Interior designer in Hinsdale, IL
A well designed Hinsdale home should feel as though the architecture, furnishings and daily routines were considered at the same time. Marshall Erb Design works with homeowners on substantial renovations, new construction and fully furnished residences, bringing an architectural perspective to decisions that range from room planning and cabinetry to lighting, textiles, art and custom furniture. From our Chicago studio, we create interiors that are personal, refined and comfortable enough to be lived in every day.
Marshall Erb Design · Residential interiors
A home can evolve without losing what made it worth keeping.
Many renovation decisions are less about making a house look new than making it work better. A kitchen may need a stronger connection to family spaces, formal rooms may need to accommodate a more relaxed way of entertaining, or a series of additions may have left the floor plan feeling fragmented. We begin by understanding those conditions and deciding which parts of the home should be preserved, which should be clarified and where a more substantial change will improve the way the entire house functions.
Hinsdale is known for established residential neighborhoods and architecture that spans many periods, including properties within historic districts. That context rewards an interior design approach that responds to the individual house instead of imposing a standard look. In an older residence, original proportions, millwork and material character may provide the foundation for the design. In a new home, those same questions about scale, circulation and permanence can be resolved before construction is complete, allowing the interiors to feel integral to the architecture from the beginning.
Residential work across different architectural settings
A portfolio is most useful when it shows how design decisions change with the house. The work below reflects two very different residential challenges: giving a historic property a new chapter and reshaping an existing city residence through a full scope renovation. Neither is presented as a formula for a Hinsdale home. Instead, they show how architecture, construction, furnishings and a client’s point of view can be brought into one coherent design.
Full home renovation and interior architecture
Marshall Erb Design’s Aspen renovation required the team to preserve the identity of an 1880s residence while expanding it for contemporary family life. The project is a useful example of what careful renovation can accomplish when historic character, new construction, interior architecture and highly specific material decisions are considered as one problem rather than a series of separate upgrades.
Interior architecture, furnishings and art
A gut renovation of Marshall Erb’s own Chicago residence became an exercise in balancing architectural structure with a more collected interior. Custom furniture, antiques, art, lighting and carefully edited color work together without flattening the rooms into a single style. The result demonstrates how a full scope project can feel layered and personal while remaining disciplined in plan and proportion.
Interior design services for Hinsdale homes
For larger residential projects, the most important decisions rarely belong to one discipline. The floor plan affects the cabinetry, the cabinetry affects lighting and circulation, and the furniture plan can expose problems that are expensive to correct later. Our interior design services in Hinsdale, Illinois are structured around those connections, with the scope tailored to the house and to the level of change you are planning.
New homes and architectural planning
For new construction, we prefer to be involved while the architectural plans are still flexible. Furniture layouts, kitchen planning, lighting, millwork, ceiling conditions and transitions between rooms can all influence the architecture. Working alongside the architect and builder at that stage allows practical questions to be resolved on paper and gives the finished home a stronger sense that its interior was planned from the beginning.
Major renovations and additions
A substantial renovation often involves more than replacing finishes. We study how the existing rooms relate to one another, where an addition or previous remodel has interrupted the original logic, and which architectural details deserve to remain. The resulting plan can reorganize kitchens, family rooms, primary suites and circulation while preserving enough of the house’s identity for the renovation to feel believable rather than imposed.
Kitchens, baths and custom millwork
Kitchens and bathrooms demand a close relationship between function and finish. We consider storage, appliance placement, plumbing, lighting, stone, tile and cabinetry as part of the room’s architecture, not as a list of products to be selected independently. Custom millwork can then carry that logic into libraries, bars, dressing rooms, home offices and other spaces where standard cabinetry would compromise the proportion or usefulness of the room.
Furnishings, art and final composition
Once the architectural framework is settled, furnishings give the rooms their pace and personality. We develop furniture plans around conversation, movement and scale, then layer upholstery, rugs, window treatments, lighting, art, antiques and custom pieces. Existing collections are welcome. A home becomes more convincing when new selections have a relationship to objects that already carry meaning for the people who live there.
Marshall Erb · Principal & Lead Interior Designer
An architect's eye applied to the entire interior
Marshall Erb founded the studio in 1998 after earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. That education still shapes the way the firm approaches residential design. Walls, openings, lighting, millwork and furniture are treated as related parts of the same composition, while the aesthetic direction is developed around the client and the house rather than a fixed studio signature.
For a Hinsdale project, an initial conversation is most useful when it includes the property, the extent of the work and how you expect the home to function when it is complete. Architectural drawings, photographs, inspiration and pieces you intend to keep can all help clarify the brief. From there, we can discuss the appropriate scope, project team and timing before detailed selections begin.
That structure matters on projects with many moving parts. A decision about a doorway can affect furniture placement, a millwork elevation can alter the lighting plan, and a material selected for one room may need to establish continuity elsewhere. Our role is to keep those decisions connected while protecting the character that makes the finished residence feel specific to its owners. Learn more about our approach to residential design.
Planning an interior design project in Hinsdale
You do not need a finished brief before contacting an interior designer. The most useful starting information is usually the house itself, what is not working today, what you hope the project will change and whether an architect or builder is already involved. The questions below cover several practical points that often come up early in a Hinsdale residential project.
What types of residential projects do you take on in Hinsdale?
Marshall Erb Design works on custom homes, major renovations, additions and full furnishing projects. The firm is best suited to projects where architecture and interiors need to be considered together, particularly when the work involves several rooms, custom cabinetry, significant finish selections or coordination with an architect and builder.
Can you work with the architect and builder we already selected?
Yes. Collaboration with architects and builders is an important part of full scope residential work. Bringing the interior designer into the conversation while plans are still developing helps the team coordinate furniture layouts, millwork, lighting, plumbing locations and finish transitions before those decisions become difficult or costly to change.
How do you approach an older or historic Hinsdale home?
The first step is to identify what gives the house its character and what prevents it from supporting the way you live now. Original proportions, millwork, fireplaces, flooring or other details may deserve to remain, while kitchens, baths, circulation and additions may need substantial reconsideration. The goal is not to make every old house look old. It is to make new decisions feel appropriate to the architecture that is worth preserving.
When should we contact an interior designer for a renovation or new build?
Earlier is usually better for projects involving construction. Interior decisions can affect architectural plans, electrical work, lighting, cabinetry and plumbing, so involvement before those drawings are finalized creates more opportunity to coordinate the house properly. If you are still defining the project, the project inquiry form is a useful place to introduce the property, timing and anticipated investment.
Is Marshall Erb Design based in Hinsdale?
Our studio is in Chicago at 1332 N Halsted St, Suite 100, Chicago, IL 60642. We serve residential clients in Hinsdale, Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Lake Forest, North Shore, Chicago and surrounding areas from that studio. When you inquire, include the Hinsdale property address and a short description of the project so we can begin with the house and the scope you are considering.
Tell us about your Hinsdale home
If you are planning a major renovation, building a new residence or furnishing a home that needs a more complete point of view, tell us what you are considering. A short description of the property, the areas involved, your timing and the team already in place gives us enough context to begin a productive conversation about your Hinsdale interior design project.
