Meet Mary Wave and Carole Gabel of Real Sisters Design in Park Ridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Wave and Carole Gabel.

Mary and Carole, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We are two Chicago-born-and-bred sisters. We grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago in a loving home. Our house was a classic Georgian that our mother painstakingly decorated. We remember vividly when Irv, the decorator, would come with his ring of samples to get the place in tip-top shape. We lived through shag, flocked wallpaper, and colorful baths. Our mom was very influential in shaping our style. Not only did she decorate, but she was a master shopper. We got our eye for style from her, for certain. Fast forward……directly out of college we both had jobs that paid the bills but for different reasons, didn’t feed our souls. First Mary took the leap and started sewing drapes and bedding then Carole joined to make it a true family business. We’ve been working together for years now. Each of us has our contribution and together we are a force. We often say, if you can get 2 sisters to agree you’re going to have a great result.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the most part, it has been smooth, however, we ARE sisters. We have had our share of Lucy and Ethyl moments. There was a time when our installer was busy and we needed to install a tiny window treatment on the 26th floor of a beautiful home on Lake Shore Drive. Let me preface by saying, one of us was pregnant! The window was deep set hanging out over the street…The job that would have taken the installer about 3 minutes tops, took us about 45. We had to climb down numerous times because we were so hot, it was a little difficult to maneuver around the belly. Then we had to stop from the laughter. Eventually it got done, but let’s just say, now we rarely go anywhere without our installer. In reality, the toughest time was the 2008 recession. Many businesses had to close their doors. For so long the strong market kept the building and design sector afloat, but when the housing market crumbled, the design industry did too. Thankfully because of our strong client base we persevered, and we are stronger for it.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Real Sisters Design – what should we know?
We are a full-service design firm. In the beginning our business was mostly window treatments. We worked for homeowners and in addition we were often hired by interior designers. We began doing full service design jobs for our repeat clients who often told their friends about us. We have worked via word of mouth for years.

We now do consulting on kitchens, baths, flooring, tile, and furniture. We do small color consults all the way up to full house renovations. We’ve even been hired for outdoor projects. We are known mostly for being two sisters that work together well. People are so intrigued by this. Some don’t know we are sisters right away, so when they witness a tiny 🙂 disagreement, we have to tell them, “we are sisters”, and they then exclaim, “Oh, now we get it”. It’s as though the bickering and banter make people more comfortable, we love that irony!

What sets us apart is that there are two of us and we work on all projects together. Two heads work better than one in our case. Our clients become family. When you work with us it’s like working with your own sister but without the stress.

Another trait that sets us apart is honesty. We’ve been known to ever so delicately tell you that we don’t agree with you. We are always seeking a solution that all can agree on, one that is aesthetically pleasing and a reflection of you, always with budget in mind.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We owe everything to our clients. They have truly kept us in business. We have clients from years ago that keep doing projects each year. We’ve watched babies grow to have babies of their own. They tell their friends and so on. We would not be where we are today without them. We build strong relationships and in doing so make great friends and advocates.

Pricing:

• $100 initial consultation that is applied to a purchase
• $75 per hour for all design work

Contact Info:

• Website: realsistersdesign.com
• Phone: 847.644.5885 847.644.5856
• Email: realsistersdesign@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realsistersdesign/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/realsistersdesign/real-sisters-design

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.