What our clients say…
I’ve had so much lovely feedback on my lovely new therapy room. Every client has commented on the lovely colour and how calm and soothing the space is.
“Following the purchase of our new home, we knew the refurbishment work would be extensive, but having never done a refurbishment project on this scale before, Clara Bee were vital in helping to define the different components and scope of the project. They helped us set an initial budget that at least provided some context for the investment we were planning to make in refurbishing our new home. The team also advised us regarding the associated risks and complexities of what we were undertaking.
Once the project started, Clara Bee very good at getting all the contractors to do what they were meant to, when they were meant to, in a coordinated fashion. There was a positive and professional relationship across the various contractors on site, which they certainly helped facilitate.
We were kept informed throughout, and the project management was of a very high quality. We couldn’t have done the project without it.
The Clara Bee team also provided all the interior design for this refurbishment. We are so happy with the support provided and are really enjoying our beautiful new home.”
Clara Bee worked with us to completely redo our kitchen – we knocked through a few walls to create a larger kitchen/living space, and added in a utility room and WC.
We are very pleased with the service Clara Bee provided – from the initial planning stages, to helping us find a builder in budget, to designing the new kitchen, and – crucially – to project-managing the work. It was the biggest building project we had done – and their steady hand overseeing everything was hugely reassuring throughout. As is the case with all projects, not everything went to plan – but the team helped keep everything on track (and budget!). The project was finished in time for us to move back home for Christmas.
We are delighted with our new kitchen – it’s modern, bright and very usable. Clara Bee helped us to ensure everything we wanted in our new kitchen is there – lots of hidden cupboard space, a beautiful worktop and a greatly admired turquoise splashback. We now have plenty of room for cooking, entertaining and for our toddler to run around in – exactly what we were hoping for.
My house that I had rented out for 16 years was incredibly dilapidated and grotty. I knew it was time to act. I was aware of Clara Bee’s reputation and so called upon Claire, who came over and saw this sorry state of a house. She was full of ideas on how to maximise the real potential. I had thought that if I were to add an extra floor, the ceiling heights would be compromised. However, thanks in particular to Trevor, when the extra floor was put in, it was outstanding. No sloping ceilings, amazing wardrobes and a huge bathroom. The rest of the house was similarly transformed- a wonderful sitting room and a substantially extended kitchen.
Clara Bee project managed it all and recommended all the suppliers, thereby removing stress and hassle for me. The end result is stunning.
The house was rented out almost immediately for 2.5 times what it had previously rented for.
I can’t recommend Clara Bee more highly, definitely a job well done.
This project was a total makeover, throughout. 9-month duration. Converted into a family home from a 6 sharer tenancy. Before valuation £780,000. Total Spend £223,000. After makeover renovation valuation £1.5m. Before the makeover, the rental achieved £1,600 pcm, & After makeover, the rental achieved £4,250 pcm.
A great team – Claire is strong on colours, and Caroline is good with space, furniture and textiles. I have a busy work schedule, so it was important for me to work with a team that is good at communicating and using technology to keep the project ideas flowing and to push me on decisions. I am very pleased with the results.
Claire and Frauke handled the project management of the refurbishment of our house with patience, humour and determination, from top to bottom and outside in, converting children’s bedrooms for young adults, new bathrooms and a bedroom into a master en-suite and dressing room. The results are amazing and we couldn’t have managed without them, juggling dogs, cats, work and disruption and finding solutions to the unexpected and beautiful colours and fabrics. It’s transformed the space we have for the next phase of our lives. Thank you!
BRILLIANT! Look no further if you want the cream…the best of the best. Listen and let yourself be guided – the Clara Bee experience is second to none. Claire is the most personable and client-centric individual. We have used Clara Bee for several years now. Claire has made us a healthy profit and advised us correctly and wisely on our property portfolio, always.
Forever grateful…
Wow, wow, wow! We have loved using Clara’s services and eyes! Clara revamped and solved all our storage nightmares at our let property and our current home. She’s done the most stunning job of both! Paint colours, wallpapers and fabrics, which all work so perfectly and make us smile – thank you, Clara.
Trying to fit every element of just how brilliant our experience was, having chosen to use Clara Bee, was impossible! There is a big element of trust required when living on the other side of the world whilst undergoing a property project on such a colossal scale as ours (new roof, rewiring, side return, new kitchen, basement, new boiler, new garden, reconfiguration of room layout, etc.). She has taken the worry out of this project even at such a distance. She has made the process seem effortless.
Clara and her team have developed a creative and innovative garden design that has fulfilled our brief completely. Clara has energy and enthusiasm in abundance and has a great eye for design. She handholds and is persuasive in decision-making. I am very happy with every part of the process so far and am confident that the finished result will be fantastic.
I had two rooms to decorate, one for a new baby and the other for a boy and a girl sharing. I had a strict time frame to work within, and Clara was very reliable, dependable, and most of all, made herself available at all times. She did an outstanding job with all aspects of interior design in both rooms. I highly recommend her.
Choosing the right colours and materials for each of the rooms was key for us. Clara knew just what to pick to suit our tastes from the colour of the walls, flooring, tiles and granite top. It all blends together with a sense of space and, most importantly, light.
I have recently finished an extensive, 18-month project with Clara Bee involving the full refurbishment (and extension) of the ground floor, exterior and garden of my house. I knew from early on that I wanted to work with them – I’d spoken to Claire previously about a smaller project, and while they weren’t involved in that, I knew that they were the right people for the bigger piece of work further down the road. The two most important things for me, particularly for such a lengthy project where you spend a lot of time together… You can’t help but get on with them, and you genuinely feel that they are as personally invested as you are in making your project as successful as possible.
On the project management side, their support throughout was absolutely priceless. Their attention to detail and understanding of all aspects of the design and build process are exemplary. Seeing and understanding things that the ‘layman’ client would have no chance of spotting. This saved enormous amounts of time and therefore money. They have a number of recommended contractors and suppliers that they have previously used, but also link in with new ones that you may bring onto a project separately. I was rarely around for much of the project, and Clara Bee’s ability to coordinate across up to ten different contractors working on various aspects of the project all at the same time was invaluable. I genuinely dread to think how much longer and how much more costly it would have been without that support and expertise.
For the interior design, more than anything, Claire helped me make sense of my own ideas. I was relatively hands-on, but somewhat of a novice, and she helped me both experiment and make sensible decisions. Again, the attention to detail was terrific, and Claire is wonderfully tolerant of being dragged round various shops, looking at endless samples.
I couldn’t be happier with the end result, and that couldn’t have happened without Claire and Trevor’s support and expertise. They’re terrific fun to work with (very important over that length of time!), and are more than worth the investment. I would highly recommend Clara Bee.
“Thank you so much for sending the details of the colours, and for all the work you put in during and after your visit to our home. I put all the samples in the relevant rooms and enjoyed seeing how the colours change in different lights. I’m a complete convert! It is really helpful to have your detailed schedule. We loved meeting you as well and will be recommending Clara Bee wholeheartedly.”
Theresa – Colour Consultation
The great thing about using a Project Manager was that it was hassle-free. Clara Bee made what would have been a stressful project into an enjoyable experience, and we now have the kitchen we’ve always wanted.
My fitness studio was in desperate need of serious attention. Clara got the ball rolling very quickly; she knew speed was of the essence. My biggest concern was ensuring my budget was met, and we didn’t go over. Clara’s workmen were superb, faultless in fact. Being a commercial unit and my business, it was vital that I knew exactly how long the project would take – this was going to affect trading. The team were swift and thorough, and my budget was met, but the real bonus was that they finished 4 days ahead of schedule!! Thank you, Clara!
I chose Clara Bee as one of my friends had used them for their house refurb, and I really liked the results. Both Claire and Caroline came to the first consultation, and they were both friendly and professional, giving me lots of ideas upfront about what we could jointly achieve together. I was keen to make sure that we did not go overboard budget-wise, but Caroline reassured me as to a rough estimate of how much the entire work would cost and was happy to share how many hours she thought the project would take, and therefore cost.
I was very pleased with the overall finish of what we achieved and the process used to get there. Pinterest boards were new to me, and I am now a convert, and I loved the collaborative way of choosing fabrics, wallpaper and paint colour. I also liked the fact that you don’t need to use the workmen recommended by Clara Bee. If you want to use your own painter or carpenter, that’s also fine, although our carpenter was excellent.
In the end, we had three rooms completely transformed in the house. The old nursery was converted into a study, the kids’ bedroom into a den/guest room, and the attic into a fantastic boy’s bedroom. This makes a big difference to the way that we use the space in the house, as each room is now fully utilised to the maximum. Thank you, Clara Bee!
It’s been a very positive and productive experience working with Clara Bee. Our home was in need of refreshing, so the brief was to re-paint and re-carpet throughout, declutter spaces and re-upholster furniture in the main reception rooms. Claire is a master of colour and led me gently out of my comfort zone into a more imaginative palette than I’d have dared venture into on my own. She listens to what the client needs and runs with that, keeping to the brief but throwing out fresh and imaginative ideas. They are persuasive but not pushy, know when to challenge and when to reassure. They are efficient and demand exacting standards from their excellent network of trades. Ever attentive to detail, Claire noticed a pile of children’s drawings lurking in an upstairs room and encouraged me to get them framed. They now hang magisterially in the study – I wouldn’t have thought to do that without her. Caroline produced a budget at our second meeting and kept to it; the business side of the project was handled efficiently and professionally. As a team, they’re communicative, so you always feel supported and are extremely good at project management and client handling (including daughters and pet rabbits)! A daunting interior design exercise turned into a fun, upbeat and hugely enjoyable experience with wonderful results.
Thank you, Clara Bee!
“My flat certainly feels like a real home now. I’ve gone from not wanting to spend any time there to not wanting to leave”
Clara Bee provided a great level of service from the beginning, right to the end of the process. Their experience and knowledge enabled us to avoid many pitfalls that would have otherwise occurred.
The project management left us safe in the knowledge that everything was being looked after and nothing fell through the cracks. We will certainly use Clara Bee in the future.
Clara’s little black book of builders, electricians, plumbers and all-around home improvement know-it-alls was a lifesaver when we were redecorating our house, ready for sale. We had very specific requests for the different rooms – she went through all of them with us, prompted us about possible hitches or trouble spots, and helped convey those to the foreman so that everything went to plan. She’s always upbeat and optimistic, full of ideas and able to coax a little extra effort from our workmen while still leaving them smiling. They finished before schedule, leaving us wandering from room to room, admiring the results.
It has been a real pleasure to have Clara Bee manage the work in our house. They have made the whole process incredibly smooth and stress-free, which was particularly welcomed as our family with young children lived in the house during the works. Always on top of things, they made sure that we were aware of all the possible options at hand and went an extra mile to guarantee a perfect end result.
We are thrilled with our refurbished home and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Clara Bee to anyone wishing to conduct works without the chore of coordinating different trades, timing, snagging issues, etc. Thanks!