My references are impeccable, my client care superior, and my craftsmanship second to none—really.
I love what I do. It shows.
I make it look like a million buck$.
One of my past clients once asked me:
"Karol, how come you're not on HomeStars, Houzz, or some other 'trades rating site'? You'd get so much more business!"
Instead, I’m just on Kijiji - I created something called Mindless Luxury;
That question caught me off guard—just a bit. I thought:
"You’re right, Chris. I could get more business, grow bigger and bigger, make more and more money..."
But no, I wouldn’t.
My business model is different. And honestly, I have mixed feelings about those sites.
For starters, any platform that offers me a gift certificate for an expensive coffee in exchange for a testimonial feels... off. There’s no way to truly substantiate those ratings—they could be entirely fake. And besides, I could be treating myself to great coffee every single day...
(No, I’m not like that... but really, I do treat myself to good coffee every day. I just buy it. I like coffee!)
Another reason I don’t list on 'rating sites' is this: reviews tend to swing to the extremes. Either exemplary or dreadful, sometimes both. What’s up with that? For every bad review a business or contractor gets, there’s another spectacular one. Someone’s gaming the system.
Not my circus, not my monkeys.
I remember, one evening, scrolling through reviews for companies I’ve worked with. I stumbled upon a lousy review of Darmaga Hardwood Flooring. That caught my attention because I’ve worked for Darmaga. That was years ago, before I went to design school. They’re a very reputable, family-owned flooring business—three generations strong. I remember Wally Darmaga personally reviewing projects, showing up on site to meet clients and resolve issues in person. Their customer service? Impeccable. And the beautiful floors I installed for them... top-tier work.
So when I saw this bad review, I knew right away what the issue was. It wasn’t the floors, the product, or the installation—it was the lack of designer oversight.
That’s the missing piece in so many projects.
Let me explain:
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Flooring? It goes on the floor.
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Electrical switch? It goes on the wall.
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Cabinets? Stacked boxes with doors.
That’s the standard trade mentality. And to be clear, I respect the trades—floor installers, electricians, cabinetmakers. But unless you give them explicit design direction, what you’ll get is exactly that: a floor, a switch, a row of boxes. Functional. Done.
But a project can be so much more.
A hardwood floor can be installed, or it can be spectacular.
An electrical switch can be standard, or for an extra $30, it can be a digital, remote-controlled dimmer that makes your lights rise and fall like a curtain—so every evening, your own living room wows you.
A row of boxes can be just that... or it can look like a million buck$.
That’s the Studio Kosnik experience.
That’s what it’s like to work with me.
I’m not just a contractor—I’m a designer and a tradesman. I combine the best of both worlds. I love design. I love woodworking. That’s my forte.
My references are impeccable, my client care superior, and my craftsmanship second to none—really.
I love what I do. It shows.
I make it look like a million buck$.
