European-style and custom kitchens for Elmhurst homes

Cottage Hill, Prairie houses and Mies

Elmhurst began as Cottage Hill, named for Gerry Bates's Hill Cottage tavern of 1843, which the Elmhurst Historical Museum calls the oldest building in town. The railroad arrived in 1849, the town took the name Elmhurst in 1869, and it incorporated in 1882. The fire of 1871 brought wealthy families from Chicago, and the town has large houses of that era, among them Wilder Mansion of 1868 and Glos Mansion of 1892, now City Hall. Elmhurst holds Frank Lloyd Wright's F.B. Henderson House of 1901, Walter Burley Griffin's Emery House of 1903, and the McCormick House of 1952, one of three houses Mies van der Rohe designed in the United States, moved to the Elmhurst Art Museum in 1994. In the 1920s builders added Spanish Revival houses; Tudors went up on the grounds of the former Lindlahr Sanitarium.

Elmhurst protects individual landmarks; we found no local historic district on the city's pages. In January 2026, Patch reported that the preservation commission said a district for the Arlington-Kenilworth area "may be of little significance at this point," because many of the historic homes there have already been torn down.

Older house or new, the job starts there:

• In an older house: painted or stained wood doors, framed or inset, and trim matched to the house. We reproduce old profiles that are no longer sold.
• In a new house: European-style frameless cabinets, as in our two Elmhurst kitchens, or wood doors if the house calls for them. We build to the architect's or builder's drawings.

Elmhurst permits: minor and major remodels

Elmhurst's Required Permit List includes "Interior Remodel." The list says to call City Hall if a project is not on it, and "WE WILL CONFIRM IF A PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR YOUR PROJECT". The city's residential permit checklist has two kinds of interior permit: a minor interior remodel, with the note "(minor remodels do not need hvac/framing/or moving of plumbing/elec/gas/sewer)", and a major interior remodel, which needs stamped architectural plans. (City of Elmhurst Required Permit List 2024 and Residential Permit Checklist, as read 2026-10-28; confirm for your address.)

Cabinets alone are not named. A new kitchen in the same layout reads like the minor kind; moving plumbing, gas or walls reads like the major kind. Call the city with your plan. If a permit is needed, we pull it.

Two Elmhurst kitchens, and work nearby

• In Elmhurst: two European-style kitchens, frameless with flat-panel doors.
• Western Springs, one house: the kitchen and butler's pantry, the mudroom and laundry room, vanities for every bathroom, a closet and a built-in office.
• Hinsdale: a built-in library, and new treads and railing on the stair.
• West Chicago: a knotty pine kitchen with log-style island legs we made, and a double vanity in the same house.
• Schaumburg: a modern flat-panel kitchen in a concrete-look melamine.

Frameless or framed: planning an Elmhurst kitchen

• European-style frameless. Our two Elmhurst kitchens are built this way. It is our specialty, and the more budget-friendly way to a full custom kitchen. Its trade-off is a narrower color range: solid colors, or wood-look melamine or veneer.
• Painted or stained wood. Framed or inset, for an older house, or for a new one that wants a traditional look.
• Minor or major remodel. The city's checklist has both kinds, and a major remodel needs stamped architectural plans. Ask the city which yours is before the cabinet drawings.
• Appliances. Send us the models before the drawings; we size the cabinets to them.
• Trim. Nearly every job we do includes it, and we match the profiles.

Built-ins, vanities and more for Elmhurst homes

Two European-style kitchens are our work on record in Elmhurst. Other work we take on, in an older house or a new one:

• Built-ins: media walls, bookcases, libraries and window benches.
• Butler's pantries, mudrooms and laundry rooms, as in our Western Springs house.
• Vanities and closets.
• Bars and wine storage.
• Stairs, mantels and trim.

Five steps to an Elmhurst kitchen

1. The visit. It starts with a visit. We measure, we listen, and we give you a straight number. If it works for you, we design it with you, and only then do we build. Elmhurst is about an hour from the shop. Your first visit and consultation are free.
2. Drawings. Plans from your architect or builder, priced as they are, or our design package, which ends with the final price after one major revision.
3. The permit, minor or major, when the city's list calls for one.
4. The build. Roughly 6 to 8 weeks from signed drawings for an average kitchen; built-ins and closets usually 4 to 6.
5. Installation. Installing a full kitchen usually takes 1 to 3 days; vanities and single built-ins take less.

York Street, Arlington-Kenilworth and nearby towns

Elmhurst is mostly in DuPage County, with a small part in Cook. York Street became the main street early on; the Arlington-Kenilworth area, surveyed by the city in 2010, holds the Henderson House. Villa Park lies to the west, Bensenville to the north and Northlake to the northeast. We serve all of Elmhurst. Nearby, see our page for Hinsdale, or all the towns we serve. We also serve Western Springs, Villa Park, Bensenville and Northlake.

Elmhurst questions

Will Elmhurst want a permit for new kitchen cabinets?

The city lists "Interior Remodel" as a permit and says it will confirm whether your project needs one. Its checklist separates a minor remodel, with no change to framing, HVAC, plumbing, gas or wiring locations, from a major one with stamped plans. Call the city with your plan; we pull a permit ourselves when one is required.

What is a European-style kitchen?

Frameless cabinets with flat-panel doors and no face frame, so the doors cover the box edge to edge. Both of our Elmhurst kitchens are built this way. It is our specialty and the more budget-friendly way to a full custom kitchen. See how we build cabinets.

Can you build a traditional kitchen for an older Elmhurst house?

Yes. We build painted and stained wood doors, framed or inset, and we match the trim to the house.

Do you build for new houses that replace older ones?

Yes. We work for homeowners, general contractors, interior designers, developers and architects, and we price from your drawings and specs as given.

Is there a historic district in Elmhurst?

We found none on the city's pages. Elmhurst protects individual landmarks; if your house may be one, ask the city before you plan.

How far is Elmhurst from your shop?

About 46 miles, roughly an hour from Spring Grove.