Working with Dawn was amazing! I reached out for help selecting a paint color for a tricky room in…read moreour house (the kitchen). During our 2-hour consultation, Dawn not only found a color that perfectly matched our style, counters, and backsplash but also spotted opportunities to refresh the colors in the dining room and entry to bring the whole design together. Her color savvy is fantastic, and she asked great questions and listened carefully to incorporate our preferences and ideas. She left us with paint swatches for all three rooms, and the new colors look incredible. Dawn's color consultation more than exceeded our expectations, but she didn't stop there! She also suggested ways to update the kitchen and dining room lighting to be more functional and coordinated. Her after-visit email summary included links to all of the ideas she had offered, including multiple options for fixtures that were very affordable and perfect for our spaces. We love the new lighting. To top it all off, when we told Dawn about our longer-term goal of renovating our kitchen, she offered fantastic ideas for reconfiguring the space to make it more functional and appealing. She followed up with detailed recommendations in her after-visit email summary and included rough drawings to help us visualize thew space. The 2-hour consultation with Dawn was an incredible value, and we definitely want to work with her on the kitchen renovation project!

"I had an absolutely amazing experience working with Dawn Bach on my apartment layout and design. I…read morereached out to her before moving from Colorado to Illinois, and she took the time to schedule a call and clearly explain her role as an interior decorator and how she could help based on my space and preferences. Dawn provided detailed layout plans along with furniture, bedding, electronics, and artwork recommendations--all of which perfectly matched my style and lifestyle. Her guidance not only made the process easy, but it also saved me over $900. I truly got everything I asked for and more. Thank you, Dawn! I will absolutely recommend you to anyone looking for an interior decorator."

Joanna was excellent! She designed three of our main floor rooms including the family room, formal…read moredining room, and front sitting room. It was my first time using an interior designer and I couldn't be happier with the experience. She was very professional, easy to work with, flexible, and patient when we weren't ready to make a decision. She adapted our style beautifully and we love the result. I will definitely use her again in future when we're ready to redo other spaces in the house.

I was a bit nervous about working with an interior designer for the first time, but Joanna has made…read moreme a convert! When I enlisted her to redecorate my dining room, she came over to hear my ideas. She collaborated with me and was also direct when she thought I was going astray- which was just what I needed! Within days, she had a Pinterest board with recommendations and partnered with me to narrow down the purchase list. I love the results!

When we first started shopping around for a small kitchen project, we weren't sure who to work…read morewith. It was our first home renovation project, and we did not know how to go about the process. We first went to a big chain hardware store to get some guidance, but found them to be unclear and Not personable. But then we luckily found Habitar Design and Strategem Construction, and the difference was like night and day! From the very beginning, Mitch and the Habitar's team really took the time to listen to us, and made us feel heard and understood. We actually began our project way back in January, but when the pandemic began, our plans were understandably put on hold. However, Habitar was just stellar at communication overall - especially during the early months of the pandemic, when everything was so confusing for all of us. We never felt out of the loop with Habitar. The design process was thorough, and they explained everything in as much detail as we cared to hear. We fully understood the cost of all of our options, and so we didn't have any nasty surprises at the end. It was really nice to not worry about potential cost overruns through the job. We explained to them that we wanted to try and stick to our estimated cost as closely as possible in order to stick to our budget. However, like with any project, things happen, and sometimes the estimate is exactly that....an estimate! After expressing our concerns, and knowing that we were on a budget, Mitch and his team intervened to make sure that we all arrived to an agreeable situation. The Strategem construction team was professional, courteous, and respectful in every interaction we had. And while they were working in our home, we didn't even feel inconvenienced - they made as minimal an intrusion as possible. Any problems that came up were quickly resolved, and the whole team worked to find solutions. The whole process felt extremely personal - the owner, Mitch, even came out to see the job, and left us a small gift as a thank-you for our business! We would whole-heartedly recommend Habitar and Strategem to anyone who needs renovation work. If or when we ever have more renovation projects, we look forward to working with them in the future!

I had such a wonderful experience with Habitar when they updated my kitchen that, after recently…read moremoving, 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 Habitar 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.

Chad Esslinger Design When he came to my home for…read moreconsultation we created a five step plan for kitchen updates. This included painting of cabinets, staining of Cooktop Island, light fixtures updated, add tile backsplash and a new island counter. Chad understood I had a budget and his charges were reasonable. He hired and paid the workmen and he checked frequently to see how they were doing. Chad has a great eye for color and design and I was very pleased with his ideas and the outcome.

My husband and I were on House Hunters Renovations ("Reno from Floor to Ceiling") and Chad was our…read moredesigner for our kitchen. He is very knowledgeable, professional, genuine, patient, funny, and we can go on and on about how great of a person and designer Chad is. He knew exactly what the each of us wanted in the kitchen when we didn't really know what style we liked. Chad would text us pictures of cabinets and paint colors we might like and took our late night phone calls when we had questions. He even pitched in with demoing the kitchen! We can't believe how beautiful our kitchen turned out! It's better than we imagined! Chad paid close attention to all the little details and we can't thank him enough for creating a place where we spend so much time in! Please watch the episode to see it for yourself!

Just an update, they have moved upstairs. Now, this is a dilemma. To enter, you can come in the…read moreback door, in the alley across from the library, and go right, not into the dog wash place, and head up the stairs. During regular business hours for the business on the first floor, in front, you have to go through their space to get to the stairs to get up. Confusing, I know, but, if you are looking to improve the feel and/or look of your home, worth the effort. They now focus on the design component so the wonderful smelling candles, Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations, accessories, and beautiful gifts are all history. Hours are now Monday through Friday, 10 to 5. Other hours by appointment.

What an interesting store. They are to retail what a bistro is to fast food…read more I don't care for chain restaurants and always seek out privately owned, one-of-a-kind, type places so I should not have surprised myself when I found this place. They were in full Christmas splendor when I visited and I found some really nice things that I doubt I could have found anywhere else. The people there could not have been nicer and the prices reasonable. If you like something other than run-of-the-mill retail shops, this is the place for you. They may not have exactly what you're looking for, but if you are looking for ideas, they'll have them.

I can't believe how remiss I have been in not writing up a review for Interiors by Maribeth!…read more Maribeth and Jovita have been an essential part in sourcing fabric for our upholstery projects over the last 3 years. Maribeth's eye for color is unmatched. The team is talented and fun to work with, and really approached our projects with enthusiasm and insight, never pushing an agenda. Our relationship began when we were looking for a particular upholstery fabric and color-way from an English fabric company that we hoped to use for a pair of heirloom chairs .... I'd refer anyone who is making big decisions about fabric to check in with Maribeth and her team first!

I cannot say enough good things about Maribeth. She's the only decorator I use & I've been in the…read morereal estate game for thirty years. Maribeth is mind boggling, actually. She really knows her craft, it's like she was born to be an interior decorator. Her ability to put design schemes together is amazing. I swear I think she knows all the paint colors and their number designation(s) by memory. One time she was explaining something to me and I said: "What do you mean?" She drew a sketch of it and it looked like a masterpiece in the Art Institute. Years ago, the rental market was 'down' and I'm a landlord. I couldn't rent out an apartment and I had at least seven showings. I said to myself, I'll call Maribeth (get the color schemes) and have the apartment repainted. I did just that, first showing after Maribeth and the new paint, the apartment rented in the FIRST showing. As a matter of fact, I will NEVER use any other interior decorator, but Maribeth.

I L.O.V.E. MJ Interiors! Mary Joy worked with me room by room to give my home the coziness I…read moredesired. She helped with colors, furniture, fabrics, lighting, etc. I completely trust her advice and suggestions. Plus she's fun to work with. Highly recommend her!

From the owner: Great furniture and interior design.read more

We recently needed to upgrade the interior of our restaurant with new blinds…read more Not only did Laura get us exactly what we were looking for, she did so in a cost effective and timely manner. The blinds she helped us select are beyond perfect. We are thrilled and our customers compliment them constantly! Thank you, Laura! MAPLE HOUSE CAFE MOKENA

Laura's work in gorgeous! She recently helped us remodel our master suite and the experience was…read moreamazing. Laura brought several ideas to the project that not only enhanced the beauty of our bathroom and bedroom, but also ensured they were timeless additions that would increase the value of our home for years to come. She kept an eagle-eye on both costs and details. Laura has great ideas for money-saving tips that do not sacrifice quality. Plus, she is a perfectionist, so every finishing touch was completed with exactness.

Fourteen years later, my curtains continue to be beautiful and durable! Recently, a minor fix was…read morerequired. Kim's installer came and fixed it right away. Thank you, Kim! (Photo from summer)

This review is for our experience with Kim @ UE. She was amazing flat out. She was prompt, willing…read moreto work - take calls - texts at non working time hours as she gets it done! We have a new construction home so we needed drapery suggestions. So she came 2 days later, took measurement and made amazing suggestions. While we opted not to utilize her services and order drapes, that is the only reason she gets one less star because I can't speak on the finished project/products. Kim was amazing and I wish her the best! She has an amazing eye and brings suggestions to to the table! SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES!

Natalia came out to meet with me for a consultation at my home which was very informative and I was…read moreable to see a lot of the work that her and her team have done. She was able to look at my space and give a lot of helpful advice about Reno/design/layout ideas. She explained that they do high-end, modern clean, looking designs, but they also do all other designs as well ( like my traditional looking home). They do big and small projects and continue to work with the homeowner even after the project is done. I would highly recommend!

I've been working with Natalia on designing our new rental. Yes, you heard that right, a rental!…read moreWe'll be here for about three years, but I still wanted our place to feel like home. Natalia has been incredibly helpful in guiding us through big, impactful design decisions that are practical and thoughtful, while also keeping costs reasonable since we don't want to invest too much in a rental property. I also didn't want an interior designer to fully design every detail of the place. I wanted to be involved in choosing pieces myself, but have someone I could trust to advise me on whether things would actually work in our space, and Natalia has been perfect for that. I'll text her with questions about furniture purchases, design ideas, or even quick installation decisions when our maintenance guy is here, and she always responds right away. My husband is also very picky, but he has been genuinely impressed with her advice and with how our place has come together. I know Natalia takes on much larger and more expensive projects than ours, but I have never once felt like we were wasting her time. She has always been responsive, kind, and very professional. I highly recommend Natalia to anyone looking for practical, thoughtful design guidance that respects your time and budget. We'll definitely be working with her again on our next home project whenever we move.