Valentina Custom Design

If you are looking for quality fabrics and an expert eye to guide you, this is your place. If you are looking for inexpensive fabrics for a rumpus room project, please try the other stores on S 4^th. Actually, she is a very nice person, but has no patience for tire kickers and swatch collectors. I needed to upholster 2 antique chairs and wanted silk drapes, everything needed to coordinate with a striped antique sofa in my living room. My friend and I went into 3 fabric stores on S. 4^th and found generic boring fabrics, not what I had in mind. Next stop, Valentina. I handed her a swatch of my sofa material and without moving from her chair, she plucked the absolutely perfect fabric for my chairs from behind her and said «You also need 2 trims and here they are. We were stunned. Draperies? Could she do it again? Within 5 minutes, we had the silk drapery material and orders to go across the street to Pauls to have them made. Nothing left but to pay and go down the street to the Famous Deli and toast our successful venture with an egg cream. I was very happy with the prices, I thought that I had a real bargain and best of all, I had the experience of having a designer with superb taste put my whole project together, PRICELESS!

My husband and I had a great experience at Valentina’s. We went to fabric row with the intention of checking out every store. We needed to re-​upholster two love seats and a winged chair for a formal living room. We knew what colors we were looking for.
We walked into several stores on fabric row. Many of them had so many fabrics piled up on top of one another that it made me dizzy! There was no rhyme or reason as to how they were arranged in the store. Some of the merchants were not friendly, either. In fact, one person did not even get up from the chair!
Then we walked into Valentina’s, and I breathed a sigh of relief. While the inventory wasn’t large, everything in the store was elegant and classy. The fabrics were arranged by color scheme, so coordinating several fabrics was easy.
We had painted an 8×10 piece of paper with the color of our living room wall. It made it easier to see how the fabrics would blend with the colors. I would suggest doing this any time you need to choose items for your homes. It really helps.
Lori, the owner, was very helpful. She held up our colored paper against various fabrics, and gave us ideas. We did buy a yard of three fabrics in order to see how they would look in the house. Would samples have been nice? Sure. But, she has the right to run her business as she sees fit, and I can understand her policy. Buying the yards of fabric was worth it since we have to live with the fabrics for a long time. And a yard gives you a better idea than a little swatch.
We also brought a sample of our new family room sofa and love seat since we needed to re-​upholster a glider. This time, Stephanie helped us. We settled on a fabric for the glider, as well as a fabric for pillows for the sofa and love seat. Stephanie was also very helpful.
It took us three visits to complete everything, and each time, Lori and Stephanie were happy to see us. When we were getting ready to leave, I went up to Lori to thank her for all her help. She HUGGED me.
Our house is going to look beautiful. I wish we had more projects to do because Lori’s fabrics are beautiful.
…Maria and Bob Breeser

I have completed two projects with the help of the owner of Valentina. The first was my daughter’s living room sofa, pillows and chairs. The second was her dining room chairs and a large drapery. It will all coordinate as she lives in a co do and it is one large space. The fabrics are fun yet elegant as befits a 27 year old professional in the city. Without the owner’s, whose name escapes me, advice, we could not have obtained the look we achieved.
Now I putting myself in her trusted hands for the Great Room of my vacation house. She is knowledgeable, the fabrics are unerringly curated and I don’t find her rude. I believe that you need to be there to buy, not price shop. As someone who has «done» a few houses, and enjoys the process of choosing fabrics, I find that she helps to make my vision a reality. With her prices, you can’t be price shopping or getting free swatches. I totally understand. Have the negative reviewers checked the prices at Calico Corners lately?
Just my opinion…

I read the Unilocal reviews prior to going into this store and was luckily prepared for the snooty, cold, intense owner, and her extreme rules. I went in armed for battle and came out victoriously. I have three upholstery projects and curtains to be made. I searched up and down fabric row. Her selection is narrow but by far the very best on the street and her prices were shockingly reasonable.
Don’t go here to browse or get project ideas. Don’t go here if you are looking for trendy contemporary fabrics. Don’t go here if you are looking for wide variety. But, if you have a specific vision or need that you can clearly articulate to the owner and are looking for fabric that has either a historic or classical, classy vibe (think House Beautiful mag, not Dwell mag) then this is the right place for you. Instead of a large volume of everything under the sun, she curates her fabrics. And she has good taste. The fabrics are displayed in a way that is very easy to see and many of the fabric coordinate well with each other.
No she does not cut samples, which sucks. And I didn’t even ask to take pictures. Instead I bought the 1 yard minimum. Yes it is an investment, but if you end up going with the fabric it is so much less than many of the other stores that you still save money. If you don’t use the fabric, then you have a few yards saved for random projects like pillows or a bathroom curtain.
After shopping there, I went into a few other stores. When the owners saw I had a Valentina bag, they asked what I did to get her to let me buy her fabrics. The other shop owners on this street hate her. And I can see why. But my living room and guest room are going to look fabulous.
Note: I went back a second time on a Sat afternoon and she has another woman helping her who was much nicer.