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November 2018 by B Sal
Paul is terrible to work with. He repeatedly missed promised deadlines, delayed meetings, gave endless excuses (seven by text alone), and blamed us for problems resulting from his poor management of the project. All along, his work contained numerous errors and oversights, and he offered few constructive or creative solutions. We tried to be flexible and accommodating, and Paul several times apologized for the delays and communication issues, blaming personnel issues (he soon thereafter fired a new employee) and family issues (new school year, etc.), which we could certainly appreciate.Unfortunately, it only got worse. Nearly two months after his proposed design deadline, he largely stopped responding to my e-mails (four e-mails over two weeks) and kept postponing phone conversations. We asked him to complete the design work by a new deadline in order for us to consider using his company to supervise the remodel. Instead of completing the design or asking for another extension, he said that our project “caught him at a bad time” and that we would be “best served going elsewhere.” Because he chose to quit four months into the project, he waived our final payment (he had tried to collect it before the work was finished and he refused to refund what we had already payed totaling over $4,000). If you hire Paul, do not pay the final invoice until the work is complete to your satisfaction—but even that cannot guarantee completion.Paul claims to have 17 years of design experience, but every architect, contractor, and designer who has seen his drawings for our project has pointed out numerous problems with them. Multiple contractors have said that the designs were so incomplete that any reasonable sub-contractor would have to overbid the job to protect themselves from potential changes.In summary:+ Design process was delayed almost two months and never completed.+ Numerous (at least twelve) initial mismeasurements in crucial places. These were off by 3 to 4” and would have cost us a lot of money in change orders.+ Designs contained amateurish errors and oversights: cabinet doors that would hit each other when opened; a shower that would drench the user when turning the valve on; a custom vanity (35% upcharge,) with a sink specified that would have been 2” too large to fit. These are oversights that you hire a designer precisely to avoid. Worse, Paul would complain when we brought them to his attention.+ Revisions of designs were often delayed by weeks and were often incomplete.+ Paul would often commit to doing tasks by a certain date and fail to do so.+ Meetings were frequently rescheduled with little regard to client's time; too many excuses were given; we actively had to request updates.+ Prices are inflated: his demolition bid was over $9,000 while other contractors bid it at $4,000; his plumbing bid was $13,000 per bathroom, other plumbers consistently bid each bathroom around $2,000-$3,000. Those are huge differences.+ Lighting and electrical design was largely absent and thoughtless.+ Drawings were incomplete and amateurish. (For example, Paul never provided a standard demolition drawing, specifying which walls, etc., needed to be removed). Basically, Paul does not have architectural skills, so when you show his drawings to a contractor/ plumber/ electrician/ cabinetmaker, they do not have enough clear information to work from and bid out the project accurately. The drawings project an air of accuracy (e.g., measurements to an impractical 1/16”), but actually contain numerous larger more meaningful errors. If you compare Paul’s drawings to a professional’s drawings you will immediately see the difference.+ Generally inconsistent communication: sometimes Paul would respond quickly and thoroughly, other times there would be no responses whatsoever.+ It took four weeks and four e-mails for him to finally return our house keys!
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July 2018 by Ben Z.
We hired Paul to remodel our 1910 condo, budgeted at $150,000. Initially, he appeared professional, responsive, and creative. However, working with Paul turned out to be a horrible experience. He repeatedly missed promised deadlines, delayed meetings, gave endless excuses (seven by text alone), and blamed us for problems resulting from his poor management of the project. All along, his work contained numerous errors and oversights, and he offered few constructive or creative solutions. We tried to be flexible and accommodating, and Paul several times apologized for the delays and communication issues, blaming personnel issues (he soon thereafter fired a new employee) and family issues (new school year, etc.), which we could certainly appreciate. Unfortunately, it only got worse. Nearly two months after his proposed design deadline, he largely stopped responding to my e-mails (four e-mails over two weeks) and kept postponing phone conversations. We asked him to complete the design work by a new deadline. Instead of completing the design or asking for another extension, he said that our project "caught him at a bad time" and that we would be "best served going elsewhere." Because he chose to quit four months into the project, he waived our final payment (he had tried to collect it before the work was finished). If you hire Paul, do not pay the final invoice until the work is complete to your satisfaction--but even that cannot guarantee completion. Overall, we were left pretty unimpressed with his design skills. Good design requires a commitment to both the big picture and the fine details. Paul repeatedly promised but never actually attempted to pull all of the details together, which probably resulted in more revisions than necessary. The selection of tiles, paint colors, moldings, light fixtures, electrical design, etc. was promised, but never delivered. One hires a designer to think through how all of those details, colors, and materials interact: how a paint color looks next to certain materials and fixtures in the actual room. In reality, Paul basically just told us to research faucets online ourselves and directed us to a few tile manufacturer websites (he pulled some selections together on pintrest, but they were hardly helpful--mainly because they were not envisioned as part of a larger whole). This was his standard MO, and ultimately we felt that Paul's work lacked both vision and execution. Paul frequently complained that we were being unreasonable or costing him money. He complained that we had sent him 138 e-mails over six months: Really, it was 121 emails, including scheduling exchanges, brief messages of approval (e.g., "sounds great!"), e-mails to follow up on promises and deadlines unmet by Paul and his team, e-mails requesting updates after weeks of silence, and--of course--ideas and feedback on the designs, some of which had to be revised or returned to earlier ideas: anyone in design knows that is just part of the process and, again, many of the revisions were due to initial errors or oversights. + Design process was delayed almost two months and never completed. + Numerous (at least twelve) initial mis-measurements in crucial places. + Designs contained amateurish errors and oversights: cabinet doors that would hit each other when opened; a shower that would drench the user when turning the valve on; a custom vanity (35% upcharge) with a sink specified that would have been 2" too large to fit. Paul would complain when we brought them to his attention. + Revisions of designs were often delayed by weeks and often incomplete. + Paul would commit to doing tasks by a certain date and fail to do so. +Meetings were frequently rescheduled with little regard to client's time; too many excuses given; we actively had to request updates. + Prices are inflated: his demolition bid was over $9,000 while other contractors bid it at $4,000; his plumbing bid was $13,000 per bathroom, other plumbers consistently bid each bathroom around $2,000-$3,000. + Lighting and electrical
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March 2018 by Melissa I.
Paul really cares about his clients and pairs the design process with interior design.
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October 2014 by A. S.
I worked with Paul Schulman over several months on a complete renovation of the second floor of our Wicker Park 1890s home. This included design and product selections for two bathrooms, as well as an overhaul of our master bedroom and other cosmetic upgrades to the common hallway and other areas. Paul is fantastic to work with - super, *super* reliable and responsive, but most valuable for us was his fresh approach and creative problem solving. I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted our final rooms to look like, but still, I met with other "designers" who were nothing but questions: "Well, what do you want the layout to be?" "What do you want to do about the ugly closet doors?" etc. I really love DIY and design as an amateur, but isn't the professional supposed to be the one who brings ideas and solutions to the table for such design puzzles? I found this to be among Paul's strengths. For example, I knew I hated our bedroom. I knew the architecture was a mess and that nothing was symmetrical or lined up...anywhere. But I had very few ideas on how to make it better. Paul had the vision to correct these problems and make the room beautiful with a modest investment. To hide ugly closet doors that dominated the room, he recommended paneling the wall in a graphic pattern (see photos) to distract from the closets and give your eye something else to focus on. It is insane how effective this was and how good it looks. He also helped with color selections and advised on the other pieces I was buying for the room. Frankly, our bedroom went from being my most hated space in the house to my absolute favorite. I relied on Paul for all of our selections in the bathrooms, too. First, he provided blueprint/layout options and worked with us through several revisions to get at exactly the look and function we were after (we changed course midway through the process when we decided to trade a walk-in closet for upstairs laundry, for example). His designs were beautiful and functional, and his measurements and drawings dead-on (our contractor commented more than once on how good, detailed, accurate, and easy to follow all the drawings were). I wanted to do my own shopping for tile, faucets, lighting, etc., (both to control costs and because I enjoy it), but would always go back to Paul for his ideas, feedback and final "okay." It was a great collaboration. I would find, for example, three faucets online that I liked, and email links to Paul for his input. With some selections, it was easy, "the first one is the clear winner." When he thought my selections were off, he would always clearly articulate why and make a helpful suggestion ("I think that finish is going to compete too much with the medicine cabinets you already chose and love. I'd look more for things like this . . ."). Much of this could be done by phone and email, but we also set up a few, efficient in-person meetings when there were tons of details to finalize, or color samples, etc., to consider in person. The results? Outstanding. Even though I had a clear vision of what I wanted the end result to look like, I KNOW that many of the details that came together perfectly and made the rooms a success would have been just a little off if it weren't for Paul, and would have driven me crazy. (For example, the bathroom sconces I had planned on were great - we both loved them - but Paul pointed out that the scale was wrong and then helped me find something smaller. Now that the correct sconces are installed, I know I would have *hated* the other ones). Avoiding all those potentially costly mistakes (tons of this stuff is not returnable when you're ordering custom/higher end finishes) would have easily added up to the fees we paid to Paul. Most of all, it gave me so much more confidence as that process was underway that it was all going to come together and work. Cannot recommend him more highly - will certainly be using him again as we gradually tackle other areas of our home.
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June 2013 by T M.
Unable to manage sub-contractors to ensure quality of work and timely completion. My very simple project of a small 1 bedroom condo has taken a year, and shows no signs of completion. I have lived through months of no bathroom, and then no kitchen. Have had no friends or family visit in a year. Severe impediment to my home and social life. Lots of excuses. High cost for much distress.
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March 2010 by Liz H.
I lived in my house for 9 years so when I finally bit the bullet to renovate the kitchen, I thought I knew exactly what would maximize the space (12x8) without killing my budget. It was a crazy squeeze that I thought was as good as I could do UNTIL PAUL CAME ALONG. He studied the space, talked to me and my husband about what we needed and what we hoped for, and then came back with a completely different design that truly maximized the space, gave us all of our wish list and didn't bust our budget. He is truly a lifesaver and we can't wait to see our new kitchen. THANK YOU PAUL!!!
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March 2010 by A R.
We searched for a year to find someone capable of creating our gorgeous and unique bed. It is a work of art, and the only one who could make it for us was Paul! Working with him was a pleasure from beginning to end! His estimates are close if not right on the money, he meets his deadlines, he always does what he says, and keeps his appointments. He's an artisan in a businessman's body. A perfect combination. My experience with him was so wonderful, that I've since had him design and create 5 other large pieces for me. As soon as my finances allow, I plan to use him to create entire spaces for me. I will NEVER use anyone else for design or custom furniture. Paul's it for me.
