About Inspired Interiors
Founder & Principal Designer · Chicago & the North Shore
A design partner for homeowners who want it done right.
Inspired Interiors is a full-service interior design and build firm serving Chicago and the North Shore. We design and deliver complete residential interiors, from layout and architecture to the final layer of styling, for homeowners who want a home that is as considered as it is comfortable.
Our work is grounded in listening. Every project begins with how you actually live, then translates that into spaces that are warm, timeless, and built to last. We manage the details, coordinate the trades, and keep the process calm, so the result feels effortless even when the work behind it isn't.
Why do homeowners choose Inspired Interiors?
- Founded in 2004: 20+ years designing and building Chicago-area homes.
- 25+ industry awards and national press, from Elle Decor to Forbes.
- One accountable team from concept to reveal: design, build management, and styling.
Where does the studio work?
Projects run across Chicago's North Side and the North Shore, with 14 primary service areas from Lincoln Park to Lake Forest, plus destination work in St. John, USVI.
Founder & Principal Designer · ASID · Interior Design Society
Get In Touch“Create a space better than you dreamed of.”
Brand Promise
“We lead with listening and craft, building authentic relationships and interiors our clients love to come home to.”
Inspired Interiors
The people behind the work.
Dru keeps every project and person on track behind the scenes. With roots in yoga, meditation, and women's health, she brings calm, focus, and follow-through to the entire team. When she is not working, she is probably dancing at a music festival with her husband and daughter.
Dru
Executive Assistant
Ruth works closely with Emily, the owner, every day. Each day is filled with tasks for each local project and projects in the Virgin Islands. Ruth juggles A LOT!
Ruth
Operations Specialist/Order Processing
Nindita brings ideas to life through 3D renderings. Highly creative and collaborative, she helps to transforms concepts into visuals to help show the potential of each space.
Nindita
Junior Designer
Victoria keeps the moving parts connected, making sure systems, schedules, and people stay in sync. A driven self-starter, she thrives in fast-paced settings and stays steady and reliable when things get busy. She brings a sharp, resourceful mind to everything she takes on.
Victoria
Operations Integrator
Elexis brings a blend of organization, creativity, and strategic support to the team. She works closely with leadership to keep daily operations running smoothly while supporting marketing initiatives, project coordination, and business growth. With a passion for streamlining processes and leveraging AI to improve efficiency, Elexis enjoys finding innovative ways to help the business stay organized, connect with clients, and scale effectively. Her proactive approach, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence make her an integral part of the company’s success.
Elexis
Executive Operations, Tech & AI Assistant
Wendy has been writing about the things she loves for as long as she can remember. With a background spanning journalism, content strategy, and PR for outlets like the Chicago Tribune and Modern Luxury, she brings craft and heart to every word. A proud Chicagoan, she even wrote a book about her hometown, Night + Day Chicago.
Wendy
Copywriter
Teylon captures the moments that bring the work to life, from photos to reels to fresh ideas for what to post. A natural creative, he helps tell the story of each space and project. Outside of work he's happiest outdoors, whether that's playing volleyball, learning a new language, or cooking something new.
Teylon
Content Creator
Julia helps grow the business's reach and web traffic through Pinterest, turning pins into leads and new clients. She's focused on making the platform work for small businesses that want to expand their audience with intention.
Julia
Pinterest Strategist
Yiema helps shape the big-picture vision, leading the sessions where ideas get pressure-tested and the roadmap takes form. With over a decade in communications and cultural strategy across fashion, retail, and tech, she brings a sharp eye for the story behind the strategy. She’s Executive Director of the Columbus Fashion Council, where she’s building a platform to grow the city’s creative economy.
Yiema
Brand Communications Strategist
Larisa brings a refined eye to the firm’s digital marketing, shaped by a background in fine art, luxury goods, and high-end real estate. She holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from NYU and founded her own art and luxury market advisory. That world of galleries, design, and beautiful things makes her a natural fit for translating the firm’s work to the right audience.
Larisa
Digital Marketing
Brandon keeps the technical side of everything running behind the scenes. With years of experience in web development and marketing technology, he helps keep the business a step ahead online. Outside of work, he's happiest with his wife and two sons, out in nature, or experimenting with new tech.
Brandon
Web Developer
Amber brings clarity and calm to the financial side of the business, helping turn the numbers into clear direction. After starting out in event planning, she found her home in finance. She lives just outside Atlanta with her husband and three kids, where she loves exploring North Georgia and cheering from the sidelines at their games.
Amber
CFO
Farrah keeps the books in order with over 15 years of full-cycle bookkeeping experience across all kinds of businesses, from hospitality and real estate to nonprofits and ecommerce. She brings a steady, detail-focused hand to the financial day-to-day. Outside of work, she loves baking pastries and decorating cakes.
Farrah
Bookkeeper
William looks after the financial health of the business. With more than 25 years in finance, he brings steady, big-picture thinking to everything from the day-to-day numbers to long-term planning, and a knack for helping small businesses grow with a clear, patient approach.
William
CPA
Frequently asked questions.
What areas does Inspired Interiors serve?
Inspired Interiors serves Chicago and the North Shore, including Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Lake Forest, and Hinsdale.
What services does Inspired Interiors offer?
We offer full-service interior design, design-build renovation, kitchen and bath design, and furnishing and styling, managed end to end, from concept and space planning through construction and final styling.
Who is a top interior designer in Chicago and the North Shore?
Inspired Interiors is a luxury interior design and build firm known for warm, timeless residential interiors across Chicago and the North Shore, from city greystones to North Shore estates.
Does Inspired Interiors handle both design and construction?
Yes. As a design-build firm, we manage the trades, the schedule, and the details so the design intent carries all the way through to the finished room.
How do I start a project or schedule a consultation?
Tell us about your project through the contact page, or call or text us to schedule a consultation about your home, timeline, and investment.
What does an interior designer do?
An interior designer plans how your home looks, feels, and functions: layouts, finishes, lighting, furnishings, and the architecture of each room. At Inspired Interiors we go further as a design-build firm, managing construction and trades alongside the design, so one accountable team carries your project from the first concept meeting to the final styled reveal.
How do I choose the right interior designer?
Look at three things: a portfolio with homes that feel the way you want yours to feel, a clear process for how design and construction decisions get made, and chemistry, since you will work together for months. Ask who manages the trades and the budget. Inspired Interiors has designed and built Chicago-area homes since 2004, with one team accountable for all of it.
How do I figure out my interior design style?
Start with how you want a room to feel rather than what it should look like, then collect images of spaces you would actually live in and look for what repeats: color, warmth, texture, formality. That pattern is your style. In our first conversations we translate it into a direction for your home, so you do not need the vocabulary, just honest reactions.
What's the difference between an interior designer and a decorator?
A decorator works with what a room already is: furniture, fabric, color, and styling. An interior designer also changes what the room is, including layouts, interior architecture, kitchens and baths, lighting, and construction detail. Inspired Interiors is a full design-build studio, so we handle both sides, from moving walls to styling the final shelf.
Is hiring an interior designer worth it?
For a whole-home project, yes. A designer prevents the expensive mistakes, purchases that do not fit, finishes that fight each other, remodels that stall, and delivers a result a homeowner cannot get alone. Our clients hire us once and stay for decades because the finished home works as beautifully as it looks, and the process stays calm.
What happens in a design consultation?
We walk your home or plans together, talk through how you live, what is not working, your timeline, and your investment range, and we share an honest read on what we would do with the space. You leave with a clear picture of scope and next steps, whether or not we end up working together.
“Emily is one of the most talented interior designers I have ever met. She thinks uniquely about the space: how it can and should be used, what type of energy could be delivered, and how the interior space can best reflect the use and energy desired. Emily is a master at doing this for her clients.”
“I attended an event at a home done by Emily/Inspired Interiors and knew immediately that when I am ready to decorate any room whatsoever she will be my go-to! The home was warm and inviting yet absolutely beautiful. Each piece was perfectly curated. I just never wanted to leave.”
“Emily and her team at Inspired Interiors are an unbelievable force, creating the most beautiful settings out of nothing! They created a gorgeous, inviting lounge area at our music festival that drew everyone in. Creativity, vision, execution = Inspired Interiors.”
“Working with Emily was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. She took the time to really understand my taste, lifestyle, and how I wanted my space to feel—not just how it should look. Every piece, color, and texture came together beautifully!”
“Emily knows style! She can take a client from a whim of an idea to a concept that brings beauty along with value engineering.”
“We worked with the Inspired Interiors team and Emily for our home in Wilmette, IL. Our home looks great! Emily and her team came up with ideas that we would not have thought up ourselves. Would recommend.”
“As a commissioned artist I love working with Emily and Inspired Interiors. They are professional, easy for communication, and always responsive. That brings an amazing quality and value to the end client.”
Ready to reimagine your home?
Whether you’re renovating a single room or your whole home, we’re here to help.
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