Under Construction

Barrington design firm Insignia Kitchen & Bath Design reveals a new display in its open house.

Words by Angelika Labno
Photography by robin subar

Insignia Kitchen & Bath Design has won dozens of awards for its gorgeous home projects in its 23-year history, but now it has taken on a construction project for itself: a master bathroom suite in its Barrington showroom.

The 6,500-square-foot space, which currently showcases full kitchen and bath displays, will unveil the new master bathroom display in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 30 followed by an open-house event. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Folds of Honor charity, which creates scholarship funds for spouses and children of fallen soldiers. Owner Bill Schey, Jr., a former Marine, has supported the charity since last Memorial Day when his wife Connie raised over $14,000 by partaking in a 10-mile run at Soldier Field. The event will also include food demos from professional chefs, as well as local catering companies and restaurants, making it an all-around community gathering.

“It’s going to be a jewel in our showroom,” says Terry Kenney, sales and showroom manager at Insignia, of the suite.

Located at 1435 S. Barrington Road, Insignia is a full service firm—from design to installation to warranty. Although bath and kitchen is in its name, Insignia’s clients come back for everything from laundry rooms to bars to basements. In addition to the showroom, there is a workroom in the basement featuring tile selections and an adjunct plumbing business.

Rather than lending itself to a niche style, Insignia prides itself on the versatility of its team of designers and their ability to work within one extreme to the next. From retro, color-splashed bathrooms to a free-standing bath with a chandelier overhead, photos exemplifying the range of design styles can be found at insigniainspirations.com or the Insignia Kitchen and Bath Facebook page.

“Our key is that we are not branded by anything other than the talent that we bring to the table,” Kenney continues. “The biggest is that we are able to listen to and convert our customers’ dreams into rooms that they’ve always dreamed of.”

Their designers offer a monthly Saturday Sit-Down Series, which are casual, informative presentations of different topics of clients’ interest discussed over lunch. March’s “It Ain’t Easy Being Green” delved into “green” design and the eco-friendly selections that can be made. This month (April), “The Little Black Dress” will go into the elements of “classic” design and how to achieve it.

Insignia is passionate about its clients and delivering the projects they are looking for with quality and value, and it’s apparent: Insignia won Best of Houzz 2015 for Client Satisfaction, as well as nine top honors in the 2013 NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association) Design Vision Competition. Even so, Kenney imparts the company’s success to its clients.

“We wouldn’t be able to do it without our clients’ vision,” says Kenney. “Without a customer telling us the direction, our mind is a jumble with ideas. Once we get a direction, we can go 100 miles an hour.”

Insignia Kitchen & Bath Design Studio is located at 1435 S. Barrington Road in Barrington, 847-381-7950, insigniainspirations.com.