Dan Rak Design

We hired Dan Rak Design for an “overhaul” on a home we were purchasing. We hired him almost an entire year before we closed, which allowed for some great creative work, just the right pieces, and custom carpentry. Although he did a great job with a few “last minute” details, having a long lead time worked great for him and for us. He and his team did a great job maintaining communication through months of ordering, confirming design choices and changes, and even some calendar conflicts. The project: Our home is about 5500 square feet. His firm handled the base work of paint, wallpaper, carpet, floor refinish work, and lighting for the house. In addition, his team coordinated carpentry, general contractor, appliances, and handyman services. We redesigned the main kitchen space, converted a bedroom to home gym and worked on drywall maintenance and repair. He helped source replacements for hardware and low volt work as needed. Lastly, he guided our selection of all furniture, textiles (drapery and accent pillows) as well as a few beautiful custom pieces of furniture for our home. No corner was left untouched. He has also brought art consults for the last “touches” to making this our home. Dan Rak Design is a true design firm. His knowledge of ALL things home is extensive and he has an excellent team of collaborators and craftsmen(and women). His firm: Dan has an excellent staff and we really feel they have become friends during this process. As lead designer, Dan was present and available throughout our project. We have also had the pleasure of working with Emily, a senior design member, who was instrumental in helping us balance ideas and choices with us throughout. We had about a 5 week window of time between closing day and move in, and his operations director, Emilie was top notch. I fully trusted her and all who worked in the house. She was excellent with scheduling, and communicating what was done or in process each day. Execution and installations went smoothly and even when there were a few hiccups, everything was handled with grace. I cannot recommend Dan Rak Design enough for their work. I often say to friends and family, Dan and his team made every idea and dream we had a reality and even dreams we didn’t know we had possible. Thank you for making the process possible, enjoyable and just plain stunning!

We love walking into our home and having guests see our home. It is stunning, and we have Dan Rak and his team to thank for that. Dan has decorated two homes for us and we would hands down use him for all future design needs. Dan is a truly exceptional designer with a great eye for detail. One of the things that we appreciate about Dan is how easy he is to work with. He took the time to listen to our needs and desires. He provided guidance throughout the design process and was responsive to feedback. We were impressed with Dan’s ability to understand our individual style and preferences. He created beautiful and functional designs that stayed true to our personal tastes. Additionally, he pushed us outside of our comfort zone and we love the result. We highly recommend Dan Rak. He is a remarkable designer and genuinely cares about his clients.

Dan Rak and his team are truly exceptional to work with! My husband and I hired them several months before we closed on a newly constructed condo in Chicago. We moved from the suburbs to the city once we became empty nesters and knew we wanted a modern yet inviting space. We were so impressed with how professional, knowledgeable and thorough Dan and Emily were. We always felt they had our best interests at heart and seemed eager to help us create the home of our dreams. They were also fun and engaging to work with. We were especially impressed with the attention to detail from conceptual to creative to execution. Shout out to their Operations Director Emilie for ensuring every item was ordered, delivered and assembled perfectly. She is an absolute gem! We could not have been more pleased with our experience with the team and our new home. We highly recommend Dan Rak Design!

We are long-time admirers of Dan Rak Design, as Dan did the interior design on 2 homes for our son in the Chicago area. When we moved into an 18-foot-wide brownstone in Brooklyn, NY in 2021, we knew that we needed Dan and team to help us transform our house into the beautiful, comfortable home we envisioned. Dan assured us that he could manage the design “long-distance” without significantly impacting the cost. Dan made the design process easy. He was able to draw out our likes and dislikes, understand our functional needs, and provided us with options that created a truly stunning home. The décor is striking, but practical and comfortable. Dan incorporated existing pieces that we love in the most seamless ways. If he made the design process easy, the installation process was even easier. Dan and his team were incredibly efficient in planning furniture delivery and installation services, with incredible focus on ensuring each item was delivered in perfect condition. The team's attention to detail is impeccable. We still marvel at how the design maximizes the use of the space and creates a very spacious feel in the somewhat narrow footprint. We could not be happier with Dan Rak Design and highly recommend this team!

My wife and I were seeking a designer to work through the build of our new single family home; both interior finishes, as well as all furnishings. We knew it would be tremendous undertaking, requiring great attention to detail, a keen eye with vision, and constant mindfulness of budget. After looking at Dan's portfolio online, we knew his style fit our aesthetic. What we wouldn't know until the project was completed though, was how amazing it is to actually work with Dan and his team. I could carry on, but here are the highlights that made the biggest impact for us: 1. Although Dan's style is uniquely his own, and part of what makes him special, he truly adopts your input, and brings you in to the creative process. If there is an aspect of the design that you'd like to see changed, Dan is infinitely patient, and willing to seek out materials, textures, and colors that ultimately fit exactly what you're after. 2. The experience of working through a project with Dan is just that; an experience. From design meetings with wine and charcuterie, to laughing together during progress walk throughs, Dan, Emily, Emilie, and the rest of the gang almost feel like part of your family. Their warmth and personability are sincere, and serve as constant reminders you made the right choice. 3. Dan's background in accounting and law have helped him develop a system of organization that is second to none. While other designers we interviewed were somewhat vague in how hours would be tracked, costs estimated, and materials tracked, Dan's system was absolutely transparent, easy to follow, and really easy for us type-A folks to digest. A special shout-out to Emilie Schukai in operations for always knowing where orders were, when they were going to be delivered, and how much it all cost. Like many of you reading this, I hold myself (and others) to a very high standard. And, I can say with absolute confidence Dan Rak Design delivers the highest level of standard throughout all aspects of a project. The only thing you will regret is when your project is finished, and you don't have these wonderful people in your life as often!

I have only wonderful things to say about working with Dan Rak Design. They successfully elevated and executed my vision for my 2 bed/ 2 bath Gold Coast condo. I was extremely pleased with the quality of the furniture, drapery, wall coverings, art, hardware and styling pieces they sourced. I was updated regularly on scheduling as well as on purchased items. Remodeling in a high rise is stressful. They took away the stress as they worked closely with my building for permits and deliveries. Team members were always available to meet vendors if I was unable to be home. I never felt taken advantage of with pricing or hours. My project is complete, but I often reach out with questions or for help with framing and placing art. They are extremely responsive and eager to help with anything I need. They conduct business in a respectful, friendly, detail- oriented way. I feel very lucky to have had them as my designers.

Dan Rak and team did a terrific job helping furnish and decorate our West Loop flat. Given every project is unique, Dan and team took their time to get to know my family and what was important to us. I loved that Dan had a fair bit of leeway to achieve the vision we had talked about, and he worked well with the budget constraints that were presented. I'm glad Dan pushed us on a couple fulcrum design points, and everything turned out better than I had hoped. In addition to quality design, the level of service provided by the team is immaculate. I would strongly recommend Dan Rak Design, and I look forward to working with the team on future projects.

We worked with the Dan Rak team to assist in the design of a full floor in our home. The team was very thoughtful in their design choices, easy to work with, outstanding communicators, and respectful of our budget. Coordination of storage, delivery, and install created a stress-free experience from start-to-finish. Additionally, workmanship on interior alterations and custom furniture was exceptional. We look forward to working with Dan Rak again on future projects.

I cannot thank Dan and his team enough for the phenomenal work they did with our renovation. We undertook a massive project on an old row home, and Dan was by our side the entire way through. Dan Rak Design made our dream home possible. His attention to detail and aesthetic eye are incredible. He was always accessible and eager to help/problem solve. I highly recommend Dan Rak Design.

Working with Dan and his team has been an absolutely wonderful experience and he has really transformed our house into a home. Dan and the team were an integral part in helping us select a multitude of finishes, from cabinet hardware to tile, hardwood and carpet choices and paint selections during the construction phase. He worked seamlessly with our builder and made sure that his design choices never created a bottleneck during the home's construction. He is meticulous and extremely well organized and was always thoughtful in his finishes selections. He made what could have been a daunting experience easy, and dare I say fun. When it came to decorating the house, Dan and his team really got to know me and my family in an effort to understand how we liked to use the rooms in our house and his design choices were in line with those preferences. I have never purchased furniture for a house sight unseen/couch unsat on, but all of Dan's selections were not only functional, but comfortable! He made choices in colors, patterns and textures that I wouldn't have thought to put together, but now that our house is complete everything he has done just makes sense. During the design/selection phase Dan always presented us with a plethora of choices, which we appreciated. He pushed us beyond our comfort zone in some areas and we're happy he did, because we are absolutely in love with the finished product. Dan's entire team is a real joy to work with, down to his subcontractors for handyman, wallpaper, drapery, electronics etc. work. His internal team provided us with regular updates to delivery dates, so we never felt like we were in the dark. His team arranged for a week of installations and delivery and we never once had to worry or think about the logistics of that, which was a breath of fresh air. He and his team's styling choices really brought everything together. When we returned to our home after the install process was complete we walked around our house just oohing and ahhing at thoughtful pieces they chose to personalize the space. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dan Rak Design to friends and family who are looking to decorate their homes and would happily work with him and his team again for future projects. I knew I'd enjoy working with Dan the first time we met when our house was just a bunch of studs and open walls and that has certainly been the case over the duration of our home project.

We were referred to Dan by close friends who had worked with him previously. It was our first experience working with a designer and Dan and team were patient, responsive, and creative throughout the process. The project covered many rooms in our home, most requiring wall coverings, window treatments, and furniture. Everything from a formal living and dining area to our 10yr old daughter's bedroom (she was VERY pleased by the way). Would, and have, recommend Dan and team to our friends.

I was referred to Dan from a developer friend and he was on point. I'm very hands off and asked for them to provide a vibe for what I was looking for and he nailed it. The project was just refurnishing the house with some paint but it made a world of difference. highly recommend Dan.