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.

Felicia decorated our North Shore living room a few years ago. We had massive 2-story windows…read morethat needed help and I didn't know where to start. Felicia sketched out ideas I never would have dreamed of. It was really helpful to make decisions based on the 3D design she created. We ended up redecorating the whole room, and now it really has that "wow factor" when you enter through the foyer. I am hiring her to design our vacation home in Palm Springs and I can't wait to see the result!

If you're looking for a designer, Felicia is the one for you! I worked with her to decorate a 3…read morebedroom home I had just purchased as a new bachelor, and couldn't be happier. She got to know my design aesthetic and took it to the next level. When we were discussing the vision for my masculine primary bedroom, and she said, "picture a Donna Karen pinstripe suit," I knew she hit the nail on the head. It turned out better than I could have imagined. She took into account a couple of existing pieces I wanted to keep, and worked very hard to stay within my budget. The end result was amazing! During my housewarming party, everyone commented on how beautiful the whole home was. Felicia is an absolute delight to work with- organized, personable, friendly and fun. Five+ stars!

Kenneth Walter is terrific and a complete pro. We initially hired him after another unqualified…read moredesigner left us with mis-matched pieces, half-finished rooms, code violations, and a depleted budget. Our home is now almost finished and his work has exceeded all of our expectations. What a refreshing change! He has more than 30 years of experience and terrific sources we would never have found (a great honest contractor, amazing painter etc.); he can work within different budgets; he prioritized and is practical; he is creative and adaptable and really listens rather than simply producing a formulaic look over and over. Kenneth is completely honest and discloses all prices, sources, and payments he receives and does not steer you only toward pricier pieces to increase his fees (though I found he is often correct that quality can make a huge difference in certain areas). For example, he suggested refurbishing two of my existing chairs; he relocated existing lighting and reframed existing art; he found floor samples at the Mart; he worked patiently with items I found where possible instead of insisting on sourcing everything himself through "to the trade" providers only. He is also kind and though he is an artist he is low maintenance. His fees are not inexpensive, but he saved us money in the long run--while producing excellent work--you absolutely get what you pay for with him.

We had an amazing experience working with Renee at RSquared Design. Our basement was completely…read moreunfinished, and we had a very specific vision: a man cave, a wine cellar, an art studio, and plenty of storage. Renee really listened to what we wanted and helped bring our ideas to life through several detailed 3D models, which made it easy to visualize the final result. She provided lots of design options, so we always felt comfortable with both the design decisions and the overall cost. Renee is extremely knowledgeable, has a great eye for design, and consistently found us the best deals. Her team was courteous, clean, and professional throughout the entire process. We absolutely love our basement--it truly feels like another livable floor of our home. Everything was customized perfectly, and we couldn't be happier with the result.

"I had no idea that even simple changes to a room required a multitude of decisions. All I wanted…read morewas a new bathroom vanity. I didn't realize that I'd need not only the right size vanity, but new mirrors, new faucets, new lighting, plus installers and plumbers. Renee guided me through that process. She helped me measure for the correct size vanity, showed me lighting options and taught me how to measure for proper lighting and mirror placement. She showed me how I could use my existing brushed nickel fixtures with new brushed gold faucets. That saved me money. She helped me know what information to share with the plumber and the installers. I can't thank her enough for saving me time and frustration and I'll use her expertise on any new projects in our home."

As the silly Seinfeld reference goes, Art Vandelay would be totally jealous of the work that MGLM…read morearchitects do. Mark Garzon has been an immense help on two projects for the crib. During a kitchen redesign, Mark sketched a clever reconfiguration of our refrigerator and washer/dryer layouts. This new arrangement breathed new life into the dining area and opened up space! His ideas are sophisticated but he's able to execute the approach in a way that's practical so the contractors doing the grunt work are able to run with it. And let me tell you from the horror stories I've heard when designers/engineers/contractors can't see eye to eye, you don't want to be caught in the middle of that my friends! Especially if it's in your own house! Mark also made some great recommendations for a custom marble coffee table. My handyman Uncle had a beautiful slab of marble in his backyard for years and was kind enough to donate it to me. We wanted to design a minimal steel base that would complement our modern white leather couch in the living room. Mark drew up some plans -- but perhaps most impressive was that he was able to point us to a metal worker in Suburban Chicago! A graceful referral such as this is priceless! To end it with a Seinfeld nod... if you need help with your next design project.. these guys are the "Master of your domain!"

Having hired MGLM to design and oversee the build-out of my retail store and company headquarters -…read moreI couldn't be happier with the quality of the design, the construction, and the attention I received throughout the project. Matt and Elizabeth are creative thinkers who don't compromise function for aesthetics - an important trait in architects who dream big and then when it comes time to living/working in the space, you realize how dysfunctional "the big design" is. I'd attach pictures of my store if I could (maybe you can see it in my profile, not sure about that). I can't tell you the number of compliments I receive and I can't adequately explain just how great it feels to be in the space. My parameters included a "green design" with all recycled materials and Matt and Elizabeth researched the options and were able to keep me in budget, on time, and in keeping with the strict eco-friendly guidelines I required. I wholeheartedly recommend MGLM and look forward to having the opportunity to work with them again.

We recently had Studio Folklore design our kitchen. Our kitchen was super-dated and needed a…read morecomplete overhaul. They provided detailed designs and were open to our ideas. It was a very collaborative experience and James and Karen were with us every step of the way--like when our first pick for cabinets suddenly went out of stock, they helped us regroup and recover. Their pricing was upfront and very reasonable. Can't recommend them enough! I added a couple of photos of the finished kitchen. A truly amazing transformation.

We loved working with the Studio Folklore team. They really listened to us, worked with us, and…read moreencouraged us to be bold. We've ended up with a really beautiful and functional space that works well for our lives with kids and pets.

On moving day the movers kept asking about where they'd be moving our couches, mater bedroom…read morefurniture, tables, etc in our new house. My answer was always pretty much the same- the basement! We basically moved our tiny city condo into the basement of our new house. And guess what that means...we need to buy a lot of furniture to fill up the actual house! I didn't even know where to start when it came to decorating my new house, especially with 2 little ones and a FT job. Just looking around all the empty rooms after we bought it really stressed me out. I decided what I needed was an interior designer. I reached out to a bunch of friends who had moved recently and did a bit of research on Yelp..and started making some calls. As soon as I chatted with Erin from EEB Interiors I knew I'd found my woman. It helped that my friend who was currently using her for a complete house renovation couldn't stop raving about her. On top of that Erin was super personable, professional and seemed to "get" the European decor I wanted for my house. It sealed the deal when I found out that her hourly rate was way below all the other designers I had "interviewed." Erin also passes on the majority of her discount for furniture to her clients, which actually makes up for the hourly fee we paid her. It's by no means a bargain to use EEB Interiors (let alone any designer), but I do feel like we were able to get much more quality furniture thanks to Erin's discount. Months later I can say I made the right choice by hiring Erin. . Her communication skills are unbelievable. I'm known to be pretty fast when it comes to answering emails, but I think Erin may be respond even faster. I rarely have to follow-up with her on anything because she's on top of every little detail...and from furniture to paint colors to window treatments to tracking shipments there sure are a lot of details to keep track of. Details that I'm very happy to pay her to take care of so I can focus my time on my little ones and job. I typically tell Erin what I'm looking for and then she narrows it down to a few options for me to choose from. She has incredible taste and always gets it right. There have been a few times that I've asked her to go back to the drawing board for less costly items and she always comes back with something great. I really like that she's OK working with any budget because that didn't seem to be the case with all the other designers I chatted with before hiring Erin. We're furnishing our house slowly room by room and just had our first big shipment for the 3 main rooms. Everything piece of furniture looks even more gorgeous in person (if possible). I can't wait for Erin to come over this week to help me complete the look with accessories...and then on to the rest of the house. Decorating your new home should be fun, not stressful...and it's guaranteed to be a good time (and result in a beautiful new home) with EEB Interiors.

We have been at our place for two years, and hadn't had a chance to really make it "ours". I knew…read morethat it was time for an update look from the style choices of the previous owners. I also wanted to make one of the rooms into a home office that looked as if it had been a baby's room before. I found out about EEB Interiors through a coworker that was really happy with their work, and looked at the website because I wanted someone who could mesh with my personal style. I really liked the residential design photos, so I gave them a call. Erin, the owner, was really personable on the phone and when we met. She was also really good at honing in on my style and offering me choices and ideas I hadn't thought of before. Before we called EEB, we had been around to other stores in the area looking for something not so run-of-the-mill, and had a hard time finding something that didn't look like all the others. I wanted something that was higher quality and more unique than what I had been finding at the standard retail stores. EEB had access to all these amazing sources that aren't open to the public that had really different stuff that I just loved and hadn't seen before. The knowledge and designer sources helped us create the high-end look we were trying to achieve. I am a person who prefers quality and work well done over a strict schedule, but everything got done in a very timely fashion, and we are really happy with the new look! Definitely worth it.

I've moved a lot because of my career, and so I've always been reluctant to invest time and money…read morein decorating -- what's the point if I'm going to be in a new city in 12-18 months? But recently, on moving to yet another new city, I finally decided to make an effort, and I reached out to Dami. She understands how to organize and decorate a living space in a way that will completely transform its energy. In my case, I didn't realize how my sparsely decorated apartment was a constant, stressful reminder of my nomadic ways. She had creative ideas for how to display the art I had, and she pointed me to stores where I could find just the right rugs and furniture -- all at a reasonable price. She mentioned early on that she's partial to a sleek, minimalist approach, but she brings in plants and flowers to ensure the space is still lush and lively, not cold and austere in the way of some minimalist designs. I also appreciated how adaptable she is -- we discussed how much I wanted to spend in our first consultation, as well as my budget for furniture, fixtures and wall decor. Then she shared some initial ideas for moving furniture around, creating a gallery wall... and we were off! Honestly, I find decorating to be so daunting; there are so many choices! It was such a relief to let her take this off my hands. That alone was well worth her fee. But of course I feel the value every single day, because I find it's so much easier to relax and decompress after a stressful day. And the compliments I get from visitors are a nice bonus, too. I've recommended Inside Voice to friends who have been just as pleased.

Reached out to inside voice design when I was having trouble decorating my place. I wanted a cozy…read moreyet classic feel and she did not disappoint! Loved loved loved the decor and design she did for me. She knew what I had in mind and more. Feels good to relax in my space after a long day at work. Will definitely be using her again.