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Real Talk Interiors | Interior Design

@realtalkinteriors

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Designing construction smart spaces with style.
Real talk + refined interiors by Emily & Jess.
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Tile is non-negotiable for me. I need to know:

→ What size grout line we’re using → Sanded or unsanded → What’s our margin of error on the lay → That tiles with color variation are being mixed across boxes. I’ll literally lay it out myself and mix the boxes randomly if I have to, because when someone hires a designer, they’re hiring someone who cares at THAT level.

Tile is where a project looks absolutely gorgeous in exactly the way we planned or it fails miserably, there’s rarely middle ground. So yes, I’m there for that installation.

#constructionsmart #interiordesign #chicagointeriors #designdetails #renovationtips by @realtalkinteriors

We’re Real Talk Interiors: a woman-run design studio making beautiful, functional, actually livable spaces.
We’ve worked in places that should’ve been run by women.
So now this one is.

Curious about working with us? Check out the link in our bio to book a consult for your next renovation project. by @realtalkinteriors

If you ask three contractors for a price without giving them specific selections, you’re getting three different guesses, which is not the same as three comparable bids.

One contractor prices mid-range tile, another prices builder-grade, and a third prices for something decent. If they all hand you a number, you might pick the cheapest one. Then when you say “I actually want the nice tile” and suddenly your “lowest bid” isn’t so low anymore.

This fix isn’t complicated, just make your selections FIRST. Choose your tile, plumbing fixtures, hardware, all the fun stuff, and hand the same selections to every contractor. Now every bid is built on the same materials and the same specs, and you’re pricing apples to apples.

If you don’t do this, you’re not comparing equal bids, and that’s an easy way to unknowingly blow through your renovation budget before construction even starts.

Don’t let a contractor guess what you want, tell them.

#renovationbudget #contractorbids #renovationtips #homerenovation #interiordesign by @realtalkinteriors

How to spot a designer’s project: the trim package and the doors

Trim and doors are treated like an afterthought on most projects, but it’s one of the clearest tells between a project with a designer, and one without.

Here’s the difference we’re specifying on a current project: a kerfed jamb. The drywall runs right up to the jamb and dies into it with a corner bead so there’s no big trim piece covering the framing-to-jamb intersection. Clean, architectural, nothing hidden.

Defaulting to MDF because nobody thought about the detail until the structure was already up makes a space look more stock than thoughtful. Trim decisions should happen even before framing.

#chicagointeriors #interiordesign #designdetails #architecturaldetails #renovation by @realtalkinteriors

It’s time for our annual haunted design post. If we had to see these, so did you 👻 by @realtalkinteriors

Cheap choices cost more, here’s the math:

Cost per use = what something costs ÷ how often you use it.

A door handle gets used every single day, so the $25 Amazon Special that strips in 18 months isn’t cheaper. You’ll buy it three times before one quality handle wears out.

If you hold two options in a store, the well-made piece is physically heavier. You can feel the difference, and weight is one of the cheapest quality tests there is.

And not everything deserves the splurge, but these three do:
Doors + windows. Solid-core doors, high-end all-weather windows. The rare case where more money = better looks AND better insulation.

Hardware. Unique pieces, correctly specified (appliance pulls included). Etsy is the great place for uniqueness without the markup price.

Plumbing fixtures. THE one people cheap out on and regret. The valves are proprietary, if it fails, you’re taking down a tile wall to reach it. “Fix it later” can cost thousands.

It’s better to spend on something you actually love than to buy two things you only half like. Two half liked purchases cost more money and less joy than one thing you love.

Spend on what you touch every day, save on what you don’t.

#luxuryinteriors #interiordesign #renovationtips #designdetails #chicagointeriors by @realtalkinteriors

“Would it smell weird?” in grandmillennial design:

Grandmillennial = grandma style, but chosen. Kitschy wildflower florals, chintz, heirloom hutches, traditional cabinetry, blue and white everything.

Every generation longs for an era that didn’t really exist; comfort food, style-wise. Cozy. Safe. Nothing wrong with that.

But there’s a line: if you walk into a room and the style makes you feel like it should smell weird, that is NOT good grandmillennial.

Use this style sparingly: a few nostalgic pieces Inside your modern space works best if you’re unsure.

#luxuryinteriors #interiordesign #renovationtips #designdetails #chicagointeriors by @realtalkinteriors

You’re likely used to seeing white baseboards and white casings in almost every home, unless it’s older or has a bit of style.

Here’s what else is available:
→ Stain-grade hardwood: Think refined, modern, elegant. Stain the baseboards, casings, AND doors for a cohesive look that actually feels intentional.
→ Ceramic or porcelain tile. Super cleanable, durable, you don’t have to be delicate. Great for high-traffic and wet areas.
→ Stone: the highest marker of luxury I see in residential design. Stone baseboards, stone casings, stone picture mold. It’s what high-end hospitality spaces use because it handles wear and tear and still looks incredible. Marble you’ll have to baby. But if you’ve got the budget, nothing else comes close.

#luxuryinteriors #interiordesign #renovationtips #designdetails #chicagointeriors by @realtalkinteriors

Shoot us a DM if you want us to design your heaven on earth 😇

#interiordesign #homerenovation #homerenovation #chicagointeriors #homedesign by @realtalkinteriors

How to make a home playful:

→ Favorite photo
→ custom neon sign
→ Gallery walls can include a hand-drawn piece (ours was sketched on-site during install)
→ Museum lighting on your silliest object. The contrast is the joke.
→ Antique and thrift
→ 5+ of anything = group it on the wall for a conversation piece it

Specific beats polished every time.

#renovationtips #chicagointeriors #renovation #interiordesign #homerenovation by @realtalkinteriors

We see these mistakes all the time. Here’s how to spot a bad reno before you buy:

→ Uneven or poor finishes. Look at the walls when light hits them, if they look wavy, they probably are. Drips, sloppy caulking, messy corners. That’s rushed or unskilled work, especially in the high-detail areas like trim and transitions.

→ Cheap materials disguised as luxury. Hollow-core doors sold as “solid wood.” Laminate peeling at the edges. “Stone” countertops that are anything but. Bad renos save money where it shows, and whoever buys it later pays to replace it.

→ Function ignored for looks. Cabinets that can’t open all the way. A shower that doesn’t drain right. The “designer look” falls apart fast when nothing works. Real quality includes both.

→ Hidden issues covered, not fixed. Fresh paint over stains, warped floors from old leaks, or new drywall over old wiring. Covering is just postponing the problem for the next owner.

→ Code and safety red flags. No GFCI outlets near water, wobbly stair rails, missing or incorrect venting. These are safety issues and they’re expensive to make right.

If you’re touring a flip or reviewing your own contractor’s work, this is your checklist.

#renovationtips #chicagointeriors #renovation #interiordesign #homerenovation by @realtalkinteriors

Demo, but make it sustainable:

→ 40% of US landfill waste = construction debris. Up to 95% of most projects can be salvaged.
→ Deconstruction companies salvage your materials instead of dumpstering them
→ Materials get donated for reuse
→ you get a tax break & the deduction offsets their fee
→ The good ones tell you up front when the math doesn’t work for you

Caveat: takes longer than regular demo. Build it into your timeline.

Ultimately, it’s good for the planet. You can feel really good about what would’ve been waste finding a new home and making it into the next century.

#renovationbid #remotedesign #interiordesign #renovationtips #renovationbudget by @realtalkinteriors