At Kitchen Classics of Wilmette, there are no cookie cutter solutions to designing a great kitchen. As Ed and Nancy Hillner see it, no two kitchens are alike because no two clients are alike. According to them each installation must artfully reflect the individual needs and tastes of each and every customer.
Since 1975 the Hillners have designed and executed kitchens for discerning consumers who do not simply wish to spend their money, but wish to invest it with care. In doing so, Kitchen Classics has earned an outstanding reputation among Chicago area architects and a predominantly North Shore clientele.
"To us a kitchen isn’t simply a matter of cabinets, countertops, hardware, lighting, plumbing and appliances," says co-owner Nancy Hillner. "The kitchen is the heart of the home. The solutions we are asked to provide need to capture this essential fact, one kitchen at a time."
It’s a philosophy that’s easier said than done. "Early on we made the decision to stay small in order to give our customers the intense personal care and attention that our particular style of doing business demands," Nancy states.
Today Kitchen Classics relies primarily on referrals from numerous satisfied customers, designers and architects to succeed in a highly competitive marketplace. With two principals and a loyal staff of seven dedicated professionals including drafts-people and master carpenters, the business continues to conceptualize, specify, detail and install to bring dream kitchens to life in distinctive North Shore and Gold Coast homes and high rises, from initial planning sessions to final finishing touches.
According to Ed and Nancy, the average cost for a complete custom kitchen is approximately $50,000. "Quite frankly, depending on the cabinetry, materials and appliances selected, the cost can go up from there," says Ed. "Often, way up."
Throughout much of the life of the business, Brown, Kaplan & Liss LLP has been the accounting firm for Kitchen Classics. "We originally came together over a tax audit problem relating to Ed’s previous business," Nancy recalls. "Paul represented us in the audit and won every point that the IRS had questioned. "From the very beginning we’ve enjoyed a very special relationship with Paul and his people not only on day-to-day business matters but on issues affecting benefits and profit sharing for our employees, and planning for our retirement."
What particularly has impressed Nancy over the years is the firm’s willingness to tailor their services to her style of operating the administrative side of the business. "I detest computers," she readily admits. "Call it stubborn, call it irrational, call it whatever you like, but I simply can’t abide the notion of putting our billing, payroll and office systems on computer. I think most CPA firms long ago would have told me to computerize or else. "But Paul has never pressured me--even as his firm has grown in size and sophistication. And his staff has been wonderful in dealing with my admittedly old-fashioned way of running the office." "Adapting to the needs and desires of our clientele is how we’ve done business for 22 years," Nancy says. "You have no idea how much I appreciate the fact that Brown, Kaplan & Liss LLP does business by adhering to the exact same principle."
