My home renovation had much more meaning than anyone could ever know. My husband passed away leaving me with a home that had so much potential, but needed so much work. Without him I didn’t really know where to begin. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted the home I had pictured in my mind, in all its glory, completely renovated. Where to start?
Well, I knew I had to hire a contractor, so I started interviewing. One by one they were eliminated, because no one could provide the skill set I had in mind. I wanted a contractor who could do the renovations inside and out. But that wasn’t all. I also wanted that person to be able to help me with the interior decorating, such as choosing the best colors, lighting fixtures, faucets, tile, flooring, and the like. When I asked about paint selection, I was told to go a place like Sherwin Williams and do this with their help. This is not what I wanted. I all but gave up hope ever finding that special skill set in a contractor - that is, until I met Hope.
Hope Hoffman, owner of Perennial Interiors, had these qualities and more. In addition to her interior design and space planning skills, she was an experienced project manager who would oversee her team of experts, making certain the job was done as she would have in her own home. From the beginning, I had full confidence that Hope would achieve the level of excellence I expected. With her expertise in interior design, including computer-aided 3-D design, she was able to show me beforehand just how my house would look after renovations were complete.
She wanted to create a home for me that I would love, not just one or two rooms, but every room. Hope started off by having me complete a survey to help her understand more about me and gain insight on what I might like. It turned out that she had the ability to discover the “real” me – a me that not even I understood at first. I remember during one of our early conversations, she asked me what decor style I liked and I replied "traditional". I was thinking about the home's origins in the 1950s period and felt that traditional suited it best. She shared with me that pure traditional style did not suit me at all and for me to feel at home there, it should to some extent reflect me. She said that she had taken note of the style clothing I wore and the types of things I liked were often not traditional - maybe traditional with a twist? After I reflected on this, I knew she was right. Even though some things traditional do appeal, most often it's with a unique flair. Moving forward, she just seemed to know what I really wanted.
Hope took a world of unlimited options that often paralyzes people in the decision-making process and made that world much smaller for me. This meant that I could be efficient - fun but fast - in my selections. She also had access to vendors who sold items that could not be found locally in stores. Everything I chose under Hope’s guidance was so special. As one example, she found the most beautiful, unusual pendant lighting for my kitchen from Morocco. It made my home one of a kind. I trusted Hope’s choices so much that when it came to the paint selections, I actually left for vacation and returned when the painting was complete. I did not want to be part of the selection process at all, knowing I would love what she picked. Walking into my home, I was overwhelmed with joy…perfection.
There’s so much more to this story than can be said here. When my home was finished, it was not the vision I had had in the beginning - it was so much more. I now had a home that I loved down to every little detail. As I walked through it, I just smiled and would continue to smile. My home was comfortable, yet classy. Everyone who stepped into it fell in love with it just as I had.
When I think back to that critical decision point of how I would move forward with my renovation, I can’t imagine choosing anyone else for the job. My home was transformed into a beautiful showcase and it is all because of Hope Hoffman and her talent that goes beyond measure. It’s not often that it happens in life … perfection… and when it does happen, it is priceless. Working with Hope and renovating my home was one of the best experiences of my life.
Tanya Morgan Benedict, Downingtown, PA