Nearly 30 years ago, 210 Design House began designing high-end, custom kitchens, closets, and baths for residential projects in Chicago, primarily using products from our brand partner Snaidero. As the city evolved, however, so did we, transferring our expertise in creating stunning, functional spaces from single-family homes to multi-housing developments. Why create just one beautiful kitchen when you can create hundreds? And, moreover, why not do both?
Multi-Housing Design vs Single-Family Home Design: What is the Difference?
Customized Snaidero finishes at the Residences at St Regis, Chicago
“Interestingly enough, designing for multi-housing is not much different than designing for residential spaces in the sense that multiple parties are involved in the decision-making process,” says Erika Klimenko, 210’s Director of Projects. “In a single-family home, it’s the homeowner, architect, and interior designer; in multi-housing it’s the same, with the addition of the developer. That additional layer of communication and collaboration, however, has only elevated our work, and since our first project, we’ve continued to raise the bar.”
Customized Snaidero finishes at 340 on the Park
Since 2007, we’ve completed a long list of multi-housing projects in Chicago, adding up to thousands of condo units, from our first, the still-sparkling 340 on the Park in Lakeshore East in partnership with Related Midwest, to our latest, the iconic St. Regis (read more about the project!) — an architectural masterpiece that has forever reshaped the Chicago skyline. We’re currently working on thousands more impressive units in New York, Nashville, and beyond. Simultaneously, we’ve designed and installed rooms in hundreds of single-family homes using a similar process, focused on customization.
210’s Brand Offerings: How Customizable Are They?
“We’ve been working with our brand partners for so long that we really have an understanding of how each line works, what’s available, and how to push the envelope to use components in a unique or creative way,” Klimenko says. “For some projects, that might mean creating a fully customized product; for others, it’s making a manufactured product feel like a custom piece through its application. It’s our deep level of understanding that allows us to be innovative.”
Nashville Penthouse, featuring Plain & Fancy Cabinetry and Snaidero Cucine
Whether it means upleveling a condo unit’s closet system or installing a refrigerator in a bathroom for a client who wants to multitask while getting ready for the day, our 210 designers are constantly thinking outside the box, while drawing from the rich design well offered by brands like Plain & Fancy, MisuraEmme, and our own bespoke, multi-housing cabinetry line, Concerto.
Homeowners, Developers, Architects… the Team and the Process
Concerto Cabinetry in a Wicker Park project
So how do we take multi-housing developments to the next level, transforming them into customized spaces that reflect both the individual homeowner and the larger vision of the developer, architect, and designer?
It starts with working with the builder and developer to create design packages that reflect their overall vision and aesthetic, while allowing each homeowner to choose their own preferred style. Once a unit has been purchased, we invite each homeowner to our showroom to present their options and enhance the unit’s overall design. For penthouse and larger, high-level units, the process is even more involved.
Concerto Cabinetry in Cascade Lakeshore East
“Typically for those clients, we’re not just looking at the kitchen or bathroom; we’re touching every part of the unit,” Klimenko says. “Whatever finish palette and aesthetic they choose, we’re ensuring it blends into the other areas of the home, maybe through an entertainment area in the living room, a credenza in the dining room, an elaborate closet… We’re creating a cohesive, completely customized space — even if it lives in a building of 400 units.”
Customizing Single-Family Homes
From super-sleek, contemporary kitchens to the best in Italian bathroom vanities, we’re able to offer a wide range of luxury designs and aesthetics to all of our clients, no matter if their project involves one home or hundreds of them. “Clients today don’t want to feel constrained or limited, even when using system products that have standardized sizes, finishes, and door styles,” says 210 Senior Designer Alexander Adducci. “We expect special requests from clients, rather than simply defaulting to planning to install a product as outlined in a catalog.”
Customized Plain & Fancy Cabinetry in a Traditional Kitchen
Those requests have included everything from creating bulk spice storage for a family of cooks to installing a scent-diffusing system within a closet, and 210 has been able to accommodate each of them. “If our clients can imagine it, we can most likely make it a reality,” Adducci says.
Whether it’s one of hundreds or an individual home, we pride ourselves on creating spaces that feel singular and special. For more information about how we can create a beautiful design for your home, no matter if it’s a single-family residence or in a high-rise development, visit us at the 210 Design House showroom.
