[Alison] Tonight on Windy City Rehab...
Gil and Katie are in the penthouse.
[Gil] It's the best of the mid-'90s,
and there's a mirror with a TV in it.
We were thinking 200 to 300.
[Alison] Not a chance.
When you have expensive taste...
[Gil] Yeah, a steam shower, that'd be cool.
[Katie] Thinking of the cool, moody powder room.
Some sort of theater here was important to me.
...you're gonna spend a lot more.
[Gil] Since this whole process started,
it's kind of like drinking out of a fire hose.
You guys, come on, I'm your designer.
You gotta like tell me what you're thinking.
This is too dark. I don't like that.
This is as white as white oak gets.
I'm not really asking for that much,
just to start over.
I just wanna get pricing to Gil to be like,
"Here's how much your cabinets are."
[Kristy] The first round was at 95.
$95,000?
-Yes. -What the [bleep] is Austin talking about?
Alison, it's white oak.
It's a lot of money for Gil and Katie.
But, like, trust us.
You will fall in love with something
-and you will know it's right. -Okay.
[Alison] This is not it.
Welcome to your new Parisien Chicago flat. Open up.
-Whoa! -Holy [bleep]!
[Alison] I am downtown and I love it.
Like, a building like this is so Chicago.
I mean, one of my favorite projects
was my Delaware project.
So, yes, it was a pain in the ass,
but what's the fun if there's no challenge?
[knocking at door]
-Hello. -Hello.
-Hi. -Hi.
Gil and Katie, they both work in finance.
They're in the penthouse.
"PH."
Two very cool letters that go together.
So you guys...
-Getting settled little by little. -Oh, you just moved in.
-Yeah. -Where'd you move from?
Uh, the 35th floor.
My family purchased the unit in 1998,
so we've had that unit for years,
and I had a place on the 24th floor.
So you moved in. You haven't done anything?
-No. -No, got it.
It's kind of funny. So, we were sitting here
on a Sunday with social media,
and I saw this great condo in Delaware.
I went to Katie, I was like, "Hey, maybe we can hire her."
[laughs] And here we are.
[Alison] This is the main entry.
Let's make this feel like a bigger opening.
[Katie] And I actually was thinking of making this
the cool, moody powder room.
[Gil] Kind of Parisien, but modern. You know,
-the darker colors and like... -[Katie] Took us a while to get to that.
-Yeah? -[Katie] Yeah.
-We're going in, um, November. -November.
And you know what? I'm gonna send you to the flea market.
-[Gil and Katie] Yeah. -So you can go look at cool pieces.
Do you want to take a lap real quick
-just to get your bearings? -Yes.
-[Katie] This way. Yeah. -[Gil] So the kitchen and the living room's over here.
[Alison] Oh, I love it.
-[Gil] Yeah. -[Katie] Yeah.
[Alison] I mean, obviously, you walk in,
you can see that big view, which is awesome.
But then it's all chopped up and compartmentalized.
That's where I have to say, okay, it's dated.
I mean, the whole plan was to redo this place,
but we've just been desperate to get started.
[Gil] It's-- In the morning, it's chaos.
-Yeah. -Like, just the two of us.
[Gil] Yeah, we've been dating for just over three years now.
Katie moved in. She works from home,
so my office quickly turned to her office.
I'd like to change this so you don't have to, like,
have a sofa against this wall.
You want to get this whole thing laid out right.
-[Gil] Yeah. -[Katie] This is, uh...
we have different opinions on that.
-Alison, you'll see. -So I said...
[Gil] Yeah, we both have very strong opinions.
-So you'll see. -Oh, okay.
-Yeah. -All right. Show me that way.
[Alison] Okay, this would be the coolest place
for a real bar.
[Gil] Having an extra bedroom here, though--
[Alison] Yeah, 'cause how many bedrooms is this right now?
-[Gil] It's two. The bar and the den. -[Katie] Two.
[Katie] It needs to be functional so that if I pop out a kid,
it's not living in a bar.
Exactly.
So this is a really great time for each of them
to get everything they want and more.
And "spit" a kid out.
Why can't we make this one the bedroom?
[Gil] Some sort of theater here was important to me.
[Alison] Okay. You want the sound system,
-you want the subwoofer, the whole deal. -Yup.
All right. So now down the hall...
So now you come around the corner.
Okay, this is super-cool.
-[Gil] It's a huge bedroom. -It is a huge bedroom.
-[Katie] Yeah. -All right, so let's talk about the bathroom.
-[Katie] That... -[Alison] Yeah, of course.
-...has gotta go. -That's gonna go.
[Gil] Yeah, a steam shower, that'd be cool.
-[Alison] Okay. -Oh, yeah, you guys can talk appliances.
-High items on her-- -Well, so a couple--
-Oh, good. -...on her wish list, so--
-Let's go back in the kitchen. -Yeah.
-[Gil] And she's gonna price me out a house and home. -Yeah.
[Katie] Well, you want the smart home, wine fridge,
water filtration system,
the coffee machine,
-steam shower... -[Gil] Steam shower.
I'm not really asking for that much,
-just to start over. -Yeah.
[Gil] The overall aesthetic.
Are you moving out?
Obviously?
-No. -You have to--
You're not gonna move out during construction?
-[Gil] Meh. -What?
Is that to save money?
Yeah.
How long do you see this taking?
Six to nine months.
If you live here, it's going to take over...
probably over 10 months.
So what are you guys thinking budget-wise?
We're thinking 200 to 300.
Um... but, again--
[laughing] Hold on. Hold on.
...with everything else going on--
I'm just thinking just even, like,
just with the construction part.
-Oh. -Because that's gonna cost you money.
Gil wants all the bells and whistles.
All those things cost a lot of money.
I don't mean to like make up a story,
but I would think if you're in the penthouse on Chestnut,
you have a little more money.
So when he said 200 to 300, I almost choked.
Not a chance.
You know what's going to cost 200 to 300?
Just the construction part.
You know what's gonna cost another three?
My [bleep].
Gil and Katie told me
they have very different design styles and opinions,
so step one is going to be getting the design concept locked in.
-Thank for coming! -[Gil] Good to see ya. This is so cool.
-That looks great. -Okay. Are you excited?
Yeah. I can't wait.
Very minor tweaks,
-but that I could really-- -[thud]
[drill whirring]
I might kill everyone, Gil.
While Gil's meeting with me in my design center,
I have my contractors there, fixing things.
-Fireplace is-- -[thud]
The fireplace...
And hear them up in the attic.
I get triggered.
-This is why you move out. -One of those day, huh?
-You will murder each other in that apartment. -Yeah.
And then you won't get to enjoy it
because one of you is going to jail.
Are you scared of me?
-No. -Good.
But you and Katie will get along real well.
I could see the fire in her eyes
when I said you guys have to move out.
-Yeah. -She didn't like that.
-She's coming around. It's just, you know... -Thank God, Gil.
...believe me. Yeah.
Okay. So if you want to come in this way, like,
-as you would down the hall... -Yeah, okay.
...walking in that front door,
this space would be perfect for a wine room.
I'm thinking full glass, iron.
I'd love to find a pier mirror that works in the entry
and maybe paint it the same color as the wall,
so it really feels built in.
We'll do all these floors in a patterned marble tile
to pull it all together.
Let's take a turn now into the kitchen.
Okay.
[Alison] It's completely opened up.
[Gil] Mmm-hmm.
[Alison] The white oak herringbone floors
will complement the white oak cabinets throughout.
And then I want to add
a little bit of a reeded design to the island.
It's understated, but it's really elegant.
I think that will be great with this-- this wall's gone,
'cause you'll be able to see the view.
-You see everything. -As you kind of turn the--
-Yeah, it'll be cool. -And it's all about the view.
We're gonna build this custom built-in for the living room
that feels like you're in a parlor in Paris.
The space needs a marble fireplace, of course.
And we're going to add custom trim around the ceiling
and sconces along the entire back wall.
For now, we're keeping this a two-bedroom unit.
Down the hall, you're going to have your theater space
that also has a bar.
So it's a speakeasy kind of feel.
And there's an opportunity
for a big beautiful custom door here.
I just have to find one.
So now we're coming into the main suite.
The main suite is all about luxury,
with tons of marble in every direction,
a big soaking tub, a trough sink,
and closet space with a view.
That's cool by the window 'cause it's...
-I love it like that. -We could fit it in. I think that's kind of fun.
And then really it's right to designing.
And that part, I can't wait for.
Over at Chestnut, Gil and Katie are not moving out
because they're trying to save money
for those special pieces.
So this project has to happen in phases.
The plan is to demo the living space first,
and then phase two is going to be the bathrooms.
It's their call, but this is definitely
going to add a ton of time to the project.
[Katie] Day two, working off of a suitcase.
It's glamorous.
Not even day three
and he's using the sink like a counter.
Let's take a walk
and see where all this noise is coming from.
[machines whirring]
Oh, my God, this is gonna be a long winter.
-Hi, guys. -Hey!
So Gil and Katie are gonna meet me
over at Austin's cabinet shop.
Austin is another client of mine.
He has a custom cabinet shop, and he does beautiful work.
I mean, this is the penthouse.
We've got to do the best of the best.
All right, so I got as many white oak options as possible.
-Okay. -Here is the white oak herringbone.
This is like as pure white oak as you can get.
What are you envisioning with cabinet profile?
[Katie] What we're really aiming for is very modern,
-something very sleek. -Good. So--
-We have solid slab everywhere. -Yep.
-And then I would love to do this on just the island. -Okay.
[Gil] I like the texture, you know.
I don't think you want it all smooth.
-Yeah. You have to. -Yeah.
-Break it up a little bit. -Yeah.
Do you like this tone?
-Or did you like the lighter one? -No.
I like really, really light.
But, like, this is literally raw white oak.
I just-- This is too dark.
-I don't like that. -Okay.
It-- Go-- Here. Come here.
Horrible lighting.
-[Katie] Okay. -Yeah.
-That looks a lot more-- -Yeah.
Like, for the floor, yes.
But for the cabinets,
I think we want very, very like light modern--
like a little bit lighter than that.
Well, you can't go lighter than this with white oak.
This is as white as white oak gets.
You think this was too yellow?
-Or what did you not like about this? -Yeah, I don't--
It's too yellow.
-You're under this light. -Again, it's the light.
-[Alison] But go outside. Go on the sidewalk. -[Gil] Yeah, come here.
That-- I mean, that's a lot lighter
-than the actual daylight. -[Katie] Yeah.
-No, I know. Yeah, that is lighter. -'Cause the light can play--
-And lighter, actually. -the light can play a lot of tricks.
[Alison] Changes drastically.
-Yeah. -[Alison] Trust me on the design stuff.
-I promise, I will give you what you want. -Okay. Okay.
And you get so much natural light in your place.
And the temperature of light that we're doing in your place
will not be this.
I think there's gonna be places for, you know,
both of our tastes.
[sighs] Yeah.
We'll get there.
For the bath two, this is what I'd like to do.
So, not everything's so much of the same.
-Yeah. -That's cool.
-I like the storage under that. -So this is white oak,
white marble, and all brass.
[Katie] Hmm.
-[Gil chuckles nervously] -Um...
-Okay, you guys-- You guys, come on. -[Katie laughs]
I'm your designer. You gotta like--
You gotta tell me what you're thinking.
[Alison] As a designer who does this for a living,
you gotta just tell me what you're thinking.
-Yeah, I don't know if I like the brass. -I think--
-I think the design is really cool. -Ignore the brass.
Ignore the plumbing.
-Okay. -Plumbing is separate.
We can do plumbing in black. We can do plumbing in silver.
We can do plumbing in chrome.
But in here, do you just want to see
a simple, boring-ass cabinet?
-Yeah, no. Yeah. -No.
No.
I know Katie is struggling with like making decisions,
but also we've got to move this project along.
So, unfortunately,
some of these things have to be snap judgment.
Phase one of demo is done,
but the crew just can't tear out
that main bedroom and bathroom until Gil and Katie relocate.
The framing can start in the main living space.
And the guys are installing an in-ceiling sound system in the theater.
Gil calls me and tells me
he is gonna propose to Katie when they're in Paris.
-We're going in, um, November. -November.
I mean, who doesn't love that story?
It's a fairy tale.
Britt's not just my assistant.
She is a jeweler.
So Gil saw on my social media
I was posting about like a ring
that she had made me,
and he was like,
"I wonder if she could help me with the engagement ring."
So this is what the ring is going to look like
when it's completed.
The V-shaped prongs,
which looks the prettiest with the diamond.
No, that looks great.
I think she'll love it.
[Britt] So I'm a fourth-generation jeweler.
I've been in the industry for 25 years now.
-And here is the ring. -Oh, wow!
It's beautiful.
Out of all of them I've seen, I like this one the best.
-[Britt] Perfect. -[chuckles]
[Britt] So we picked the right one.
And she has no idea this is happening?
I'm doing my best to cover my tracks.
[Gil] While all this is done,
we'll have a great time in Paris,
be engaged, get married,
and, uh, then we'll be in our forever home.
[Alison] Most of the walls over at Chestnut are now framed.
Electrical started while Katie and Gil are in Paris.
And we're still waiting on them
to decide on cabinets and flooring.
[ringtone playing]
[connect chimes]
Hello?
-[Gil] Hey! -[Katie] Hi.
[Alison] Oh, bonjour.
Are you at Francois'?
-[both] Yeah. -That mantle's the mantle I almost bought from him.
It might be a little big for the space.
We're trying to scale it out and see.
[Gil] So, where we've been in Paris,
every herringbone floors that we've seen,
I have color-checked.
[Katie] Every damn floor he walks by, he goes,
"What about that? What about that?"
-[Alison] Thank you, Gil. -And then with the walls and ceilings, like--
Oh! What's on the finger?
-Oh. It's... -[Gil] Uh-oh.
Let me see it!
-The other news is... -Oh, my God!
Congratulations.
Britt nailed it.
She's the best.
I can't stop looking at it.
You guys, I got engaged in Paris.
[laughs] That didn't last.
[Gil] I'm sure it was fun at the time.
-It was so fun. -He's ignoring me.
Okay, lovebirds.
[Gil] Awesome. See you soon.
Bisou, bisou.
Two weeks later, and they're finally back from Paris.
Construction's moving,
but Gil and Katie still haven't made any decisions
on cabinets and floors.
And half the project is sitting
until they actually move out,
because the crew can't get in to demo
while they're actually living in the main suite.
-Hi. -[Gil] Hey.
God, look at this.
-Hi, Gil. -Nice to see ya.
Congrats in person.
Oh, thanks so much.
Was the rest of the trip awesome?
Oh, it was excellent. Yeah.
[Alison] It looks beautiful. Like, you walk in
and you're really just like
completely enveloped in the sky.
-Hi, Russ. Nice to meet you. -Very nice to meet you.
I know you and Kristy have met.
Get everyone in the room because we're demo'd
and now is the time.
Let's talk mantles.
How big of a TV are you putting in here?
77". So I think--
So 77" is going to be...
-[Gil] 62". -Jesus, Gil.
Can't you have smaller in here?
What do you want from me? That's...
Bigger your TV,
the more expensive your mantle is.
Oh, let's go get a measurement.
I was shopping yesterday and I saw this massive bar.
The first thing I thought was Chestnut.
-Yes! -All right.
It's exactly 12 feet.
-This is a man bar. -Man bar?
It's a big-ass beautiful old Chicago bar.
I'm sorry, does that say 15,000?
-[Kristy] Yes. -[Gil] It does.
Okay. Well, I'll get the price down.
-All right. -Hey, what about this?
You know, you're not really getting a front door here
With a high-rise like this,
the big wow is when you walk in that door.
So you walk in this door that's just unassuming,
And then you turn left
and we kind of get our big front door feel here.
Or did you want an arch?
-This was something I wanted to hear your thoughts. -I want an arch.
[Russ] Right now, you want it 5 feet?
And how high can I go?
You could start the arch at the top of the ceiling
and then come down.
I like this concept.
I also have a great idea for the powder room door.
I have a door that I bought in Paris years ago.
It's in my garage.
-[Gil] Oh, wow. -[Russ] That's it.
-Thank you so much. -This is my engagement gift.
Now, the one thing that I really want is this molding.
[Gil] That would look cool.
This molding would literally sit on the ceiling flat.
This couldn't be more French.
-No, it's cool. -[Russ] And the mantle,
is that something we're gonna install, too?
-Yeah. -Okay.
[Alison] All right, samples.
-I need you laser-focused... -Laser-focused on these floors.
...on the floors and the cabinets,
because I don't know what else to do at this point.
-[Gil] Mmm-hmm. -You know?
-No, I think we need to make the decision. -Yeah.
-Quick question. -Yeah?
So this is an elevated step up
so we get to the tub over here.
We're very limited.
We were kind of holding on that until they demo,
because we still don't know
why you have such a big step right now.
Are we delaying the project by doing this phase?
Until Gil and Katie move out,
nothing can happen.
I can't make decisions.
I can't demo.
We don't know what's under there.
So it's like I can make all the floor plans in the world,
none of them could be possible once we start demo.
So the longer they take to move out,
the longer this whole thing's gonna take.
If we had the whole thing,
I would 100% commit to, you know, April, May.
Get out.
Okay. I'm gonna look into it.
Get out.
The longer you stay here in the construction zone,
you delay yourself from moving into your house.
-Yeah. -That's crazy to me.
Get out.
Talk to Katie
and just really weigh the pros and cons.
And good luck to you.
We'll get there. Don't worry.
-I know you're going to get there. -We'll get the ball
-across the finish line. -Okay.
[Alison] The bar I found for Gil is expensive,
and I know it's gonna sell fast,
but I put it on hold to make sure
he loves it as much as I do.
Whoa.
I like it.
For the theater man cave, this will be great.
-You know how you said Ditka's was your like Cheers? -What do you think?
This is new Ditka's.
Now you're gonna have Ditka's right in your own house.
-Exactly. -Come check it out.
See if you're comfy back here.
-Oh, that's cool. -It's so cool.
So is it-- uh, if the bar is wider than the mirror?
-Is that all right? -Yeah.
Or we widen it? Or build something next to it--
I love it because I want to do a piece of art right there.
-Okay. Yeah, let's do it. -Sold?
[Alison] You know what they say in French.
-What's that? -Vendu.
Vendu.
Ooh. Come on.
I found this pier mirror.
-[Alison gasps] -That's cool.
Those light fixtures are beautiful, Gil.
-Yeah. -Because, remember, that matches kind of
-the trim we're doing on the ceiling. -Yeah.
-So it's 900 bucks. -[Gil] Yeah.
Please buy this.
-Yeah, I like it. Let's do it. -Yes?
-God, you're easy. -Good.
-Done and done. -[Gil] All right.
Lots of work going on over at Chestnut today,
and Gil and Katie are finally moving out.
[Gil] I can't believe we're leaving this wonderland.
We are moving out of our oasis today
for a couple of months.
[Gil] She calls it moving.
I call it being kicked out.
[laughs]
[Katie] Yeah, we were asked to leave.
-We're not doing this on our own accord. -[Gil] No.
It's gonna, you know, speed up the whole process.
So we need everything boxed up that we want to store
and we can't get at until June.
I thought it was kind of fun camping.
I mean, we had a great setup.
We had the hot plate, we had the toaster oven,
the air fryer all on top of the tub.
We were doing great.
We gave it the good college try.
It was economical, but
for our sanity and our relationship...
-[Katie] Our relationship. -...and get out of Jason, Dustin and Russ' hair,
-you know, it's the right move. -Yeah.
[Gil] We got a great sublease.
So we're gonna be closer to the river kind of in Streeterville.
And Rupert is happy too.
-He's very excited to... -But, uh--
...have more space than just this.
[Alison] Now that Katie and Gil have moved,
the crew can finish demo in the back
and find out what's going on in that bathroom
so we can finally lock in the design.
-Hey! -Hey, Alison.
All right, so I've got a penthouse apartment
here in Chicago.
We don't have a real front door opportunity
because it's a big building.
But I do have an opportunity to do something really,
really badass for the theater/bar area.
-So I'm kind of envisioning like more French. -Right.
So I would love to see like what you have arch-wise.
Ooh, what's that one behind there?
[gasps] I love this.
[Don] This is a single door.
It's 54 inches wide by 108 tall.
In Alexandria Egypt,
this would have been a door that
was an entryway to a loggia
and to probably a very large estate--
That is unbelievable.
And then you have your big strap hinges right here.
[Alison] And just the fact that it's this massive arch single door,
it's so unexpected,
especially in like a Chicago penthouse.
[Don] It's fairly rare.
Most normal houses,
even during the French colonization of Egypt,
didn't have doors this big. So, um...
[Alison] That's unreal.
Unreal.
How much is that?
$3,200.
[Alison] First I need to make sure
if I can get this thing in the elevator.
And I got to show it to my client.
So I'm hoping to have an answer for you right away.
Yeah, I've got you covered.
No problem.
Over at Chestnut, electricians are installing ceiling lights
throughout the entire theater.
At this point, Katie and Gil have asked Austin
for way more than 30 cabinet samples,
trying to figure out what this white oak finish
Katie is stuck on.
Okay, Chestnut cabinets.
-Yes. -Okay.
In his quote, did he revise this number to be a veneer?
-Yeah. -Okay.
So now we need to call Austin.
-Hello? -Hello.
-Hey. -We have your samples.
I know you're gonna get those from Brett.
The guys said that they're gonna be
ready for cabinets in a month.
That'd be really tough.
More like two months, you know? One and a half.
Okay, let me look into a couple of things
and I'll get back to you.
-Okay. -Can I see those numbers for Austin?
I just want to get pricing to Gil to be like,
"Here's how much your cabinets are.
And here's how much your flooring is."
[Kristy] The first round was at 95.
$95,000?
-Yes. -[exclaims]
What the [bleep] is Austin talking about?
Alison, it's white oak.
Gil's not gonna pay 100 grand for [bleep] cabinets.
[Kristy] The first round was at 95.
$95,000?
Yes. Alison, it's white oak.
That's why I want to do veneer.
That also includes install.
Gil's not gonna pay 100 grand for [bleep] cabinets.
What does he think it's gonna cost him, though?
-Oh, God, I don't know. -Like, it's a fully-integrated--
My house didn't cost 100 grand.
Gil's never gonna do that.
Christine, can you deal with Austin?
Directly, please?
On timelines?
-Or on the veneers? -Veneers.
And you have to remember, like,
he's paneling this whole thing here.
I don't think that's out of line
-for the material that they picked. -Really?
White oak is normally high.
We don't know what this is.
It's even higher right now.
[Alison] I always knew their $300,000 budget
was not going to cover their expensive tastes.
So, you know, this stuff just adds up really fast
and they don't want to bend
on the high-end design finishes.
We're getting so close to wrapping up electrical over at Chestnut.
It has been such an extensive part of this renovation,
but the impact when we're done is going to be huge.
In the main bath, the marble flooring is going in.
And I wanna go check out the progress.
-Wow. -[laughs] Yeah.
-[laughs] -It's massive.
[Julius] This is quite the view.
I mean, it's going to be a pain in the ass
-getting stuff up. -Yeah.
[Alison] Designing a high-end project like this one
means I need the best carpenters out there.
That's gonna be Julius for this one.
He blew me away at his audition.
Oh, Julius.
You took something old,
turned it into something new,
-and then made it look old again. -Right.
That's very cool.
So meeting Julius, we're going over the built-in
that is gonna be in the family room.
-So here is our wall. -Okay.
That's what this place is all about,
-is like that additional molding. -Is the detail. Mmm-hmm.
And that molding is gonna give us a very European feel.
Do you want to do anything about
beveling the front edge of the shelf?
-Yeah. -Or do I just leave it? Okay.
[Alison] Just do like an ogee or something, you know?
And then this is going to be a ceiling detail.
So it adds another layer of detailing.
There's lights on the shelves as well. Correct?
-We'll just do strip lighting? -Yeah.
This is just gonna be a great way
to give them additional lighting in each cove.
And then we have sconces
all the way around the perimeter of the room.
So it's going to be ample lighting in a unit like this,
where you can't do recessed lighting
without dropping the ceiling.
And I just think it's going to be so pretty at night.
The drywall is finally going up over a chestnut.
And it was like pulling teeth,
but we actually made some design progress.
Forty-two cabinet samples until a decision was made.
Forty-two.
So I'm gonna work with Katie today
choosing slabs to try to push this project along,
instead of all the back and forth
that's going on over email.
Let's go stone shopping.
Katie's having a really hard time making decisions,
and I can't like force her hand,
but I can hold her hand.
So I think holding her hand
through this process of countertops
is really important.
-Oh, jeez. -I'm gonna do something totally different.
I'm gonna walk with you, and I just want you to tell me
which one stops you and why.
It's speed dating.
Which one would you go out with?
Like, are you into the greens and the blues?
[Katie] Potentially.
-Isn't that pretty? -Yeah.
But I like the green. Like, it's very subtle.
-I like that. -Okay.
[gasps] Guess whose kitchen this is in.
This one?
Wow. I love that.
-You do? -I do. But I don't know.
-Okay. What about powder room? -Maybe.
Come on down this way.
Yeah, this goes too veiny.
-Isn't that pretty? -[Katie] It is really pretty.
You will fall in love with something
and you will know it's right.
-Okay. -This is not it.
No.
You'll see it. We're going to come up to it very soon.
I'm also trying to gage your reactions.
Like, if you look at this and you're like, "Keep going,"
-it's not-- Keep going. Okay. -Keep going. Here's why.
You've got this busyness of the city
hugging your apartment.
-This is just too busy. -Okay.
[Katie] Neutral is my aesthetic.
Everything I wear is like gray, black, white, beige.
So I'm just stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit.
-That's gorgeous. -That's really pretty.
It's majestic.
"Majestic"!
-Sexy. Yeah. -Sexy!
-Mmm. Yeah. -These are all love words.
I've never done speed dating.
But I definitely knew when I found the one
for the kitchen.
I hope he likes this,
'cause if he doesn't, it doesn't really matter.
[Alison] If Gil doesn't like something,
I don't think he's gonna be much of a fighter.
They really just need to make a decision about these finishes.
They don't have time on their side anymore
if they want to keep their project on schedule.
[Alison] Now that we've locked in all the design decisions,
we can finally start getting the finishes in.
And Julius can install that beautiful built-in.
I am real far outside the city...
Hi, guys.
-[Russ] Hello. How are you? -[Jason] Hello.
[Alison] ...to retrofit all these pieces that I found for Chestnut.
So it's worth making the trip,
especially to go over all the details.
This is the side that's gonna go closest to...
-The entrance. -The entrance.
-Correct. Yes. -This is the window.
I think we had 12 total feet.
[Russ] A typical freight elevator is 13 to 14 foot high.
We have some challenges with this one
because it's only 9-foot tall.
So we're gonna have to modify some pieces
in order to get it up to the 57th floor.
Cut it in the middle,
you can still have the round on both sides.
Yeah, 'cause I still like the radius on both sides.
Behind you would be the window.
[Alison] Let's go over this.
Once you guys get this to the site,
it's just going to get painted the same as the wall color.
It's literally going to blend into the wall.
Yeah. And then this is,
of course, this is the powder room door.
I have had this door
for probably like three or four years.
It's from Paris.
So this is my engagement gift
to Gil and Katie.
That's a pretty damn good engagement gift.
[Russ] Oh, I love it.
[upbeat music playing]
[Alison] Jason's guys are gonna retrofit the bar
in the shop
so they can squeeze it into the elevator
when they get to Chestnut.
Issues that Julius is currently dealing with.
[machine whirring]
[Julius] A little tricky getting inside the building
because when you're dealing with a high-rise downtown,
logistically, you gotta deal with the tenants
that are in the building
and fitting everything on the elevator
and like, going through the security checkpoints.
So far, so good.
Oh, yes.
I mean, it's like arch heaven.
Walking into Chestnut is
like my Parisian dream.
But like you have all this stuff to look at
that you almost forget about the view.
You forget you're in the penthouse.
That's good design.
This is going to look ridiculous.
What color are you thinking the pier mirror?
-White. Same as the wall color. -[Kristy] White.
It's overdone, but it's understated with paint.
-Yeah. -[upbeat music playing]
The floor is stunning.
God, this is dreamy.
Behind the scenes on this one
has been more emails
than I've ever seen in my life.
And I get it, right?
It's a lot of money for Gil and Katie,
but like, trust us.
That's why you hired me.
-[gasps] Hi, Julius. -Hey, Alison.
We have some decorative pieces for you.
-I can put it on with a pin now. -[gasps]
The way this is going to look with this.
Get some cool brass stuff.
I don't care if Katie says no.
We're getting the brass ones.
Well, most of it will be covered by her stuff.
God, this is beautiful.
I mean, this door, this bar,
this is out-of-control great.
[Kristy] And I was worried about this in the plan.
Like, it fit, but I didn't know
how tight this would feel.
It feels amazing.
Wow.
Wow, wow.
They have a huge bedroom still.
Like the floor plan that you redid is
ridiculously good.
Finally, maybe Katie's gonna be happy.
The main suite is behind schedule.
Duh, go figure.
I told them to move out, here we are.
And we're what, a month away?
It's gonna be jaw-dropping.
I'm excited.
And then for us as designers, like come on, this is a dream.
[instrumental music playing]
Oh, wow.
Oh, my God, this looks so good.
-Just wait till lighting and wine. -I know.
[Alison] I'm out of town,
and there's so many details that come in at the end.
There's also been so many emails
with Katie questioning everything.
[Katie] I didn't realize
that it was going to be like its own little nook.
I think that's why I couldn't visualize it.
But yes, that makes sense now.
[Alison] This has been a really heavy lift
on our end,
so I'm gonna have Kristy walk through
and get these decisions locked up
so we can wrap up this project.
[Kristy] Now that we've got all this in, like,
-I feel like you can really kind of feel... -Yeah.
-...how we changed it. -Oh, my...
It's a beautiful contrast
with how sleek this is
to the ornate white.
[Katie] Oh, my gosh.
It's like a whole new place in two weeks.
[upbeat music playing]
[Katie] Wow.
[gasps]
It's beautiful. [chuckles]
This pulls in perfectly
with like the floor, the cabinets.
So the cabinets nearly killed me.
I never thought that I could overanalyze.
White oak, colors, wood, so much of my life.
And they look extremely high end.
I'm glad that
that we did those custom cabinets throughout.
'Cause they look awesome.
So these panels get antique mirror
-with the sconce going on top of it. -Okay.
[Katie] This looks so good.
[Kristy] It doesn't come out too far,
so it's not eating up too much space.
[Katie] Oh, I didn't even notice that.
Like, you guys know what you're doing or something.
[Kristy chuckles] We try.
-This is what happens when I don't come up every day... -[chuckles]
...and micromanage. Things get [chuckling] done.
Sometimes I have analysis paralysis
and I overthink a lot of things.
So I think I just need to step [chuckling] away,
trust that Alison's team knows what they're doing,
which they've done a phenomenal job.
Let's go explore.
You are going to die.
-Okay. -Open up.
-Holy [bleep]. -[Gil] Oh.
[upbeat music playing]
[Alison] So finishing touches,
like I want this to be a transformation.
So let's do maybe one plant in each corner,
you know, so it matches.
Candles lit, like the experience.
Super light, like we don't want to overcrowd it
because we're in the penthouse.
It's got to be perfect.
It's got to be just right.
I think we need to move everything back.
Open the room up a little more.
Let's get rid of the cutting board,
'cause I don't like the finish.
We could lose the utensils.
-Get rid of that little baby plant. Yep. -This one?
You know, it's contemporary, so I think less is more.
Oh, we could do another piece of mine in here.
Those are going to be for the bar.
Yeah. Let's see.
No, it looks cheap.
It's cheap-looking, for sure.
Well, this is for, you know, as you get older.
-Okay, well, you're the one... -Like, you know, up close.
...that keeps talking about being old.
I look younger than you, actually.
I don't think so.
-A little bit. -I don't think so.
You want to go to a bar right now?
I have a fresh face.
Versus what I have?
It looks fresher. You have more makeup on.
I don't have any makeup on!
I literally have fake eyelashes
and under-eye concealer.
-Whatever. -[both chuckle]
[upbeat music playing]
[Gil] Today is the big day,
so we can finally move back home.
Uh, and this is the last time
that you will see all these boxes.
Oops, I mean it,
because we're never renovating or moving ever again.
Thank you, bye.
[Alison] We are up in the sky,
and it is the quintessential
Alison Victoria design.
Welcome to your new Parisian-Chicago flat.
Open up.
Oh, my God.
Holy [bleep].
[exhilarating instrumental music playing]
[Gil] Whoa.
-Holy [bleep]. -[Gil] Oh.
-[Katie] Oh-- -That's the door you gave us
-for our engagement. -[Alison] Yes!
There's no powder room like this.
[Gil] Oh, wow.
-[Katie] Wow. -[Gil chuckling]
[Katie] This is insane.
[Gil] I mean, this is awesome.
I'm going to...
control my language, but it's moody AF.
[Alison] We'll bleep you a lot
-because I think it's going to be great. -[Gil laughing]
[Katie] I am obsessed.
It looks [bleep] phenomenal.
I don't think we could have anticipated
anything like this, so.
-I mean, then there's so many creative aspects... -[Katie] Yeah.
-[Gil] ...to everything and-- -It looks so clean,
so modern.
It's perfect.
But look at this now.
-I know that the pier mirror was a surprise to you... -Oh. Wow.
...but come and look at this.
[Katie] This looks really good.
I thought that it was gonna stick out a lot,
and honestly, it looks so good.
This tile, which I know you were like--
-No, it's incredible. -[Alison] You were really like,
"No, I don't think so." I'm like, we wanted something different
-because we knew we were gonna do... -[Gil] Yeah.
[Alison] ...herringbone everywhere.
I think it was, like, a moment too, of letting go,
-'cause, like, I'm a control freak-- -Yeah.
-I know who you are. -...every aspect of my life.
-[Gil laughing] -This was hard for you.
So let's go explore.
-[Katie] White oak. -[Alison] Look at this.
-See? Who knew that I could overthink... -Oh, my God.
-[Alison] Uh-huh. -...a wood color?
-[Gil chuckling] Yeah. -[Alison] It looks amazing.
-You are going to die. -Okay.
Open up.
-Holy [bleep]. -[Gil] Oh.
[upbeat music playing]
The future of kitchens is in your penthouse.
-[Katie] Yeah. -[Alison] Where it looks like
it's part of the family room.
Everything is hidden,
still, like, sexy and European,
timeless, classy, slab everywhere,
reeded,
the herringbone.
-And look, that entire wall is pantry. -[Katie] Yeah.
[Katie gasps]
-[Gil] Oh, my God, yeah. -That-- oh! [chuckles]
[chuckling] Disregard all the moaning,
-but that is it. -[Gil laughing]
-It's sexy. - [Alison] Yeah.
-[Gil] Yeah. -[Katie] That is beautiful.
You know why? Because it's like architectural,
-but it still looks like bubbles. -[Katie] Yeah.
-[Alison] It just kind of floats in the sky. -[Katie] Yeah.
The trim looks like it's been here forever,
-but we painted over it. -[Gil] Oh, my God.
[Alison] Julius and the built-in--
-[Katie] Oh, wait, yeah. Can I see the... -Yes.
[Katie] ...look at this space.
[Katie] Oh, my God! This looks so good.
-[Gil] Oh, the mantel. -[Alison] Look at this.
[Katie] It's perfect.
-[Gil] He did an amazing job. - [Katie] And those sconces, wow.
But like, the reflection of the antique glass.
-[Gil] Mm-hmm. -[Katie] Yeah.
-[Alison] So you get the view... -[Katie] Yes.
[Alison] ...which is what it's all about.
-Well, I guess it's not about the view anymore, is it? -[Gil] It's amazing.
-The view is right here. -[Gil] Yeah.
- Yeah. -[Katie] Wow.
[Alison] It now looks like
it's quadrupled the space.
The mantel is
-the dreamiest thing. -[Katie] Yeah.
Oh, my God. This is what I've been waiting for.
[Alison] I love seeing Katie like this.
-I'm crazy. -This is awesome.
-But I'm like-- -Well, all the good ones are.
I knew it was just going to take some time
for you to just warm up, let go.
And you did.
And look at what happened because of that.
[Katie] It's perfect.
-Do you want the next surprise? -[Katie and Gil] Yes.
[upbeat music playing]
[whoops]
[Alison] This is a massive transformation.
-Look at the bar. -[Gil] Wow.
[Katie] This is insane.
[Alison] Just clean, sexy,
-and it works with the beautiful stone. -[Gil] Mmm.
-[Katie] It's beautiful. -[Gil] Yeah.
[Alison] You have tons of storage under here.
-And then putting the antique mirror again... -[Gil] Yeah.
[Alison] ...it bounces and opens it up
-even more. - [Katie] Yeah.
[Gil] You looked at that gigantic bar,
and I was like, "I love it".
-But like, remember? -Yeah.
-Well, see, this is what happened. -[Katie] I was pissed.
-It was a long ride home to Michigan. [chuckles] -Yeah. I'm a lot to handle.
-I know you are a lot to handle. -Oh, no, I was like,
"What the hell is that?"
'Cause it didn't fit in
with the whole, like, contemporary thing.
And I was worried that it was going to be, like, quirky.
But in retrospect, right,
-when you say you're difficult which you are,... -Yeah. Yeah.
...I know what I want.
Yeah. Obviously, you know what you're [chuckles] doing.
-And that is the sickest door... -[Katie] Yeah.
-[Alison] ...of all doors. -[Katie] No words.
[Alison] The backside, to me, looked like a vault.
The front side looked like you were in Versailles.
It's such a good mix of masculine, feminine,
-sexy, and timeless. -[Katie] I love it.
[Alison] French, but Chicago.
-[Gil] Everything here has a story. It's unreal. - [Alison] Yeah.
-You want to see your bedroom? -Yes.
The one you guys refused to move out of?
[Katie] Wow.
So you stayed in here
long enough to make breakfast in your bathroom
-every morning. -Like a freaking animal.
But you know what? You guys are both animals,
-because you both stayed here. -[Gil laughing]
And you should have gotten out,
because I could have done my work way faster.
[Gil] This is such a better use of space
-than we had before. -[Alison] You remember?
-You had way more room. - [Gil] We had like, a 25-foot-long bedroom.
[Alison] But it wasn't used right.
-[Katie] Yeah. -[Alison] It should be soft,
-it should be quiet, and it should be calm. -[Katie] Yeah.
- [Katie] Yeah. I really like this. - [Gil] Yeah.
Okay, come see your bathroom.
[Katie] Well, this is what we saw in France.
We saw the trough sink
and we were like, "Oh, my God, yes."
-The marble is so soft. -[Alison] Yeah.
-[Gil] Yeah. -[Katie] The drama.
'Cause it is drama.
It's something that you have to appreciate
-in the natural stone. -[Gil] Yeah.
-Because if you didn't... -[Katie] Yeah.
...we wouldn't have done that art wall right there...
-[Gil] Look at that. - [Alison] ...which is crazy.
[Katie] Unbelievable.
[Alison] You get to like sit on a bench
and a waterfall falls on you.
-[Gil] Does it get too hot? [chuckles] - [Alison] Yeah.
I can't imagine
that there's a better unit in this building.
We had a great coach.
What do you expect?
You let me design.
You made it difficult,
-but you let me design. -[both chuckle]
-Yeah. -And when you let me design,
I can really do great things.
If this is the last thing I do in Chicago,
it's the best thing I've ever done in Chicago.
It's perfection.
[Gil] You guys did such a great job.
To say I didn't lowball the budget would be a lie.
[chuckles]
After all the plumbing and all the stuff,
I think we came at around $550,000.
With all Alison and her team's help,
we probably created $300,000 or $400,000 in equity.
This is so out of the realm
of anything I would ever come up with.
I can't wait to just bring our friends up here
and just blow their minds.
We're the hot [bleep].
-Like, the apartment and the condo, that's us. -[Gil laughing]
-[Katie] Honestly-- -[Gil] It is majestic.
[Katie] It is majestic.
All of it, yes.
[Alison] This is beyond
what Gil and Katie could have ever imagined.
It's like a masterpiece.
This is a massive, massive show off spot.