Joel is a member of the Naperville Rotary Club and is a member of the race committee.

The event was a huge success this year as the weather did more than just cooperate. All 2200 spots were filled for the event with money going to several charities in Naperville.

Here is a news story about the event from NCtv17.

The ceremony was held at the Stonegate Conference Center in Hoffman Estates. Approximately 165 community business leaders were at the event.

Crimson was selected for this award for several reasons; well thought out business systems, the flexibility to adapt to a ‘new’ economy, and our community involvement.

While accepting the award on behalf of Crimson Design & Construction, company co-owner Neil Kristianson acknowledged the hard work of the Crimson team that allows Crimson to not only survive but thrive in this ‘new’ economy. He also spoke of the legacy Crimson is creating in Naperville not only through the many examples of improved homes throughout town, but also by their community involvement.

It’s always nice to have your hard work recognized by someone. Winning an award as prestigious as this is even better! Our thanks to The Daily Herald Business Ledger!

Click here to see the full article that appeared in the Daily Herald.

Be The Envy Of Your Neighborhood

-WE GUARANTEE IT-

Introducing The ‘I LOVE IT’ Guarantee

Crimson Design & Construction is so sure you’re going to love our new Architectural Elite Design Service that we are offering a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Here’s how it works -

If Crimson design and constructs your project using our Architectural Elite Design Service and you don’t have AT  LEAST TWO friends, neighbors or relatives tell you that they “LOVE IT!” we will refund 100% of your Elite Design Service fees.

We know we can make this offer because we have seen it happen over and over and over again. In fact, on many projects COMPLETE STRANGERS will stop and rave about their neighbor’s new addition! Recently our client, Marge of Naperville, had this experience.

“I loved working with Crimson Design [& Construction] from beginning to end. [They] really listened to what we said we wanted and worked closely and creatively with us to produce a design that met our needs and desires. [They] oversaw a complicated project with skill and patience and never hesitated to respond to our “just one more thing…….”. [Crimson has] guided us through a project that has yielded unsolicited compliments from friends, neighbors and total strangers passing by!”  - Marge (Retired COO), Naperville

You should expect to hear compliments like this:

+ I LOVE the colors!

+ I LOVE your new countertops!

+ I LOVE what you have done with your shower!

+ I LOVE your new kitchen – I’m soooo jealous!

But, hurry!!  Design services must be purchased by 3/31/12.  Contact Crimson to learn more about the ‘I LOVE IT’ Guarantee and to set up your complimentary consultation.

Download the full details here. i_love_it.pdf

Comfort is the mission for today’s remodeling client. Their home has lost the feeling of hominess. For some, it never had that feeling in the first place.

When homeowners initially purchase their home, maybe they don’t have the money to renovate and make the home everything they want it to be. At the time they are just happy to find a home with the right number of bedrooms and a kitchen that is workable.

Fast forward ten years and now they are fed up. The bathroom is dated. The tile is in disrepair and the shower lacks a modern showerhead. The kitchen is still cramped and missing specialty storage.

This is exactly how our clients on Wilshire Lane felt. Two years ago we worked with them to add a second-story addition over their garage with a bedroom, laundry and bathroom.

Recently they asked us back to remodel their original master bathroom. When they first moved in the bathroom was fine.  But, after fifteen years in the home, they realized that their bathroom needed an infusion of ‘comfort.’

Initially, Joel worked with them to explore alternate layouts of the existing bath, closet and bedroom. Ultimately, they decided against it and decided to keep the layout the same.

Using the original floor plan we updated all the fixtures and finishes. The result is a new bath with a feeling of serene comfort. The bathtub was converted to a stand up shower and made dramatically larger. The new vanity cabinets are taller with a stacked storage cabinet on the vanity counter. This eliminates the clutter of bottles and makes for a very clean-looking vanity area.

We chose oil-rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures with medium color stain on the cabinets and custom-framed mirrors. The shower tile is a mixture of neutral porcelain and slate natural stone. We added storage shelves in the shower with a new oil-rubbed sliding shower door.

The warm colors and natural materials create a sense of balance. The feeling of comfort has been restored.  Mission accomplished!

How can we “normal” homeowners ever compete?

Celebrities have lots of money to hire the best of the best.  They have a team of architects and interior designers who collaborate to ensure the space is well designed, features up-to-date styles and trends, and incorporates the homeowners’ vibe and spirit throughout.

But we “normal” homeowners don’t have to read Architectural Digest with jealousy and distaste.
 
Why not instead use it to find some inspiration?  Just because we don’t live in $10 million dollar mansions overlooking beautiful scenery or sweeping city views doesn’t mean our space can’t be comfortable, inviting and desirable.  In fact, your home can easily be turned into an inviting retreat that will make your friends and neighbors want your house to be the next entertainment hub.

This isn’t Hollywood, but Crimson Design & Construction has remodeled many Naperville-Area homes to be all that is mentioned above and without breaking the bank.  We work closely with our clients’ to fulfill all their needs and wants.  We help our clients every step of the way by being your team.

Crimson offers architectural services, an in-house design team, and a production team all in one convenient location.  Our licensed architect and designer come to you with a personalized design and specific examples for your home, your space, your needs and your wants.  Your space will not only be updated, but will also still be a reflection of you and your grandeur.

Equally important Crimson works vigorously with your budget in mind.  We will present to you design and selection options that will look good, but won’t leave you saying, “I wish we could afford that tile.”  The Crimson team works with you every step of the way to ensure that your remodeling experience is fun rather than frustrating.

Our most select clients appreciate our full service approach and take full advantage of our willingness to handle every detail.  Our team will treat you like a celebrity by managing every aspect of your remodeling project from start to finish!

So pick up that Architectural Digest and start making plans for your new space!

Want something like this??? (Photo courtesy of Architectural Digest)

Beautiful kitchen and entertaining space in a local Naperville home!

Could this be the future of your family?

The revival of multi-generation living has been on the rise since 2009 and continues to be a lifestyle trend for 2012.  “What we’re seeing is the demise of the notion of the nuclear family in favor of the extended family,” said John L. Graham, co-author of Together Again: A Creative Guide to Successful Multigenerational Living.

Motivations range from necessity to convenience to culture.  While some situations may be temporary, others aren’t so short-lived.  Many factors influence a family’s decision to live together:

• Aging baby boomers are moving in with children
• Young adults are living with parents for longer lengths of time or are being forced to relocate home due to the stagnant economy
• The expected growth in home ownership among Hispanics and Asians, for whom multi-generational living is more common

With life expectancies increasing, baby boomers retiring, pension funds failing and minority household growth, multi-generational living will likely be a trend that is with us for a while, if not a new way of American life.

Multi-generational living may sound unnerving yet living together can offer many benefits:

• Help with household expenses
• Child care or elder care
• Allow the older generation to remain independent longer, none of them wanting to admit they’ll ever need formal assisted living
• Emotional intimacy that comes with frequent contact among family members and the opportunity to make a strong connection with your grandchildren and pass on your knowledge and experience
• Reconnect with your adult children at a different stage in both your lives
• Luxury to travel with piece of mind that your house and pets are taken care of; perfect for the snowbirds

In order to make this new way of life enjoyable and comfortable some changes will need to be made.  It is essential to map out your ideal space and to run the numbers on re-do versus buying new, Crimson Design and Construction can help you with this.

If you set up the right space living together under one roof won’t break the bank or drive you crazy. Integrating design that encourages social interaction yet also provides privacy away from the communal living space is the most effective strategy.  Separate entrances and kitchens are critical to success.  Members of the household share many activities and frequently eat together, and the grandparents often take an active role in the care of their grandchildren.  But, at the end of the day, each generation bids adieu and retires to separate quarters.

How do you feel about multi-generation living? And do you think it is something that may be in your future?

We’ve been hard at work this winter creating a design guide specifically for Naperville.

So many times you open a home magazine and see some gorgeous photography but quickly realize that none of it works for your home. We’ve seen this problem as well. So, we set out to create a book of design ideas that specifically pertain to Naperville-area homes.

Naperville is not known for Cape Cod,  Southern Georgian or Southwestern Pueblo style homes. Naperville was created by builders that used a mixture of styles in their homes. You will rarely see this style of design in a magazine.

But what can you do when remodeling your Naperville builder-style home? We have faced this design challenge numerous times so we set out to give you some great ideas in our Free Design Guide.

Click Here to Request Your Free Copy

As the everyday populous places more importance on socializing and family togetherness, kitchens are being designed to stimulate social interaction. Today’s kitchens incite family togetherness and socializing by offering spaces for not only cooking, but doing homework, working on your computer, watching a movie, or just chatting.

Walls are coming down, islands are expanding, and more seating is added to encourage lingering in the kitchen and increased connection to those in other rooms of the house. These features not only meet the needs for everyday life, but also accommodate entertaining. For example; a large island used for cooking family meals or doing homework can be turned into buffet space for parties.

This open floor plan design also speaks to our multitasking lifestyle. People cooking in the kitchen do not want their backs to the action; they want to see what is happening. With the kitchen in the center of the home, you can create your gourmet meal without missing the winning touchdown of the game in the next room.

First, let’s consider where design wouldn’t be necessary.  Some homeowners are naturally good with colors, layout and design.  Finding a few pictures in a magazine is all they need to develop a great idea for their new space.  They’re usually quick to make decisions and seldom second guess the choices they have made.  The partners in the process agree on most every aspect of the project, making the decisions easy.  The kitchen is already well organized and doesn’t require any spatial redesign.  This could be because it’s more than large enough or the changes to the space are purely cosmetic.  It may only require some new cabinets, counters, flooring and appliances to bring it up to current standards.  Any one, or more, of these situations may be a sign that having someone design the space is more service than you need.

Then there’s everyone else.  The other side of this is a kitchen or space so far gone that major work is needed or the homeowner feels completely out of their comfort zone.  Many homes built before the 1970’s and even some of those built in the 80’s or 90’s have layouts or features that the builder thought made sense at the time.  One classic example is the cabinets over a peninsula counter.  The builders of the past thought it was a great way to get additional storage space in a kitchen but unfortunately it is the number one reason the kitchen feels isolated or cut off from the rest of the main level.  Another feature was the half wall between the dinette and the family room.  It was seen as a great way to divide the spaces and separate the floor materials.  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what it did while at the same time making the dinette space extremely cramped!  These conditions point to the need for a professional designer or architect in your new kitchen.

Your kitchen can go from this.....

To this!

Not all of these things are easily addressed and could require some real design experience.  Other homeowners that surely need help are the ones that can’t agree on anything or second guess every decision they make.  There’s concern over making the wrong decision with the paint colors or needing to make the perfect decision.  This can stalemate the process and make it so the project will never get off the ground.  A professional designer/remodeler will also help you with those decisions that are critical to the re-sale of your home down the road.  Those odd layout problems and bad color choices will make the home that much more difficult to sell when the time comes.  Do all the colors go together?  Is the layout efficient, simple and make the kitchen fun to cook in?  Is it so trendy that in 4 years the colors will be too much?  These questions will all be critical to you or potential buyers when the time comes.

The key to your project is creating a kitchen that makes it fun to cook, entertain and live in.  It’s the heart of the home and it needs to be current and well designed – something you can be proud of.

The exterior has received a dramatic makeover complete with the addition of a porch, new siding, architectural gables, and a new driveway.

The interior has gained an updated kitchen, a powder room, a new fireplace with built-in shelving, and a brand new master suite.

The focus of the kitchen design, besides the obvious aesthetics, was to increase storage and efficiency for everyday use.  By tastefully adding more cabinetry and installing organization systems in them, the kitchen is now much easier to cook in with everything in its place.

We also increased the efficiency of the space upstairs by turning two small bedrooms and a bathroom into a spacious master suite.  By moving a few walls and rethinking the space, Crimson was able to give the homeowners a bigger master bedroom, a walk-in closet, a master bathroom, and a home office.  Talk about efficiency!

Crimson is happy to welcome yet another family back to their new and improved home, custom designed for their specific needs, wants, and tastes.