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In a March 2025 Google review, a household that bought a home with a functional but quirky kitchen wrote that they wanted aesthetic changes and a few cabinet additions, not a total overhaul — and that Michelle Chase AKBD, whom they name as the business owner and designer, understood that and worked with them to make the changes. They also named office manager Karen Tucker, and wrote that the company's recommendation of a local contractor/carpenter to do the installation was a very important reason they chose it. Anchor Design Co. works from 1008 Stillwater Ave in Bangor, Maine, and on Houzz describes itself as a kitchen and bathroom retailer with almost two decades of industry experience. In an October 2025 Google review, a customer credited Anchor Design with designing their new kitchen counters and wrote that they listened closely and offered ideas they hadn't thought of. A June 2022 Google reviewer thanked Michelle and Karen for their kitchen and bathroom remodel. In a November 2015 Houzz review, a reviewer wrote that she and her husband added an addition that would be predominantly kitchen, chose Michelle after visiting the kitchen designers around, and that Michelle started over without hesitation when they changed one wall for a bigger doorway. Also in November 2015, a contractor wrote on Houzz that Anchor Design Co. had designed several kitchens for their clients and that the installation had gone smoothly. In a one-star May 2019 Houzz review, a family remodeling a remote Maine camp for year-round use wrote that the cabinet finish they had confirmed verbally and in writing appeared incorrectly on the final contract, which Michelle never sent them before it was signed in her showroom. Only after their carpenter installed the cabinets did the wrong finish and additional measurement errors become apparent, the reviewer wrote, and Michelle defended herself by noting she had followed the signed contract. Anchor Design Co. holds 4.4 stars from 14 Google ratings and 4.2 stars from 5 Houzz ratings.
“Michelle Chase, owner and lead designer for the new Bangor kitchen and bath design business Anchor Design Co., says her biggest inspiration is her father, who also was a kitchen and bath designer, in southern Maine.”
Beautiful design and seamless process! Anchor Design did an outstanding job designing our new kitchen counters. Their eye for detail and ability to blend style with functionality completely transformed the space. They listened closely to what we wanted, provided creative ideas we hadn’t even thought of, and made sure the final design reflected our home perfectly. Communication was great from start to finish, and the whole experience felt easy and collaborative. I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out!
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.
Michelle was amazing to work with on our kitchen and bathroom remodel! She helped bring my vision to life! Everything turned out perfectly and I can’t thank Michelle and Karen enough!
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.
We have been working side by side with Anchor Design on some elaborate bathroom and kitchen remodels. We have been overly impressed and will continue to do business with them. There staff, is very knowledgeable, professional and continues to go the extra mile for their customers.
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2 changes recorded — last scanned Nov 1, 2026.
Typical Maine range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from ANCHOR DESIGN CO.. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Cabinets are roughly 30% of a kitchen budget.
Estimated range
$20,700 – $31,500
Typical kitchen remodel around $26,100
