Most Albertans have learned the hard way how difficult it can be to entice an interior-design expert through their front door. We live in the country's hottest construction market and professionals across the province are stretched to their absolute limit.

Sometimes prompt service takes a back seat.

But not when you do business with Joelle McLaren and her husband Cameron Johnson, a youthful husband-and-wife team that operate two of the most successful home-design franchises in Edmonton.

Joelle owns the city franchise for California Closets, the internationally respected experts who have revolutionized the custom home-storage business.

Joelle McLaren and husband Cameron Johnson can improve your lives, as well as your homes.

Cameron, meanwhile, is point man for CertaPro Painters in the capital region.

Both husband and wife run their thriving businesses from the same address. And they both subscribe to a 21st Century business model that puts prompt, efficient customer service at the top of the priority list.

"These are two sister companies which operate in a home-renovation industry that seems to be too busy to put service on the front burner," says McLaren, who's been calling the shots for Edmonton California Closets for more than two years.

"In an industry that doesn't often seem to be particularly service-oriented, we offer clear alternatives. When you call us for help, we respond with front-line professional service, as quickly as humanly possible," adds her husband.

Sometimes residential customers go for a double-header, asking both Joelle and Cameron to send someone by for an estimate. More often, the couple heads off in separate directions, doing their darndest to fulfill every customer's wish in the fastest, most efficient way possible.

Start with California Closets (www.calclosets.com), the company that makes organization the core principle and driving vision behind every custom-storage system it creates.

Like the international California Closet team, Joelle McLaren and her five design consultants are space-planning wizards. They can simplify your home life by maximizing space. That gives you the freedom to enjoy life, exactly as you'd like to.

"These are custom home solutions, whether you're looking at pantries, offices, wardrobe units - basically anywhere you'd like to develop an available space," says McLaren.

"If you've got a place to store all your possessions, you spend less time cleaning, less time organizing. It gives you more time for the things that are really important in your life."

In Edmonton, California Closet clients look on Joelle as a genuine saviour. Nobody's promising miracles, but sometimes that's exactly what the customer can look forward to.

McLaren's highly-trained professional designers work closely with all clients, sorting and organizing every detail, from the ground up. Within just a few hours, encouraging results start to take shape.

To be honest, some folks are really up against it, trying to hold back an avalanche of knick-knacks, clothing, cosmetics, books and other personal belongings. That can be tough if your closet contains just shelf, along with one lonely rod for hangers.

"There's all this wasted space below. When we come in, we utilize every square inch, whether it means moving drawers and baskets into the closet, with a combination of hanging and shelving. It really simplifies people's lives," McLaren grins.

Of course, California Closet products are of the highest quality. And when McLaren's experts install a product in your home, the famous lifetime guarantee goes with it: "If you own a product for 20 years, we'll stand behind it, for as long as you own your home."

That same assurance of quality work and first-rate material is yours when you do business with CertaPro Painters (www.certapro.com), the North American leader in the delivery of quality residential and commercial painting services. In Edmonton, Cameron Johnson and CertaPro have all the answers and are only too happy too share them.

"We call CertaPro the painting company of certainty," explains Johnson. "Sometimes it seems as though people almost expect to be disappointed when they hire a contractor. But we make absolutely certain that we exceed our client's expectations."

That means paying extraordinarily close attention to detail. CertaPro pledges to create a home-decorating experience of positive and lasting value. Thousands of satisfied customers are happy to testify to the truth of that statement.

And talk about rapid response. When you contact CertaPro in Edmonton, you're guaranteed an immediate return call as well as a fast, accurate estimate.

Though both these outstanding companies operate beneath the same roof, each maintains a separate business number, for the sake of clarity.

To arrange a visit from the top-shelf designers at California Closets, dial 780.469.1777.

And to seek an estimate from the eager-to-please professionals at CertaPro Painters, call 780.408.8889.

Savour the pleasure of dealing with home-improvement professionals who deliver everything they promise - and more.