Alme Design Co. — Local services in Thiensville

I want to be as objective and as fair as possible in this review, especially since the last thing I want to do is hurt a small business. However, I am someone who really relies on reviews to make decisions so it would feel hypocritical for me not to write one.

I reached out to Alme in early Fall to inquire about their design services and how their process worked. I was told that they charge an hourly fee, and can work with any budget.

We ended up hiring Alme for the interior design of our office space, as well as new bedding curation for our master bedroom. For context, our office space is a small "flex room" at the front of our house and we were starting from scratch to find furniture that fit the space and aesthetic of the rest of our house. I made it known that we wanted budget friendly options.

Our designer was Natalie and she was absolutely lovely and kind! Her response time was quick and we had "mood boards" for both spaces within roughly 48 hours, which was amazing. Unfortunately, none of the 3 bedding suggestions really resonated with us, so I let Natalie know. She said that any different options would cost additional money, so we respectfully decided not to pursue bedding curation any further.

As far as the office furniture design went, I fell in love with one of the mood boards and started to tally up what the cost was going to be to buy everything she recommended. It was going to be around $4,500. I know everyone has a different definition of what budget friendly means, but this was double we had expected for a desk, chair, a couple storage cabinets, and a rug. I shared this with Natalie and she did her best to make some swaps, but still far exceeded what we wanted to spend.

I ended up spending several hours on my own finding more affordable dupes and was able to pull the look together for less than $2,000.

I was told I would get an invoice in November, but didn't ended up getting one until December. I asked for clarification on the amount because it seemed higher than what I expected. I was told that clients are charged for the designers time. I wish there had been more transparency around this from the beginning because we ended up paying for bedroom designs that we didn't like or use.

It's important to understand that you will be charged full price whether you like the designs or not, and that different design options for the same spaces will add to the hourly rate. Bottom line is that if you are someone who either doesn't have a budget or a very generous one, then I think Alme could be...

Jodi and her team at Alme Design Co. have been absolutely fabulous to work with! They have staged various models at the apartment communities I manage. I am in complete awe with the work they have done within such a short amount of time given to them. Other staging companies I have worked with in the past have provided very standard setups, but what ALME does best is putting the word design in to their work, through and through. They go the extra mile to ensure the product they are providing is second to none. They are responsive, efficient and just great all around people that you can count on to get the job done. I would highly recommend utilizing their team for any design project you...

Jodi and the team at Alme Design staged our home before we put it on the market. From stripping wallpaper, to painting and re-carpeting, they gave our 25-year-old home a fresh new look. The timeliness and efficiency of their subcontractors got us on the market quickly and the superb design sense increased our market value - helping us get nearly 20% more than our initial asking price. They were fabulous to work with. We highly recommend Alme for anyone looking to update their...