Hanna Design Alliance

We hired Hanna Design Alliance to redesign our kitchen, bathroom and living area in our 71 year old Decatur home. I can't say enough good things about the results.



Our desire for the kitchen project (expressed in our early meetings) was to knock down a wall and combine rooms for the kitchen, and add light and increase the view from the back yard. In addition, we wanted an island that was practical for the way we cook and use the space. Jim took those ideas so much further, though. Jim's layout made the space significantly more useful, practical and beautiful. His attention to detail, traffic flow, airflow, light and the sightline of every angle were considered. From my perspective, it was like a great book: at the end of the design, all the loose ends were tied up. Significant consideration for detail, quality, and practicality went into the plan. The space is now so very comfortable and astonishingly gorgeous. Yet, the continuity is perfect. It still feels like our house. The new design fits the old house. It's not too flashy, it's just right.



The bathroom was meant only to be an update. While it was the lesser concern of the project, its end result was no less spectacular.



Jim's process moved through with a number of iterations. While his early ideas were exciting to us, he didn't stop at the first draft. It wasn't linear, and the end product was anything but typical. Jim went over and revisited components, areas, decisions and details. Where I might have thought something was settled and the solution was perfect, on several occasions he found a more perfect way. Jim seemed to always be thinking about it, considering other ideas, modifying the plan as he got to know our family.



The uniqueness of the end product and the choices of finishing elements were just fantastic. That was part of the delight for us - Jim spent time watching our family, our pets, our personalities and the ways we worked and moved. While we didn't know he was looking at the design on that level, the end result was surprising and more wonderful than we imagined. We kept the character of our old house but elevated the quality, the attractiveness, and the practical use of this space by huge (I mean huge) degrees.