TKS Interior Design and Remodeling of Glen Ellyn

Top notch job from start to finish. Great workmanship and delivered a bit ahead of schedule for completion. Good communication at all stages of the project.

Everything was fine. It was very expensive but it was an extensive remodeling. It was an old house and there was a lot that had to be done so I had no complaints about the price. I didn't shop around. They were the first ones that I went to and they could do it. I am actually using them for a second bathroom.

From the beginning, our experience with the Kitchen Studio was outstanding. Susan was easy, creative and engaging during the design process and communicated well throughout the Project. The construction team was on-time and focused, diligent in their efforts, and also communicated well throughout the process. They cleaned up at the end of every day and were respectful of our space despite the chaos. A big Project completed on time and on budget. Very happy.

We felt as though we did our homework before selecting The Kitchen Studio to do our work, so once the selection was made we had absolutely no doubt that the project would be done on time, within our budget, and in a professional manner. We were not disappointed. The pre-construction, planning and design meetings conducted by Susan, were extremely well organized, through, and very critical to the efficient flow of the project. We had a very critical date of completion, and Susan was very honest with us as to the time required to do the job. From start to finish the entire process took just over five months, and the completion date was met. As with any project, a problem or two will be encountered along the way, and in our case we experienced one such problem, which Susan immediately addressed and resolved. There was a calendar prepared prior to the start of the work so all parties knew what was to be expected on any given day, and it was followed very closely. We worked closely with Susan, as well as the tradesmen on site, which made for great communication. Susan was able to make many creative suggestions which were of considerable value to us, and were included in the final design. The tradesmen who worked on our project were true professionals. We knew everyday who would be at our home, and when they would be there. Never did we once have to call and ask, where are the guys today? Chris was the foreman on the job and was absolutely concerned with our satisfaction on all phases of the project. Chris was extremely customer oriented, as were the other tradesmen. Every morning the stairways and high traffic areas were covered with runners to protect the floors, and every night the work areas were vacuumed. In an effort to confine the dust to the work areas, plastic was hung in critical areas throughout our home, such as doorways, foyers, and stairwells. There were times when we couldn't be at our home for hours or even days at a time, and we felt very comfortable giving total access to our home to Chris and his men. In addition to Susan and Chris, there were at least two others at The Kitchen Studio who we had regular contact with, and who contributed greatly to the entire process, Jeff and Dawn. Dawn provided a great deal of administrative support, and did a great job of coordinating meetings, inspections, and busy schedules. She was always a pleasure to deal with. Jeff entered the picture once construction started. Jeff would regularly stop by to see that things were progressing according to the plan and our satisfaction, deliver an occasional item, and be on site to escort all the various inspectors. As the project moved on we got to know Jeff, and found his follow through to be excellent. Jeff's primary role appeared to be preparing and delivering the invoices. The invoices were detailed, delivered timely, and accurate, with no exceptions. As the project came to a completion, a short punch list was compiled and reviewed with Susan, Jeff, and Chris and the items were addressed promptly, to our satisfaction

I was very happy with the end result of my bathroom remodel. The Kitchen Studio did an outstanding job from start to finish. Deb Bayless was supportive throughout the process. She took a person who has no design skill through the project and created a beautiful bathroom. Deb transformed my random thoughts into selections that I could choose from. Her knowledge was extensive and attention to detail was meticulous. The contractor that worked with Kitchen Studio on the job was excellent. The crew was professional, showed up on time throughout the project and kept the construction "mess" to a minimum. I have never worked with a crew that worked as hard as they did to get the job done. This was my first major remodel and I can truly say it was a great experience. The high quality of work, design knowledge, and attention to detail made the whole project worry free. I would highly recommend The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn. They are unparalleled in what they do.

Everything worked out in the end. As with any remodel project we ran into challenges. When the cabinets arrived, some were damaged. Jeff and Susan worked with us and the manufacturer to remedy the issue quickly. Our installation required some custom carpentry. Their staff worked on some creative installation solutions to ensure everything fit as ordered.

Finished ahead of time and under budget.

I went to Kitchen studio to choose the style of cabinet I wanted within my budget. They gave me sample to take home to make sure that in fact was what Iwanted. The order was placed and arrived four weeks later as quoted. They delivered and oversaw the completed job as the contractor installed. I was very happy with the quality of cabinets and the complete look.

Excellent experience with The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn. Professional, responsive, excellent designs and personal attention. Very happy with their overall perfomance and would highly recommend to others.

Susan had great ideas and advice during our consultations. We were given three plans at different price points and were able to incorporate ideas from each one. We were presented with a project book with time lines which made the process very organized and we knew what to expect and when. The construction crew, painters, electricians and plumbers were very courteous and always on time. There were more "do-overs" than we expected but the Kitchen Studio was always willing to remedy each issue that came up. We are very pleased with the results...our kitchen looks great!

Susan was terrific!!! She has a great design sense and was easy to work with. We are thrilled with how our kitchen turned out and are still happy a year later.

They are a great company. They do the whole house. They are great with resources. They give out the resources. They are knowledgeable. They are top notched.

My husband and I would highly recommend The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn. After visiting numerous kitchen design/remodeling stores, we both knew from the moment we meet Susan Klimala that our search was over. She was so easy to work with, upfront on costs with a fabulous eye for design. I found Susan after searching for local area designers that had won design awards that worked on small kitchens as well as large. Our kitchen is a modest size, all the more reason to use a designer to use every inch as efficiently as possible. Susan came to our house to take measurements and took pictures of all the contents in our kitchen cabinets to help her design the best kitchen for us. Susan and Deb designed five sample kitchens for us to choose from. All were beautiful and creative. Susan and Deb even designed a custom soapstone table to match our soapstone countertops. The design that we decided on has improved our entire house because we opened up our kitchen to our dining room, eliminating a wall that separates the spaces. My new kitchen is completely organized. All my storage needs were met with even room for more! Not to mention that it is the kitchen of my dreams. Susan was fantastic through the entire process. She answered literally hundreds of emails and lots of phone calls as we consulted with her about everything from appliances to hardware while picking out choices for our new kitchen. She helped us find a fantastic deal on our floors after a last minute change on our part threatened our budget. While we were finishing choosing all our kitchen choices, Susan won the NKBA 2010 Design Vision Award, 1st place for the Small Kitchen category. Just as important as Susan was in this whole process was her subcontractors, who I can not say enough good things about. We had the option to use her contractors or our own. I am so glad we decided to use Susan's contractors. We were so impressed with them, we decided to have Susan tackle a smaller project for us in the middle of our kitchen remodel. She created a custom built entryway closet. Her carpenter Chris was incredible. He is meticulous, thoughtful and a beautiful craftsman. He is trustworthy and kind and became an adopted part of our family. His crew all did fantastic work. Her electrician Sam and his crew also did a fantastic job as well. Mike Wilson from Hummingbird Soapstone in Glen Ellyn installed our countertops and I can not praise him enough. Our soapstone counters and custom soapstone table are the highlights of the kitchen. Susan developed a detailed project plan timeline for us a week before our cabinets were due to be delivered. The plan was spot on throughout most of the project. They finished the majority of the work ahead of schedule. Susan also prepared an onsite project book full of her designs, electrical plans, plumbing plans, appliance manuals and other instructions. It kept her crew all on the same page as her during our project. Her crew worked continuously, not a few days here and a few days there as I have seen neighbors experience during their remodeling jobs. Jeff Klimala, Kitchen Studio's co-owner, was onsite and dealt with all the inspections and inspectors as well as helping to make sure that everything met code which kept the project on track. We are still realizing all the intricacies of the kitchen that Susan designed for us. Do not underestimate the value of a designer. We wanted to get the kitchen of our dreams and remodel our kitchen only once. Susan and her studio have surpassed all our expectations. Our remodeling job went very well with very few problems and I know that was no accident. The quality of the materials that the Kitchen Studio uses, the tradesmen that she hires and the perfection of the design made that happen. The few problems that came up were unrelated to Susan and the Kitchen Studio but were due to plumbing and appliance issues. Susan and Jeff helped us to remedy the problems in an efficient manner. We can't wait to work with Susan and The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellen again to help us redesign our bathrooms. Sincerely, Nancy and Brian Evans

While it did require bumping a wall out a bit the result is amazing. People who see it think the bathroom was always there. Susan and Jeff provided the same attention as they would have to a very large project. It was finished on time and on budget. I would trust them with any kitchen or bath remodeling. The result is stunning and high quality, and is exactly what I was looking for. Susan is a very good designer who came up with ideas that I would not have considered on my own.

There was never a problem with The Kitchen Studio -- they were great to work with and very willing to change dates due to my problems. Due to the water damage, we needed to have the roof repaired first. They adjusted all their workers and never seemed to mind. They were also great working with my budget. Susan worked with me to make sure we still got a great space on a limited budget.

The process went very smoothly from start to finish. The Architectural drawings were carefully followed and the products used (i.e., cabinets, counter tops, sink, hardware, etc.) were carefully inspected throughout to be sure there were no imperfections. The communication between the Kitchen Studio and our contractor was excellent.

I was very pleased with them. They were wonderful. They tried a lot for all the work to go through. They were very understanding and supportive. The design was great. They were very receptive to what I wanted to do. They were just very nice and professional.

Susan met with me first to tell me about the kitche studio and to get an idea of what we were looking for and our budget. She came up with some ideas and my husband and I met with her. She also came to our house to help us visualize the kitchen plan. Once the cabinets were ordered she also came over to look over the installation. Our kitchen is now effecient to work in and visually appealing.

Susan helped us transform our home through our kitchen and family room. We were able to remove a wall between our kitchen and family room to develop a great space for our family to utilize our space more effectively. Susan developed a wonderful plan for our kitchen to utilize the space we had in our home, but use it in a way that we would have never imagined. She was able to get everything into our kitchen that was on our wishlist and the quality of the materials was second to none. Susan was very responsive to our needs and questions, and never pushed us in a direction we were not comfortable in going. Her suggestions for what would work in our kitchen, were spot on, even though we were nervous making some of the decisions. She knew it would look the best and we trusted her experience and expertise. We couldn't be happier with the results of our kitchen and the transformation of our home.

Susan and Deb tweeked the design of the kitchen, ordered the cabinetry for me, told me the exact date I could expect the cabinets to arrive, and they were right! The cabinets came on time, and they looked just like the sample that was shown to me. I received custom cabinets for a Home Depot price!!!

It went very very well. I would highly recommend them. The price was covered under warranty.

We priced three bids for our project. We chose Susan Klimala and the Kitchen Studio based on her designs and professionalism, and also because of the feedback and excellent reports from several referrals who had previously worked with the Kitchen Studio. Their prices were reasonable and competitive, but most importantly, they offered sincere and personal attentiveness during all aspects of the project.

They are very good designers and easy to work with. I would recommend to others.

The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn (our designer), and Tom Evans (of Thomas Gorton Homes, our contractor) were wonderful to work with. Susan Klimala of Kitchen Studio paired us with Tom Evans, and both were very professional, helpful, and always had a smile. They made the remodel comfortable for us, with a minimal amount of disruption to our daily life. We stayed in touch by phone and pictures while we were in Florida, and when we returned home, the kitchen with usable, clean, and ready to use. It was nice to miss out on the 'messy' part, but to be available to enjoy seeing the finishing touches which brought the kitchen to life.

Myself, my interior designer and Susan from Kitchen Studio met to discuss the cabinets for our new home. Susan worked so well with my designer, it was a true collaborative effort. Susan was able to come up with an amazing kitchen from stock cabinets to keep the price down. She also added in extra touches, like adding furniture feet onto a stock cabinet to make it look like a piece of furniture. We worked together finalizing drawings, Susan took field measurements and the cabinets were delivered on time without a problem. There were one or two "glitches" that Susan and her team immediately worked to find good solutions for. One, the crown of our cabinets was going to intersect with the trim around our kitchen window. Susan prepared several options for us, and we were able to maintain the quality of our design. Also, when the panel for above our range came in, it was a slightly different color from the rest of the cabinets. However, Susan had someone work on the panel and it matches perfectly now. We could not be happier with our experience at the Kitchen Studio!