My husband and I decided that our North Perth home needed a whole new look; it was 15 years old and looking a bit tired and drab. Sounds easy in theory, but of course we did not know how to go about it or where to start. That is were Simone and Raelene of Essence Interiors stepped in.

Whilst we had no actual structural changes made to the house, it was still quite a large project. The whole house was redecorated and re-carpeted; new blinds and light fittings were installed; the kitchen and bar benchtops replaced and the walk-in robe fitted out. Then all our existing artworks plus some new buys were repositioned and re-hung. Whew!

Simone and Raelene were invaluable. They advised on colours, fabrics, fixtures and fittings, design and layout and arranged quotes from all the necessary tradespeople. Just to get quotes would have taken us weeks; Simone and Raelene managed to get all the tradespeople through in a day!

Simone and Raelene project managed the whole exercise from start to finish and ensured that any disruption was kept to a minimum. The standard of work was excellent and we came in on budget!

Simone and Raelene were very sensitive to our likes and dislikes and all our existing artwork was incorporated into the design and grouped to its best advantage. They also had brilliant ideas to supplement what we had with new and exciting additions.

A friend came round to see the end result of the work and her comment was "You always had a nice home; now you have a beautiful home". And she is right; we do have a beautiful home.

Thank you Simone and Raelene, we could not have done this without you.

We could not be happier and would not hesitate to recommend Simone, Raelene and Essence Interiors.

Paul and Irene Galea
27 May 2010

Dear Simone,

We would like to thank you for the wonderful work you have carried out on our investment property in West Perth.

You stepped up to the plate, with very short notice, and carried out the complete fitout of the property quickly, professionally and within budget. Not an easy task considering you had only one week to complete the work.

We live overseas and were unable to attend the property to supervise the fitout but you provided helpful suggestions and recommendations which ensured that the property had an anesthetically pleasing appearance throughout. We are delighted with the end result. The property was rented out within 2 days of being on the market - this alone is testimony to your great work.

We would highly recommend your services, particularly for people in our situation where we are absentee overseas investors who need someone trustworthy and capable to complete this sort of work in the future.

Should we move back to Australia in the near future, we would certainly be looking to you to assist us in getting our own home back in order and bring it up-to-date.

Kind Regards,
K Cashford & Doyle

Click here to see the Before/After Renovation photos

It gives me great pleasure to write on behalf of Simone Gillespie. I have known Simone for a very brief period of time during 2007. After a lot of research trying to find a suitable designer for what I was trying to achieve with the construction of a new property in the Raffles Precinct. Essences Interiors was my ultimate choice. I approached Simone and ask her to assist with the interior of my new home. She was obliging and completed the entire task quickly and efficiently.

She distinguished herself as an outstanding Interior Designer. Simone is passionate about her design work and is always keen to keep up with the latest trends in the design world. Her understandings of contemporary design practises as well as her knowledge of creative initiatives are outstanding; her general artistic flair and visualisation of concepts, as well as product availability inform her day to day practise. Her judgement and actions also underpin the capacity for Simone to critically and playfully reinvent herself to suit new trends in design and satisfy the clients needs, therefore enhancing current artistic styles.

Simone displayed enthusiasm for all tasks and had an extremely strong work ethic. She was actively involved with setting up all of the planning schedules related to the interior and exterior design of the house, assisting with external and internal layouts of the property. She has become well known within the design organisation for her inspirational interpretation of clients needs. She completes all requested tasks to a very high standard. An asset so rare these days!

Simone’s unassuming contagious and effervescent personality enables her to develop a tremendous rapport with both clients and industry peers; Simone strengths lie in her self-motivation, excellent communication skills and ability to tackle all problems head-on with a positive and encouraging attitude. She is able to prioritise tasks and complete them in a timely and efficient manner. Simone has terrific potential and is held in the utmost esteem by all that come in contact with her.

I have no hesitation in highly recommending Essence Interiors. I am confident that she would be an enormous asset to any future client.

Yours Sincerely

GABY LYNCH
Art Co-ordinator

It gives us great pleasure to provide a reference for Simone Gillespie, an interior colour consultant with Essence Interiors.

Simone's vibrant and informative demeanour impressed us when we first met her at Home Base Expo, to the extent that we asked our builder to engage her services in the planning for our new home. Fortunately they acceded to our request and we were able to utilize her expertise.

Simone is innovative and presents fresh, novel ideas in a collaborative style. She knows her products really well and is quickly able to ascertain the customers taste. Instead of pushing her personal preferences, she listens carefully to your ideas and conceptually provides a framework in which you feel confident and safe to make your entire selections. We found her to be flexible, incisive and perceptive. She is very focussed and will be decisive when you require her to be. In addition, Simone knows many of the product suppliers and is able to direct you to them if you wish to use their services.

We were completely satisfied with her services and would recommend her highly.

Moira & George Watson

Floor Factory has been associated with Simone and her business "Essence Interiors" for over 5 years and have always found her to be very diligent in her approach to her client's requirements.

Simone has always shown a keen interest in the flooring process, from installation to the final inspection to ensure complete satisfaction for her clients.

Dealing with Simone has been an absolute pleasure and we wish her every success in the future.

Rob Laidley
Sales Representitive
Floor Factory

"We were very fortunate to see an interesting article of an apartment that Simone, from Essence Interiors, had very recently completed, on time and on budget. At the time we had just purchased a house in West Leederville which needed to be completely stripped back to virtually walls and floors and make a complete new start.

Simone presented her options, listened to our priorities and budget figures and on May 1st 2006, we had the first tradesmen arrive.

The things I found most helpful are simple:

1. A full portfolio of tradesmen available to do her work.
   
   
2. Her product knowledge is excellent due to her work at the Home Base Expo Colour Selection Centre plus her constant updating of new products and availability. Because she spends time at many outlets to source items and to keep up to date with the latest and most economic, it saves you hours of travel not to mention the frustration of not finding what you have in mind.
   
   
3. When it comes to the finer details and more decorative work near completion, her interior design qualifications are invaluable. There are certain design rules and she lets you have freedom of choice but will not let you make an obvious design mistake.
   
   
4. All paperwork is impeccable. You know exactly where you stand at all times and we were amazed to not only come in on budget but to receive a refund cheque for monies not required!
   
   
5. Simone was very realistic with the time-frame, she had estimated eight weeks for our task, not a small one. As it happened it was all done with the exception of some minor items, within seven weeks.
   

We can only praise Simone for an excellent job, a very professional job and would certainly have no hesitation recommending her work and services to others."

Ann Lucas

ps. never let Simone loose in Ikea with supervision - hah!
click here to see the Latest Before/After Renovation photos of Ann's House

"I have worked on projects with Simone Gillespie, of Essence Interiors, for several years now and am amazed at her natual gift for design. She can truly turn a sow's ear into a silk purse and come in on budget, with what seems to be very little effort on her part. A new home or full renovation project is like an artists canvas to Simone.

When she prepares for a project, she not only takes into account the structure layout and composition, but also its relationship to the outside environment. Not many Interior Designers can select good trades people and understand their problems, which generates mutual respect. I guess that's because Simone not only has Interior Design skills but also project design ability. I often recommend Essence to others."

Kind Regards

Larry

"After seeing Simone's work and her attention to detail and fantastic negoiating skills, she saved me a lot of time, money & effort. I could not have done the job better myself. Simone has a great eye for Interior Design and I was more than happy with her recommendations and final result."

Cheers

Fiona
Past Client

"... being overseas we had to rely 100% on Simone to source material and even choose the colours... the whole thing... We had absolute confidence in her and we were thrilled with the results..."

Ian & Anne Love

My husband and I wanted to have some renovations done on our townhouse but don't have the time or skills to undertake such a project. We were after a interior design consultant and project manager. We interviewed numerous people before we met Simone but found her enthusiasm, willingness to meet us after work, communication and organization skills stood out first time we met her.

During the renovations Simone guided us through the choosing of just about everything from Kitchen appliances, tiles, floorboards, benchtops to door handles for kitchen and bathroom, fans, lighting etc. etc. and there was a lot to decide on!! Through her work Simone knows what price you should be paying for different items or which businesses offer the best price for a certain item. Saving us both time and money.

In summary why we'd use Simone again......

1. Came in on planned budget. Regular updates on budget performance throughout renovation.
2. Renovation work was finished within planned timeframe.
3. Organised us and the tradesmen!
4. Good communicator, we were always clear as to what was going to be done and the cost involved. If we bumped into tradesmen at our townhouse they were always clear on the details of their planned work and what we expected.
5. Flexible work hours, as we both work fulltime Simone would meet us after work to decide tiles, colours etc.

It's clear Simone loves her work (and negotiating on behalf of her clients) and that enthusiasm made a potentially stressful thing such as renovating an enjoyable experience. We've been recommending her since and will be calling her next time we want to renovate.

Jill and Troy Irvin