What to say about 2025? As usual, I could say A LOT, probably most of it not meant for this platform (side eye). Until we're catching up over a cocktail or coffee so we can get to the nitty gritty, we'll keep it design content over here. No shortage of amazing clients and spaces this year - we lucked out with some wonderful folks who trusted us and let us bring their vision to completion. We seriously love our clients, we truly love each other and I for one can't wait to see what beauty 2026 brings us!
Here’s our top 5 for 2025:
5. Making spaces sing - This past year, we transformed a split level home to be something truly spectacular — transitional in places and nodding to Mid-century in others. We practically had carte blanche with a luxury town home (more to come on that later!). We worked on a condo in the city and a North Shore fixer upper. We gave an air of upscale bookishness to a new bookstore, cafe, bar. Wow, we were busy, but boy, was it fun to stretch those design muscles in all these different ways.
This space offers both fashion and functionality for the family of six.
4. Forging and strengthening industry connections - This last year, our team was invited to special gatherings at Kravet in New York City to Sub-Zero Wolf & Cove in Madison, Wisconsin. We’ve also attended events right here in Chicago like Design Chicago 2025, and it’s such fun to geek out over silks from Versailles to Turkish velvets to just a really beautiful induction range with experts in the industry. Next year, we have the opportunity to up the ante on the work travel, but more to come on that later, too.
Karen, Magan and I had a blast in Madison.
Bryn and I will hang out with Jen from Kravet in Chicago anytime!
3. Bold colors and wallpaper - It’s been a year for clients to take the leap and trust us with color and vibrant wallpaper designs. From the azure of this kitchen and the “tulip and jasmine” GPJ & Baker wallpaper from Kravet in the adjoining dining area to the seafoam green of this mudroom papered with Josef Frank wallpaper from Schumacher, we’ve so enjoyed seeing these spaces come alive. As we enter the bleak midwinter, we expect these clients will appreciate these spaces even more.
There’s so much that’s just lovely and happy about this banquette surrounded in prints and colors. Photo credit: Kristi Hughes Photography.
This utilitarian space is fun, quirky and functional. Photo credit: Kristi Hughes Photography.
2. Stunning before and afters - Who among us doesn’t like a good before and after shot (or even a nice “during” and “after”)? We’ve had quite a few this year, and they just never get old.
1. Time “around the table” - Whether it’s at the studio over our morning coffee or at our client’s kitchen tables (like Barb & Maestro!) dreaming about what could be, it’s truly been a privilege to make and maintain the connections we’ve had this past year.
As we look to 2026(!!), we are already excited about the projects we have on the docket — including a handful of repeat clients and some spaces we’ve never worked on before (a historic church, some killer kitchens and whole house renos!).