I used to think an interior decorator was an artistic person who knew about color, design and all…read morethat artsy stuff. Lexi Nielsen is that and whole bunches more. I told her that I wanted a "zen" bathroom that had a calming, spa-like effect, and that I wanted it to be as eco-friendly in design and materials as possible. She not only came up with a beautiful design but she spent countless hours (even while on vacation) to source all the materials for high quality, low cost, and sustainability. She worked closely with our contractor and was here constantly to check on progress. One story of how she goes the extra mile: The day our bathtub was to be delivered, she offered to come by and meet the truck. I didn't see why she wanted to, but I said, sure, knock yourself out. She had the brains to get on the truck and inspect the tub before it disembarked -- and sure enough, it had a huge gouge in the porcelain. She told the driver to take it right back. I never would have known to do that. In addition to the bathroom job, Lexi helped pick out colors and wallpaper for two rooms that were switching from bedroom to office, and they came out great. A great value added with Lexi is that she knows all about Feng Shui and can direct your home's Chi into it's proper place. She is a delightful person and a really great listener. I am very glad our bathroom remodel is almost done, but I'll miss having Lexi around! I wonder what needs remodeling next?

My husband and I were so fortunate to have found Lexi to help us make key decisions with our home…read moreaddition. Although, we knew our design esthetic, we needed help with choices that made proportional sense, had functionality and at times, compromising. Lexi was very professional and efficient in coming to our space, envisioning what we wanted and what would be best. She helped us with final decisions in our master bath with tile design and lighting (so important). She also assisted with other aspects of our home remodel that we are so happy with the results. Hiring Lexi saved us time and money in making some important design decisions. We highly recommend her company.

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."

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.

If you haven't checked out Yearbook, you're missing out! A true gem located in Forest Park, IL…read more Yearbook gets my vote as the best shop! A great mix of antiques, vintage decor, and great gift ideas! The visual displays are on point. You can tell the shop owners plan out every detail and their passion and dedication shine through! Their window displays are just a tiny snap shot of the amazing shop that Yearbook is. In addition, their design services are top notch! If you're lucky, during your visit, you may get to meet the official Yearbook mascot, shop dog Henry Clarence. Henry is currently running for president and has done an amazing job raising money for all the animals at the Oak Park animal shelter. I highly recommend Yearbook! Check them out, you won't be disappointed.

I have been missing out on the new stuff on the street of dreams for the past few years - alienated…read moreby restrictive parking and terrible traffic. When a friend mentioned that there was a VIP shopping night at three places I had heard of and wanted to go to, I was all in. We were assigned to Yearbook first and I was so impressed by everything about the store. From the friendly owner and manager, to the quality of the products and the incredibly reasonable pricing - plus the special discount for that night! I finally got the maple syrup jug (made and bottled just for them) that the husband had wanted and picked up some of their store-exclusive candles (no typical boring scents here!) and a vintage travel case and some wood handled toothbrushes. I've got to go back soon and visit the studio to have some crew-themed pillows, etc. made to bring me back to the days when I actualy rowed. I am so glad we had this forum to shop because I would have missed that things you would just assume are decoration (because they are vintage) are actually for sale! LOVE - I cannot say enough great things about this place.

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.

We were in London when Martins did the rennovations on our home. We didn't know exactly what we…read morewere coming back to. We opened the door . . . and walked into paradise. We felt like we were in someone else's home. Someone who had a lot more money than us! Martins isn't just a builder, or a designer. He's an artist. When you bring someone into your home to change it forever, you have to trust that person. When Martins came by for our first free consultation (something other people had charged us for), he stayed for two hours. He wanted to get to know us, and figure out exactly what kind of home we wanted. To say he cares about his work is an understatement! Other people we looked at charged us for that first visit, came in, took measurements, were out in 30 minutes, and then provided some cookie-cutter recommendations. Besides his off-the-charts talent, he is honest, flexible, responsive and easy and fun to work with... not to mention reasonable. He even provided us with guidance and recommendations to bring the overall costs down. If you're looking to do renovations on your home, that not only are beautiful, but also unique and specific to you and your family, your search is over. Martins Buka will not only deliver, but exceed your expectations!

My family hired the Martin family to do some work on my aunt's house in the suburbs. They were a…read morepleasure to deal with. Reliable and honest. Phone calls were returned and we always felt we were in the best hands. We remodeled our aunt's basement down to the studs and when the job was done, it was AMAZING. Highly recommended for remodeling jobs!

I first had blinds installed by Dimitri on 2007, soon after I bought my vintage condo. I had 3 or…read more4 different dealers come and measure and show me their selections. Dimitri was the youngest one in the business but the most enthusiastic and with the best selection. I did not want cheap blinds, I was making an investment in good quality blinds and also with those things that go at the top to hide the mechanism. So Dimitri delivered and I still am using those same good blinds he installed in the living room, bedroom and dining room in 2007. Recently, we purchased some new blinds for our kitchen. He warned us there there would be delays because of the epidemic. When he arrived, he properly wore a mask and abided by all of the safety protocols. We are happy with these new blinds he installed too. Also, the senior living community where my wife works regularly contracts with Dimitri for window dressing work too.

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!

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!

I needed help staging an older home. I wasn't quite sure where to start so I picked up the phone…read moreand called Interior Chicago. I'm glad I did! From start to finish, they made the staging process simple, professional, and time efficient. I wasn't sure what to expect initially. However, I did have a goal, to sell the home as quickly as possible. Taking our goal into consideration, and listening to our needs, Kate deployed a swift plan of action. Her attention to detail was impeccable. The beautiful accessories Kate used throughout the home, paired with modern furniture and other design elements, brought the home back to life - a creative masterpiece. It truly was a stunning sight to see. I'm happy to report that the home sold quickly! Thank you, Interior Chicago for listening, caring, communicating, executing, and designing the perfect experience for us. If you are looking for a stager/interior designer, I highly recommend Kate and her crew at Interior Chicago.

Kate is a creative genius - she completely revamped our apartment and successfully accomplished the…read moremission of taking a one bed River North rental and turing it into a "home." In addition, she pulled off the near impossible and organized our bathroom, kitchen and bedroom - it no longer takes me 78 mins to find my socks each morning. What truly makes Kate special is her ability to collaborate and come up with design and organizational solutions that sync with her clients personality and vision - she has absolutely no ego and is one of the smartest, kindest and fun people my wife and I have ever had the privilege to work with. It is without hesitation that I recommend Arranging Order - Kate and her team will exceed your expectations!