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.

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?

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."

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.

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.

We worked with Robin on our house remodel. She designed our kitchen, two offices, mudroom and a…read morebathroom. She was always available, helped us stay within budget and had creative design/space solutions. Highly recommended.

From the owner: Custom Interior Design. Traditional values and quality by mixing new and old. Transforming spaces…read moreto fit the Client's lifestyle.

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.

Proprietress Kim Chapman is a marvel. We have collaborated…read moreon a dozen projects over the past five years, and she gets. It. Done. The service that she and her workroom provide is exemplary. If you are looking for window treatments, look no further. As an interior designer in the industry for 30+ years, I have yet to meet a more professional, dedicated, honest, and talented individual.

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)

Adina has helped me renovate and remodel several properties. The last one was a quick renovation…read morein August 2020 for one of my investment rental properties. When you look at the "before-and-after" pictures, it is clear that the results of her work are impressive, even with the extremely tight budget and schedule that we had to work with. Adina's designs show her passion and creativity for developing living universes, that people want to immerse and surround themselves with, as soon as they see them. When you see one of her designs, you immediately feel the desire to be in that space. She has an impressive gift to transform spaces in ways you cannot imagine beforehand, with color combinations you would have not imagined, but when you see the finished product, you love them because it is absolutely superb and pleasing. It simply feels good... I enjoy working with Adina as she is very talented, creative, honest and daring. She is direct and confident in her radical ideas, clear on expectations, and punctual. I was surprised a few times by some suggestions she made, that I thought would not look good (...what do I know?), but I trusted her, went with it, and found out they were the best solutions for the spaces we were renovating. I LOVED the outcome. I learned not to second-guess her ever again, and to fully trust her. Whatever she creates, is going to look and feel great in the end! She is a perfectionist with a budget in mind. Adina's designs are "out-of-the-box", on the leading edge of creativity in art, they are modern, daring, and well balanced. The color schemes she chooses are always exquisite, delightful to the eye, attractive to the mind, and relaxing to the heart and soul. Adina's portfolio is surprisingly vast with projects such as Village Market in Chicago, Google and Leo Burnett offices, ISI Headquarters as well as various residential and hospitality renovations. She led the design and implementation for the Village Market - a large commercial complex in the heart of Chicago. I saw it first in a pencil sketch, then in 2D. She continued to work and I saw the first 3 Dimensional rendering, and ... 3 years later, when I visited Chicago, she took me to a location that gave me the same exact view of the Village Market as I saw last time in her portfolio picture, only this time... it was the real thing (brick & mortar), beautifully executed by her to match the original vision. Adina is highly conscious and efficient when it comes to cost. She has hands-on knowledge of materials & costs, and she has developed a network of strategic partners in the industry, who can provide you promotional discounted prices and/or expedited deliveries to her clients. She is a pleasure to work with, she is well organized and always listens well to her clients, understanding their needs and wants. She told me that her main objective in business is to make sure -in any project- the end results will meet her client's goals: architectural, financial, and timeline. With a well-controlled and tight budget, she is making wonders. I highly recommend her and her work to anyone needing assistance with an architectural project. Whether is a simple garage addition, a Media Room, or more complex project that requires an artful & attractive (art-tractive) design, an interior face-lift, or something done in a cost-efficient way, and done quickly, Adina always has the best (and usually most unexpected!) solution. It is worth mentioning that you will still have money in the bank at the end of the project she designs for you! You will be happy to see how much life Adina will bring into your project. Adina's work is an enchanting mixture of harmony, balance, and creativity that meet in absolute beauty. I hope you get an opportunity to work with Adina on your next project so you can enjoy one of her truly uplifting transformations. Call her / write now!

Adina helped with design and furniture selections for our new home build. She has amazing taste and…read moretook our vision and applied it throughout the entire house. Guests always remark how beautiful our place is. I love that the entire house feels cohesive with the design and has an elevated light/airy feel. She also selected great materials when it comes to the stones and woods throughout. I appreciate the small details she helped with like the stones on our shower floor and the elongated cabinet pulls that are the perfect scale. Thank you for making our dream home come to life!

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.