Reviews of Pure Design Inc. (Interior Designer)

Chris Cornish

We undertook an extensive renovation of a 100 year old home, which included replacement of the entire exterior cladding. We consulted with Ami on paint colours that would maintain the classical appearance of the home, while reflecting the contemporary updates undertaken inside. Ami was very prompt and responsive in our communications, her colour recommendations were very appropriate, aesthetically pleasing and creative. We went through a couple of different test patches and Ami's advice was always decisive and clearly articulated. We are delighted with the colours selected, and we receive numerous comments and compliments from neighbours, and strangers, about the colours. We look forward to our next opportunity to work with Ami.

Kirsten Reid

We hired Ami McKay and the PURE team to renovate our home which was a very good decision as we could not be happier one year post completion. Our previously modest home was featured in House & Home Magazine (and finalist for top home of the year) which is a true testament to the quality delivered with this design project. Ami and team met our needs and then some to deliver our dream home. Our kitchen, master bathroom and cosy living room spaces are timeless. The team was professional and delivered a comprehensive inspiration package/styling book with design ideas that I was over the moon excited to receive. The design team together with the contractor were flexible and professional. I would work with PURE again.

Kim Taylor

Ami (designer) and Don (contractor) are a power couple who renovated our home, taking it from what the house inspector told me he expected would be a tear-down, to an award-winning magazine-featured home renovation. Ami and her team were so passionate and responsive with the design, and super friendly and reassuring. The magazine features of our renovated home taught me that the style for our home can be referred to as "boho", "beach style", "west coast", "breezy indoor-outdoor style", and/or "cottage-style". I have little understanding of what these words really mean, but I love our design, that is for sure, and I can confirm that it has gone a very long way towards taking the sting out of remote-working through the pandemic. The fun part for me was when the contractor Don started working his magic. Don never gave even one thought to tearing down our one-of-a-kind home, even though it would have been much easier for him. No way he was doing that (and no way I was paying for all those new house materials just to lose the beauty and uniqueness we already had). The house was gutted. Wood at the corners of the house was moldy and rotting, everything was uneven, electrical, plumbing, everything had to be saved. The house literally sits on the side of a mountain, so the driveway is hilariously steep, making the whole process of getting material in and out that much more difficult. Don strikes a perfect balance between being a calm leader who can solve any problem, having a great sense of humour (jokes are constantly brewing in his mind at ALL times), and making completely sure that every contracted trade does not waste money but completes the job exactly to Don's satisfaction. Believe me, the level of Don's satisfaction was much higher than my own. And communication with Don is top notch. He never shies away from any question, is always straight-forward, and above board, and tells it like it is. Don make honesty rule #1, and to me, that is the make-it-or-break-it factor. He didn't make me feel like I was being a pain, even though I for sure was, sharing with him all kinds of checklists at every step which just duplicated lists that he and his professional staff has already prepared. As a final mention, I have to add that Don can easily switch from business talk to fun talk and back, making the whole process a distinct pleasure. Highly recommended.

Todd Woodward

I recently moved and hired Ami and her team from PURE to redesign my new house from the ground up. Working around my demanding work schedule, Ami and her team made the entire process enjoyable and stress free. From her initial consult I knew she heard what I and my family wanted, and also saw some needs that I wasn’t even aware of. She took particular care in listening to the vision my children had for their space, and adjusted her vision to make sure they were comfortable and content with the plan. I trusted her vision and she followed through creating an amazing new home, full of luxury and beauty. Overall an extremely positive and exciting experience for myself and family. Highly recommended.

Tierney Kelly-Baldwin

Terrible experience from start to finish. The many good reviews and the awards were what made us choose Pure over other design firms in Vancouver and unfortunately we deeply regret that decision. It started with a good consultation with a sales rep who mentioned the wonderful and easy to use communication platform that they use for all clients. We did as we were told and used that platform to share our Pinterest board with our designer (to keep this review from being removed I will not mention the name of said designer but if anyone is curious they are more than welcome to personally reach out). After more than a week of not hearing anything we followed up via email with the designer only to find out she doesn’t use that platform and never saw it. This was the first of an ongoing series of communication wrong doings (see attached photo for an example of the chaotic communication we received, never ending email chains with responses in different colours). After our first in person meeting (February 2021) we asked our designer if the design process could be done by end of April she eventually said yes; WOW did she underdeliver. Shortly after beginning our project she moved to “part-time”, immediate red flag but we kept going and we were assured that the project would not be delayed as a result. Goalposts kept getting moved and we soon realized that they had no intention of finishing the design in the time they initially promised. I reviewed the number of hours this designer worked on our project and it was less than 8 a week. Does that seem like a priority? Their process is to only meet three times with the client, so if you don’t like what they present, you’re out of luck. When our designer consistently missed every single timeline, she told us that the deadlines get moved back after every piece of feedback from the client. In what world is that good service?! They refused to give any information to our contractors to preorder materials until the entire design was finished, meaning we had to wait until June (after us constantly needing to push Pure on the timeline) to begin placing orders. It got to the point where we were afraid to give feedback because of the delays every pieces of input caused. Our design is nowhere near perfect, which is disappointing beyond belief considering the amount of time and money that has gone into it. After we finally received the designs in late June (over two months after the initial date we were promised), we never heard from Pure again. What happened to their promised service from start to finish? Then on the day of our final meeting with Pure, our designer was late. My partner and I had to leave work early, our contractors were waiting at Pure, and that silly little woman couldn’t even show up on time. Mistake after mistake caused by the designs kept coming up, we finally had enough when a major design flaw meant that we would need to redesign part of the kitchen and return a product we ordered months prior. When the contractors reached out to the designer she took absolutely none of the blame. After this I reached out to Ami directly, it’s her name associated with the brand and it’s her company, she should care, right? Wrong. I NEVER a received a response from her, meanwhile she was posting her personal trip to Italy all over the Pure Instagram. Her priorities really showed... After sending a follow up email, someone else from Pure reached out and said they would not do any complimentary work for us to fix their wrongs but Ami wanted to offer interior decorating services. Why would I ever want her to push her silly little “shoppe” (terrible name btw is this an ice cream parlour from the 30's?) products on me? I never once heard back from her, not a single note or apology, she took zero ownership for her terrible staff. I have no idea at what point they wrote us off but obviously they did. I would not recommend this company to anyone and I have made a point to share our terrible experience with our contractors (who experienced it first hand), tradesmen, sales people, & suppliers.

Edward Phan

My wife and I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ami and Meaghan from PURE Design Inc. From the first meeting we knew that Ami and Meaghan were the perfect fit for our project. Not only did they demonstrate exceptional skill, also their passion and dedication are unparalleled. They were so innovative in trying to meet our budget whilst achieving an upscale and boutique look. We trusted them completely to help bring our vision to life. That is why we now have a one-of-a-kind store that no other has. Ami and Meaghan created a signature design (a small green house) that will undoubtedly be a special feature in all of our stores in the future. Thank you Ami and Meaghan for being the very best and the most dedicated design team we have had the honour of working with. We will have to come back to them for future store design and home!

Jeff Silzer

Having worked with Ami and her team, I must say they do fantastic work all around. From the first meeting to the last, Ami was a pleasure to work with. She is very knowledgeable in her work, offers great ideas, and the final showing was amazing. Highly recommend Ami and her team. Thank you!!!

Colleen Addison

I don't think they even tried. All I heard was that my place was "so small" (i.e., not worth bothering with? I have 1200 sq ft). Then they forgot a room. I cancelled the account.

Tammy Upward

We had the privilege of working with PURE designs founder and owner Ami McKay on a 6500 sqft new build house in West Vancouver as well as another project and we can not say enough about PURE. Their creativity, and design visions are amazing, always different and original and the consent communication that is necessary while going through the design / building process was always there. We hope to do many projects in the future with PURE DESIGN! Thanks Ami and crew!

Tom Chen

Congrats to Amy and the amazing Pure team for being recognized Kitchen Designer of the year! We have had the tremendous pleasure and opportunity to work with Amy, Sarah, and the Pure team on the design of our entire new build. The house is still under construction (post drywall phase) but I cannot wait to see their amazing design come to live. Hope to post pictures to show off their amazing design work soon, mean time if you are going through a new reno or build, and contemplating on whether you need an interior designer or not - trust me, I’ve been there. The answer is Yes and the team to trust and work with is Amy and Pure. Amazing design work aside, Amy and Sarah are the most fun and genuine people that you will work with and help you take stress out of your home project. She had me at hello. =) Can’t wait to have the team back onsite when the build is done, thank you for designing our family’s dream home, and congrats again!

Kathy Sinclair

Pure Design, Ami and her team worked with us to renovate our home and we were very happy with design ideas, communication and aesthetic of our project. Ami met with us to review ideas we had for the overall design and fulfilled them on every level. After our initial meeting we met for a presentation by Ami and received a take away book that outlined all of the visual aspects and an outline of all of the details from faucets, tub and toilets to drawer pulls and flooring and cost of the project. Ami and her team were able to source all of the elements, from flooring to wallpapers and other finishes and have them installed in a timely manner. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome of our previously dated and unappealing home, it was transformed into a beautiful space that has been shared in Western Living magazine. I wanted to take the time to write about my experience after reading a recent negative review because Ami and everyone of her team that we had the opportunity to work with was responsive, professional and was there to help us when the process was easy and on days that there were unforeseen problems and challenges. We were in direct communication with all of the team members by email, text and telephone and the responsiveness of everyone was speedy, normally within a couple of hours. Our experience with Pure Design was great, although we did experience unforeseen troubles, delay in materials and supplies and our timelines were pushed at times as well, such is the case with all renovations. I would not hesitate to recommend Pure Design and would use them again in the future.

sharon stevens

Ami and her team did an amazing job helping me decorate my new condo. From the first home visit I knew I'd chosen the right team to work with. Ami is so warm and friendly, as is virtually every member of her team. They listened to my needs and offered fantastic suggestions and options. Designer Jen Eves was so fun and easy to work with. I had a limited budget, and Ami and Jen managed to pull off even more than I had anticipated, all within my budget. I couldn't be happier with my place - I literally never want to leave home anymore!!

Rebecca S

Ami and her team designed the interior of our newly built house in Vancouver over the past year, which was just recently completed. We had originally hired a different designer for our kitchens and bathrooms but it wasn't working out. So we found Pure Design, who basically swooped in and rescued our design (which was no easy feat - it was a bit of a mess). We went from being frustrated and confused to breathing a sigh of relief at the hands of true professionals. We found them to be easy to work with, transparent, responsive, and highly creative. We are completely thrilled with the results - a cohesive, beautiful, functional modern space. Ami and her team are such lovely, caring people as well, which was a nice bonus. I have to say that I read the recent scathing review of Pure Design here on Google, and although I have no knowledge of this client and the situation, I can only imagine it was a serious exaggeration. No process is going to be perfect, and we also ran into issues with our construction process when the design couldn't be delivered exactly the way it was intended. But we handled it and took responsibility for the overall project, like any mature adult would and should. Kicking and screaming like a child and trying to smear the reputation of a good name when something doesn't go your way is just pathetic. Just my two cents.

Kelly Adams

Ami was exactly the right person to take my cabin in the woods into a dream home. She listened to my dreams and my practical needs. She brought beautiful details and blended the outside with the indoors. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to work with. I will hire Ami again when I downsize.

Reg Cran

We hired Ami and her Pure team for our home renovations. Ami is so amazing. She got to know my wife and I to really get a good understanding of our likes, dislikes etc and then came up with a very creative, consultative plan that we are thrilled with. Her support team is extremely helpful, friendly and attentive to the clients!! We love them!

Jackson Lonsdale

We are so incredibly thrilled with our kitchen renovation!! Ami and her team were consummate professionals and absolutely lovely and positive to boot. They helped us capture our vision and they pushed us just enough outside of our comfort zone. We one day hope to do more renovations (actually excited to do them thanks to Ami and her team) and we will be knocking down the doors at Pure for all of our future adventures!