--- title: "Austausch Design — Interior Designers & Decorators | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/austausch-design-pfvwus-pf~1384545670 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1384545670.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Austausch Design" category: ["Interior Designers & Decorators"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/1e63fb880e6852cf_5250-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "East Village, Chicago, Illinois 60622, United States" latitude: 41.9019 longitude: -87.6778 phone: "(773) 240-5859" website: http://austauschdesign.com rating: 4.9 review_count: 9 best_of_houzz_awards: 3 followers: 10 last_updated: 2026-08-21 --- # Austausch Design Original Houzz profile: [Austausch Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/austausch-design-pfvwus-pf~1384545670) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Interior Designers & Decorators - **Location:** Chicago, IL - **Serves:** Chicago, Evanston, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Skokie, Des Plaines, Berwyn, Oak Park, Glenview, Park Ridge, Northbrook, Elk Grove Village, Niles, Highland Park, Wilmette, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Elmwood Park, Brookfield, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Franklin Park, Hinsdale, La Grange, Norridge, Forest Park, La Grange Park, Lincolnwood, River Forest, Schiller Park, Lyons, Riverside, Harwood Heights, Glencoe, North Riverside, Stickney, Riverwoods, Forest View, Bedford Park - **Houzz rating:** 4.9 out of 5 (9 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2021–2023), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Recommended on Houzz - 250 Ideabook Saves Interior Design & Drafting Studio ### Services Provided - Interior Design - Kitchen Design - Bathroom Design - Living Room Design - Bedroom Design - Color Consulting - Space Planning - Furniture Selection - Kids Bedroom Design - Dining Room Design - Custom Cabinets - Lighting Design - Custom Kitchen Cabinets - Home Office Design & Construction - Custom Built-ins - Design Consultation - Floor Plans - Project Management - Entry Design - Custom Bathroom Vanities - Playroom Design - Custom Furniture - Laundry Room Design - Mudroom Design - Nursery Design - Custom Blinds & Shades - House Plans - Custom Home Bars - Art Selection - Guesthouse Design & Construction - Closet Design - 3D Rendering - Outdoor Kitchen Design - Basement Design - Custom Bookcases - Custom Entertainment Centers - Custom Walk-in Closets - Custom Rugs - Sunroom Design & Construction - Custom Fireplace Mantels - Home Theater Design - Wine Cellar Design - Custom Shelving - Custom Pantries - Home Staging - Drafting - Attic Conversion - Custom Storage - Garage Design - Home Office Design ### Areas Served - Chicago - Evanston - Schaumburg - Arlington Heights - Palatine - Skokie - Des Plaines - Berwyn - Oak Park - Glenview - Park Ridge - Northbrook - Elk Grove Village - Niles - Highland Park - Wilmette - Melrose Park - Morton Grove - Elmwood Park - Brookfield - Lake Forest - Deerfield - Franklin Park - Hinsdale - La Grange - Norridge - Forest Park - La Grange Park - Lincolnwood - River Forest - Schiller Park - Lyons - Riverside - Harwood Heights - Glencoe - North Riverside - Stickney - Riverwoods - Forest View - Bedford Park ### Typical Job Cost no minimum project size retainer applies - amount varies by project scope ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Austausch Design | | Address | East Village, Chicago, Illinois 60622, United States | | Phone | (773) 240-5859 | | Website | http://austauschdesign.com | | Followers on Houzz | 10 | **Social profiles:** - LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-hoehne-barakat-9014006 - Blog — WWW.AUSTAUSCHDESIGN.COM ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Austausch Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/austausch-design-pfvwus-pf~1384545670) - **Website:** http://austauschdesign.com - **Phone:** (773) 240-5859 ## Credentials - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2021–2023), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 — 9 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 48.0 - Communication: 48.0 - Value: 50.0 ### All 9 reviews **★★★★★ — Holly Lam, July 2022** > Simone worked with our family to design our master bathroom. We collaborated on the design inspirations, color schemes, tile selection, and bathroom fixtures to develop a design that'd work for our family of four. With our budget in mind, Simone was instrumental in helping us not feel overwhelmed with the amount of options available, but quickly honed in on our preferences while also injecting her own design esthetic. For example, her design included a light fixture for our vanity that we likely wouldn't have selected on our own. However, Simone's designs convinced us that the placement of the fixture would enhance the look of the room, and she was right! > > Between Simone's designs and our brilliant contractors, our bathroom project was on time, on budget, and continues to be a highlight of our house. **★★★★★ — tracy fehrenbach, March 2022** > Austausch Design is AWESOME. We fell in love with an old home and bought it but then struggled to make it ours... how many times can you paint and repaint a room before you lose your mind?!? Simone saved us. She is seriously cool with beautiful taste and is easy to work with (exceptional customer service skills!). I also love how she patiently asked us all the right questions, to make sure her vision was something we would love. Thank you, Austausch Design! We feel so lucky and grateful to have partnered with you! **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for your kind review Tracy & Jason! We had some great fun getting the colors just so! This room, that high gloss green, bringing the outside in, I love it so much. I am so thrilled and excited you all went for it. Thank you for putting your trust in me and believing in the overall vision to connect the entire home into a well orchestrated theme. **★★★★★ — seargentine, Sept. 2021** > Simone was great to work with, listened to all of our thoughts and ideas then brought together two different visions into one now beautiful room. I appreciate her willingness to answer our questions and patience during the whole process. She gave us plenty of options well within our budget and offered insight/ideas we would have never thought of ourselves. We look forward to working with her again! **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for the great review Sarah! The space came together beautifully. We found many pieces that worked for both your wishlists and styles, I loved working with you both. I am excited you trusted in the vision and therefore all togeher we created a flexible space that fits in your lifestyle now and can be repurposed in the future. **★★★★ — James Adkins, Sept. 2021** > Simone is fantastic to work with! She has a great eye for standout pieces that compliment our preferences. Not only is she incredibly proactive with sharing new ideas but does an excellent job of keeping everything within the established budget. > > Will absolutely be working with her again on future projects! **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for the kind review James. I loved working on the space and setting it up for your current needs & budget. I am still so thrilled that you decided on the sheep ;) **★★★★★ — l f, March 2021** > We have worked with Austausch design since 2017 and keep coming back because Simone is the best! I am no designer and am, frankly, bad at it. But Simone brings joy, whimsy, style, and comfort to the process and the end result. Unlike other folks we have worked with, Simone does not make us feel bad for our lack of design prowess, but instead makes the process fun. Austausch Design has impeccable taste but understands that homes are for living, too! Simone makes herself available at all times. She has also steered us clear of many decisions that we would have regretted. She is also budget conscious and we trust her judgment as to what is or is not important. Simone also has a way with vendors and has helped us get stunning furniture, even with difficult folks on the other end of the transaction. Thank you for all that you have done to make our home stunning and to keep us sane! **★★★★★ — l f, Feb. 2021** > Look no further than Austausch Design and Simone! We hired Simone to do a wholesale review of our home, identify spots where furniture needed to be purchased or replaced, and also asked her to help us rearrange things so that there was a better flow. She set up things so that we could purchase items and make changes incrementally. Her vision was 100% spot on, she gave us easy tools to work with, set up everything for us, and was an absolute pleasure to work with. Simone patiently and lovingly shares her perspective, which absolute balances form and function in such a fun way! She also steered us clear of some decisions that would have been bad (and some not attractive items - in retrospect). Simone has impeccable style but instead of making you feel lesser-than, she makes you feel excited about the adventure and the process. She is a wonderful person and is a problem-solver at heart. **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for your detailed review. > We did have some good times making your home work for your family, didn’t we?! Planning ahead for changes and having a guiding thread always seems challenging at first but then just like that it all falls into place! **★★★★★ — Jane Gonnerman, June 2020** > Working with Austausch Design and Simone was a true pleasure and absolutely was the key to our successful full gut rehab (twice!). Simone is incredibly detail-oriented, creative and a master at working across the full team working on a project. Because of Simone our project was perfect and our home has countless special design elements that she envisioned. Highly recommend working with her on any project of any size! **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for your kind review Jane. What a wonderful project I am grateful, thankful and humbled you allowed me to help guide along, we had quite the journey! I am so happy it turned out just wonderful and is the perfect escape (and daily reality) for your family. We agreed, we disagreed, we fell in love with lots of details, we collaborated, and we got it just right! **★★★★★ — Jamie Lutton, May 2020** > I cannot recommend Austausch Design or Simone more! Last summer my condo unfortunately experienced water damage and I needed to completely redo my kitchen, floors, and repaint my whole space. Simone stepped in at just the right time and saved me! She was very professional, on top of everything (the big technical kitchen drawings and the small minute details), knew the right people in Chicago for cabinets/lighting/wallpaper/backsplash, etc., and was able to help me navigate where to spend my money and where to be conservative. She has a very balanced approach to design and definitely listed to what I wanted. I would absolutely use her again! **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for your lovely review Jamie! The circumstances were far from ideal but we love how your new kitchen turned out, the powder room got a quick update and the paint is refreshed to reflect you! It was such a pleasure working with you, team work! **★★★★★ — tessaforte, March 2020** > We worked with Austausch Design after a flood damaged a majority of our home. It was an unexpected tough situation, and Simone of Austausch Design made the rebuilding process a pain free experience. Simone’s deep knowledge of design, with kitchens in particular, made moving through the different phases simple. She openly discussed our needs, our wants, and our concerns. Her design sense cohesively blends form, function and fun, and she balanced it all to create a space that is a complete joy to be in, reflecting who we are as a family. She has a meticulous attention to detail, and her understanding of the technicalities behind appliances and specifications was extremely valuable. Her skills go beyond creating an amazing design. She helped to manage those that came to do the work to ensure that they paid a similar level of attention to their job. Her ability to communicate clearly and in a friendly manner made all those involved respect her work. Our trust in her was established from Day 1 and was strengthened with each interaction. We could not thank Simone enough for everything she did, and we now have a new and improved kitchen (and home) that we never want to leave. **Comment from Austausch Design:** > Thank you for your thoughtful review! It was pure joy to work with you and help make your space feel brand new! We love it when the Austausch -exchange- works its magic. ## Selected projects - [EAST VILLAGE - TWIN I - KITCHEN](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/east-village-twin-i-kitchen-pj-vj~6107150) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [HINSDALE HOME REMODEL](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hinsdale-home-remodel-pj-vj~7172194) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - [HOYNE STREET PROJECT](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/hoyne-street-project-pj-vj~6104332) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - [EAST VILLAGE - TWIN II - KITCHEN](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/east-village-twin-ii-kitchen-pj-vj~6118012) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 2 - [LEAVITT STREET - LIVING ROOM](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/leavitt-street-living-room-pj-vj~6119194) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [RIVERSIDE KITCHEN](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/riverside-kitchen-pj-vj~6104345) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 [See all 6 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/austausch-design-pfvwus-pf~1384545670) ## Community Q&A **Q: Paint** *(in Photo Questions)* What is the soft gray paint on the walls ?? Lovely !! A: Hi Sara, isn't it a great shade of 'neither grey nor beige'! It is called Barren Plain. I hope it'll work for your project. Simone **Q: who makes the “ pink ladies” wallpaper?** *(in Photo Questions)* Wallpaper A: Hi, excited you found inspiration from our projects, thank you for browsing! The wallpaper is Tres Chic by Flavor Paper. I am big fan of their collection. Have fun exploring and please let me know if I can be of assistance. Simone --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-21.*