by Design, I did not worry about finding reputable plumbers, electricians, painters, etc. All the scheduling and oversight of trades people was handled flawlessly. Dave knows where to go to get things done and helped us find companies to assist with exterior issues including fencing and concrete work. These referrals were invaluable. As with any major home improvement project, design changes occur, and new wish list items are added. Dave and Lynn along with the construction team always were flexible and accommodating with our “just one more thing” calls. The transformation of a 50-year-old house with a tiny galley kitchen, autumn yellow bathrooms, and closed-in layout to an open concept floor plan with a slat wall, a gorgeous kitchen with counter space and cabinets galore, and four new bathrooms has been an amazing experience. Interiors by Design did an excellent job for us, and I wholeheartedly recommend Dave...

Last year about this time of year ( April 2015) my husband and I decided it was time to update our mid 1970s home. Since my husband worked construction, he took on the role of general contractor and the work began. I stopped at Interiors… by design where I met lovely Lynn (Lynnie) Ford who graciously walked us through the remodel from beginning to end. She came to our home and we explained what we thought we wanted to see as our end result.

Lynnie brought us several computerized design plans which were revised as needed during the remodel process. We were not only remodeling the kitchen but opening up our living and dining room by taking out an entire wall. We also wanted new oak kitchen cabinets and oak flooring in all three rooms and hallway. Dave Tranel assisted us in completing our flooring needs. (Lynn followed the carpenters rule of measuring twice and cutting once), so the floor to ceiling cabinets fit perfectly. I left on a Trip to visit my daughter and her new baby during the remodel process leaving everything in my husband and Lynnie’s hands.

I came home my husband had the cabinets installed and oak flooring was installed. Lynn introduced me to several kitchen cabinet convenience designs which I dearly love…. a pantry with pull-out drawers, pull out spice cabinet, pull out utensil cabinet, and my favorite, a secret corner cabinet. Lynn listened to our concerns and questions as they came up. She shared her expertise every step of the way down to helping pick paint colors and cabinet hardware. I simply love our new Kitchen & living space. Thank You Interiors… by design for your help in making our home a beautiful and comfortable...