Zaps is an amazing experience. What I understood started out as an enthusiast collector of flea…read moremarket and garage sale "treasures" many decades ago now morphed into a giant warehouse full of wekk, just about everything and anything you can imagine. These collectibles have now become a family "Prop" rental business, renting out their props for Hollywood movies, TV, theater, events and well anyone who wants to rent them. From Space Suits to complete bar and diner decor, thrones, giant Elvis status and anything you can imagine, it's no wonder Zaps is one of the top ten "must visit" recommendations for the Chicago Open House Weekend. A family business run and supported by some of the most delightful people you'll have the pleasure of meeting.

Did a shoot here, amazing collection of props and staff is incredibly sweet and helpful. Great…read morebusiness.

Remodeled my bathroom with excellent craftsmanship and great customer service, prices are great too!read more

Daniel contacted me a week ago to help me with some installments and I hesitated to wait for other…read morecalls. one week later he didnt here from me, and he contacted me back. We had an uplifting conversation which turned into me hiring him and us working hand in hand with communication to get the job done. He came on time like he stated and actually came earlier than promised. He came in and I wasn't even quite ready but he was patient and very helpful and he installed all of the window material and a couple of pantry shelves that I was seeking to get done. He did an excellent job. He didn't rush and I was very happy with his work and very please as I looked at the finishing touches. I didn't have any expectation's but we are all looking for a happy and satisfied outcome, and I know I received just that. he also was helpful and picked up and brought my furniture boxes in the house that were sitting in my hallway and that had nothing to do with the service he was providing. Daniel was really easy going very professional and very understanding to what I was trying to accomplish. I highly reccomend you hiring Daniel. I see Daniel as a NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK, and it just takes a minute to find him but when you do, you will have the best outcome you were seeking guaranteed. I do plan on bringing him back in for the rest of my home needs. I want to thank Daniel also for the great service he provided.

We've hired them twice and they do excellent work and delightful to work with. I would recommend to…read moreanyone

Greg at Team Perfect Hang did a beautiful job hanging over 40+ items in my apartment over two…read morevisits. He does great work at a fair price. I highly recommend Greg's art hanging services.

I had such a wonderful experience with Stratagem and their sister company when they updated my…read morekitchen that, after recently moving, I decided to use them again to add an electric fireplace and shelving to a blank wall in my new living room. Their work did not disappoint! The designer was so helpful in transplanting my vision into a beautiful design plan within my budget. The workmanship is excellent and the workmen that did the instillation and painting were professional, diligent, and friendly. Everyone at Stratagem from the owner, Mitch, to each person that works for him is helpful, thoughtful, and committed to doing good work. Having worked with them twice, I can confidently say that they are a delightful company to work with their work delivers beautiful results.

Mitch and his team at Stratagem saw thorugh the entire process of the construction like I've never…read moreseen another contractor do. They built two beautiful bathrooms and, crucially, managed the project such that we could sit in the spectator seat comfortably. We live in a high-rise, and, for example, they communicated with the HOA so we didn't have to (insurance, freight elevator, loading dock, etc). When a minor issue surfaced years later Stratagem fixed it without questions asked. Great experience overall, haven't had another re-modeling project done in such a professional and (to us) easy way.

We used Design Inside for our recent condo renovation, and we were pleased with our designer,…read moreAbigail. We had looked into three or four design firms and went with Design Inside because we got along well with Abigail from the initial consultation. She's friendly and had suggestions from our first meetings. Our remodeling scope was pretty basic (resurface hardwood floors, install new tiling, new lighting, new kitchen countertops/backsplash/hardware, painting, etc.) We weren't planning on taking down any walls or putting up new walls - hence "pretty basic" in our eyes! The initial few weeks involved back and forth with designs and occasional meetings with Abigail so she could get a handle on what we wanted done. Abigail was accommodating with meeting/phone times, and would often meet with us late afternoons or early evening. She created designs we had never thought of doing (enclosing in structural poles, wainscoting, etc). Abigail also was able to easily "read" my husband and I in terms of color schemes and we ended up choosing one of the first few samples of tiling and backsplash that she dropped off with us. Kudos for that! Abigail also provided us bimonthly hours summary / detail so we knew how much we were being charged for her services. She would break down the time she spent working for us by the minute and it was helpful to see where our dollars were being spent. From a "grand overall design", Abigail did a good job, but when we started getting into the details in the later phases, we did run into a few minor issues. I recommend ordering all materials / furniture / art yourself and not going thru Design Inside. With a little work on the intranet, you can find it cheaper, not to mention a lower delivery charge. We had a few material mix-ups with Design Inside - i.e. we received the wrong hardware; not enough tile or grout was ordered. Abigail's measurements for the den were incorrect so she didn't order enough tile / grout - her measurements for the wallpaper were also off, but this time we almost ordered too much. The invoice system used by Design Inside is a little confusing and you should pay very close attention and track your own expenses. It's hard to describe but trying to track all the bills and refunds with the invoices provided was difficult. Overall - I would recommend Design Inside and Abigail for your remodeling needs. I would just offer a bit of advice to double check measurements and order your own materials, but would still recommend the company. Abigail provided different designs and options that demonstrated her design skills as well as her ability to connect with us in terms of what our goal of the remodel was. In our eyes, that was key.

I hired Design Inside to remodel my living room and kitchen…read more First the pros: -The initial consultation and design work was professional and creative. -The backsplash they helped me pick out looks great. -the contractor they employ is a professional in all regards. The cons: -Their quality control process is non-existent. I had incomplete hardware delivered. I also had an entire incorrect sofa delivered. How they don check these things prior to delivery astonishes me. -After I started venting my frustrations they "gave up" on my project. This left me with an incomplete redesign: -I have drapery hung, but it is wrinkled as all getout because they didn't bother to bring a steamer. -They totally ignored accent items (pillows, etc). Basically they helped with the big ticket items (probably items they get a spiff on) yet ignored the pieces that tie a home together. When it was all said and done, I spent 5 figures with this firm and I didn't get the courtesy of a project follow up nor a simple "thank you for your business." Very disappointing. Long story short, their ideas are good but execution is severely lacking.

Adam and Tony of The Build Chicago renovated our cafe into a National Park Themed coffee shop. They…read moretook our project from idea to reality creatively, efficiently, and effectively and our staff and customers could not be more pleased with the outcome. The process was super easy, we met with Adam and Tony and had a design meeting where they asked thoughtful questions about our needs and vision. Later we had a couple design pitch meetings where they presented their interpretation of the creative design of our space. They did an excellent job of listening to our needs and ideas and thoughtfully designing the creative elements of our shop. Since the Build Chicago has its own wood shop, they custom built much of our project before we even started construction in our cafe. This made installation a breeze and helped to expedite our build. Adam and Tony especially showed their experience during the onsite build portions of our project when they navigated the inevitable unknowns all projects face when doing construction in an existing space. Ill note that they were understanding and willing when we made design changes mid project when we noticed that our original design ideas needed to be modified. With all of that being said, The Build Chicago offers an excellent experience at a reasonable price given the quality materials, knowledge, and experience that they offer. I would recommend them for any project requiring custom woodworking and design, even more-so if the project is for retail or food service as they have actual experience in the food industry. Go with the Build Chicago, you wont be disappointed!

From the owner: If you are looking for that custom piece to make your space unique? Do you want your brand to go…read morefrom the front door to the back door? We are glad you found us! Custom designers, fabricators, and installers. Your one stop shop

As an interior designer it is important to work with great tradespeople. Tim does an amazing job…read moreand is super easy to communicate with.

Our home, originally built in the 1880's, got a deco revival renovation in the 1980's. We wanted…read moreto restore the stairs, railing, spindles, and baseboards to more like what they had been originally. Tim and his team at Competitive Woodcraft did an amazing job! It transformed our home and we couldn't be happier. See the before/after pics. I have several more smaller projects that I very much hope they can do for us as well.

The Best! Krista and…read moreAllison are great! I'm not the easiest person to work with, I don't know what I want and I'm color blind. I tell them do what you think is good and I'll like it. Well of course they don't believe me and put me through the process anyway, it took a little over a year to complete my house and it came out great. From all the comments from guests, family and visitors they love it too. Detail oriented, Patient, Very well educated, hilarious and fun to work with! Great job ladies and I look forward to our next project!

Allison and Krista are great fun to work with and have wonderful taste. They are super thorough…read moretoo. I've had great experiences working with them on two projects now.