Custom cabinets and millwork for Winnetka homes

Winnetka's houses: Tudor streets, architects' houses and the lakefront

Tudor Revival became Winnetka's most common house style, after the Victorian homes of the late 1800s. The village also has houses by William Otis, Dwight Perkins and Walter Burley Griffin, work associated with Howard Van Doren Shaw and David Adler, and more than 30 buildings on the National Register or local landmark lists. It splits into three districts, Hubbard Woods, Elm and Indian Hill, each around a train station, and along Sheridan Road large older houses back onto Lake Michigan and its ravines.

For cabinets, that means:

• Rooms with real architecture. If your house has its original millwork, new cabinets should look like they belong: framed or inset doors, painted or stained wood, crown and trim that match the house. We reproduce trim profiles nobody sells any more.
• Kitchens in older houses. If the house still has a butler's pantry, it is worth keeping. We build butler's pantries as part of the kitchen.
• Libraries, bookcases and window seats. We fit them to the wall, the windows and the trim already there.

Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Winnetka?

Not always. The village's "Work Not Requiring Permits" page says: "No permit is required for replacement of existing kitchen, bath, or similar cabinets, provided that (i) no electrical work is included, and (ii) plumbing fixtures utilize existing supply and drain lines." It adds: "All electrical or plumbing modifications associated with cabinet replacement require a permit." Building or removing a wall, new circuits, or removing 100 square feet or more of wall or ceiling covering also needs one. When a permit is required, we pull it ourselves. (Village of Winnetka, as read 2026-10-27; confirm for your address.)

Work we have done in Winnetka

• A cream raised-panel kitchen with crown molding and a peninsula.
• A cream raised-panel bedroom wall unit with wardrobes and drawers.
• An entertainment center.
• A curved stair with wood treads and a white rail.

Nearby: a library wall in Wilmette; a white oak stair in Glencoe.

Swap or remodel? Planning a Winnetka kitchen

• Is it a swap or a remodel? Replacing cabinets with no electrical work and with plumbing on the existing lines needs no permit. New circuits, moved plumbing, a wall that moves or 100 square feet or more of wall or ceiling opened up does. Deciding which one you are doing tells you how long the whole job takes.
• What the house already has. If your house still has its original millwork, leaded glass or a butler's pantry, decide what stays before the drawings start, because the new cabinets are drawn around it.
• Close to the lake. The village has its own rules for building on the steep slope along Lake Michigan. Ask the village about any addition or outside work there before you plan it.
• Who leads the project. If the kitchen is part of a bigger remodel with an architect or a general contractor, tell us who is leading, and we work to their drawings and schedule.

Libraries, wall units and stairs: beyond the kitchen in Winnetka

Our Winnetka work already goes past the kitchen: a cream raised-panel bedroom wall unit with wardrobes and drawers, an entertainment center, and a curved stair. Rooms we build for houses like these:

• Libraries and bookcases fitted to the windows and the trim.
• Butler's pantries between the kitchen and the dining room.
• Bedroom wall units and wardrobes, like the one we built in Winnetka.
• Entertainment centers and media walls.
• Stairs, from new treads and railings to a full rebuild.
• Mantels and fireplace surrounds.

How a Winnetka project runs, an hour from the shop

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. Winnetka is about an hour from the shop; the first visit and consultation are free.
2. The design package, with drawings for your approval and one major revision, ending with the final price. If your architect has drawings, we price from those as given.
3. The permit question. If the job needs a permit under the village's rule, we pull it ourselves.
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, usually 1 to 3 days for a full kitchen, with the crown and trim fitted to the house.

Hubbard Woods, Elm and Indian Hill, and nearby towns

The village has three districts, Hubbard Woods, Elm and Indian Hill, each around a train station, and Sheridan Road runs along the lake. We serve all of Winnetka. Nearby are Kenilworth and Glencoe; see all the towns we serve. We also serve Wilmette and Glenview.

Winnetka questions

Can you build cabinets that suit a Tudor house?

Yes. We build framed cabinets in painted or stained wood and stained wood inset cabinets, and we match existing trim profiles, so the new work reads as part of the house.

Do you work with architects and builders on Winnetka projects?

Yes. We build to the architect's drawings, fabrication only or installed, and we work for homeowners, general contractors, interior designers, developers and architects. See for the trade.

How long will my kitchen take?

Roughly 6 to 8 weeks from signed drawings for an average kitchen, then usually 1 to 3 days to install.

Do I need a permit just to replace my kitchen cabinets in Winnetka?

Not if there is no electrical work and the plumbing stays on its existing lines; that is the village's own rule. New circuits or moved plumbing need a permit, and we pull it.

Can you build a wall unit for a bedroom with small closets?

Yes. In Winnetka we built a cream raised-panel bedroom wall unit with wardrobes and drawers. See custom closets.