Michael James Design, Inc.

Six Best of Houzz awards and a perfect 5.0 across 47 reviews is a rare run for a two-person shop — and Michael James Design is exactly that: a husband-and-wife kitchen and bath design team working out of one boutique showroom on Pleasant Street in Methuen. Michael and Maureen Hovnanian say they opened the showroom in 2004, doubled its size three years later, and became an authorized Sub-Zero and Wolf dealer at that point; Michael reports 35-plus years in the kitchen and bath trade and Maureen over 20 years in design and interior decorating. The work is design-led: layouts, elevations and 3D renderings, then cabinetry, countertops, appliances, hardware and fixtures — plus wet bars, laundry rooms and home offices — with design, sales, installation and service all under one roof. The company says its projects run from Andover and Chelmsford up to Newburyport and out to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. One thing to settle before you sign anything: the Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration on file for this business, #179520, is expired. HIC registration is what gives a homeowner access to the state's Guaranty Fund and arbitration program on a residential job, so if installation is part of your contract, ask directly whether the registration has been renewed or whether a separately registered installer holds the contract. The review picture is strong but lopsided. Houzz carries a 5.0 from 47 reviews alongside 24 posted projects and a Merrimack Valley Magazine readers' choice award for kitchen design; Google sits lower at 4.0 from only four ratings, and the written accounts on those pages are dated rather than current. Houzz also puts typical job cost anywhere from $1,000 for a vanity swap to $300,000 for a full Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen — worth pinning down early. This is a good fit if you want a designer's eye and high-end appliance access rather than a build-first contractor, and you value working directly with the owners. Confirm the licence status, get the scope of who installs in writing, and set a budget range at the first showroom consultation.