Jeannie Balsam Interiors

We've worked with Jeannie and her team out of our Chicago showroom for years to put our programmed pieces and custom designed carpets in clients' homes. A great team to work with.

My husband and I had been on an ex-pat assignment in Canada for several years. When we found out we'd be relocating to the Chicago area, we purchased a home that we were very excited about, but that also needed work. Because we were so far away and the move timeline was tight, we knew we'd need help with the painting and flooring decisions/work before we moved in (as well as room design, furniture and lighting decisions in the future). When we found Jeannie Balsam Interiors on Houzz, we liked that she enjoys designing interiors for clients that are highly functional, but also beautiful. We have 3 teenage boys, so our home certainly needs to be a place we can really live in and is very functional. From our first phone call with Jeannie's firm, we knew we'd work well together. We arranged a quick trip to the area, and Jeannie helped us make our painting, carpet and floor refinishing decisions all in one weekend. Work began immediately with Jeannie's impressive team of flooring, paintings and carpet professionals, and all of that work was completed by move in day. Next, Jeannie and her team set to work designing a beautiful new family room for our home. Jeannie took the time to thoroughly explain the design process to us and made sure to assess the best use of our budget as we made design decisions together. Jeannie and her team demonstrated the ability to envision, from beginning to end, the reconfigured space and the layered Interiors and also suggested new solutions for our space, including a custom game table and media cabinet. We appreciated Jeannie's ability to understand our personal styles, as well as expand our design visions. The result is a beautiful family room that our entire family loves and enjoys using daily! We can't thank Jeannie, her team and the professionas she works with enough for helping our home come together so beautifully. We will enjoy working with Jeannie Balsam Interiors for years to come!

We can not say enough about working with Jeannie Balsam and Annie Liddle. Not only are they extremely talented, but they are honest, professional, hard-working and very fun. We worked with Jeannie and Annie to redecorate most of our first floor as well as our master bedroom throughout 2016. During the span of our project, Jeannie and her team handled every bit of our project in the best possible way. It was completed in a timely matter, on budget and we loved the end result! We would recommend Jeannie Balsam Interiors to anyone. They are fabulous!

We hired Jeannie and her team in late 2016 to convert a staid and stuffy LR into a warm and inviting study. The results were nothing short of spectacular, so much so that we have launched into subsequent projects in the DR, entryway and FR with Jeannie. We are both busy professionals, and welcome Jeannie's collaborative and responsive nature, as well as her creativity, efficiency and her healthy respect of budgets. Her team is ingenious at re-purposive existing pieces of furniture or fixtures to really stretch a budget. The professionals she uses are responsive and reliable. Jeannie even worked with a freelance painter to help create a custom painting to hang over the fireplace to complete the study. She created an "art gallery wall" in the study that is unique and distinctive and we love it! In short, Jeannie is a true gem. It is hard to find someone who combines both the business side and the creative side of design like she does. The fact that she and her team do it with such ease, grace and an element of fun is an added bonus in today's busy and harried world. We cannot say enough about this very special design team!

We found Jeannie on Houzz earlier this year after buying our new "Summer Home" in Winnetka, a respected North Shore Realtor concurred that she has recommended Jeannie to her new homeowners and they have all been very pleased. From our first meeting Jeannie saw possibilities and had an approach that worked perfectly with our somewhat eclectic Style. Jeannie was more than willing to work with our assortment of furniture from NYC and Jupiter Florida homes. Jeannie's up-grade of our Family Room was truly visionary. She designed custom cabinetry and a new fireplace mantle that completely transformed our previously awkward space. We valued her focus on constructing the correct "shell" of the room prior to furnishing it. This phase completely redesigned the look and feel of the entire First Floor of our home. Our family and friends can't believe the change. As awesome as Jeannie and her team's Design skills are; equally impressive, is their Management of all aspects of each project. Much of our work was done this Winter while we were in Florida. Jeannie, Annie and their extensive team of professionals handled each of several projects beautifully. On time, and amazingly on or under budget! Our Winnetka house is an ongoing project and our Partnership with Jeannie Balsam Interiors makes it very easy and rewarding. We have just begun the Lower Level Family Room and plan to work on the Master Bedroom next year. While living in multiple homes during the year, it is wonderful to have a partnership and friendship with this talented, local firm and know that you can pick up where you left off and hit the ground running on the next project or phase.

We loved working with Jeannie and her staff! Jeannie listened to what we wanted to achieve, and produced results that exceeded our expectations. Throughout each step of the design process, she presented excellent options that were always within our budget. She has an excellent sense of space, color and pattern, and she understands how to design spaces that are meant to be lived in by active families. Each of her subcontractors was outstanding and added to the success of our design. We have been enjoying our home for the past year, and we are looking forward to our next project with her.

We had the opportunity to build a new home in our current neighborhood --- really a dream come true. And as many know, building a custom home requires thousands of decision, with most coming well before choosing furniture, window treatments, flooring or wall coverings. We wanted a design partner in the entire decision-making process who would work with us from initial elevations and floor plans through to the final aesthetic. Jeannie was the perfect match. She began by getting us all to discuss and visual how we’d like to live in our home — thinking through everything from home office needs and homework space to the size of our extended families and how often we entertain. From those conversations — we called them a “Day in the Life” — we then worked with Jeannie to literally layout each room to meet our vision and lifestyle. This is what took our home from a builder’s plan to our special place. It is why we have a mudroom that also houses our “communication center” — we didn’t want mail and school work in our kitchen; and a cozy sitting room retreat off our Master Bedroom — with three growing boys (and all their friends☺) my husband and I sought a quiet little getaway space. Jeannie and her team built great relationships with the architect, the builder and the subcontractors. The end result is nothing short of magnificent!

Jeannie Balsam and her team are the epitome of a first-rate design firm. We’ve had the privilege of working with Jeannie on a number of projects over the years and she is not only creative and talented, she is also extremely diligent, thorough and passionate. We enjoy being a part of her lighting process because we know she is illuminating her clients’ home in the style they desire and also the impeccable designs she’s curated. Jeannie and her team are the utmost professionals and it is a pleasure working with them.

I have worked with Jeannie Balsam and her team for years on multiple projects including: our living room and dining room design, our family room design, a lower level build-out, and several bedroom selections. Jeannie has a unique ability to understand our family's personal style, while expanding our design selections as our family has evolved. I still love the designs we completed together years ago, and I still receive compliments every time guests walk into our home. I honestly can't imagine moving forward with a design project without Jeannie's input. Her expertise gives me confidence and assurance that I will love the outcome for years. Finally, Jeannie and her reliable team are professional, yet fun and upbeat. We always have a great time working together. I strongly recommend Jeannie Balsam for any design needs. Jeannie and her team are truly talented design professionals.

Our firm has worked with Jeanne Balsam and her team for a number of years. They are extremely professional, immensely creative and very thorough. They listen carefully to the clients wishes and do everything they can to create a beautiful and unique space. They are truly a pleasure to work with at every level.

I have worked with Jeannie several times over the course of 9 years. Her incredible business sense coupled with creativity is a rare find, not to mention she’s a delight to work with. Like many new home owners, I wasn’t financially nor mentally ready to decorate an entire house when we first moved into our new construction home. I first met Jeannie through a referral to help with floor planning, furnishings, window treatments and tile work for my kitchen and family room. I was so taken with how easy and efficient it is to work with Jeannie, I contacted her again four years later to tackle more projects. She always makes these overwhelming projects manageable and quickly translates our brainstorming meetings into plans of action that get executed on budget with ease and grace from her and her team. Jeannie helped take my new construction home to the next level with texture and finishes (grasscloth wallpaper, rugs, upholstery, window treatments, etc.). She also worked with a custom millwork craftsman to make the master bedroom sitting room beautiful and functional with a new fireplace and built-ins. Her ability to understand my personal style while expanding my design selections as my family has evolved through the years has helped utilize "dead" areas. She transformed our unused living room into an inviting "library" used for entertaining, homework, chess, etc,. Our unused loft is now a cozy second family/tv viewing room for our teenagers. She recently came back to help build out my unfinished lower level with contractors and utilized HOUZZ for inspiration. Jeannie's expertise, project management skills, and wealth of resources added value at every stage of the process, but particularly in the initial design and selections phases. Without hesitation, I would recommend Jeannie and her design team for your next design project. They are all professional and a pleasure to work with.

I found Jeannie because I was looking for some help achieving a somewhat coastal aesthetic in my suburban Chicago home. I happened to see the Nantucket home she designed on Houzz, and loved her eye for a classical but updated coastal style. She also knew how to adapt that style for the Midwest, as I obviously don't live seaside. Jeannie and her team are terrific to work with. They spend time getting to know their clients style, needs, budget, etc., and they don't try to stray from those. They are respectful of budget in particular, and I appreciate their honesty in all aspects. I trust them completely and feel lucky to have found such an amazing designer on the first try!