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

You may remember the whole house renovation of the ranch home in Naperville.  Well, the transformation is finally complete! The family is moved back in and ecstatic with the results!

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.

Back in 2008, Crimson completed a kitchen remodel for a couple in Naperville.  Now, three years later, they’re coming back for more.  This time, we’ve moved upstairs to update the master bathroom and the hall bathroom.

In the master bath, new Fieldstone stained cabinets with granite countertops have been installed.  The cramped corner shower unit has been replaced with a custom shower surrounded by frameless glass giving it a much more open feel.  It is dressed up by a combination of ceramic and natural stone tile.  The design also includes brand new plumbing and lighting fixtures and brushed nickel accessories.

The hall bath is also undergoing some changes.  New ceramic tile flooring has been installed along with ivory painted cabinets and granite countertops.  The existing tub has been replaced with a more up-to-date tub and decorative ceramic tile adorns the walls surrounding it.

In the next week, the rest of the plumbing fixtures will be installed, the walls will be painted, and the bathroom will be ready for the family to use once again.

Before

After

Another home in south Naperville is seeing some big changes thanks to the Crimson team. The owners loved the existing home, but its kitchen was small, dark, and did not take advantage of the views to the beautiful back yard.

Our solution: a 300 square foot addition that would add ample light and space to the kitchen, making it the centerpiece of the home.

Now, the walls and drywall are up, and it’s all coming together.

As you can see, the addition blends seamlessly with the existing structure and features plenty of windows to provide light and views to the backyard.

Soon, the hardwood floors and cabinetry will be installed and it will really come to life.  The kitchen design includes ivory painted inset cabinetry by Fieldstone Cabinetry, a built-in range hood, plenty of pantry storage, and a large central island with seating.

The galley-shaped design will keep the kitchen feeling open and easy to move around in.  The large island will act as a central gathering place, encouraging the family to cook together and making it perfect for entertaining.

The space by the windows will serve as a nice sunny spot for the dining table and even enough room for some extra seating.  Stay tuned to watch this beautiful space unfold.

An old ranch home in the downtown area of Naperville is undergoing a huge transformation. The plans for this 1950s house include a completely updated kitchen with a built-in office area featuring Fieldstone Cabinetry’s custom painted and stained cabinetry.

The existing cramped office space adjacent to the kitchen is being repurposed into a much needed powder room, while the living room is receiving a custom fireplace surround and expansive shelving to store and showcase the family’s book collection.

On the next level, what used to be two small bedrooms and a modest bathroom is now reconstructed into a spacious master suite including a luxurious master bath, a walk-in closet, and a home office.

On the exterior, an inviting front porch has been added featuring gables to add more architectural detail to its otherwise simple facade. The home will also have new siding installed in some areas to act as an accent while the remainder will receive a fresh coat of paint.

It is exciting for us and the homeowners to see the transformation take place. Soon, they’ll have a home that reflects their personal style and better suits their needs for daily living.

Crimson Design & Construction proudly accepted nomination for the 2011 Naperville Small Business of the Year (SBY) Awards earlier this year, and on May 13, 2011, owners Neil and Joel Kristianson attended the awards gala to anxiously await the results of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce’s top honor.

While Crimson was not the winner of the Business-to-Consumer category, we were selected as a Finalist! This was Crimson’s first nomination and we feel like a true winner for being nominated alongside several outstanding small businesses in the community.

Here is Neil and his wife, Jennine, accepting our award.
(Photo courtesy of Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce.)
The SBY Awards are divided into six categories with one overall winner. Members nominate businesses for the awards and winners are selected by the blue-ribbon committee – a panel of last year’s winners. For more information on the SBY Awards, please visit www.naperville.net.

This kitchen on the South end of Naperville is getting a dramatic facelift.  We will be pulling out all the cabinets and replacing them with new Fieldstone Cabinetry.  Beyond the kitchen, we will also be replacing two stairways in the home  with new oak treads and rails, adding hardwood flooring in the living room, dining room and study, and adding trip upgrades such as door heads and wainscot panels.  It’s really quite an extensive project.

This week the homeowners moved out and we relocated all their furniture from the first floor to the basement to make way for the hardwood floor installation.  Any flooring on the first floor that was not hardwood will be upgraded to new white oak hardwood to match the existing.  The existing floors will also be sanded, stained and refinished so that all the flooring blends together.  Three of the rooms will also get walnut inlay strips for a stunning pattern.  Not easy work, but well worth it!  After a two week temporary move the owners will be able to return to a beautiful new floor.

At this point the kitchen cabinets have been removed and as soon as the floors are done the new Fieldstone Cabinetry will be delivered.  The cabinets will be a combination of stained cherry and painted maple with a glaze.  We are using some of the existing granite countertops since they were only a couple of years old.  We will be able to match the existing tops with new granite in some areas to fit our new layout.

We recently completed work on a residential elevator retro-fit in Naperville.  Our clients were very happy to take their first ride in their new elevator.  Health problems have made navigating the stairs a real concern for them.  The new elevator was buy no means a luxury, but a real necessity to staying in their current home.  Having lived in the home since it was built 20 plus years ago, moving was not really a consideration for them.  The elevator gives them the ability to stay in their home for many years to come.

The largest challenge with this project was finding a place to put a six foot square elevator shaft through all three stories of the home.  Luckily there was an existing spiral staircase that we were able to remove and put the elevator shaft in its place.  By adding windows in the shaft walls and in the cab itself we were able to keep the light flowing through the home so that the new structure did not create a dark and foreboding feeling in the family and kitchen areas.

The cab interior makes a real statement and adds a level of class and sophistication to what could have turned out to be no more than a painted box.  Luckily the clients saw the value in upgrading the cab interior and it turned out great!

In addition to the elevator, we also repainted quite a bit of space on the first floor of the home as well as replaced the old outdated oak flooring with some great bamboo flooring.

This was our third project in this home and one that will make a lasting impact.

It will only be a couple of days before our clients are enjoying their new elevator.  This has been a relatively short project for us, but it will have a huge impact on the daily lives of our clients!

Our clients struggle with physical ailments that hinder their ability to use the stairs in their home.  This new elevator will give them the freedom they have been lacking in their own home. No longer will they need to plan their day to minimize trips up and down the stairs.  As an added bonus, the new structure for the elevator and the cab itself are quite attractive and doesn’t make the home feel institutional.  Quite the opposite.  The cab is made from raised oak panels and stained to match the nearby cabinetry in the kitchen.

Also as part of the project we installed all new bamboo flooring throughout the kitchen and family room where the elevator is located.  It has made a dramatic difference in this space.  And it will make a dramatic difference in their lives.

Old fireplace surround refurbished into new contemporary design!

The old fireplace was straight out of 1980 and no longer fit in with the rest of  the client’s updated home.

It was a big ugly stone box that had to go. The new fireplace is much smaller in mass but still is able to be the centerpiece of the room. 

 The mantle top is made of a solid cherry board and the tile is a green/grey limestone.

In addition to the new mantle the fireplace and chimney was also rebuilt.

The interior of the firebox and the exterior brick work were suffering from years of water damage. The oak flooring is also new and matches the existing hardwood in the kitchen.