I rarely write negative reviews, but I was disappointed with my visit to the Kitchen Studio. I was…read morelooking to install new countertops in my kitchen and bathroom. The Kitchen Studio popped up in my google search as being a local dealer of the specific higher end material I wanted. Upon arrival, an employee told me "they don't do just countertops". Okay. That isn't clear on their website. Then she went on to tell me she can't think of anywhere in the area to refer me that "just does counters". First, of all, there are at least 10 countertop fabricators within a 10 mile radius of Glen Ellyn. Someone in the industry should know this. Second, I'm sure the Kitchen Studio has an in house fabricator or they subcontract it out to someone local (most likely) and thus, why on earth would you not give this person my business??? I have a fairly large kitchen and master vanity. My quotes from the other local fabricators, who do, in fact, exist, are coming in at $120/sq foot and up. I'm giving 2 stars instead of one because all their kitchens on houzz are truly lovely and I'm sure if you hire them they would design a beautiful kitchen.

We signed a retainer to remodel kitchen and small bath and powder room with the kitchen studio of…read moreGlen Ellen that clearly specified their design and project overseeing fees as % of material ( I had to buy everything from them except appliances) and their labor cost. However when cost estimates were developed for contract signing for the project implementation phase, her personal fees were 3 times of what they should have been per our retainer agreement. When I pointed out the retainer terms, instead of correcting, they sent me a new retainer document and told me their process has changed. The change is permanent and sometimes there is a little fallout like this. These were Susan's words in her email to me. I took them to court ( case#2019SR000483 in Dupage county) to get my money back which I did. Susan herself is talented and personable but her business partner and company co-owner's dealings are disappointing and ignorant of basic business ethics. Susan kept saying he handles all money and pricing aspects. I had to walk away! Update 1/10/2020: I stand by my comments and the fact that you completely disavowed the terms of retainer and when I pointed out the pricing terms that we agreed to In the retainer, you emailed me a new retainer document with all pricing terms removed from it. I would have never signed anything or paid you $7k based on that new retainer devoid of any specifics. This was an act of complete lack of integrity. If you are serious about building reputation, practicing integrity will help. Good luck

I took Julea's multiple day jam Packed interior stylist…read morecertification course. The itinerary covers all of the basics you need to get started. Four years later I have relocated to Florida and have brought on 3 design associates to accommodate the growth of my design business. If you are wanting a career in interior design or are a realtor wanting top dollar for your listings, take Julea's class. Don't hesitate!

Had my first consultation with Julea and she's great so far! Obviously knowledgeable as well as…read morepersonable. In addition all signs point to her as an astute business woman as she didn't let a little snow make her miss our appointment. She was on time-maybe a little early.So far so good!

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.

Christine from CMD helped me pick out furniture, wallpaper etc for my child's nursery, and I…read morecouldn't have been happier with the results! I was very nervous about the process at first as I have never hired a designer before, but she put me at ease. She was super responsive and listened to my ideas while showing me tons of options and things I'd have never chosen on my own! I love the way the room turned out and I couldn't have done it before my baby was born without her.

CMD Planning and Design did an amazing job transforming my kitchen. Christine was extremely…read morehelpful, creative, and attentive to my ideas. The results exceeded my expectations. Highly recommend for anyone needing an interior designer!

Watch Out Sub Contractors! Nea Maya does not pay or…read morenegotiate change orders. As a Plumbing Contractor in the Chicago Land Area, Nea Maya stuck us with over $20,000 in unpaid change orders. This cost was generously adjusted after we took into consideration of his undocumented grievances just so we could get paid, only to still not get paid for requested work performed. Nea Maya has problems with developing a schedule, understanding their own drawings and designs and trade scope of work. When issues and follow ups on change orders were requested for months went unanswered until time of final payment we were presented of back charges and suspect labor that were not backed up by invoices tickets or warnings. Just vague photos. In 20 plus years of being in this business, Nea Maya and Zach Joseph as the worst general contractors to do business with. If zero stars was an option I would choose a zero. 1 star gives them too much credit.

READ!!! IT MAY SAVE YOU A GREAT DEAL…read more If you need peace in your life, avoid Nea Maya business in general. I bought a home worth more than half a million dollars from Nea Maya but it has been the worst experience of my life. They are completely unprofessional. Once you close on the house, they will stop responding to you. They advertise luxury homes but used cheap products. We have been here since September of 2020 and they still have not completed our punch list. They will lie and give excuses about covid but covid is not stopping them from building new units beside our unit. They will tell you some of the items such as countertops that we chose have life time warranty but we noticed a crack in the countertop and notify them and they came back with it is not covered. This is my fault because we did not inspect before moving in. We just trusted Nea Maya blindly and we learned the terrible lesson from trusting this company. We live in phase two but one of the occupants of the phase one hard to get a lawyer involved before they could respond. First winter in the house, the whole house started leaking. I first noticed the leak on the third floor and notified Nea Maya in December but as usual, they did not respond until February when the leaks has gotten to second floor and first floor and the walls and ceiling are already saggy. Even the floors are bumpy. They blame bad weather and I understand but wondered how other houses did not leak even though they are older. Truth came out when a public adjuster came to inspect and showed us the cheap materials that they used to do a terrible job. Please see photos attached. They installed HVAC system wrongly and did not leave room for contractors to correct their terrible and they will argue with you even though instructions are clear from the HVAC manufacturer. After getting an HVAC company to inspect, they were clear when they said the HVAC system that is supposed to last 20 years can barely last for 5 years with the way it was installed. Your HVAC insurance will also not cover the damage because the builder did not follow the installation instructions. Finally, I am putting this out here in an effort to protect another American from going through this but if you think that this is from an angry customer, take some time to go and talk to other occupants of the so called luxury home that they built on Lincoln and Floral ave Skokie, illinois. If you are buying a property that expensive, I think proper investigation will be a wise thing for you to do. Don't make the same mistake that I made. Think about it, there is a reason that they are not a BBB accredited business.

We are beyond impressed with the results of our kitchen and bath renovation! From start to finish,…read morethe entire process was seamless, and the end result exceeded all our expectations!! Pete was fantastic to work with! He kept us updated throughout the entire project and ensured everything stayed on track. The overall project went so smooth and fast, Pete and his team overdelivered at every step. He provided insightful suggestions that made a huge difference in both the kitchen and bathroom designs, without having to consult an interior designer. His vision matched exactly what we had wanted in color, quality, and style! Pete made the entire experience stress-free, which was a tough ask as we lived through the renovation with a toddler. We actually miss the guys working at our house! Mike and Chris were the hardworking hands behind the transformation, and we can't thank them enough for their impressive craftsmanship! Their attention to detail was incredible and they both worked meticulously to ensure every aspect was flawless, even more impressive as they were working with an older house to begin with! We love hosting in our house now with a kitchen that is functional, stylish, and perfect for entertaining. The custom cabinetry, modern fixtures, and beautiful finishes have made a world of difference! We would work with Custom Cabinet Connectionsagain without hesitation!!

TLDR; From start to finish I could not be happier with the design, workmanship, crafstmanship and…read moreprofessionalism of the work performed and all involved in its delivery. We started with an idea of what we were looking to do. Didn't really know what was feasible or attainable with our space. Pete showed up, reviewed the space and dimensions, took notes on everything we were really looking to get out of the space. He didn't just take down the specific things we asked for but everything we were really hoping to be able to enjoy about the space once done. He sent over designs and reviewed them with us together, had no problem with the numerous adjustments we made along the way. Not just from things we wanted to change about them, but ideas he brought up that would work really well in the space as well. Much of which we didn't even know existed. Given this was going to be a massive update to our kitchen, den, laundry room and mud room; going in we were definitely anxious about how everything would ultimately play out. However Pete communicated the timeline, how it would all take place in which periods, and what to expect along the way. Everyone performing the brunt of the work our direct employees as well. The painters and flooring are from separate companies, but they're all friends and every one of them is friendly as can be. It was comforting knowing that the largest percentage of the work performed was by direct employees and not subcontracted help. Lastly, Pete's pricing structure is top notch. It is broken apart in multiple phases. Our's was a big job, so it was 5 chunks with the first roughly a third of the cost in the first chunk (not sure if that's how it works for all jobs, just our experience with this one). With the last 4 payments being paid AFTER each phase was completed. This form of payment breakdown is also the sign of a well established contractor that knows exactly what he can deliver and when, truly putting his money where his mouth is. We've already discussed other areas of the house we're looking to update in the near future and can't wait to see them come back. Thank you so much again Pete, Chris, Mike and Tim! P.S. Pete, still need my bathroom updated; save some room in your schedule for me ;)

I highly recommend Paulina Hughes Design…read more I reached out to her to have our planters designed for our house and she is extremely kind, easy going and very talented. She listened to my thoughts and was extremely helpful throughout the whole process. I've enjoyed working with her and have already reached out to get her help with some design work for our house since I want to have a more cohesive look and not waste anymore money buying something that I will change in a few months. She's extremely mindful of our budget and understands our needs and is extremely respectful of our crazy household. I look forward to her help and working with her going forward. Thank you Paulina!

Paulina is the best designer I have worked with. She is passionate about good design. She listens…read moreto your wants and needs and does the entire project within your budget. She is great at bringing you ideas and plans that you would never think of. The best part is that the projects were all completed on time and above expectations. Paulina is professional, pleasant, focused, and above all honest and caring. I will use her for all of my future design projects.

We just finished remodeling our 2 bathrooms in the West loop. Our designer, Yvonne Dabney was the…read moreperfect match for us. Her design sensibility,taste level and creativity helped blend both our styles resulting in our perfect bathrooms. She is very hands on and even helped me planogram the slate tiles to ensure the result met my expectations. Our production superintendent,Robert Moberg, executed the project flawlessly. His level of communication was outstanding and he answered my messages at all hours of the night. He listened to our concerns and solved problems immediately. He also understands how to deal with the sometimes inflexible rules of a multi-unit condo if you need your bathrooms remodeled, these are the guys to call.

Our designer Kristen was outstanding in the way she helped us decide on every little detail for our…read morebathroom remodel from the tile to floor selection, to even the hardware. The project was guided by our Superintendent, Alan who was there to answer questions and keep us informed on a daily basis of the trades and their visit. Our final project could not have turned out any better.