The Best Residential Architects in Chicago, Illinois

Last updated on August 16th, 2024 at 10:48 pm

With its rich architectural history and diverse neighborhoods, Chicago is home to a vibrant community that values design and craftsmanship. Finding the best residential architects in Chicago can be daunting for those seeking to build or renovate their homes. But, finding a good contractor for your residential project is crucial because they ensure compliance with local building codes, handle the complexities of Chicago’s diverse architectural styles, and navigate the city’s unique weather challenges. A reliable contractor also helps avoid potential cost overruns, delays, and substandard work, ensuring a successful and stress-free project. With over 8.9 million residents and a median home value of $375.9K, Chicagoans invest in their living spaces, recognizing them as personal sanctuaries and architectural statements.

The average residential project in Chicago costs between $150k and $700k, with higher-end endeavors reaching well beyond the million-dollar mark. These projects can span up to 30 weeks, provided there are no unforeseen problems—common occurrences in construction. According to permit data from the Chicago Building Department, there are 236 contractors specializing in residential projects across the nation. The average cost of a construction project over the past two years is $32/sq ft. In a bustling city like Chicago, the importance of selecting a reliable contractor cannot be overstated. The difference between a good contractor and a bad one can translate to significant variations in time, money, and stress throughout the project lifecycle.

Suppose you’re looking to start your residential project in Chicago, Illinois. In that case, our guide to the best architects in the area will help you make an informed decision, ensuring your project is in the hands of a skilled and trustworthy professional.

Overview: The Best Residential Architects in Chicago, Illinois

See Ranking Methodology at the bottom of this article to learn more. 

Wheeler Kearns Architects

343 South Dearborn St, Suite #200, Chicago, IL 60604

Wheeler Kearns Architects is a multi-award-winning architecture firm offering design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial projects. Grounded on the mission of enriching people’s lives through spaces that embody their purpose, the firm creates architectural designs that are safe and functional as they are customized to the specific needs and objectives of clients. Founding principal Dan Wheeler is a registered architect in six states and a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois in Chicago. His expertise spans different project types and scales, and his work and influence contribute greatly to the city’s architectural landscape. Principal Larry Kearns is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Accredited Professional—his expertise and experience further the firm’s projects towards more sustainable designs and plans.

In creating residential designs, Wheeler Kearns focuses on the home’s beauty, functionality, and durability. Conversing with and understanding the homeowner’s needs, preferences, habits, and lifestyle, the firm creates design solutions that make home living easy, efficient, and enjoyable. In its design of fashion designer Pamella Roland’s home in Chicago, Wheeler Kearns fused modern aesthetics with an abundance of greenery within and around the home to create the perfect image of a sustainable yet contemporary lifestyle. The five-story home features an entire floor for entertaining, generous space for overnight guests, and adequate private areas for the residents. The use of Black Swell granite on the exterior creates a remarkable contrast against the traditional styles of neighboring homes. Wheeler Kearns’ design offers beauty and functionality while ensuring privacy and durability.

dSPACE Studio Ltd.

2920 N Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60657

dSPACE Studio is an award-winning architectural design firm that offers architecture, interiors, and landscape architecture services. Its focus on thoughtful design and innovation is core to the firm’s work. Each project is customized to the client’s and their families’ individual needs. Beyond the science and art involved in architectural design and planning, dSPACE creates architecture that reflects people’s unique personalities and fosters human connection and interaction. Each project begins with understanding the client’s needs and objectives, which are then matched with the location and budget to create a customized design that fits the client’s preferences and lifestyle while staying within budget and schedule.

A 6000-square-foot Chicago home is a featured modern home with an open-plan living space, several communal and entertainment areas, and five bedrooms for the clients and their children. The homeowners wanted a modern home that offered privacy yet held a strong connection to the outdoors and ample indoor space for the family and entertaining. dSPACE achieved this using a mix of zinc panels, wood laminate, and glass walls. The exterior is blanketed in greenery with outdoor furniture for relaxing and entertaining. Each floor and room on the inside offers a unique venue for arts, sports, dining, and personal time. Modern materials and carefully planned design elements reveal an elegant home that is as beautiful as it is functional for all its residents and guests. The firm’s work is a masterpiece resulting from a strong understanding of architecture as well as the client’s objectives. The New York Times featured the firm’s project, highlighting it as one of the leading Chicago residential architects.

Dirk Denison Architects

1123 W Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL  60607

Dirk Denison Architects is an award-winning architecture firm that offers design services for residences, offices, galleries, and other living and working spaces in Chicago and New York. The firm’s unique approach to architectural design is core to the firm’s success, which involves crafting a narrative that connects the intricacies involved in creating the best space for the specific client and their objectives for the given site. By understanding the client’s vision for the site and carefully considering options in terms of style, size, and overall theme, the firm crafts design solutions that balance the science and art behind architecture. Its designs are characterized by their uniqueness both in structure and expression because Dirk Denison does not believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Each architectural masterpiece is a physical manifestation of the owner’s personality and caters to their unique needs, habits, and lifestyles.

The Bucktown home is an exceptional modern-industrial type home surrounded by lush greenery, matching the urban-suburban mix Bucktown is known for. The L-shaped home, with its brick and stone siding and large windows, maximizes the natural lighting and breeziness that Chicago is known for. Its light-colored siding and straight lines create a stark yet beautiful contrast against the bountiful garden. Inside, exposed beams and columns offer a rustic look that is welcoming and cozy. Steel appliances, quartz countertops, and modular shelving across the home follow the modern home architectural style and emphasize simplicity with a hint of elegance. Dirk Denison’s design created a pleasant and inviting contrast between modern and industrial and between technology and nature. The design and functionality of the home aptly match the homeowners and their unique lifestyle. 

Kipnis Architecture + Planning

1642 Payne St, Evanston, IL 60201

Kipnis Architecture and Planning is a multi-awarded sustainable architecture firm that offers residential and commercial design and planning services. The firm bases its practice on the High Design/Low Carbon philosophy, through which it creates beautiful and functional homes that are also energy-efficient and environment-friendly. The firm’s work debunks the notion that excellence in design is sacrificed when incorporating sustainability measures in architecture. Indeed, Kipnis’ plans exemplify the remarkable fusion of art, science, and the environment using modern techniques, sustainable materials, and carefully planned designs and layouts. Such creative yet sustainable and functional designs are delivered across different architectural styles, from traditional and historic to modern and contemporary.

A majestic home rests on a five-lot parcel overlooking the Chicago River. Kipnis specifically designed its shape and layout to maximize natural lighting and river views while shielding the grounds from traffic noise. The large scale and positioning of the roof made it possible to install and operate the solar panels that help power the home. Along with its energy efficiency and emphasis on connecting with nature, the firm merged both traditional styles with modern technology in designing the home. The home’s exterior is a homage to the traditional farmhouse architectural style, while the interior utilizes automation to improve lighting and ventilation efficiently. The firm’s design showcases its thorough knowledge of sustainable techniques and a wide range of design styles that allow it to merge energy efficiency with any architectural style that homeowners desire. As one of the leading Chicago residential architects, its project was featured in an article from Forbes.

Morgante Wilson Architects Ltd.

2834 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201

Morgante-Wilson is an award-winning architecture firm that offers architecture, interior design, and custom furniture design. Drawing from years of experience designing and planning homes and commercial spaces, the firm offers clients a broad array of architectural styles and design ideas that suit their needs and tastes. By listening foremost to clients’ stories and visions and understanding their preferences, Morgante-Wilson tailors striking, durable, and efficient homes that match the personalities and preferences of homeowners. The firm considers listening to clients the first duty of design and believes that listening intently leads to a truly functional and unique home. 

An Urban family oasis home is one of the firm’s most remarkable designs, as it shows how different style concepts can be fused into a single coherent design. The recessed ceiling, white walls with accent cabinetry, and hanging light fixtures are classic craftsman home architectural style features. The large glass windows offer a generous view of the outside and maximize natural lighting, while the garden layout provides ample privacy. The contrasting styles and colors of the seating room furniture create a unique and comfortable modern feel against the classic ambiance surrounding the room. This perfect balance of old and new, as well as subtle and striking colors, makes the home cozy, welcoming, and fun at the same time.

Searl Lamaster Howe Architects

500 N. Dearborn St, Suite #1050, Chicago, IL 60654

Searl Lamaster Howe Architects is an architectural design and planning firm that offers clients a wide range of services throughout metropolitan Chicago, across the country, and in select foreign countries. Its portfolio includes master planning, renovations, and new construction for residential, commercial, and institutional clients. The firm’s unique approach is centered on its commitment to creating inspiring spaces where people live, work, and celebrate life. It collaborates closely with clients and contractors through every step of the project to ensure that the client’s vision is achieved while keeping within budget and on schedule. By listening to clients and creating a shared vision with them, Searl Lamseter Howe delivers design solutions that are functional, effective, beautiful, and creative.

For the Eastwood Residence, the firm merged contemporary architectural design concepts with the more traditional look of the neighborhood. Using a mix of metal, brick, and glass, the firm maximized natural lighting, maintained efficiency, and offered exterior views. Flat interior walls, high ceilings, and modular cabinetry provide a modern aesthetic that is both easy on the eyes and functional for daily use. Brick accent walls and floating staircases further open up the space and create a soft and welcoming ambiance. Despite being bounded on both sides by equally large homes, the firm’s design allowed for adequate exposure to the outside while retaining privacy for the residents. The unique and well-designed plan shows the firm’s creativity in creating designs that respond to its context and fit well with its surroundings. 

Liederbach and Graham, Architects

500 North Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654

Liederbach and Graham Architects is an architecture firm that offers design and planning services to homeowners and institutions in Chicago and adjacent areas. Intentionally small in size, the firm offers clients personal attention throughout the duration of the project. Close contact and regular communication allow clients to make informed decisions on the project without worrying about going beyond budget or schedule. This close collaboration also enables clients to select specific features they want to be included in their homes without risking structural durability, stability, and aesthetics. Liederbach and Graham create striking and functional home designs that clients and their families can enjoy for decades.

A country-style home showcases the firm’s remarkable attention to detail and adherence to traditional architectural styles. The stone facade with numerous windows is a classic feature of old country homes and manor houses. The beautifully decorated portico, long porte-cochère, gabled roof, and several chimneys further create a sense of affluence and grandiosity that is continued to the home’s interior. Inside, each room is carefully crafted to mimic old country homes using layers of stone and brick and a combination of glass, steel, and wood. Built into the traditionally set home are modern features that keep the home secure and make living in it more comfortable and easy. Liederbach and Graham’s collaborative approach resulted in a majestic home that looks as if it has been preserved for centuries.

Blender Architecture

2215 West School St., Chicago, IL 60618  

Blender Architecture is a local architecture firm that offers design and planning services for residential, commercial, and institutional clients. Blender Architecture is a close-knit firm with a select group of diverse professionals and staff. It focuses on engaging in intimate dialogue with clients to uncover their objectives and transform their vision into reality. Drawing from years of experience in design and planning, the firm utilizes design and materials to create exceptional spaces that encourage innovation and creativity while also nurturing rest and comfort. It balances science with art, traditional with modern, and people with the environment to create stunning design solutions for contemporary architectural problems.

A floating house is one of the firm’s innovative residential designs. As the plot did not have rear alleyway access, Blender had to place the driveway and garage in the front of the home. To maintain the facade’s desired aesthetic without compromising safety and functionality, the firm opted to recess and submerge the driveway and garage. This draws focus to the front of the home, which features a modern entryway that opens into the kitchen, which the homeowners explicitly requested. The remainder of the first floor, including the backyard and garden, was designed as common spaces for the family and guests, while the upper floors housed private bedrooms and a small balcony that offered great views of the Chicago skyline. Blender’s innovative and creative design checks all the functionality, durability, efficiency, and beauty boxes. 

Nicholas Design Collaborative Ltd.

509 N Wolcott Ave. Chicago, IL 60622

Nicholas Design Collaborative is an architectural design, planning, and contracting firm that serves Metropolitan Chicago and adjacent areas. The firm offers clients unique and personalized design solutions that help them achieve the optimum home or work environment. Through decades of continuing education, exploration, and fieldwork, Nicholas Design Collaborative has achieved a high level of knowledge in materials, construction techniques, efficiency measures, and sustainable solutions. This allows the firm to offer the best solutions to design issues, as well as create plans and layouts that optimize workflows and movements. Collaborating with clients and the rest of the project team, Nicholas Design Collaborative delivers personalized designs that fit the needs and visions of clients, whether for their homes or offices.

In a Chicago residence, Nicholas Design Collaborative fused several architectural design concepts to create a unique family home that reflects the homeowner’s hometown while blending in with the surrounding neighborhood. The firm combined modernist elements with more traditional brick and stone siding and pathways so that the home fit in well with its neighbors while still showing a unique aesthetic. Glass walls and flat roofs allow the family to embrace the weather in the privacy of their own home. Carefully and thoughtfully designed private and common areas will enable each family member their own space as well as areas for interaction, gatherings, and parties. The firm’s careful attention to the needs and objectives of the homeowners resulted in a durable and beautiful home that the family can enjoy for generations.

Studio Dwell Architects

1135 North California Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Studio Dwell Architects is a full-service architecture firm serving residential, commercial, and institutional clients in greater Chicago. The firm comprises a close group of designers with diverse backgrounds and experiences united toward the common goal of creating exceptional architecture. As one of the best residential architects in Chicago, Studio Dwell utilizes modern technologies and contemporary methods to create design solutions that are beautiful, effective, and unique to the needs and objectives of users and residents. Prioritizing user experience and client involvement, the firm delivers exceptional designs while also allowing clients to commit hands-on and enjoy the homebuilding experience. Such interaction makes the home or office space more memorable and personal for the client.

In the Bucktown Two residence pictured here, the firm combined multiple design concepts and styles to create a stunningly unique contemporary home that fits the unusual plot. The home’s exterior uses both glass and brick to create the perfect interior atmosphere, maintain privacy, and offer great views of the neighborhood and skyline. Exposed steel beams and ducts, brick interior walls, and wood columns and staircases create an astonishing fusion of industrial and country styles, resulting in a rustic yet welcoming look and feel. High ceilings and large modular furniture create a clean and open space where family members and friends can gather and hang out. Studio Dwell’s attention to detail and extensive knowledge of design and material allowed for a unique and contextualized design that fit the homeowner’s personality and preferences. 

Northworks Architects + Planners

1512 North Throop St. Chicago, IL 60642

Northworks is a full-service architectural design and planning firm that serves metropolitan Chicago and six other cities in the continental United States. It offers a wide range of services for both residential and commercial projects, including historic preservation, new building design, renovation design, and building condition analysis, among others. Core to the firm’s success in every project and endeavor is its strong teamwork among professionals of different backgrounds, training, and experiences. Such diversity yet coherence allows the firm to create solutions that meet clients’ aesthetic, functional, and efficiency goals while keeping with budget and schedule.

An accessory dwelling unit is one of the firm’s recent remarkable projects. Designed and built as a separate intimate space adjacent to the main home, the small outpost is designed with entertaining and gatherings in mind. In order to keep privacy in the main home, the homeowners wanted a separate space with its own entrance, kitchen, and bathrooms for use when visitors stay over or when entertaining several guests. The space offers great views of Lake Michigan and the surrounding greenery while leaving guests ample privacy to carry on their activities. The firm’s exceptional teamwork allowed it to create a remarkable design despite the challenges of the terrain and location. It is a testament to Northworks’ capabilities and dedication to meeting clients’ needs and objectives.

moss Design Studio

2855 West Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL 60647

Moss Design Studio is a LEED-accredited full-service architecture firm serving Chicago and much of Illinois. Its diverse portfolio includes residential and commercial projects, as well as breweries, wineries, and urban planning projects. Licensed in three other states, Moss is proficient in regional design and planning based on a site’s terrain, climate conditions, and local architecture. This enables the firm to create unique design solutions and plans that respond not only to the needs of the individuals living in or using the space but also address the needs of the surrounding environment. Moss works closely with the design team, contractors, and fabricators to ensure that the resulting space is as desired by the owners and would have little impact on the environment.

The Winchester House is one of the firm’s residential projects in Chicago. Set in a small plot of land alongside homes with a similarly modern aesthetic, Moss designed the home to fit in with the surrounding neighborhood yet stand out for its contemporary style and openness that many current homes lacked. Opting for a cubic house style and utilizing large glass doors open up the interior to maximize natural lighting and offer a great view of the outdoors. Using mostly white and wood shades creates a simple, minimalist, and homey feel. Carefully designed modular cabinets and furniture match the homeowner’s preferences and needs and minimize clutter around the home. The firm’s attention to the client’s objectives and knowledge of local architecture resulted in a uniquely beautiful, efficient, and comfortable home.

Ranking Methodology

To evaluate the performance of contractors, our methodology employs a systematic approach that considers various factors contributing to customer experience and satisfaction. We focused on assessing the residential architects in the Chicago area. The methodology involves assigning weightings to specific categories based on their significance in determining customer service quality. Here’s the breakdown of the categories and their respective weightings:

• Average Customer Satisfaction (35%): This metric represents the average rating given by customers across the same review platforms as the Average Customer Satisfaction Score. A higher average rating indicates greater overall satisfaction with the service provided.
• Service Rating Score (25%): We analyze the ratio of high (4-5 stars) to low (1-2 stars) ratings for each business across multiple review platforms: Google, Houzz, and Yelp. A higher percentage of positive reviews contributes to a higher score, reflecting better customer satisfaction.
• Complaint Percentage (25%): We analyze the ratio of complaints to total reviews for each business. A lower complaints ratio indicates better service quality and results in a higher score.
• Business Hours and Availability (10%): The operating hours of each business are assessed to gauge accessibility. Companies with extended operating hours are awarded a higher score, as they offer greater convenience to customers.
• License Status (5%): We verify the licensing status of each contractor with their local licensing board to ensure legal compliance. Companies with valid licenses receive a higher score, reflecting professionalism and adherence to regulations.
• Total Score: We determined the overall rating for every contractor by calculating a weighted average, with the category weight determining the amount the subscore contributed to the total score 

Additional Note: Service Rating Score, Average Customer Satisfaction, and Complaint Percentage are calculated with a Bayesian estimate to account for if the contractor has a low number of total reviews. A Bayesian average is a statistical method used to calculate the average of a set of data points while taking into account prior information or beliefs about the distribution of the data. It combines the observed data with a prior distribution to generate a more accurate estimate of the true average.