Blue Marlin Home

We asked Blue Marlin make us an oversized magnetic chalkboard with a reclaimed wood frame and we couldn't be happier with the final product! Bernie was easy to communicate with and always replied to emails promptly. When we thought the initial estimate would be over our budget, he worked with us to make it more economical and he even delivered the chalkboard to our home upon completion. Bernie also made the giant chalkboard without any seams running through it, which we didn't think would be possible, based on every other proposal that we received. Blue Marlin really went above and beyond. We have received many compliments already!

Bernie was great to work with. He proposed ideas and tweaked them according to our specific desires. He was very patient with responding to our specific needs and made sure that the final plans were exactly what we wanted. He sent us several wood samples and then sent us more when we refined our tastes based on the first set. He was easy to contact and always provided prompt responses when we inquired about the status of the project or gave an idea for a feature we wanted in our armoire. His guys were on time for delivery and were very friendly. Most importantly, the piece itself looks great. It was built exactly according to the plans Bernie sent us and feels very sturdy. This was our first time using custom made, but the experience with Bernie and Blue Marlin Home definitely exceeded our expectations. We would certainly use them again if we ever need another item of furniture to be built in the future.

I've been working with Bernie for several months and I cannot begin to praise him enough. How many people who do this sort of work ALSO have a creativity that actually changes the way you live? Bernie has that! He has SO much expertise, in so many areas, I began to rely on him for design ideas, suggestions regarding practicality, materials, and more. I'll start from the beginning....... I saw a storage cabinet somewhere and thought it would be great for my foyer. I put a photo of it up on Custom Made, having accidentally discovered it, and received more than a dozen responses. Bernie's stuck out as being really thorough and professional; (as opposed to another's response asking what my budget was after I had already indicated on the online form that I don't have a budget in mind). Paying attention much? Bernie REALLY pays attention! What I wanted wasn't a typical design. It involved a big variety of drawers, and storage "boxes," plus I wanted to use the kind of wood I saw in the photo. What was in the photo would have cost me many thousands of dollars because it was a rare wood from Africa. Bernie found something so amazingly similar at such an unbelievably reasonable price. The other element of the cabinet was stainless steel. Bernie was so creative in how he conceived of what the base should be, while keeping it completely stable and solid, and yet have an airy and unique look. Here's the kicker..... I told Bernie that I didn't like the way my husband threw his keys, wallet, taxi receipts etc., on the top of what we had in its place before. Bernie solved that problem by having a 6" sort of separate compartment, with a handle that makes it easy to lift and throw. Et voila, no mess on the top of the first thing you see when you walk in. Bernie is great at what he does; very easy to work with; very reasonably priced; kind, creative, respectful, absolutely on top of every aspect of the project, very available to talk, go over questions, very communicative, called back every time he said he would, etc. The installation was very well executed. They even vacuumed the floor and wiped down the furniture. Need I say more? I recommend Bernie and Blue Marlin Home with the highest of praise.

H

Helena

For Helena's Long pedestal x 6-8 pieces

5.0

Apr 17, 2014

I had super awesome experience with him. Thank you again!! :)

Beautiful craftsmanship, delivered on time and for a very reasonable price. Really excellent, outstanding work.

We are extremely happy with our decision to work with BlueMarlin/Bernie. Bernie is extremely responsive, willing to work within our budget and prepared to work with our table design and answer any question that came up. We had 2 tables made for our NYC conference room since stock furniture did not meet our specifications. The finished project is exactly as envisioned and while we have an issue leveling the table (problem with the floor) Bernie is more than willing to come back on site and adjust the table. For future project/purchases, I will definitely add BlueMarlin/Custom Made to my list of vendor choices. Thanks Bernie!

Excellent communication, great product, great effort, can't say enough.