Chris M. Shields Interior Design

My boyfriend and I recently signed a lease on an SF apartment with a whole host of features — a fireplace! Huge windows! Brand-​new wood floors! An open floor-​plan! — that we were super excited about until we realized just how difficult they were going to make it to get the place set up in a way that was both comfortable and affordable. The fireplace was jutting out of the wall right in the only place for a TV, the light from the huge windows was blinding, the wood floors needed to be 80% covered (per our lease) by rugs we were sure we couldn’t afford, the open floor plan was oddly shaped and felt really cold. And the best part: we hadn’t realized when we’d signed the lease that there was zero overhead lighting. To be honest, I think we were both feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse until Chris stepped in and saved the day with his creative inspiration, practical advice, and much-​needed reassurance.
Chris gave us great advice on everything from lighting solutions to the best size and style of couch and coffee table to maximize our weirdly shaped space, gave us lots of realistic ideas for window and floor coverings to warm the place up, engineered a solution for our TV-​placement problem, and even gave us a whole list of places to shop while keeping our budget in mind. He also saved us from buying a pull-​out couch that was way too big for our guest room — of course we’d only looked at the dimensions of the room, but Chris took into account the dimensions of the hallway we’d need to get it down first and wisely nixed the purchase before we pulled the trigger. Chris armed us with the confidence and knowledge we needed to get excited about our new place, make good design and purchasing decisions moving forward, and turn that cold, awkward space into the warm and welcoming home it is today. I can’t recommend him highly enough!

I found Chris to be both practical and creative. He brought a physisist’s (he majored in it) conceptualization to functionality and an artist’s eye to the aesthetics of my project. And he’s a great listener, too – as a psychotherapist, i know something about listening! I can’t recommend him highly enough.

My girlfriend and I recently signed the lease for a new apartment in the city. As with many San Francisco rentals the space is somewhat «funky» and we found ourselves trying to jenga together a way to fit a living room set and a dining room table in our teeny living room/​dining room area. As someone that has also been more accustomed to the hodge podge un matching furniture world of bachelorhood, I also felt pretty clueless when it came to understanding the wide world of «grown up» home furnishings. Enter Chris. Chris expertly evaluated our space and provided us with a litany of options for how to maximize space, where to get great furniture at our price point and how to deal with tricky lighting issues. Chris knows exactly what he is doing and is incredibly friendly, attentive and a pleasure to work with. Thanks to Chris we feel like we are well on our way to having a home we are excited to come home to. Thanks so much Chris!