Julie and I employed Angela Cosgrove of Creative Elegance Interiors to design and project-manage the complete refurbishment of a twenty year old apartment in the city fringe suburb of East Melbourne. We contacted her due to the glowing testimonials she received on WOMO and found her to be open, friendly and professional, charging very reasonable rates and willing to take on our project which had very tight time constraints as we would have to rent accommodation whilst the work was being done.

There were five weeks until settlement and Angela started on the design stage of the project immediately. Her energy and enthusiasm soon became obvious. She shared many ideas with us while also discovering our particular tastes, emailing us, listening to our ideas, suggesting suppliers that we could visit both physically and via the Internet and on some occasions joining us on expeditions to discover desirable fittings and furniture. This was the first time that she had worked on an apartment and she went out of her way to discover the requirements and restrictions imposed by the Owners Corporation so that we could commence work on schedule.

Whilst having complete confidence in her own design abilities Angela was careful to take our ideas on board and reflect these in her suggestions. This and her creativity were demonstrated in her use of glass doors that had been removed from the downsizing of one of our cabinets in order for it to fit into our new home. These became part of built-in cupboards in our lounge area along with drawers that replicated the entry buffet that we had purchased at a trade fair. This willingness to listen, ability to be adaptive and obviously creative design skills, along with her good humour and constant availability made this stage of the project exciting and not overly stressful.

Before settlement Angela was ready to start the project and we were very happy to sign the extremely comprehensive and detailed Project Management Agreement.
During the second stage Angela set herself and all others associated with the project, the highest standards. She encouraged us to communicate with our neighbours about the project, making sure that they had our contact numbers so that they could discuss any issues that arose. There was continuous liaison with the Owners’ Corporation managers on a wide range of matters specific to apartments such as sound proofing for flooring. Whilst insisting on exemplary workmanship, punctuality and behaviour from her workers who incidentally were skilful, friendly and most helpful ,she led by example, appearing on site, usually before the first arrival and often participating in the work that had to be done. She also made sure that they were treated with the same respect that she commanded and was meticulous in making sure that they were paid on time and helped with the minutiae and problems associated in running their businesses. In turn they held her in high regard, often commented on her meticulous planning and were always willing to adjust their own timetables when necessitated by her schedule being disrupted by factors outside her control.
At the same time Angela continued to generate ideas, help us to make the ongoing decisions associated with renovations, organise suppliers and make sure we made payments on time. She did this calmly and respectfully, always looking for solutions rather than where to lay blame when problems arose and never appearing stressed or irritable.

The outcome was that the apartment was ready for the removalists to return our possessions on the scheduled date. Angela then spent the next four days unpacking, as we had committed to going to Perth some time previously, so we could move in seamlessly on our return.

To say that we are thrilled with the finished product is an understatement. Our new home has exceeded our expectations in that it meets all our aspirations but also has surprised us with the placement of both new and previously owned pieces and the use of colour. We feel very fortunate that Angela managed this project from beginning to end and in the time frame that many would say was impossible.
We are therefore totally confident in recommending Angela unreservedly for all aspects of interior design projects as a person who relentlessly pursues the goals of her clients but with a generosity of spirit that makes the experience enjoyable for all the participants.

David & Julie Harris
East Melbourne

I was was recommended to use Angela from a friend who had used her and couldn't have been happier. From the moment i met Angela i knew she understood what i was trying to achieve . I found the idea of renovating the bathrooms and choosing furniture and fixtures very daunting but Anglea was so helpful , organised , and patient she made the whole process easy . She is soooooooo organised thankfully because as she became to realize this was NOT one of my strengths . No matter the size of the job Angela puts 110% of her time and effort into the job nothing is ever a bother for her she gets the job done hassle free . I would recommend Anglea to any body, she is professional caring and very helpful.

My wife and I recently decided to sell our home and downsize to a town-house. I happened to mention this to friends of ours and they told us they had just gone through the same exercise and had been lucky enough to have Angela guide them through the process to a very successful sale.
We were so impressed by their glowing description of Angela's work that we decided to call Angela and and see what ideas she could bring to the table.
We very quickly understood why our friends were so impressed with Angela's work. She is very personable, friendly and a great communicator. Her considerable experience at "sale preparing" a house is immediately obvious as is her impeccable taste in how to make a house look very attractive when put on the market. We were particularly impressed by the fact that her suggestions were practical and designed to extract maximum benefit for minimum cost, ensuring that the overall cost of preparation for sale is well below what we had anticipated.
Angela is clearly a gifted organizer as evidenced by the follow-up summary of our meeting which included a full list of hand-picked tradies and a spread-sheet with suggested changes such as paint colour options, light shades, door and cupboard handles (with supplier details) etc, for each area of the house.
Even better is that Angela's service includes the option of her actually managing the project.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Angela to anyone wishing to maximise the sale value of their home or for any home renovation project.

I can’t thank Angela from Creative Elegance Interiors enough.

Her knowledge, expertise and understanding of what I was wanting to achieve was amazing. I have the utmost confidence in what she has recommended with colours and products, and I can’t wait to see everything come together.

I am extremely happy and confident to recommend her to anyone!

I would recommend Angela to anyone, no matter what the size of your project is. We had just purchased a new house that was in need of a complete renovation. Running 2 businesses of our own, my husband and I did not have the time to project manage ourselves. Luckily for us I came across her website. Angela stepped in and organised everything. She knew exactly what sort of look I was wanting from the first meeting. Having Angela there everyday gave us peace of mind knowing any issues would be dealt with quickly. The house looks fantastic, there is no way we could've got the same result ourselves.

Angela is enthusiastic and client focused. The tradesmen she uses are first rate and results achieved are excellent.

We undertook an extensive renovation (ensuite, bathroom, kitchen, toilet and laundry) together with interior & exterior painting and Angela was great in guiding us with colour schemes and a "look" for our home.

She also helped with decorating suggestions and adopted a "what if this was my place" attitude to our property.

Angela's time management of our project and her ability to schedule the tradesmen appropriately resulted in the renovation being completed in a much shorter time-frame than would have been possible had she not been in charge.

I would definitely recommend Angela to others contemplating a similar revamp of their home.

Recently we downsized from our 40 year-old family home into a new townhouse, which is half the size. I originally employed Angela to help me with colours for the new place and was really happy with the results. This led onto her helping us renovate our old home for sale. The results were remarkable and I am still in awe of how different and modern it looks. On Angela's advice, we went the 'full monty', changing all the drapes, light fittings etc without breaking the budget. Angela organised to have the place fully furnished and staged for sale and I now hardly recognise it. It is now on the market and we have had a phenomenal response to the internet and other ads. So, now we are awaiting a price beyond our expectation, which I am sure will happen, thanks to Angela. And yes, I do have regrets about moving now that it looks so beautiful, but I know we've made the right decision. Now all we have to do is get our new place looking equally beautiful, with Angela's help, of course!

We moved into a Lifestyle Village in 2013 and wanted advice on colours to liven up the home. I sent photos as we live in Tas. Her ideas were fantastic. I would certainly recommend her.

As being a part of many Creative Elegance Interiors projects, Angela has proven that her focus for interior design and project management is far beyond any other. The projects run smoothely and communication between trades, suppliers and clients is always proactive. Angela and her team of tradesmen have produced some excellent transformations from some challenging projects. I highly recommend Creative Elegance Interiors for your next project.

I have worked with Creative Elegance Interiors over several projects and have found it a great company to be working for. From the start to the finish of the project CE has kept the clients needs in mind and made sure the work was to the highest of standards.

Very happy to recommend to anyone!