client love
“THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF WORKING WITH JOY, IS JOY”
“My husband and I had a vision for KOSA that truly came alive with Joy’s vibrant energy and her creative spark. The most important part of working with Joy, is Joy. She is open, collaborative, and willing to work with your ideas while pushing the envelope to create something that will make your brand pop. With an eye for detail, color, texture, Joy created every “moment” in our space to give our guests a feeling that is hygge and authentic.
As an organic, Ayurvedic spa, we needed everything to feel natural and healthy. Joy’s esthetic and values inherently supported this in a way that brought forth the nature of our historic space and materials with richness and depth, while using a honed restraint that only comes with many years of experience.
It is our good fortune that someone of Joy’s experience and caliber, working as creative director for international brands, is here in Madison, bringing that level of design to this city. Every corner of our space could be photographed for a magazine. More importantly, our hope was to create a world class space and brand, and with Joy’s world class experience, we were able to achieve that.”
SHILPA SANKARAN, FOUNDER KOSA AYURVEDIC SPA
“JOY HAS AN IMPECCABLE EYE”
“Joy helped us create a beautiful and comfortable living space that truly reflects our personal taste and lifestyle. We were overwhelmed when we downsized into a smaller home and most of our furnishings were too large for our new house. Using her impeccable eye for space, flow and arrangement, Joy assisted us in selecting pieces that complimented the existing furniture we were able to keep while taking into account our budget and style. She has exceptional taste and her use of color, texture and fabric are superb. Joy is very professional and fun to work with and really wants her clients to love their home!”
JANET, NAKOMA
WE REALLY VALUED THE THOUGHTFULNESS JOY BROUGHT TO OUR PROJECT.
She really sought to understand our needs and designed them with them in mind. We work with autistic and neurodivergent students, and we have noticed a difference in how our students interact with the environment since the makeover. They still have moments of dysregulation, but the colors and design have created a more calming, supportive environment!
KATE, DIRECTOR OF COMMON THREADS FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
“JOY PUTS HER HEART INTO IT AND IT SHOWS”
“It was such a pleasure working with Joy. She puts a lot of heart into what she does and it shows. She really spent the time to understand our wants and needs. She was excellent at communicating with us throughout the process. She got to know our family and helped us design a room that we will enjoy for yours to come. We couldn’t be happier.“
JESS, OREGON
“JOY HAS EXQUISITE TASTE AND VISION”
“Joy was a dream to work with- her bright endless energy kept us motivated and enjoying a long remodel of our ninety year old house. Our home now looks beautiful and reflects both our goals with Joy’s exquisite taste and vision. “
LISA, WESTMORLAND
“Oh, I am so enjoying our new bathroom! Now I want to tackle the kitchen! Thanks for putting up with us. You were able to tap into our wants and needs and have the patience and talent to make it happen. “
CAROLYN, MIDDLETON
“I LOVE THE FINISHED PRODUCT!”
“ Joy has boundless energy and enthusiasm and she brings both of these to her projects. Her design skills and her knack for knowing what will look beautiful made my bathroom exactly what I wanted. She worked with me, even when I changed my mind endlessly, to come up with what I eventually wanted and then refined this to make it even better. Joy's contacts in the industry and her ability to work with my contractor were definitely a plus. “
SONDRA, MIDDLETON
“JOY’S VISION TRANSFORMED MY SPACE”
“Working with Joy is so enlightening. She's inspiring, has a fantastic eye, and helps get to the root of the matter – what works for me and the way I live. She helped me understand that the clutter was adding to the stress and lack of calm in my life. In fact, it got in the way of so many things, including my health. Her vision helped me bring it all together and transform my space to feel healthier, more relaxed, and now has become my happy place.”
KATE BAST, FOUNDER SHINRIN-YOKU MADISON
“YOU’RE IN GREAT HANDS WORKING WITH JOY”
“Working with Joy Pontrello has been a great experience me. I met Joy on my yoga journey. As a fellow yogi, she truly values what is important in life. She has been remarkably supportive and compassionate while helping me gain focus and clarity in my life, figuring out what stands in my way and next steps to take to accomplish my goals. She is a great listener. I really felt heard, and that has been key to my trusting the coaching process. She has fantastic, creative ideas that I’ve found eye-opening, simple and practical. It’s amazing to me, looking back at the process, how someone could help me cut through the clutter to be able to visualize my key goals. It’s also amazing how making some undramatic, but substantial additions to my life are making such a big difference in how I feel about myself and how much more satisfied I feel with the direction my life is taking. I sit back and tell myself that just taking one step—in this case, beginning the coaching process—seems to open doors. Things began to fall into place largely because Joy is very in tune with the needs and inspiration of the moment. You’ll be in great hands working with her.”
ADRIENNE LESLIE, YOGA TEACHER and FIREFIGHTER
“JOY PROVIDES WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR”
“Joy is such a pleasure to work with! She is an active listener and really takes the time to provide specifically what you are looking for. She has a knack for wellness and can quickly deliver tools or materials for success. Her creativity is just icing on the cake! I would recommend Joy for improving all types of wellbeing including design, coaching, and inspiration.”
AKAYLAH JAEKE, MATC FITNESS AND RECREATION MANAGEMENT
“JOY CARES AND HAS THE RIGHT INSTINCTS”
“I had been a content stay at home mother for over 12 years; my kids were all starting to be gone during the days; my father had just passed away; I was sad, getting antsy and ready to make a change. I was paralyzed in routine and also knew that I did not want to go back to the same career I had before kids. One particular night during this time of sadness and confusion, I met a beautiful, kind, passionate woman named Joy Pontrello. We sat next to each other and began talking about our lives and our children. I told her about my dad, I told her I needed something to get me smiling, moving, and inspired; I wanted my kids to have a happy mom.
Joy then took a long breath in, smiled her lovely smile, and asked me, "Jessie, without taking any time to think about your answer right now, what are your favorite things to do?" I replied, "Hold babies and teach children." She asked, "Do those things make you happy?" I started to crinkle my face, all intrigued ... "Well, yes!" Joy then chuckled and stated, "Then go there."
I left the restaurant rolling and rolling that sentence around in my head for days, "Then go there." What did that mean??
What it meant was a month later, I applied to be a cuddler in the NICU at Meriter Hospital; 6 months later, I completed my postpartum doula training and began my own small business. Last but not least, I was recently hired through MMSD to teach parenting and childbirth and Adult Roles at Sapar School. End of story - I went there!!!
All it took were two simple questions from a woman who cared and had the right instincts.”
JESSIE LOEB, DOULA