In 2020, I bought a beautiful but outdated home with the best intentions of remodeling promptly. Five years later, I hadn’t made any progress. My main reason for stalling was that I couldn’t figure out my style. Then I found Kim Trinidad with Bexar Essentials Remodeling. She told me that helping someone find their style is all about asking questions and listening. As a repeat client, I have benefited from their collaborative process, discovered my own style, and remodeled three beautiful bathrooms with them in the last year.
The design process at Bexar Essentials Remodeling sets them apart from other contractors. Each client completes a style quiz that helps Kim identify the home styles they’re naturally drawn to, whether contemporary, traditional, or something else. She uses this information to pull samples and pictures to show to clients during the first design meeting. Sometimes a client already has a particular style. Other times, people come into the showroom and are inspired by the materials on display. But most of the time, clients come to her as I did: unsure of what their style is or how they’d like their remodeled home to look. In those cases, Kim starts showing them pictures and asking them, “What do you like and not like in this picture? What do you want this room to feel like?”
Walking into our first design meeting, all I knew was that my bathroom was very dark and outdated, and I wanted it to look brighter and feel more relaxing. I felt nervous, but Kim’s enthusiasm for my project made me feel completely at ease. She really listened to my answers and got to know me, my needs, and interests. I could tell she was full of inspiration and that we would find my style together.
Kim feels confident she can help all her clients figure out their style. “You just have to get creative. You really have to dig deep sometimes and find out what they like.” While Kim does everything she can to give the clients exactly what they want, she also ensures they’re educated about what will work in their home. Kim told me that it’s not just about what looks nice, but what will be safe and functional.
“The story of the house is important too.” Sometimes a client wants a specific style, like farmhouse, that clashes with the original home design. Kim tries to take elements of their desired style and subtly incorporate them into the design so that it works well in that space. Other times, the style is influenced by the home's age. If their client has an older house, Kim can help them honor the original style by focusing on vintage accents and fixtures. Remodeling homes that have been in the family for generations can involve sentimental attachment to the original style elements, and Kim designs with that in mind. “Sometimes I have to think outside the box. How can I modernize that?” She tries to present people with options to see what brings an emotional reaction. “The choice is theirs because if they love it, that’s all that matters.”
Once Kim helped me find my style during my first bathroom remodel, the entire team at Bexar Essentials Remodeling made it easy to hire them again. They made everything smooth and easy from demo day through the finishing touches. Their communication exceeds every expectation I’ve had as a customer. I believe a part of that is the women at Bexar Essentials Remodeling, who take the time to listen. Kim said, “I’m a female in a male-dominated industry. But I don’t see that as my weakness. I see that as my superpower.” When discussing how to ensure a good customer experience, Kim said, “I keep an open mind and just listen to what they’re saying,” and I have found that to be true during all three of my remodeling projects with them. I also know they make sure the client is completely happy at the end of the project. “That’s the beauty of doing custom remodeling. Everything we do is so customized to each person.”
Kim told me her work is “challenging, but always fun.” Her favorite part is when clients come to the showroom for the second design meeting to see 3D renderings of their project. She loves seeing their reaction to how their style comes together. “We try to make the design match their personality even if we’ve never done it before.” As their client, I appreciate this part of the process because of the promise attached. I know my project will look just like those renderings I made with Kim, and I don’t have to worry about how it’s going to turn out.
The time and attention Kim and the team at Bexar Essentials Remodeling devote to the design process help clients better understand their own personal style. Now that they have helped me find my style, I get to enjoy my beautiful bathrooms, and I’m excited to work with them on more projects in the future.
“The choice is theirs because if they love it, that’s all that matters.”