SHOWROOM AND DESIGN CENTER
Areté The Art of Design’s showroom and design center in Chicago is the gateway to your home transformation journey. This space is not just a showroom; it’s an immersive experience where our clients begin the exciting process of turning their home design dreams into reality. Here, we offer more than just architectural services; we provide a glimpse into the potential of your space through innovative design and detailed planning.
Our design center is a dynamic space where collaboration and creativity merge. Clients are invited to engage directly with our designers, crafting unique concepts through mood boards, detailed CAD renderings, and more. This hands-on approach allows you to be an integral part of the design process, ensuring your vision is perfectly captured in every detail, from initial sketches to final home design blueprints.
OUR PROCESS:
1. ONE HOUR COMPLIMENTARY DESIGN CONSULTATION
The first step is a one our consultation where we interview the client to better understand project scope, design style, pain points, and functional solutions for your space. We will teach you about our services and review our process start to finish. We will then prepare and present your custom step by step design proposal and concept.
2. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Design Development starts with a jobsite visit for a detailed measure of your space and collection of existing conditions. Our design team will perfect your design and concepts by developing design boards with personalized material selections, existing conditions drawing set, and proposed design solutions drawing set. The proposed design solutions will include renderings of your new space. During Design Development, we will meet to gather your feedback and begin revisions.
3. DESIGN CONCEPTION
During Design Conception our design team will revise our artistic design boards based on feedback collected during Design Development to reflect final material selections and revise the proposed design to include final layout. We will create a preliminary bid set that includes elevation renderings for installation and design verification as well as the material list to bid out with our preferred vendors to source all the items needed in your space.
4. SEND PROJECT TO BID
During the bidding stage, we partner with the client on contractor selection. We keep our clients’ needs at the forefront whether choosing to work with our in-house contractor, Areté Renovators, or developing a new relationship with a contractor of your choosing. We will create and disperse the bid set to contractors. Once the labor proposal has been received, we will compare against the material estimate to ensure installation of all specified material has been included. Our design team will then meet with you to present the labor and material scope for final approval. Once the labor and material contracts have been signed, we will create the Construction Spec Book which includes the drawings set, layout, material specifications and lead time, and all other paperwork required for a seamless hand off to your Project Coordinator. We will meet onsite with the construction team to review the project in its entirety and conduct the hand off.
5. PROJECT REVIEW
Once the project is underway and construction has begun, our design team remains in communication with the Project Coordinator to address any design questions in the field. We will schedule periodic site visits to check on design and construction progress. Our showroom and design support team will coordinate material ordering, short term storage at our showroom and delivery to the job site for installation. During every stage of material ordering, storage, and delivery our team conducts quality checks to ensure material quantities, quality, and installation meet our standards. Proactive quality checks ensure material issues are addressed promptly to keep your project on schedule and to ensure our design is executed as planned.
