Ellen DeGeneres fans (who isn’t a fan of hers?!), get excited: Thomasville launched two home collections in collaboration with the superstar’s design line, ED Ellen DeGeneres, and Walter E. Smithe Furniture Design is now the exclusive retailer in the Chicago area to carry the collection. The gorgeous new furniture collection, appropriately named ED Ellen DeGeneres Crafted By […]
There is a riddle that goes something like this: There are only two barbers to choose from and there are no other barbers located within 100 miles. Barber Bob has a bad haircut and his shop has dirty floors and windows. Barber Bill always has a spotless shop and has a neatly trimmed haircut. Who would […]
Builders often brag that they build a quality home. Unfortunately, most homeowners are unable to measure quality. Here are some questions to ask a builder to determine their level of quality: Do you earn continuing education each year to understand proper procedures for materials and construction methods? Are there written rules for subcontractors to follow […]
When you consider the amount of time you spend at home, you should not compromise on having something that is well-designed and well-built. Your home is the venue for family traditions, where memories are created and where you rest and recover. At every price point, there are ways to minimize the compromises that most people […]
Often clients ask us to visit several homes to consider whether it makes more sense to remodel or tear-down the existing home. As an expert in designing, building and remodeling homes, we can properly assess each opportunity and guide our clients. We examine the existing structure and general conditions. “Good Bones” is the term used […]
The verdict is in and big, sprawling houses are out — at least if you want to be energy efficient, that is. The Pew Research Center reports that while we’ve made some considerable energy gains since the 1970s, a lot of that progress has been lost to the bigger houses homeowners have favored in the […]
Hard surface flooring, especially hardwood or authentic hardwood lookalikes, are dominating main living areas in single family homes, condos and apartments all over the country. Given this widespread national trend, area rugs have become more important than ever. Rugs not only warm up a room and help designate different areas within open concept spaces, but they […]
An industrious young man named Lawrence J. Thalmann founded a landscape business on Chicago’s North Shore in 1917 with nothing more than a wheelbarrow, shovel and a dream. Through perspiration, inspiration, determination, and, later, help from his wife and growing family, the business grew into the thriving Chalet Landscape, Nursery and Garden Center, which celebrates its 100th Anniversary throughout 2017. The […]
The most common disaster the American Red Cross responds to is not hurricanes or tornadoes — it’s home fires. Home fires are extraordinarily destructive, and often happen to already vulnerable families. In December 2016, the Red Cross responded to the highest number of home fires it has in at least seven years: more than 130 […]
Some houses have a bit of everything: plenty of room, updated appliances, great outdoor spaces and ideal location. For the past 10 years, Make It Better Associate Publisher Michelle Morris has called just such a house her home. The five-bedroom Winnetka dwelling has given Morris and her four children plenty of space to grow: “We […]
