Anchor Design Co. - Bangor, Maine

Dominick R.

When we purchased our home, the kitchen had been previously updated and was fully functional. The layout worked well and there was plenty of storage space. We were not looking to do a total overhaul. There was a quirkiness about the kitchen, which gave it character that we liked. We were looking to make some aesthetic changes and a few cabinet additions that would tie it all together and make it look more cohesive. Our neighbors worked with Anchor Design Co. on their kitchen remodel and highly recommended them. Business owner and designer, Michelle Chase AKBD, understood our needs and worked with us to make the appropriate changes to accomplish what we wanted. We are extremely happy with the results. Working alongside Michelle and office manager, Karen Tucker, was easy, low stress, and fun. All through the process, from our first meeting and at every step along the way, we felt that we were in good hands. Another very important reason we chose to work with this local professional small business owner was their association with and recommendation of a highly skilled local contractor/carpenter to do the installation. We could not be happier with the quality of the installation. We highly recommend Anchor Design Co.

Richard P.

After a couple of visits to home centers we selected Anchor Design Co. to plan our master bathroom remodel. We didn't have much of an idea on how to approach our project. Michelle Chase was a good listener and asked many leading questions. She explained how a project like this goes together-which decisions had to be made first, etc, and an expected time line.

She paid a great deal of attention to helping us coordinate the colors and design of shower tiles, floor tiles, walls, and vanity. We were pleased with all products we purchased though Anchor Design Co., as well as the contractor she recommended. There were a few small glitches that occurred, such as a special order faucet that arrived with the incorrect finish. They took care of the problem immediately. They had the wholesaler expedite the replacement, then had it delivered to our home 40 miles away-all at no additional cost.

After several months of use we continue to be very happy with the way our new bathroom looks and "works" for us, and would not hesitate to recommend Anchor Design Co. to anyone considering a bathroom remodel.

Wendy D.

As we all know 2020 was a year that none of us will soon forget. A trying year to say the least on many fronts. Building a new house with two full kitchens during the pandemic presented some challenges. We can say that during this build our interactions with the team at Anchor Design were always pleasant and positive. From the initial consultation through the design process and ordering of materials we felt that Marcy really listened to what we had to say and incorporated those into the plans. Her suggestions were spot on and really added new elements that we had not previously considered. The fact that she had a previous working relationship with our general contractor only made the process easier. The delivery of both kitchens was on time and the care to make sure they were exactly as promised was nice as well. We would highly recommend the team at Anchor Design for all of your design needs. They did a great job for us and we love our new home.
Keith and Wendy Durrah

Rita S.

Michelle Chase and Anchor Design are amazing to work with! Michelle's spacial sense, creativity, practicality, and great taste make her design work exceptional. Her design for our kitchen, bathroom, mudroom, laundry room have transformed our home. Bangor is so lucky to have her, and anyone outside of Bangor should make the trip - you'll be glad you did!

Hannah L.

While Michelle Chase no doubt seems like a nice person, this unfortunately in no way reflects her ability to do her job of custom cabinetry well.

While completely remodeling our family camp in remote Maine to be year-round - where my father would spend his retirement - we chose and trusted Michelle of Anchor Design Co. to assist in the development of our new kitchen. The kitchen was central to the overall design, and therefore all other choices we made were based on the finish of the cabinets: the countertop, flooring, ceiling finish, wall colors, and additional furniture. The finish of the cabinets was confirmed verbally and in writing several times throughout our months-long dealing with Michelle. Even three days before the contract was signed, the finish was confirmed and correct in her draft. Somehow in those three days, the final contract was produced and an incorrect finish was listed. This incorrect finish was not even available to view in her showroom; we never considered it for our cabinets. She never sent us the final contract before it was to be signed - it was to be printed and signed in person by the individual paying for the product in her showroom. Trusting she had done her job correctly, and translated the approved draft to the final contract, my father took the long trip to Bangor to sign the contract and make the initial payment. The cabinets would take at least six weeks to be delivered, and another several weeks went by until they were ready to be installed by our carpenter. Our camp was not able to be lived in during this entire process. So only after the cabinets were installed did the finish mistake - and additional measurement errors - become apparent.

I will take a moment now to further mention that the invoice she gave my father for payment after the contract was signed listed our correct cabinet finish. Further, if the mistakes had been caught earlier, perhaps we would have ultimately ended up with the correct cabinet finish, but our building schedule would have been set back months - potentially an entire year - as winter was approaching.

After the errors became apparent, we contacted Michelle and she immediately defended, noting that she followed the signed contract regardless of any potential errors - of which she hardly acknowledged. She simply told us she thought the cabinets looked good - an easy thing to say for someone who has our family's money, and does not have to live with it.

So when all was said, installed, and done, conveniently Anchor Design Co. was free of any liability to have done the expensive job we trusted her with correctly.

If you choose to go through Anchor Design Co., be warned that you must double, and triple-check all work you are paying her to do - a wild inconvenience for any customer with little knowledge of designing and ordering custom cabinets.

It is now years later, and we are still spending time, energy, and money trying to make up for Anchor Design Co.'s mistakes. I would not trust their ability to pay attention to detail - a skill paramount to custom jobs. As stated above, the finish and measurements were both obviously incorrect. Save yourself from this live-in nightmare, and spend your hard earned money elsewhere.

It brings me no joy to leave this bad review. My only comfort is that I can maybe save other consumers from making the wrong choice in trusting this business with their custom needs.

Barbara B.

Based on the outstanding design work that Anchor Design performed on our Master Bathroom renovations, we selected them for our Guest Bathroom renovations, We chose different materials for the tile and vanity top but kept the same vanity woods. Our initial selection of the material for the quartz top on the vanity was very expensive and Anchor Design provided options that saved us several thousand dollars.

Their work was exceptional and exceeded our expectations. Anchor Designs is now our go-to design studio for kitchen and bath renovations.

Mark K.

I used their services for a total redesign of my Kitchen Bathroom and laundry. From start to finish they were fantastic. They listened to my ideas and style and added their own to come up with a perfect design, which was a much better use of space than others had suggested.
Then they coordinated the delivery of supplies of the chosen cabinets, floorings, tile etc. Marcy came down several times, to first work on the design and then meet with the builders before and during the project to keep it all on track. The builders appreciated working with her as well. She and Karen went well above and beyond to make it all come out perfectly. They were both very generous with their time and offerings of design advice right down to paint colors. It is rare to find such competent professionals in any occupation. I would gladly work with them again and would wholeheartedly recommend them. I almost forgot, they did all this with a great sense of humor and lightness that made them a joy to work with.

Stacie B.

Anchor designs has been nothing but amazing. Working with michelle has been The most easy process ever. She has responded very quickly to all my emails and calls. She has made a few house calls to answer any questions I had. I am no designer, so having someone knowledgeable and helped me pick things that would match was amazing. I would 100% reccomend anchor designs and I would say michelle and all the staff have gone above and beyond for us.