Farah Lee Design Inquire

Design & Renovation Studio

Beautiful design for every home.

Design, remodeling and styling at every scale and budget, from a single room to a new build. Planned with an agent's eye for how a house lives now and what it's worth later.

Start a project View the work
Stone and board-and-batten home entry with a lantern-lit wood door at dusk
Austin ResidenceHill Country, Texas
Chicago North Shore& Lake County
Northwest suburbs& Chicago
Design · RenovationStaging · Styling

Selected work

Portfolio

Whole-home renovations, single-room remodels and pre-sale transformations. Each project starts with how the family actually uses the house.

Vaulted living room with arched openings, cream sofas and a view into a white kitchen

Austin Residence

Living, kitchen
and dining
 Vaulted family room with a stone fireplace, cream sectional and wrought-iron chandelier

Prairie Residence

Chicagoland
whole-home refresh
 White shaker kitchen with subway tile, black dome pendants and a gray-stained island

Woodland Residence

New build,
designed start to finish

Featured project · New build · Chicagoland

Woodland Residence

Designed from the ground up: the floor plan, the exterior and every interior finish. A modern farmhouse with board-and-batten siding and black windows, and inside, crisp white millwork, dark oak floors and rooms that open to the woods.

White modern farmhouse with board-and-batten siding, black windows, a covered front porch and a three-car garage
Exterior
Floor planLayout and flow designed for how the family lives
ExteriorSiding, stone, windows, lighting and garage doors
Interior finishesCabinetry, tile, flooring, fixtures and hardware
White shaker kitchen with subway tile, black dome pendants and a gray-stained island
Kitchen
Close view of the quartz island, chrome spring faucet and white subway tile backsplash
Kitchen detail
Front study with a wrought-iron chandelier, gray velvet sofa and glass and brass coffee table
Study
Custom mudroom lockers with beadboard backs, iron hooks and a storage bench
Mudroom
Powder room with a charcoal vanity, quartz top and polished chrome faucet
Powder room
Primary bedroom with a tray ceiling, upholstered gray bed and windows onto the trees
Primary bedroom
Primary bath with a long espresso vanity, makeup station, quartz counters and shaded sconces
Primary bath
Cedar deck with a dining table and striped umbrella overlooking the woods
Deck

Photography: VHT Studios

Featured project · Hill Country, Texas

Austin Residence

Arched openings, hand-scraped wood floors and a soft white palette, grounded with dark stained wood, woven shades and natural textures. Quiet rooms that open to the oaks outside.

White kitchen with a dark stained island, granite counters and lantern pendants
Kitchen
Entry hall seen through a glass-paned door, with a series of arches leading to the living room
Entry
Breakfast nook with a round reclaimed wood table, rattan bistro chairs and a brass chandelier
Breakfast nook

Featured project · Chicagoland

Prairie Residence

Crisp white walls and travertine floors, warmed by rich wood, charcoal doors and brushed-brass fixtures. Calm, livable rooms for a busy family home.

Two-story foyer with travertine floor, a wood and iron staircase and a modern chandelier
Foyer
Cherry-cabinet kitchen with quartz counters and backsplash, black dome pendants and brass hardware
Kitchen
Living room with a linen sofa, cane-back chairs, a glass and brass coffee table and a diamond-pattern rug
Living room
Powder room with a pedestal sink, brushed-brass faucet and backlit mirror
Powder room
Home office with charcoal doors, chair rail molding and a reclaimed wood desk
Office
Bedroom with a woven pendant, terracotta pillows and a gallery wall of framed prints
Bedroom

Photography: Hapi Photography

Services

How we work together

Choose one service or combine them. Every engagement begins with a walkthrough of your home.

Design & Renovation

Kitchens, baths and whole-home remodels, from layout and material selection through contractor coordination and the final walkthrough.

  • Space planning
  • Finishes & fixtures
  • Contractor management

Furnishing & Styling

Furniture, lighting, textiles and art chosen to finish a room. Good for a new build, a move, or rooms that never quite came together.

  • Furniture plans
  • Sourcing & ordering
  • Install day

Staging & Pre-Sale

Updates and staging that help a home photograph well and sell. Backed by years of luxury staging and condo sellout experience.

  • Pre-listing consult
  • Targeted updates
  • Full staging

Design Consultation

A two-hour session at your home for homeowners who want direction and a plan they can carry out themselves.

  • In-home visit
  • Written recommendations
  • Shopping list

The process

From first visit to final reveal

  1. Consultation

    We walk the home together, talk through how you live, and agree on scope, timing and budget.

  2. Design

    Floor plans, material boards and a detailed proposal you can review room by room.

  3. Build & source

    We coordinate trades, track orders and keep the schedule moving so you don't have to.

  4. Install

    Furniture, art and the finishing layers go in. You come home to a finished house.

Farah Lee Kothari in a striped shirt and white trousers, leaning on a cane-back chair in a styled living room

About

Farah Lee Kothari

Farah brings together design, renovation and real estate. Her background is in luxury staging, renovation and condo sellouts, and she is a licensed Illinois real estate agent with Kale Realty. She knows how a room should feel to live in and how it will read to a future buyer.

Her work leans toward calm, quality materials and pieces that last: rooms that feel personal without chasing trends.

A beautiful home should feel easy to live in, every single day.
Luxury stagingRenovationLicensed Illinois real estate agent · Kale Realty

Where we work

Chicagoland

Projects outside the area are welcome for design consultation and furnishing.

Lake County, the North Shore and the northwest suburbs, including Kildeer, Long Grove, Barrington, Lake Forest and Highland Park, plus Chicago condominiums.

Inquire

Tell us about your home

Share a few details and we'll reply within two business days to set up a consultation.

farahkothari@gmail.comServing Chicagoland
What are you planning?