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Testimonials
Our interior design reviews from past clients are stellar across the board.
Julie
“Kapan was fantastic. My husband and I were blown away. She had so many great ideas. I got a ton of compliments. She was a lot of fun and I’m so glad I found her.”
Kate
“Kapan immediately knew what I was looking for… I felt so comfortable working with Kapan. She was just amazing. She looked at what I had, looked at my budget…It was exactly what I was looking for. She was a lot of fun to work with. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to get a bigger house.”
Alla
“I loved the designer, I liked Kapan a lot. I loved everyone a lot. I had just a beautiful experience. It just worked out so well. It was very wonderful.”
Tim and Lisa
“We love our new fireplace. The design was great. It was very easy to work with Habitar. Mitch made sure they stayed on schedule. They did what they said they were going to do. The craftsmanship was exceptional. We’re very pleased to work, and that’s the truth. We’ve been telling everyone.”
Ilana & Martin
“Our design project involved space planning, selection of furniture, paint colors and accessories. We feel our home has a polished, cohesive look in a style that fits our taste. We get many compliments from friends and family on the look of our home – it looks like a page from a design magazine.”
Haki
“Habitar [Design] and Stratagem [Construction] designed and built our fireplace and bookshelves. The result is worthy of a design magazine. Kapan, a senior designer at Habitar, also helped us select paint colors for the entire house, carpet samples, tiles for mudroom, drapery for kitchen and living room, discussed furniture layout, and gave us ideas about space usage.
“Kapan was very professional, experienced, personable, and easy to work with. First we had a four-hour meeting, which was highly productive. She was very conscious of our budget. My husband and I have a hard time in agreeing on any design choices for the house but she managed to find solutions that fit both of us. She acquainted us to several time saving web sources for drapes, light fixtures, and tiles. We highly recommend Habitar and will continue using their services for years to come.”
Marty F. - Chicago, IL
“We used Habitar/Strategem to create a lofted area in our second bedroom, and to makeover the kitchen. The designs were creative and satisfied our requests. The whole crew was responsive to our needs and did a good job troubleshooting or correcting any issues that arose. We are happy with the finished product.”
Rachel W. - Chicago, IL
“I hired Habitar to help me do a design overhaul of a newly purchased condo – new paint, new kitchen back splash, light fixtures and furniture. I worked with them at my old place, too, and they are excellent. Very responsive they are careful to follow the budget you set (mine wasn’t huge, so I appreciated that). They also have a partnership with a construction company so once they’ve helped you pick out things like paint and tile they can also arrange to have everything professionally done, which eases the burden of telling a contractor what items to order and how much.”
Mitch - The Loop, Chicago IL
“We have had a very good experience with Habitar’s design services, are very satisfied, and recommend Habitar strongly. Hannah has spent many hours working with us and we have found her professional, courteous, pleasant, and thorough. The hourly rate Habitar charges for Hannah’s services is very reasonable…..”
“…Before retaining Hannah, we spoke on the phone with Habitar’s president, Mitch Newman. He answered all our questions and we were very comfortable retaining Habitar after speaking with him. We have found Mitch to be professional and responsive. He is committed to customer satisfaction, and one can be confident that if any problem arises, that problem will be dealt with promptly and with courtesy.”
Hannah - Chicago, IL
“I give Habitar Design my highest recommendation and I would use their services again in a heartbeat. We recently had 2 bathrooms remodeled, the addition of another bathroom, as well as a fireplace remodel by Habitar Design. We can’t say enough good things about our experience from start to finish with both Habitar and Stratagem… We worked with Karl for our design project and he was amazing. He designed our dream bathrooms and gave our home a facelift with his fresh ideas. He made what I thought would be overwhelming decisions easy and helped keep us focused. His design work was outstanding and he was able to think outside of the box to make our home a more functional and beautiful space.” Mitch and Karl were professional, detail oriented, honest and reliable and I look forward to working with them again in the future.” “…Before retaining Hannah, we spoke on the phone with Habitar’s president, Mitch Newman. He answered all our questions and we were very comfortable retaining Habitar after speaking with him. We have found Mitch to be professional and responsive. He is committed to customer satisfaction, and one can be confident that if any problem arises, that problem will be dealt with promptly and with courtesy.”
Chris D.
“I absolutely love my new kitchen!! The design is unbelievable and the workmanship is simply outstanding. I can’t believe that 5 days ago I was standing in my old kitchen and tonight I’m in my new one. (The guys went above and beyond to get my kitchen working tonight; they could not have been nicer or more accommodating throughout the entire process and I can’t thank them enough for doing such a terrific job.) I will be submitting an online review as soon as I can stop admiring everything.
Sarah M.
“We could not be more pleased with the results of the work from Habitar/Stratagem. Habitar is very easy to work with and completely understanding of budget and taking a staged approach to completing their home. Mitch was incredibly responsive to emails and phone calls. He assigned Kapan as our designer who was very pleasant to work with. Kapan was open to exploring ideas with us, and genuinely wanted us to be happy with our results — I did not feel as though she was trying to push a project through to move on to the next one, and felt that she would have the same demeanor regardless of the size of your budget. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Habitar and Kapan, and will definitely use them again in the future.”
Kira H.
“The best thing about working with Mitch and Kapan is that they exude integrity. I heard terrible stories of a major renovations go wrong – contractors running away with money, things being done wrong, punch lists not finished. I am happy to say I had nothing but a positive experience with them. I would highly recommend them for any design/construction project big or small.”
David R.
“I was very happy with the experience. I appreciated Mitch’s ability to squeeze my job into his schedule even though we were working within some tight time constraints. I found him to be a creative thinker from the design standpoint. The designer on his team also provided some good ideas for layout and tile choices, including designing some custom cut accent tiling.”
Brian F.
“The work began on schedule, and I was very happy that the craftsmen came every single day until the job was done. The quality of the work is first class. They cleaned up every day, and were very professional. On top of this, Mitch and his entire team were very accessible – cell phones, email, event text messages. Everyone involved with the project was really great to work with.”
Stacy E.
“They’re very good. The general contractor (Mitch) is experienced, smart, and honest. He is an excellent problem solver, and since he has built lots of houses from the ground-up, he has sound instincts about how to make a remodel work best. He was a physician for a few years before becoming a general contractor and he has “good bedside manner” – he’s analytical and easy to deal with. He returns calls and emails quickly. Perhaps most importantly, he provided us with a very detailed estimate for the project before the work began and stuck to that budget. Competitors we consulted were not nearly as willing to give us the same cost certainty that he did up front, and we have heard horror stories from friends about remodels that went way over budget with other contractors. Mitch delivered the quality that he promised for the price that he promised. Habitar’s interior designer (Kapan) is unpretentious, has excellent taste, and was brimming with good ideas and resources. She was very skilled at identifying bargains for portions of the project where high-end furnishings weren’t necessary. She and Mitch work together well, and that helped the project proceed smoothly and on-schedule. They’re a wonderful choice if you want to minimize the headaches associated with a remodel.”
Frank V.
“I am so happy with my new kitchen–I can’t believe how fantastic it looks! The design is simply gorgeous, the workmanship is absolutely outstanding and the space is so much more functional.”
Recent reviews of our Chicago interior design firm’s capabilities from Real Estate Professionals and Developers…
Danny, 40-Million Seller for @Properties:
“This team of experts specialize in home staging, floor plan design, furniture layout, interior design… everything we need to be more successful with our resale and developer clients.”
Lennox, President & CEO of Urban Equities, Inc. Chicago:
“What a find! Habitar has played an awesome role in adding stylistic flavor and risk-taking pizzazz to our luxury homes. With their get-it-done designers, our home products have benefited greatly from the creative ingenuity and practical applications resulting from Habitar’s professionals. Without question, we have enjoyed the WOW effect that emanates form our home-buyers. Thank you, Habitar!”
Andy, Developer, Opera Lofts:
“We don’t recommend anyone, but we recommend them. We hired them to do a model for a grand opening and were pleased. Their photos were picked up by an Israeli design magazine and they did a story on us. So kudos to them. They can give you something special.”