"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."

At last made my place look like I wanted it to. The team was actually listening to my ideas and the…read moreentire process was made very easy. I am obsessed with the way things worked out.

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!

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.

Kristin and her team are true perfectionist professionals. She has designed three of my bathrooms,…read morea kitchen and a basement. Normally, I get overwhelmed with all the tile and other choices. Kristin understood me and would pick four or five options for me to choose. All were great but her expertise helped me to find the perfect style. She is reasonably priced and wonderful. I recommend her to everyone.

Kristin and her team are the best! I have been working with Kristin for over 3 years and she has…read moremade my house into a beautiful home to enjoy and share. Our house was 4 years old when we bought it, and while we loved the bones of it, there were some finishes we didn't love. I also had little to no vision for furnishing the space (we came from a much smaller, older home). Kristin first helped with our kitchen. She has amazing design sense, which of course, I would expect, but she is also very conscious of budget and helping people realize what they REALLY need. Our kitchen came out amazing, so of course we used KPI for our living and dining room. For this project, we were helped by Melissa Tase of KPI. Again, their services were impeccable. They understood that we have two small boys and that our space needed to be livable, as well as lovely. I can't tell you how many compliments we get on our living and dining and kitchen. If you want to see them, check out KPI's website and look at the Contemporary Coastal Living and Dining Room under Portfolio. We are now redoing our son's room and family room and will be starting on our basement this summer. Who are we using? Kristin Petro, of course. We really would only trust KPI with our design projects. She just gets it and gets us. And in reference to other comments, Kristin ALWAYS encourages us to get estimates from our own contractors. Of course she trusts her's the most because she works with them the most so she knows their workmanship is top notch, but she's totally open to other options and working with you to come to a plan that works for everyone. Thanks, KPI. You've made my home my favorite place to be. Can't wait to see what great things are to come.

I was referred to Gaby by my architect who is now just as disappointed as I am. I needed an…read moreinterior designer to help with some tile, fixture and general opinions on what I was selecting. I originally inquired about a onetime consultation since my floor plan was done and contractor was already hired. I was advised that I needed more of Gaby's time since it was such a large project. I was renovating my primary bedroom, adding a primary bath, closet and bathroom to my historic home. The quality of Gaby's work is excellent however she is a terrible communicator and spent our money recklessly. She spent hours on drawings that I did not need and charged me thousands of dollars. I trusted her because she came recommended and this was the first time, I had done a project like this. When I asked my contractor about his communication with Gaby, he had very minimal. I asked him about the drawings she did and said he did not need any drawings, that he and I had covered all the specifics. I immediately let Gaby know that the drawings she charged me for were not needed and she refused to give my money back. She did these drawings without asking anyone if they were needed. She then gave me a hard time about giving me my retainer back. I also overheard her talking negatively about some of my choices when she failed to hang up after our zoom call. Gaby was completely unprofessional, and I feel betrayed and scammed. Do not use this designer if you want someone you can trust, communicate with and feel respected.

I feel so fortunate to have been referred to Urban 1111 Design for our basement remodel. Gaby is…read moreabsolutely wonderful to work with, her client dashboard is easy to use, and most importantly we've loved everything Gaby has proposed for our project. Gaby is very detail-oriented and I really appreciate that she considers the functionality of her suggestions in addition to the aesthetics.

In all fairness, I usually discount reviews that come from someone close to the business owner, but…read moretrust me when I say Lily Chelemengos is THE most talented designer. She's helped me arrange/pick out furniture for three different apartments that I've lived in around the city, and each ended up looking amazing within hours. Seriously, if you're in the market for an interior designer (or are looking to stage your home to be sold), consider her your unicorn. From picking out lighting, accent pieces and furniture, to rearranging what you already own, she is a wiz at creating soft, elegant, comfortable spaces. No matter what your design style, you won't be disappointed.

My wife and I worked with Michelle Polay from the beginning stages of having our house built up…read moreuntil the furnishing and decorating process. She understood our vision and enhanced it with her own great ideas along the way. When we first set out to hire a decorator I was afraid they would try inserting their own taste or push a style we didn't like, but with Michelle that never happened. Of course, there were times where I wanted a particular look, and she gently made it clear that "it doesn't work." Moreover, she gave very thoughtful logical reasoning on why it doesn't work, which I would then understand and agree with her. So thankful that she stopped us in those instances! Overall, our ideas and vision were supported and enhanced. She definitely knows what she is doing. Little tricks here and there that make a world of difference. Although Michelle can get very busy, she would always try and squeeze us in somewhere. Due to building process I was forced to make some quick decisions and I could always count on her to get her opinion in time. She gave us as much autonomy as we wanted and guided us when we were clueless. Not only did she have great ideas, she had contractors that she works with and trusts to do the work. Aside from her design skills, Michelle is super nice, friendly and fun! Best of all we felt that, for her time and expertise, she was quite a bargain!

My painter recommended Polay's Home Decor to me when I was redoing my kitchen. As soon as I met…read moreMichelle, we hit it off. She is very talented, easy to work with and has great ideas. Not only did she help me with the draperies in several rooms, she helped me with my painting, accessories and furniture. I have gone back to use her services on several occasions and continually recommend her to friends and colleagues. Polay's has a new location and it is amazing. If you are looking for a great designer, I would call Michelle!

While I've been gone from Glen Ellyn for two years, I felt compelled to share my experience with…read moreP&O from 2020-2021. At that time we were doing a whole house renovation of our center entry colonial in the GE village area, coveted location half block to Ben Franklin. I called and spoke to whom I assume was an assistant. I told the woman I had an open ended budget and described what I was looking for, a Reno true to the character of the home and GE. I was given a snotty response that they were extremely busy and most likely couldn't take me on. I left my information and never so much as received a follow up call. Fast forward, I found a GREAT GM construction company who worked in tandem with my designer from Geneva IL. Our home was stunning, all finishes top end and bespoke. In 2023 we listed our home and got two offers for list and ended up getting 50k over. I knew our decision to move past P&O and not be discouraged by their rude behavior would yield good things and it did. My advice, look for a designer who's as vested and excited about the project as you are and values their customers.

We hired Park & Oak to furnish our newly purchased house while we continued to stay in our current…read morehouse. We shared our design preferences (coastal, transitional, light and airy) and provided a Pinterest board reflecting our design preferences. P-Oak reviewed everything we shared over a new client screening call and indicated they could deliver on what we wanted. We signed up as a new client, and after three months, we were called in to review their Rev-1 designs. The only touchpoints we received between signing up and seeing the Rev-1 designs were requests for measurements of various spaces (we are a remote client). This should have been our first warning sign. We arrived in Chicago excited and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, our enthusiasm faded fast. The designs, although true to Park & Oak's brand, were not what we asked for. We made the mistake of assuming that P-Oak would flex to meet our design preferences and put their spin on our style and the style of our house--they did not. We asked for revisions and provided specific feedback about what we didn't like in the current design. They came back with a Rev-2 that was...pretty much the same thing--true to their brand but not what we asked for. We were beyond frustrated. At this point, it became clear that we could keep asking for revisions but it's unlikely we would get what we were looking for. We were stuck. We could buy $150-$200k of furniture we don't like, or we could walk away entirely with over 5 months of lost time and having to start all over. Neither scenario sounded good, but we didn't want to compromise on the aesthetics of our house, so we terminated the service. If you have a 100-year-old house (Victorian, Colonial, Prairie style, etc.) and you're looking to preserve the old-time charm of your house, Park & Oak will perform true to its brand. In our case, we have a 20-year-old house built in the Hamptons style, and we're not looking to make it feel older. We shared very specifically what we wanted. Why didn't they tell us we weren't a fit during our screening? Why didn't they validate the designs were directionally correct by sharing even just a single room's design? Why not collaborate with your client and calibrate your work before doing a waterfall dump on them, only to find out it's all wrong? If you are considering this service, know that P-Oak will not stray from the pictures you see online. If you can't see yourself buying those exact pieces for your house (not the house you see in the photos--your house!), I recommend you look elsewhere. The final and most frustrating part of this: after we terminated our services, our bill spontaneously tripled what all of the prior invoices combined added up to. Although the project was nowhere near completion, the total amount we were invoiced had clearly been accelerated, and it was now just shy of what they estimated the entire project would cost. Final, final bit: without going into the details, I don't recommend hiring them for remote work. There will be errors. If they can't drive to your place from their office, you will likely experience some pains--furniture too big for the space, wrong placement, etc. They won't be able to really connect with your place.

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.

We had a budget for a complete home remodel set aside, contractors lined up ready to start in a…read morecouple weeks, and my wife and I hit a major roadblock with color selection. It was overwhelming. We knew what we like, and had tried picking colors and painting swatches all over all walls to come up with a scheme that matched carpet we thought we loved. I had two other terrible experiences with companies who said they would do a color consult and in both cases we got the proverbial bait and switch. I am so glad I didn't give up the quest for the right firm, and found Phillips and Gilligan! Denisa came out and for a very fair price, about a 90 minute consultation later we had a full color pallet for every room in the house. She redirected us on the carpet colors and in the end we actually went with yet a different color. Only because in that short visit came with a full wall selection but denisa was great at explaining why things work well together and why they don't. She is great at this and gave us the confidence to take it from there. 90 days later we have a brand new home and Denisa saved us thousands in mistakes we could have made. There is no one out there in this field more trustworthy and easy to work with!

This business and these ladies are outstanding! Phillips + Gilligan came into my home and helped…read moretransform my living area into a place that I now smile walking into! The ladies worked with my budget and were even able to keep some of my current pieces that I have! They are so knowledgeable in the design world and have such unique yet everyday look! I highly recommend Phillips + Gilligan to anyone who is to transform/change/need to spruce up their home!