Catherine was great to work with. Lots of lovely ideas and provided a lot of support to us throughout the entire project and introduced us to our wonderful builder as well! We are so glad we had Catherine on our build with us.

– Emily

Catherine has been incredible.

We initially started without knowing a huge amount about the process, and had a bad experience with prior architects. Catherine was practical, sensible and recovered the project which has turned out to be the home we’d always dreamt of. Couldn’t recommend her more highly!

– Patrick

Catherine is a bit of a unicorn in the residential building world. On our project, she has been our calm, our problem solver, our mediator and has helped us make quick and efficient decisions and navigated us so effectively through all elements of our home build. She has a keen focus on great design whilst also able to suggest practical elements whilst always keeping budget considerations at the forefront of every recommendation and decision. We are extremely fortunate and so grateful to have Catherine’s expertise and guidance at the forefront of our project.

– Ainslie

I would highly recommend Catherine. We initially asked for her input on two properties we were considering buying – she gave us ideas and a vision for both that we would never have thought of ourselves. She has since worked with us on the renovation of the property we ended up purchasing, with helpful recommendations on everything from aesthetics to structural changes, CDC process, suppliers to use and everything in between.

She always has a clever and practical solution for any issue or limitation the property presents. There are so many different aspects to a big reno (builders, engineers, certifiers, selection of fittings and flooring, etc, etc) – Catherine pulls it all together and makes a complex process feel smooth and stress free!

– Denise

Catherine has been with us every step of the way, helping us tackle and navigate the difficulties of adding a second floor to our home. From design to application Catherine has exceeded our expectations.

– David

Thanks Catherine for the fantastic service you provided. Your patience and persistence in our dealings with Council helped a lot. Phil and his team at Palatial Homes were a great recommendation of yours.

We are really happy with the results, and happily recommend you to future clients.

– Matt and Jean

We are coming to the end of our build and I can honestly say I will miss working with Catherine Finlay. From the start her knowledge of councils, builders and building terms has been invaluable to us. Catherine guided us through the design phase and council approvals and made the process very straightforward.

Throughout our build Catherine has been a massive support offering gentle guidance where needed. Renovating for the first time for us having someone that could translate the building language was so helpful. Catherine has built up a great list of suppliers she has worked with and dealing with them has been great as they clearly love working with her too. I would not hesitate to recommend Catherine.

– Sally

We hired Catherine Finlay to design our dream home in Greenwich and are very happy with her expertise and creativity of the project. She was professional and approachable throughout the process. She was also happy to incorporate our ideas into the design seamlessly.

We had a couple of issues with our DA and Catherine was able to handle the challenges and communicate with Lane Cove council and get us a satisfactory outcome. Catherine
helped us in choosing a fantastic builder to complete our project and we are very happy with her recommendation. We would recommend Catherine to anyone looking for a talented and dedicated designer.

– Harini

Catherine was patient with us as first time renovators, was very conscious of our budget, really understood our needs, and based on her experience had a good point of view on how our needs are likely to change.

She incorporated quite a few wow factors, and has a great sense of when to give a firm recommendation on design choices vs. frame options and leave to personal preferences. We absolutely love the space – to live in, entertain and host house guests – and are looking forward to enjoying it for decades to come.

– Ward

Catherine has worked with us now on three properties. Each time she has taken care to understand our needs and tailored solutions to suit them.

We have found Catherine and those tradesmen she works with to be a delight always willing to help achieve a shared vision is time and on budget.

Catherine has very capably managed the processes of design, dealing with Council and Certifiers, Builders and Trades for all our projects.

We would confidently recommend “Designed by Catherine Finlay” to anyone wanting a highly skilled professional to manage their renovations/builds.

– Hugh Bishop

It was a delight to work with Catherine, she listens to what we wanted and came up with some grea designs for us. Nothing was too much trouble and Catherine was there to help whenever we asked.

Catherine has a portfolio of builders, cabinet makers etc to choose from and we are extremely happy with the building company we selected. Our renovation has recently been completed and we are very happy with our new home.

– Jacky

As a Commercial Interior Designer, I needed to appoint someone who had a good knowledge of residential design but more importantly had a clear knowledge of the local Council Requirements.

Our home was part Heritage Listed and came with several restrictions so Catherine was able to navigate the problems encountered and guide us through all the associated hoops. She was able to work effectively in collaboration with me to pull together the necessary documentation for a DA submission. With her extensive knowledge of local trades she was also able to tender the building works on our behalf and was a constant support as and when required throughout the whole process from inception to completion.

I would happily recommend Catherine Finlay to anyone seeking a knowledgeable, passionate and understanding Designer and have already done so on numerous occasions.

Thank you Catherine… we couldn’t have done it without you.

– Freya

We have been fortunate to work with Catherine over a number of years on projects of varying size and complexity. Catherine’s insights, designs, challenges and support have been invaluable every time. Catherine is also very responsive, knowledgeable and has great contacts. 

Thanks and best wishes

– Rob

Your practical yet creative design, combined with Palatial Homes’ craftsmanship, has produced exactly what we were hoping for. It is still the house we love and now far more suited to our needs.

Many thanks for all of your patient guidance to us in the design, approval and builder selection. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Kind regards,

– Don and Heidi