Wm. B. Sullivan Realty & Co.
Estate Planning and General Law

RAVINIA
"A Great time in a
Wonderful Place" SJC 

EXPERIENCED HUSBAND-AND-WIFE TEAM OFFERS
WOOD-MODE & BROOKHAVEN CABINETRY, DESIGN/BUILD CAPABILITIES

Karen and Guiseppe (“Joe”) Santelli are excited to announce the opening of Santelli Custom Cabinetry, a cabinetry design/build firm in River Forest. The new firm will feature Wood-Mode (custom) and Brookhaven (semi-custom) cabinetry, as well as Santelli hand-crafted custom cabinetry.

Karen, a kitchen and bath designer, together with her husband Joe, a veteran cabinetmaker and carpenter, are expanding their repertoire and their client territory by launching this all-new firm. The company builds on their combined experience and specializes in designing, fabricating and installing new cabinetry throughout the home.

“Because of my background, I am pretty critical of any wood working,” said Joe. “I grew up watching my father, a cabinet maker in Italy, who constantly told me anything short of perfection, just isn’t acceptable, so I look at it with a different eye than your average person.”

“Joe looks at cabinetry even differently than I do,” Karen noted. “While I focus on the detail and design, Joe looks at everything from the hinges to the construction of the interior boxes as well as the cabinetry finish to ensure that not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but functional as well and meets the highest construction standards. If he wouldn’t put it in our own house, he wouldn’t put it in a client’s house. So the quality of each cabinet we sell, meets the highest standards,” she said.

“When Karen and I talked about opening a design firm in River Forest, in addition to our own handcrafted cabinetry, we wanted to offer a line we could place in the homes of our friends and family with confidence,” said Joe. “After looking at many cabinetry lines from Spain and Germany to the United States, we knew it had to be Wood-Mode and Brookhaven cabinetry, in addition to the line I build. I just wouldn’t work with a manufacturer I don’t have confidence in. I’ve been to the Wood-Mode/Brookhaven factory in Pennsylvania; I’ve watched them make the cabinetry and was impressed.”

Santelli Custom Cabinetry can provide a wide range of cabinetry options to meet any budget, explained Karen. “This is a benefit to our area, as many homes in and around River Forest are in need of updating, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms—the two rooms which provide the highest return on the remodeling dollar.”

By offering three different cabinetry choices, the Santellis can virtually do anything—from implementing all-new Brookhaven kitchen cabinets to installing a new Wood-Mode vanity in the partially remodeled bath to refacing existing cabinets with Santelli custom doors that perfectly match.

What sets Santelli Custom Cabinetry apart from the competition, noted Joe, “is that we own and operate our own millshop, where we have the capability to fabricate anything. Being able to offer our clients a choice of custom or semi-custom cabinetry and at the same time having the capability to fabricate a missing trim piece or to replicate one cabinet to add storage to an existing kitchen, provides us with a competitive edge.”

Because of this, he added, “we are able to help homeowners keep their costs down while at the same time maintaining the integrity of a home by incorporating some of the existing cabinetry within their homes that may just need a little reinforcing. Not only are they saving on their budget, but they also feel a sense of comfort in knowing that they have recycled some of their cabinetry without compromising on design. In addition to owning a millshop and showroom, we also have our own construction company and crew. Being able to offer our clients everything under one roof helps to eliminate confusion and added costs. I think it’s another thing that sets us apart from our competition.”

Plus, “we pride ourselves on incorporating a wide range of unique materials into our projects, including various resins as well as eco-friendly and recycled materials. Using unusual materials in traditional settings is something we love to incorporate in our projects,” said Karen. “Often times, our clients want something different, but are limited by the design and materials used in other areas throughout their homes. By providing them with a design that includes both a unique and traditional design, is something that we have become known for. Our approachable pricing, products and design work go beyond form and function because we love what we do.”

The Santellis obviously cover a wide terrain. For example, they’re currently engaged in a dual bathroom overhaul in a luxury residence on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive as well as projects in Door County, Wis, and Lakeside, Ind. Closer to home, they’ve just completed construction of a new home where both semi-custom and custom cabinetry were installed throughout the house.

“Homeowners who want to get a better idea of Karen and Joe’s repertoire should really visit their brand-new showroom,” said Karla Krengel, Chief Executive Officer for Chicago-based Krengel & Associates, which represents Wood-Mode and Brookhaven cabinetry dealers in the Midwest. “The Santellis have six kitchen displays and one entertainment vignette. I just love to go there and walk through their showroom. Something unique and different catches my eye every time.”

Case in point: Brookhaven’s Lake Shore kitchen, which is on display there. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a Shaker style traditional look, with a Nordic white painted finish and a colonial beaded full overlay door style—perfect for a River Forest home.

Another eye-catching kitchen display features Wood-Mode vertical bamboo cabinetry sporting aluminum edge banding, a natural-finish flat panel door style, brushed metal toe kick, a divider to organize utensils, and a double pullout to store cleaning supplies under the sink.

“Our new affiliation with Wood-Mode and Brookhaven adds to our versatility and greatly benefits River Forest homeowners. We’re just so excited and pleased to be here, I can’t even tell you,” said Karen. “These are exciting times for our business, exciting times indeed.”

Santelli Custom Cabinetry is located at 7621 W. Lake St. in River Forest. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. For more information, phone (708) 771-3884 or visit SantelliCC.com.