“Ryan James served as project manager and lead designer on the recently finished extensive renovation of my 3 bedroom apartment. He is a talented professional whose high standards led to results I could not have achieved if it were not for him. His ability to listen and understand my needs and concerns and translate them into action have resulted in a beautifully executed home. The workmanship is extraordinary. He not only cares about the resulting product, but for his clients as well as his crew. I could not recommend him more highly.”

“ As a lead designer and project Manager, Ryan James demonstrated excellent work ethic, communication and attention to detail. He was able to capture and execute our vision on a highly complex amenity space design-build project. He is a pleasure to work with and keeps everyone organized.”

“As Ryan’s coworker, I can say that he is someone who works extremely hard as construction manager / designer, and is committed to finishing what he starts. He is a very professional worker and someone who inspires.”

“Incredible person to work with! Ryan and I worked together for the past 4 years on various Design and Build Project in New York City. Ryan’s Hands-on knowledge in construction and Interior Design is extensive and I was fortunate enough to learn from him while working together. His attention to details is admirable and his work ethics are of the highest order. He is extremely articulate and personable. I am confident that he will be an asset to any project he is involved in. ”

“As the manager of the architecture and design team I worked closely with Ryan who managed the project management and construction team. Because of several cross over staff members that had construction and design related responsibilities we combined our efforts to co-manage. Ryan is an extremely talented individual with a creative background and detail oriented discipline. Im very grateful for his patient approach to tackle large goals without compromising the quality of work. Ryan is a professional that takes pride in his work and is a caring coworker.”

“ We had the pleasure of working with Ryan James when he was the lead designer and project manager on our apartment renovation. The renovation was extensive, including re configuring the floor plan and replacing much of the electrical wiring and plumbing. Ryan did an excellent job managing the contractors and subcontractors and making sure everything was done in a timely manner. When a problem arose, he carefully explained the situation and provided us with reasonable alternatives.

Ryan also played an important role in helping us select our finishes. His patience and flexibility were much appreciated, as we have strong opinions and like to actively participate in the process. Ryan always maintained his composure, even in the most difficult of situations. His positive attitude and friendly manner made a long, complicated process much easier to tolerate. After our project was completed, he efficiently followed up on the punch list and subsequent maintenance items that arose in the future. Given the chance to work with Ryan again we would welcome the opportunity.”

“I cannot overstate the service Mr. James provided to me and my family. He was available via phone/email/txt at any time, day or night. We had major hiccups w/ some of the plans we had for our kitchen reno, however; Mr. James delivered on every promise he made.

He had internal and external deadlines and he met them all with time to spare. He was completely honest as to timelines and arrivals. If he didn’t immediately know the answer, he made sure he got the answer and let us know. His relationship to his staff is one of mutual respect and as a client, it’s nice to see someone in charge of others treating them as equals”

“ Ryan James was my project manager/designer for a major renovation in my large co-op apartment. He is detail oriented and listened to my thoughts on what I wanted. My desires were translated successfully due to and through his expertise in the industry. He is a fabulous interior designer, and managed the project so that it was completed within the promised duration. I have recommended him to other clients, and they have all been pleased with his input and performance. ”

“Ryan was a project manager and design consultant for our apartment construction. I can say how amazing , and on point he was. He is a problem-solver, he knows how to collaborate and meet the need of the clients. He also is an educator, he teaches the client to understand the how and why of projects and the best way achieve the project goals together. He understands a clients tastes and how to being them into the element of design. Ryan is a master in his field and a joy to work with.”

“Ryan was our Project Manage rand oversaw two significant renovation projects in our New York City apartment. These renovations included the primary bathroom and a bedroom/office. He was highly responsive to any questions or concerns and extremely impressive in his ability to solve problems. The primary bathroom involved complex plumbing which Ryan coordinated very well with the plumber and the renovation team. Ryan’s attention to detail was constant.”

“ had the pleasure to work with Ryan for about 2 years on more than 20 projects, in a very fast and high demanding environment. I was the lead designer and he was our project manager, and, after working on 3 different continents, I believe I can say that I rarely met somebody so dedicated to each and every project as so accurate in reviewing my drawings and foreseeing site conditions and guiding the people on the jobsite to get things done and at the best. He showed to have an holistic understanding of every job and great leadership skills, helping all of us to make that “dream interior” coming true. He really is one of the best project managers I had the honor to work with and, on top of that, he’s a very understanding and sweet person, capable to listen and proactive, and these are the other reasons why I said it was truly a pleasure to work with him”

“We met Ryan during a tour of renovated apartments in our Upper West Side co-op. When we walked into that space, we knew immediately that THIS was what we wanted to do with OUR apartment. Seeing his design work and him discussing it with various people in the tour, we were ready to start working with him immediately. And, we did.

Having never having had to deal with the various renovation authorities (our co-op management, NYC DOB, etc.) I’m so very glad that we had Ryan in our corner to help us navigate through the bureaucratic mess. And while I expected that there would be scores of decisions we had to make, I never expected that he would be there to make the hundreds or even thousands of sub-decisions for us. Having talked with us extensively, Ryan knew exactly what we wanted even when we didn’t.

We had several high-level design goals to meet simultaneously: facilitate aging-in-place, custom mill work to display our objects, a picture rail and clean spaces to feature our art, and opening our space with several custom-built design elements. All our goals were met, on-time and on-budget.

We wanted to hire a high-quality firm with the best people to get the best work. That’s what we got with Ryan.”

“Ryan James was my supervisor when I worked at Smart Design NYC in 2018. He is also my friend since. I own and operate my design build company in Brooklyn now. Ryan is one of the most qualified and exceptional designers and project managers on construction with specifically New York City experience. He is creative, extremely detail oriented, exacting and focused. His construction drawings include important details that workers were able to read on site and execute and he is able to convey complex ideas to workers on site. He is the only person who was able to execute my design without my ever going on site which was a first. Ryan’s work ethic is also unprecedented and he is punctual and keeps his calendar and appointments very organized. Ryan also has a pleasant demeanor and a sweet personality so it’s easy to work with him and it’s easy to get along with him. Workers on site also had a great report with him. I have nothing, but respect and admiration for this man. ”

“Ryan’s design for our kitchen has transformed our apartment, Now that we have had several months to live with our renovation, we are as happy with it as the day the project was completed last fall. Ryan has an excellent sense of space and he incorporated everything on our wish list. His renderings were spot on. Our kitchen turned out exactly like the photos he showed us at the beginning of the project. It was not an easy 4-plus months as is normal with a renovation, but everything turned out beautifully. Ryan has excellent taste and sense of color as well. We also renovated the bathroom and redid the floors and lighting in the living room. We are thrilled with the results. ”

“We worked with Design to Live LLC on residential remodels in Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY. If you are looking for a designer focused on designing your home that reflects who you are, Design To Live is the one. Ryan James is very professional, honest, talented, and an absolute pleasure to work with.”

“DESIGN TO LIVE will give you an unusual combination of amazing fresh modern design AND great building/management and details. Let me tell you the great experience I had with them:

I hired Design To Live shortly after SANDY (Oct 2012)- My 4 family home in Downtown Jersey City was badly damaged (6 figure damage). Design to Live had already done some minor work on the building a year earlier (painting and minor renovation) ), but this was a large job- I needed them to manage the project AND take care of many repairs, including handling city inspections. I decided while doing needed repairs I would also completely renovate the building and prepare it to SELL IT!

Ryan James was amazing. He handled a HUGE Project here- completely rebuilding the basement apartment and the installation of all utilities (4 new furnaces/ 4 new water heaters and all new electric. But, the amazing thing was that although there was so much basic rebuilding to do- Ryan managed to re-design the basement apt and 1st floor duplex into an amazing, fresh new modern apt that sold instantly. It was fit for any Interior Design Magazine feature! He did custom cabinetry, re-did the wood floors and patched the damaged floors, and completely renovated bathrooms and kitchens to make it look as if I spent 3 times what I did! Jaw dropping gorgeous Interior Design and craftsmanship. He renovated with incredible style, including the facade of the building- and even did new landscaping, including built-in planters and new railings. I sold the building (actually I managed to sell the apartments as 4 condos with Ryan’s help managing the conversion of the 4 family into condos. The individual apartments were so finely renovated that they sold as condos instantly and I made several $100,000 more this way- much more than all the renovations cost).

In a word- Design to Live was a LIFE SAVOR. But, more than that, Ryan managed to add such a fresh modern style to the apartments for such little cost that I managed to sell for much more than I expected as prospective buyers fell in love with the apartments instantly. Sandy could have been the worst experience of my life (and I know neighbors still scratching their heads trying to get out of the financial hole it caused) - but Ryan managed to turn it into a financial gain for me. He is a Great Interior Designer and Architect as well as a competent / knowledgeable and resourceful contractor. Try to find that in one package!
If you are considering hiring Design to Live, I am happy to share photos of the work and discuss my positive experience with Design To Live anytime- My name is Robert 917-488-3230 ”