--- title: "Design Seed Inc — Design-Build Firms | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/design-seed-inc-pfvwus-pf~1579034080 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1579034080.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Design Seed Inc" category: ["Design-Build Firms"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/0c133c64099b12f3_1339-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "1965 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60613, United States" latitude: 41.9543 longitude: -87.6575 phone: "(773) 490-5116" website: http://www.designseed.info rating: 4.9 review_count: 19 best_of_houzz_awards: 3 followers: 39 last_updated: 2026-08-20 --- # Design Seed Inc Original Houzz profile: [Design Seed Inc](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/design-seed-inc-pfvwus-pf~1579034080) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Design-Build Firms - **Location:** Chicago, IL - **Serves:** Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Des Plaines, Glenview, Park Ridge, Wilmette, La Grange Park, Lincolnwood, Winnetka, North Riverside, Rosemont - **Houzz rating:** 4.9 out of 5 (19 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2018–2026), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Recommended on Houzz - 100 Ideabook Saves Design Seed, Inc is a full-service Design-Build company owned and operated by a licensed architect and Interior designer. We are an Architecture, Interior Design and General Contracting company that provides services in, and around the Chicagoland area as well as abroad. With over 15 years of experience, Design Seed, Inc was founded in 2008 by Manuel J Hernandez, a licensed Architect and Builder and his wife Ildiko Szabo Hernandez, an Interior Designer. Their projects include, custom residential, multi-family, hospitality and commercial. Services provided are architecture, interior design, kitchen and bath design, consulting, construction, and permitting. OUR APPROACH Exceed expectations and go the extra mile to meet expectations and deadlines Design spaces that are appropriate for the end user and enhancing their life and lifestyle. Always keep the budget in mind, and meet our customers needs and desires. Providing the best value for our customers, and always keep their interest in mind. ### Services Provided - Home Remodeling - Custom Homes - New Home Construction - Kitchen Remodeling - Home Additions - Bathroom Remodeling - Kitchen Design - Home Extensions - Bathroom Design - Architectural Design - Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - Building Design - Deck Building - Architectural Drawings - House Plans - Outdoor Kitchen Construction - Multigenerational Homes - Pool House Design & Construction - Flooring Installation - 3D Rendering - Project Management - Home Restoration - Energy-Efficient Homes - Floor Plans - Garage Building - Basement Design - Custom Home Bars - Laundry Room Design - Porch Design & Construction - Attic Conversion - Lighting Design - Deck Design - Home Gym Design & Construction - Historic Building Conservation - Site Planning - Handicap-Accessible Design - Mudroom Design - Drafting - Greenhouse Design & Construction - Foundation Construction - Barn Design & Construction - Carport Installation - Demolition - Landscape Plans - Lighting Installation - Rooftop Deck Installation - Radiant Floor Heating - Log Home Construction - Prefab Houses - Shed Design & Construction ### Areas Served - Chicago - Evanston - Skokie - Des Plaines - Glenview - Park Ridge - Wilmette - La Grange Park - Lincolnwood - Winnetka - North Riverside - Rosemont ### Typical Job Cost $35,000 - 1.5 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Design Seed Inc | | Address | 1965 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60613, United States | | Phone | (773) 490-5116 | | Website | http://www.designseed.info | | License Number | 001.022441 | | Followers on Houzz | 39 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — www.facebook.com/DesignSeedInc - LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-hernandez-4266375 - Blog — www.designseed.info ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Design Seed Inc](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/design-seed-inc-pfvwus-pf~1579034080) - **Website:** http://www.designseed.info - **Phone:** (773) 490-5116 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Licensed Architect - General Contractor - Lead safe renovators - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2018–2026), for Service. **Affiliations** - [AIA Custom Residential Architects Network](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/aia-custom-residential-architects-network-pfvwus-pf~629398549) - [AIA Chicago](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/aia-chicago-pfvwus-pf~437317530) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 — 19 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 50.0 ### Reviews **★★★★★ — Ivana Whitlatch, Oct. 2025** > Unbelievable group! Professional, innovative, top echelon expertise! They kept me on budget, and were there to guide me! Super happy with yet another project they did for me! **★★★★★ — Natasha Edwards, July 2022** > Manuel and Ildiko are an absolutely fabulous design build team and wonderful people! Manuel built on our Chicago brick bungalow adding a floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, while also redoing our kitchen, restoring the original look of our front bay windows, updating our electric, water and HVAC and building us a laundry room in our basement. He was incredibly responsive and worked with us to make our house exactly what we wanted. He is a creative architect and practical builder at the same time, making sure he can meet your design needs and budgetary restraints all in one. I also feel there was such a huge benefit to having an architect working on our house, especially a 100+ year old house like ours, as he is able to adjust as he goes to make sure the build works. Also, the front of our house is beautiful and perfectly in keeping with the home, which is a difficult feat when building on an old house like ours. And Ildiko is able to step in so seamlessly and make sure your design needs becomes a reality. I had a vision for what I wanted in the master bath and she made it happen, from tile and color selections to making sure all everything fits right and adding the right amount of color! She also was so helpful with finding everything we needed and helping us order. Could not recommend them enough. **★★★★★ — areemiller, Aug. 2019** > My husband has known of Design Seed and be recommended them to me. I never thought I would need a designer and architect to know what I want. Well....let’s just say i am so grateful, humbled and appreciative of them. Ildiko on the design side got to k or me first, and from there she somehow knew my vision. I am so lucky for her work because it’s my vision, she just made it come to fruition so much easier. I highly recommend this company, they will make your vision come to life, your stress not stressful, and the final outcome so beautiful. I am so happy I chose to set aside my stubbornness and use Design Seed! I’m currently using them for my kitchen and master suite! Pictures to come! **★★★★★ — Colin Parks-Fried, May 2019** > Positives: For a first time renovator, it was great working with Manuel. He was always willing to talk through the process and any issues of the project. Manuel was always willing to provide options, solutions and sharing ideas. > > He designed and built exactly what we asked him too and we love it! > > Con: Project took longer than quoted and anticipated. **★★★★★ — Matthew Zippmann, March 2019** > Manuel walked through our home and broke down the short-term and long-term steps for several projects. From opening up our kitchen to expanding our home office, Manuel made the seemingly overwhelming process clear and financially feasible. We are looking forward to starting our remodel with Design Seed! **★★★★ — All in a Day, LLC, March 2019** > We hired Design Seed to totally gut and renovate our Chicago Bungalow bathroom. Manuel listened to what we wanted and then suggested we flip the bathroom thus giving me the > walk-in shower I wanted. > The whole team was easy to work with and would come up with quick solutions when a “crisis” would occur. I would use them again for another project and highly recommend Manuel and Design Seed. **★★★★★ — Katie O'Connor, Feb. 2019** > Manuel was amazing to deal with from start to finish. We had a pipe burst in our basement and he and his team were crucial in getting our home back to new in no time! He not only arranged for a plumber to be at our home the next day, but also a remediation team to help us dry out and get the basement ready to rebuild. He is insightful on not only construction, but also design. Everyone that he works with is conscientious and a master craftsman. We will definitely use Design Seed for future projects. **★★★★★ — Mark Matejka, March 2018** > Manuel did a great job of listening to our challenges and providing smart solutions. He's knowledgeable and provided some ideas we wouldn't have otherwise considered. **★★★★★ — Charlie Johnson, Dec. 2017** > My wife and I hired Design Seed to complete a gut rehab of our 1910 Chicago Bungalow. Manuel was great to work with. As you can imagine, when gutting a home from 1910, not everything went as we planned. Manuel met us at the house after work a number of times and spent hours working through these issues with us, to everyone's satisfaction. The subs that he hired were also professional and did a nice job. In the end though, what mattered most, was that I trusted Manuel to be honest and fair, and he came through! **★★★★★ — Iwona Blaz, Nov. 2017** > Great team to work with. > Clients satisfaction , and quality of work major priority. > Eager to help, great skills in trouble shooting. **★★★★★ — Joseph Blume, Nov. 2017** > Worked with both Manny and Ildiko and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a design /build team or independently they are also very talented. Always willing to go above and beyond to make sure you love the outcome. Very responsive and listen to your needs. Think outside the box with complicated projects. **★★★★★ — Zhenia Koval, Nov. 2017** > Design Seed is one of the kind architecture/design team! My wife and i were extremely pleased with the firm's work ethics and an eye for perfection from Design Seed. We enjoyed working with Design Seed on our house's interior color selections. Design Seed also did an excellent job designing my son's bedroom. I would highly recommend them and definitely will consult Design Seed any time i have interior design needs. Thanks guys! ## Selected projects - [Palatine 3 Story Townhouse](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palatine-3-story-townhouse-pj-vj~5601446) - Location: Palatine, IL - Photos: 16 - Description: A Palatine 3 story townhouse gets a full gut designer rehab after a devastating fire. The Design is forward thinking contemporary with beauty and function. - [Lakeview Addition and Renovation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lakeview-addition-and-renovation-pj-vj~1804891) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 23 - Description: An old four square gets a new addition with high end finishes and style. We brought in vintage elements with the new design to marry the old with the new. - [30 Day Makeover for Wrigleyville Townhouse](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/30-day-makeover-for-wrigleyville-townhouse-pj-vj~2661314) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 9 - Description: Dining Room/ Living Room - [Lakeview Children's Bedroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lakeview-children-s-bedroom-pj-vj~2661848) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 5 - [Interior Renovation and Decoration](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/interior-renovation-and-decoration-pj-vj~1804918) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 4 - [Powder Room](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/powder-room-pj-vj~1804904) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 5 - [Gold Coast Bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/gold-coast-bathroom-pj-vj~2661868) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 6 - Description: Gold coast bathroom gets a shabby chic update to reflect the home owner unique style and personality. Vintage inspired with contemporary materials and elements. - [Princess Suite](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/princess-suite-pj-vj~2726195) - Location: Chicago, IL - Photos: 8 - Description: Every little girl's dream princess bedroom with princess bedding, custom wall finish, bed canopy, reading tent, star lights, whimsical throw pillows, owl throw pillow, bicycle throw pillow, vintage style bookshelf and writing desk, custom peg board, comfortable modular seating, pink chair, pink fuzzy chair, gray and pink area rug [See all 8 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/design-seed-inc-pfvwus-pf~1579034080) ## Ideabooks - [Wish List](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/67576496/list/wish-list) — 103 ideas - [Interesting Kitchen Islands](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/93727662/list/interesting-kitchen-islands) — 2 ideas - [Wall tile](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/93318237/list/wall-tile) — 1 idea - [Hardware](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/87867665/list/hardware) — 1 idea [See all 4 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/designseedinc) ## Community Q&A **Q: Kitchen?** *(in Photo Questions)* This came up under kitchen photos. Might want to check the category tags on this. A: Thank you for your note, appreciate it. On our end it is marked as bathroom, so not sure why it came up in the Kitchen category. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-20.*