This large entertainment center with a classic, traditional design was created for a challenging space in a large living room. After leaving several competitors stumped, these clients discovered Organization Creations and a beautiful, space maximizing solution was created for them.

Ask a kitchen designer in Chicago which countertop question comes up most and you will hear the same answer: white or off-white quartz, and which shade. Homeowners walk into showrooms with a photo saved on their phone, usually a bright, veined slab from a magazine spread, and leave an hour later realizing there are a dozen versions of that same look. The confusion is not about taste. It is about the fact that "white quartz" covers a huge range of patterns, undertones, and price points, and nobody explains the differences before the sale. Older bungalows and newer builds alike are getting stripped of their dated laminate and butcher block in favor of quartz, and the reasons are practical rather than trendy. Quartz does not need sealing, resists the kind of staining that granite can suffer over decades, and holds up to the freeze-thaw humidity swings that Chicago basements and kitchens go through every year. Once a homeowner commits to quartz, though, the real decision starts: which white, and does the pattern justify the difference in cost. This piece walks through three specific slabs that keep showing up in Chicago renovation projects, why designers reach for them in different rooms, and what actually separates a flat white surface from one with real depth. None of this requires a design background to follow. It is mostly about paying attention to how a slab behaves under kitchen lighting, how busy the vending gets, and how it photographs versus how it looks in person. Why White Quartz Took Over Chicago Kitchens Ten years ago, granite dominated Chicago kitchen remodels almost by default. It was durable, it looked expensive, and every fabricator in the metro area carried a wide range of colors. Quartz has since taken over that position, and the shift happened faster than most contractors expected. Engineered stone gave homeowners a more predictable surface, since natural granite varies slab to slab while quartz is manufactured to a consistent pattern batch after batch. The other driver is light. Chicago winters are long and gray, and a lot of kitchens, especially in older two-flats and courtyard buildings, do not get much direct sun. A dark granite countertop in a dim kitchen can make the whole room feel smaller. White and light-toned quartz reflects what little natural light comes through the windows, and it makes a galley kitchen or a north-facing space feel noticeably brighter without touching the cabinetry or the layout. There is also a resale argument that local real estate agents bring up constantly. White quartz photographs well for listings, reads as updated and low-maintenance to buyers touring in person, and does not compete visually with whatever cabinet color the next owner might prefer. It is a safer bet than a bold veined marble look or a colored quartz that might feel dated in five years. Arctic White and the Cost Question Among the flatter, more uniform whites, arctic white quartz price comes up constantly in budget conversations because the slab sits at a more approachable point than the heavily veined Italian-marble-inspired patterns. It reads as clean and bright without the busy movement that some homeowners find overwhelming in a small kitchen. Fabricators in the Chicago area tend to keep it in stock precisely because demand stays steady across both new construction and remodel projects. Part of what keeps this slab affordable relative to its heavily patterned cousins comes down to manufacturing complexity. A quartz surface with minimal veining and a consistent white base is simpler to produce at scale than one that mimics the irregular, high-contrast movement of natural Calacatta marble. That production difference shows up directly in what a homeowner pays per square foot, and it is worth asking a fabricator to walk through that pricing before assuming every white quartz costs the same. Homeowners planning a full kitchen, including an island, backsplash, and perimeter counters, often use a flatter white like this specifically because it lets other elements carry the visual interest. A patterned tile backsplash or a bold cabinet color reads more clearly against a calm countertop than against one already fighting for attention with heavy veining. Designers frequently pair simpler whites with statement lighting fixtures for exactly this reason. What Makes Calacatta Patterns Different Calacatta refers to a family of marble originally quarried in Italy, known for a bright white background broken up by bold, often gold-toned veining that moves in thick, dramatic streaks rather than thin gray lines. Natural Calacatta marble is soft, porous, and expensive to maintain, which is exactly why quartz manufacturers spent years developing engineered versions that replicate the look without the upkeep headaches. The challenge with any Calacatta-style quartz is getting the veining to look organic instead of printed. Early generations of engineered stone struggled with repetitive patterns that gave away the fact the slab was manufactured rather than cut from actual marble. Modern digital printing and layering techniques have closed that gap considerably, and the better Calacatta-inspired quartz lines now vary the veining across each slab batch so two counters in the same kitchen do not look identical. Chicago designers gravitate toward Calacatta patterns for kitchens that function as the visual centerpiece of an open floor plan, which describes a large share of the gut renovations happening in neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, and the North Shore suburbs. When the kitchen island is visible from the living room and dining area, a dramatic veined surface becomes part of the home's overall design language rather than a purely functional work surface. Calacatta Arno Under Kitchen Lighting One of the more popular options in this category, calacatta arno quartz, balances a warm white base with soft gray and gold veining that avoids looking too stark under the cooler LED lighting common in newer Chicago builds. Homeowners touring showrooms sometimes make the mistake of judging a slab entirely under warm incandescent lighting, then get surprised when the same surface looks slightly different once installed under their kitchen's actual fixtures. What separates this particular pattern from flatter competitors is how the veining clusters rather than spreading evenly across the slab. That clustering mimics the way real quarried marble forms, with denser mineral deposits in some sections and cleaner stretches in others. Fabricators cutting a large island slab from a single piece will often orient the pattern intentionally so the busiest veining lands somewhere visually interesting rather than getting cut off at an edge. Because the background reads warmer than a stark white, this pattern tends to pair well with brass or matte gold hardware, a combination that has been showing up repeatedly in Chicago kitchen remodels over the past few renovation seasons. Cabinet painters report a similar trend, with more clients requesting warm white or greige cabinet colors specifically because they complement this kind of veined quartz better than a cooler, blue-toned white would. Silestone's Version of the Calacatta Look Manufacturers compete directly in this Calacatta-inspired category, and silestone eternal calacatta gold represents one brand's specific take on the pattern, distinguished by richer gold veining set against a brighter white base than some competing slabs in the same family. Silestone has built a reputation around anti-bacterial surface treatments in addition to the standard quartz durability, a detail some homeowners specifically ask about for kitchens used heavily by families with young children. The veining in this particular slab tends to run in longer, more continuous lines compared to the clustered pattern found in some other Calacatta-style options, which gives large island surfaces a sense of visual flow from one end to the other. Fabricators working with bigger islands, the kind increasingly common in open-concept Chicago remodels, often favor patterns like this because there is less need to worry about seams interrupting a busy, disconnected pattern. Price positioning for this slab tends to sit toward the upper end of the engineered quartz category, reflecting both the brand's manufacturing process and the complexity of replicating that continuous gold veining consistently across production batches. Homeowners weighing this option against other Calacatta-style quartz should ask their fabricator directly about batch availability, since premium patterns sometimes have longer lead times than standard stock colors. Living With Quartz Day to Day Beyond how a slab looks in a showroom or a listing photo, the daily experience of owning quartz countertops matters more once the renovation dust settles. Quartz resists scratching far better than laminate and holds up to the acidic spills, hot pans, and general abuse of an active kitchen without the sealing maintenance that natural stone requires every year or two. That low-maintenance reputation is a large part of why quartz overtook granite in the first place. Heat resistance is a detail that gets less attention than it should. While quartz handles moderate heat well, manufacturers generally recommend using a trivet or pad for very hot pots straight off the stove, since sudden temperature shock can occasionally cause stress marks in the resin binder that holds the engineered stone together. This is a minor precaution rather than a major limitation, but it is worth mentioning to anyone assuming quartz is entirely indestructible. Cleaning routines stay simple across almost every pattern in this category. A damp cloth and mild soap handle daily messes, and the nonporous surface means wine, coffee, and tomato-based sauces do not soak in the way they can with unsealed granite or marble. Homeowners moving from an older stone counter often mention how much less they worry about everyday spills once quartz is installed, which is a quality-of-life change that rarely makes it into the initial design conversation. Choosing Between the Three There is no single correct answer among these three slabs, and that is exactly why they keep coming up together in the same design conversations across Chicago renovation projects. A flatter white with minimal veining suits kitchens where other elements need to carry the visual interest, while a bolder Calacatta-inspired pattern makes sense when the countertop itself is meant to be the centerpiece of an open floor plan. Budget matters too, and it is worth having a direct conversation with a fabricator about where each option lands before falling in love with a specific slab in a showroom. Lighting, cabinet color, and how the kitchen connects to the rest of the home all play into which pattern will actually look right once installation is finished rather than just in a photo. Whatever direction a homeowner leans, seeing a full slab in person under actual kitchen lighting remains the single most useful step before signing off. Photos only go so far once the countertop is sitting in the room it will live in for years.

The Floor Works, in Bethlehem, New Hampshire is a retailer for Hallmark Floors. This is the Moderno Collection. Moderno hardwood flooring starts with dramatic color visuals equal to contemporary high end furniture. Hallmark Floors evolutionary Glaze Tek Poly Finish employs Hand touched color glazing for depth, movement and natural artistic visuals. Moderno features fashionably longer 6′ – 7’ board lengths, with 6” widths. Glaze Tek is up to 3 times more wear resistant than standard poly finishes. In addition to incredibly durable finish, Moderno has a 4mm multi-generational wear layer (twice as thick as our competitors). Moderno is the perfect balance of artistry and craftsmanship. Simply Better…Discover Why.

Each ZLINE Fireclay Sink is meticulously hand-crafted and Italian-made, with the highest quality materials, offering a truly luxurious design and aesthetic. The solid clay is fired at 2300ºF for more than 28 hours, making it more durable than competitors.

The color is Stoney Brook from the Moderno Collection. To see the rest of the colors in the collection visit HallmarkFloors.com or contact us to order your new floors today! Hallmark Floors Moderno Stoney Brook hardwood flooring. MODERNO COLLECTION URL http://hallmarkfloors.com/hallmark-hardwoods/moderno-hardwood-collection/ Simply Fashionable Moderno Hardwood Collection starts with dramatic color visuals equal to contemporary high end furniture. Our evolutionary Glaze Tek Poly Finish employs Hand touched color glazing for depth, movement and natural artistic visuals. Moderno features fashionably longer 6′ – 7’ board lengths, with 6” widths. Glaze Tek is up to 3 times more wear resistant than standard poly finishes. In addition to incredibly durable finish, Moderno engineered floors has a 4mm multi-generational wear layer (twice as thick as our competitors). Moderno hardwood collection is the perfect balance of artistry and craftsmanship.

The color is Stoney Brook from the Moderno Collection. To see the rest of the colors in the collection visit HallmarkFloors.com or contact us to order your new floors today! Hallmark Floors Moderno Stoney Brook hardwood flooring. MODERNO COLLECTION URL http://hallmarkfloors.com/hallmark-hardwoods/moderno-hardwood-collection/ Simply Fashionable Moderno Hardwood Collection starts with dramatic color visuals equal to contemporary high end furniture. Our evolutionary Glaze Tek Poly Finish employs Hand touched color glazing for depth, movement and natural artistic visuals. Moderno features fashionably longer 6′ – 7’ board lengths, with 6” widths. Glaze Tek is up to 3 times more wear resistant than standard poly finishes. In addition to incredibly durable finish, Moderno engineered floors has a 4mm multi-generational wear layer (twice as thick as our competitors). Moderno hardwood collection is the perfect balance of artistry and craftsmanship. URL http://glendaletilecompany.com

When the Gimbels department store chain closed in 1986, many of its selling floors were converted into luxury apartments, including those of this branch at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. The retailer’s soaring ceilings allowed Axis Mundi to create bedroom mezzanine spaces overlooking the living and dining rooms. Defining them with translucent glass welcomed natural light while retaining privacy. Downstairs, spaces bleed one into another, their basic monochromatic black-and-white palette acting as a unifying leitmotif. Yet each space feels distinct, with its own programmatic purpose, a feat largely achieved by varying floor and wall treatments—a graphic tile pattern in the entry, a red wall in the hall leading to the master suite, a colorful area rug in the living room. In the retailer’s heyday, the then-common saying, “Would Macy’s tell Gimbels?” implied the strategies the competitors kept from each other to gain the upper hand. Here, a structure iconic in its day also conceals something: a handsome, wholly contemporary repurposing that represents just the sort of innovation that made Gimbels the celebrated name that it was. Project Team: John Beckmann, Nick Messerlian and Richard Rosenbloom Kitchen by Minimal USA Photography: Federica Carlet © Axis Mundi Design LLC

Paradise Painting Company is a professional painting contractor that provides a level of quality that cannot be matched by our competitors. With over 50 years of cumulative experience, our team of professional painters serves the homes and businesses of the Denver/Front Range area with beautiful exterior and interior painting services. We are licensed and insured for your protection and peace of mind, and strive to exceed each of our clients’ satisfaction.

Main Line Kitchen Design has a different business model than other kitchen showrooms, designers, and cabinetry dealers. The difference helps us to do five important things better than our competitors. The kitchens we sell are better designed and our designers are more experienced. This is because we insist on showing customers designs we recommend, BEFORE, we do a design they request. This way, final designs tend to be more collaborative and professional. Our designers are more experienced because they are better paid and design with more cabinet brands than at other dealers. Our pricing for cabinets is less than other cabinet dealers. This is because we do not have a showroom open to the public, and we require a small deposit and a screening before we accept customers. This helps our designers spend their time more effectively. And, it eliminates 80% of the overhead kitchen showrooms spend on staffing, larger displays, and on a curbside location. We carry more brands of cabinetry than other dealers. This is possible because we display one cabinet for each brand we sell. Through glass countertops clients can examine a brands construction quality, and we display the door styles and finishes of our brands. Instead of the larger displays customers see in traditional showrooms, our customers can view 5 million kitchens on Houzz.com, or the hundreds of our kitchen renovations we show on Houzz, our web site, and in framed photos on the walls of our office building. Kitchen construction is often better organized and generally costs less. This is because we recommend general contractors free of charge. They supervise construction from scheduling to completion. This eliminates a middleman, reduces delays, and eliminates the fees that almost all showrooms and home centers charge their customers. We are also happy to work with any contractor a customer finds on their own. If we haven’t worked with that contractor before they may need more of our direction, but both companies can benefit from working together and possibly referring each other in the future. Less problems arise, and if they do, they are handled more quickly. This is because every kitchen we sell is reviewed by at least 3 kitchen designers during the ordering process. Our Operations Manager Ed Sossich checks orders and schedules all warehouse and home deliveries. Our delivery manager Mark Mitten supervises every delivery and checks in each cabinet and part. And our CRM system, Monday, prompts each person responsible for each phase of a customer’s kitchen with automated alerts. This keeps things moving, even during supply chain disruptions, and ensures no step is overlooked. Main Line Kitchen Design’s company slogan is “The world of kitchen design is changing . . . “. We pride ourselves on being innovative in everything we do. From our web site and how we advertise, to the gift we send each customer upon the completion of their kitchen. Our business model helps us receive 100’s of 5-star reviews, and makes our kitchen projects more enjoyable for everyone. We look forward to working with you.

Rainier PowerScreens are the ultimate in outdoor motorized screens solar shades. If you’re looking for our interior sun shade option – you can click Solarus Sun Shades above – or click here. With dozens of competitors, our experts can help you understand exactly how exterior shades and screens work, why they are different from interior shades, and how our Motorized PowerScreens are unique in the industry.

When the Gimbels department store chain closed in 1986, many of its selling floors were converted into luxury apartments, including those of this branch at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. The retailer’s soaring ceilings allowed Axis Mundi to create bedroom mezzanine spaces overlooking the living and dining rooms. Defining them with translucent glass welcomed natural light while retaining privacy. Downstairs, spaces bleed one into another, their basic monochromatic black-and-white palette acting as a unifying leitmotif. Yet each space feels distinct, with its own programmatic purpose, a feat largely achieved by varying floor and wall treatments—a graphic tile pattern in the entry, a red wall in the hall leading to the master suite, a colorful area rug in the living room. In the retailer’s heyday, the then-common saying, “Would Macy’s tell Gimbels?” implied the strategies the competitors kept from each other to gain the upper hand. Here, a structure iconic in its day also conceals something: a handsome, wholly contemporary repurposing that represents just the sort of innovation that made Gimbels the celebrated name that it was. Project Team: John Beckmann, Nick Messerlian and Richard Rosenbloom Kitchen by Minimal USA Photography: Federica Carlet © Axis Mundi Design LLC

This award-winning Platinum Smart-Heat™ series sets the benchmark against which all other outdoor heaters are measured, with nothing else that comes close in terms of technology, design, power, and efficiency. Designed with low-clearance, semi-enclosed spaces in mind, the award-winning Platinum Smart-Heat™ Electric & Gas series offers minimized light emissions and dedicated recess kits that allow these stand-out outdoor heaters to blend seamlessly into any environment. Available in both black and white, the elegantly understated Platinum Smart-Heat™ series combines superb style with sensational heating without compromise, delivering 25% more heat with a much smaller footprint than the best of any other competitors outdoor heaters. Featuring corrosion-proof 304 stainless steel chassis’ and Schott tinted ceramic-glass screens, these compact yet powerful outdoor heaters can be subtly placed practically anywhere with our dedicated wall, ceiling, and flush-mounting options. 
Blending beautifully with any environment, they also virtually fade from mind, with set-and-forget simplicity and complete heating control delivered by single switch activation and smart control compatibility.

Coletta freestanding stone bathtub was designed with easy access as the principle advantage. The low profile walls of only 19.75” in height make it easier for older and physically challenged bathers such as those suffering from arthritis, to get in and out of the bathtub easily. Combining the low height feature and our firm yet smooth Aquatex material, the Coletta is a unique low step-in bathtub which puts it far ahead of the flimsy and obsolete looking competitor models found on the market. Coletta – a charming bathtub of contrasts: The Coletta freestanding bathtub is a wonderful paradox of contrasts. Large-scale capacity combines with elegance thanks to the carefully designed, fluid transition of the bath rim from very narrow to usefully wide. Its charm is further enhanced by the slightly tapered, narrower bath base, which looks delicate yet is very much in harmony with the rest of the design. A small wooden masterpiece for a great number of Aquatica tubs A stunning take on the traditional bathtub tray, this new bathtub tray incorporates the rich, warm tones of pure, solid, natural wood crafted in a very modern, uber chic design that exudes style. This is the ideal accessory for the most of Aquatica's bathtubs, as it reflects the same interpretation of the function in cleverly designed and beautifully rendered form. The solid wood balance and excellent strength. The overall size - 36.25 "x 8.25" (92 x 21 cm) gives you plenty of room to put all your bathing essentials right at hand. The wood used for this bathtub tray is 100% natural and has been treated with a teak oil to ensure waterproof impermeability and long life. It drains and self-dries freely. Can be made of Teak or Iroko wood upon request. Integrated slot overflow brings sleek minimalistic design appeal, increased water depth, improved ergonomics, simpler and lower cost maintenance.

Moderno Commercial Collection by Hallmark Floors' Hardwoods 2013. Simply Fashionable. GlazeTek is up to 3 times more wear resistant than standard poly finishes. In addition to incredibly durable finish, Moderno has a 4mm multi-generational wear layer (twice as thick as our competitors). Moderno is the perfect balance of artistry and craftsmanship. Simply Better...Discover Why.

When the Gimbels department store chain closed in 1986, many of its selling floors were converted into luxury apartments, including those of this branch at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. The retailer’s soaring ceilings allowed Axis Mundi to create bedroom mezzanine spaces overlooking the living and dining rooms. Defining them with translucent glass welcomed natural light while retaining privacy. Downstairs, spaces bleed one into another, their basic monochromatic black-and-white palette acting as a unifying leitmotif. Yet each space feels distinct, with its own programmatic purpose, a feat largely achieved by varying floor and wall treatments—a graphic tile pattern in the entry, a red wall in the hall leading to the master suite, a colorful area rug in the living room. In the retailer’s heyday, the then-common saying, “Would Macy’s tell Gimbels?” implied the strategies the competitors kept from each other to gain the upper hand. Here, a structure iconic in its day also conceals something: a handsome, wholly contemporary repurposing that represents just the sort of innovation that made Gimbels the celebrated name that it was. Project Team: John Beckmann, Nick Messerlian and Richard Rosenbloom Kitchen by Minimal USA Photography: Federica Carlet © Axis Mundi Design LLC

YOUNG IDEAS, INC. WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1986 WITH THE GOAL OF PROVIDING OUR CLIENTS WITH HIGH-END QUALITY IN BOTH SERVICE AND PRODUCTS AS COMPARED TO COMPETITORS IN OUR INDUSTRY.

YOUNG IDEAS, INC. WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1986 WITH THE GOAL OF PROVIDING OUR CLIENTS WITH HIGH-END QUALITY IN BOTH SERVICE AND PRODUCTS AS COMPARED TO COMPETITORS IN OUR INDUSTRY.

Customer needed a bronze exterior window and a cherry wood laminate interior and received quotes of $60,000 - $90,000 from competitors. She got a top of the line window from Home Improvement Professionals LLC for $28,000 to replace all her windows in her home with professional installation and a lifetime warranty including accidental glass breakage and seal failure.

The Arlington Bedroom Set. Troyer Ridge is an Amish furniture manufacturer in the heart of Ohio country that specializes in high quality solid wood bedding. Because they exclusively make bedroom furniture only, they keep the quality of their competitors at affordable prices. Every piece can be solid separately and the beds can be produce with or without storage. •100% Solid Cherry, Maple, Oak or Hickory •Choose Your Wood Color Finish •Choice of Hardware (handles and pulls) •Custom Sizes Available •Lifetime Limited Warranty •Amish-made in the USA