Testimonials

We worked with Chris Setlock during the spring of 2015 on a redesign and upgrade of our early 1990’s kitchen. From the outset, and throughout the project, Chris was a pleasure to work with. He combines a strong artistic sense with solid technical knowledge of the various products and their installation, from cabinets and fixtures to floors, countertops, and backsplash. He was unfailingly courteous and professional, listened closely to our ideas, and provided excellent suggestions on design and materials, while remaining respectful of our budget. His final design concept perfectly expressed our ideas for our dream kitchen. He also helped us find our contractors, and remained closely involved during the installation process.. The result was all that we could have hoped for, and more. He has our highest recommendation.

Chris is very detail oriented. We remodeled a beautiful kitchen in CNY with the help of Chris Setlock. Even when things got a little stressful, Chris stayed the course and delivered what he promised he would. We highly recommend Chris Setlock and his many years of Cabinetry experience/Kitchen Design.

Planning and executing a home renovation requires an endless stream of decisions, and an experienced team of professionals to help turn your vision into a reality. When I set out to renovate two bathrooms this summer, I enlisted the assistance of Chris Setlock at Ace Hardware’s new kitchen and bath design center, and of all the decisions I made related to this project, choosing Chris to be my guide through the design and implementation process was hands down the best decision I made.

Chris is a pro when it comes to the ins and outs / ups and downs of a renovation, and he knows what elements combine to make a good finished product from a design perspective. My husband served as general contractor for this project, and I was the overall project manager–with a lot of help from Chris, who listened carefully to my goals (maximize storage, increase functionality, and modernize the overall look of the bathrooms) and offered observations / suggestions that helped guide my choices.

One of his best ideas was to offset the sink to maximize counter space in the small Master bath–genius! I never would have thought of that. When I told him jewelry storage was a particular issue for me, he came up with a plan for a jewelry cabinet (a smaller version of the wall cabinet) that was a perfect solution. If I came up with an idea that appealed to me but didn’t work with the rest of the design elements (for example, old-fashioned glass knobs for the cabinet doors), he would explain why another option might work better with the overall look we were going for, his focus always on the big picture.

During the several months of this process, I had a never-ending list of questions and concerns that Chris never seemed daunted by. He was supportive and helpful through a number of “hiccups,” providing information and encouragement with unfailing patience and good humor.

Our bathrooms are now mostly done–just a few details left to finish–and the look and improved functionality have exceeded my expectations. The cabinets are excellent quality, and the color of the cabinetry + vanity counter tops blends perfectly with the flooring we used as a starting point. The higher sinks and toilets are a huge improvement, and the slow-close mechanisms on doors, drawers, and toilet seats add a touch of class. All in all, I got what I wanted: better-than-average quality at a fair price. It was not inexpensive, but a renovation such as this is an investment in the value of a home, and in the day-to-day enjoyment of it.

Based on my experience, I would recommend Chris, and the businesses he represents, without hesitation. His knowledge, experience, design sense, people skills, and problem-solving abilities are first rate. I learned a lot from him, and have no doubt that the end result of our renovation was better because of his involvement in it.

This was a project we had considered for several years, but when we saw that the old cabinets, lighting, and countertops were totally outdated (the soffits were really dated as well, straight from 1986), it was time to improve the appearance and functionality of what was the original kitchen. We went to the local Ace Hardware store; they had recently opened a kitchen and bath design center. We were introduced to Chris, who came to the house and put together three proposals, ranging from very minor changes to a complete makeover. We went with the latter and the project began in late December. Chris recommended an excellent contractor who could (because of the winter season) start the work almost immediately.

As no such project is ever easy and there are always glitches encountered along the way, Chris maintained very close contact with us, the suppliers, and contractor to ensure that everything went together as planned. He stopped by several times to verify that all was going according to plans. Bear in mind that we also had him specify and provide new cabinetry for the first floor half bathroom.

Looking at the attached “before” and “after” pictures, the difference is obvious. Chris has a very good eye (and mind) for this sort of thing, and it shows. We are very pleased with the finished products.

My husband and I have been very pleased with Chris Setlock’s services, and recommend him enthusiastically. It was very clear from our first conversations that he is thoroughly knowledgeable in all areas of the field; and his designs and suggestions were very responsive to our needs and desires. His thoroughness and patience — helping me work out every least detail and smallest decision — were exemplary. He was our advocate throughout all phases of the project, recommending the right products and excellent contractors, and working effectively with the contractors to manage the easiest possible construction experience. It was clear throughout our project that Chris was fully committed to producing high quality work, and to act as our agent in seeing it through. Our kitchen is cheerful, durable, easy to clean, and a real pleasure to work in. Thanks, Chris!

Chris is a wonderful kitchen designer. He is very responsive, creative, and helpful in all phases of kitchen planning. We love our new kitchen and are so thankful to Chris.

As the Co-owner of a residential remodeling company (Sunny Brook Builders, Ithaca, NY), I have worked with Chris on several kitchen projects in 2017. Chris is a talented designer who can do full custom design as well as out of the box stock cabinetry. He has excellent vision and covers all the bases which makes my job as a remodelor as easy as can be expected (NO SURPRISES!). Trust me when I say Chris is cream of the crop and exactly the kind of person you want to work with. He is a pleasant person, professional and detail oriented. I highly recommend Chris for your next kitchen or bathroom project.

We love our kitchen. Thanks to Chris’s vision and expertise, he made our wishes come true His dedication to making us happy showed up in the attention to all the details. All project order dates were on time meeting our projected finished date Also given us very good directions on updating the old 1968 kitchen. Big job turned out perfect Exceeded all our expectations. Thanks Chris great job

From beginning to end, Chris has been amazing. It was clear from our very first conversations that he was extremely knowledgeable and he has proven that throughout the entire project. Going without a kitchen is never an easy time, but Chris coordinated all the moving parts from the contractors to the floor installation, making it as painless as possible for us. In the end, we have a kitchen that we love, that looks beautiful and is completely functional. I could not have asked for more.

Chris helped us redo our 75 year old bathroom and I’m so happy we hired him. In addition to helping pick a great look for the space, he was a huge help in preparing for things we weren’t aware of going into the project, and handling unexpected issues on the fly when we weren’t able to.

Chris is exceptionally professional. His craftsmanship is high caliber. He built a custom designed cabinet and shelf for my business and I love the work he did for us.

After meeting with and interviewing several kitchen designers, we made the perfect choice to hire Chris for our project of bring our Mt Washington townhouse out of the 80’s to a modern industrial Pittsburgh look. Chris’s designs were fantastic from the beginning and he was great at being able to share his vision with us via computer renderings. This project like all had its challenges, but Chris handled them all with calmness and great decision making.

We live in North Carolina as our primary home and Chris would often run over to our townhouse just to pickup a package or meet a delivery. He worked with us remotely to decide on design elements like lighting, plumbing fixtures, and barstools.

Also our project spanned through the pandemic but he was still able to keep things moving forward, and all the subcontractors he brought into the house were very professional and respectful.

In the end our Kitchen came out better than we could ever imagine. We would recommend Chris 100% for anyone looking to do a kitchen project.

Tom and I have lived in our Civil War-era home for decades and had adjusted to the inconveniences of our kitchen—uneven floors, frozen pipes, cheap cabinets, and inadequate storage. We made minor adjustments over the years but finally decided this kitchen needed a major overhaul.
In early 2021, we found a company that specialized in restoring historic homes. One of the contractor’s first recommendations was to hire Chris Setlock to design our new kitchen. In his first visit, Chris walked through the first floor to get a feel for the house and our tastes. He took photographs and talked about the limitations of the space, our likes and dislikes, and our “wish list” for the new kitchen. Our first impression of Chris was that he had a good sense of design and was intuitive, experienced, and responsive to our comments. We hired him on the spot. Two weeks later, we received his initial designs and our impression of Chris was confirmed. He gave us a design concept that we loved on his first attempt.
While the contractor demolished our old kitchen—taking it back to its log walls and dirt floor—Chris continued to work with us on the details of the design. He had extensive knowledge about flooring, countertops, backsplashes, cabinets, appliances, sinks, faucets and hardware. He had valuable relationships with vendors, and even interceded when deliveries from one vendor became problematic. What I appreciated most was that, throughout the process, Chris offered options and advise, but was clear that this was “our” kitchen and that the selection should be ours.
Our biggest concern with a kitchen remodel has always been that the historic character of our house be maintained. We wanted a new kitchen with modern conveniences but it had to blend with the rest of the house. Thanks to a great remodeling crew and Chris Setlock Kitchen and Bath Design, we have a kitchen that “wows” our visitors but complements the rest of the house. We love, love, love our new kitchen and would highly recommend using Chris Setlock Design without reservation.

My husband and I first contacted Chris Setlock in 2019 about designing a new bathroom for us to replace the only full bathroom in our 1950 house. From the first time we met with Chris, we found him to be extremely easy to talk to and work with. It was clear that he possessed a great combination of design sensibility and technical acumen and was very knowledgeable about all aspects of bathroom design work. After our first meeting with him, we were left with the impression that we were working with a seasoned professional who truly knew what he was doing. Chris listened attentively as we expressed our vision for our new bathroom and what our wishes were, making thoughtful suggestions based on his knowledge and experience. At that time, Chris worked up several initial design concepts that we really liked. However, due to funding issues on our part we had to delay the bathroom remodel indefinitely.

Cut to January 2021, when we were finally ready to proceed with the work. We contacted Chris again and easily picked up right where we’d left off with him. Together, we revisited the designs he’d done for us a couple of years prior. With Chris’ help and input, we made some tweaks and adjustments until we landed on a final design. Throughout the design and planning process and into the demolition and construction, Chris was a pleasure to work with. At all times, we got the sense that Chris was there for us to answer questions and address any concerns or issues we had. We truly felt like he was steering the ship, so to speak, throughout this whole project. Ultimately, we ended up with a new bathroom that perfectly reflects our aesthetic and functional wishes. It’s exactly what we envisioned and we love it. We cannot say enough good things about Chris and enthusiastically recommend him to anyone looking for a top-notch design professional!