Three separate storefronts, combined into a single 4,000 square foot coffee house. Every element was curated, styled, and engineered on purpose, from the millwork and finishes down to the light that lands on the counter, to hold the calm and hospitality of Yemen inside a Schaumburg strip.

A property that had sat as a Red Roof with no meaningful upkeep since 2007, taken down to its bones and rebuilt to Hilton brand standard. Over 350 guest rooms renovated inside and out, plus the main lobby, every hallway, the swimming pool, and the parking lot. Finishes, fixtures, lighting, and millwork replaced floor by floor while the building stayed standing, then closed out to inspection and turned over ready for guests.

A family style room built around traditional barbecue. The front of house was reworked to bring the life of the restaurant forward, with warm materials, seating that holds a full table, and sightlines that put the grill in view. Behind it, the kitchen was rebuilt around the way the crew actually moves, tightening the line and the pass so service runs clean at peak.

One of the first boba shops to open in Yorkville. The room was built for the crowd it serves: students and a young after school crowd who come to sit for an hour with a laptop as often as they come for a drink. Bright, playful finishes up front, lounge and work seating with power within reach, and a service counter laid out to keep a line of teenagers moving.

One of the first Arwa locations to open its doors in Illinois, built around the colors, materials, and warmth of Yemen. A vanilla box turned coffee house, and Betterside carried every phase of it: architectural drawings, permitting, the full interior buildout, and final health inspection sign off.

A genuine, one of a kind room for one of the busiest corners of Chicago. The plan was drawn around city pace and city volume, tying the front counter to the back of the kitchen so the whole floor runs as a single unit at rush. Every corner and detail was put to work, pulling a high traffic metropolitan location toward Yemeni roots for the neighborhood to sit in and enjoy.

The second floor was served by a single staircase, and the client wanted something with real presence. We replaced it with twin spiral stairs finished in premium tile and a sculpted spine, with LED wash flooding out from under every tread. The first thing anyone sees walking in, and the thing they remember on the way out.

Unused basement square footage turned into a private sauna for the client and his family. Built entirely from scratch to their spec: plumbing, dedicated ventilation, the steam and sauna system, HVAC sized to the room, and a full wood interior. A wellness room they can use every day, in space that was doing nothing before.

An elevator lobby upgrade in a State Street apartment building. The look and the daily experience of the ride were modernized without erasing what the building already had, matching new finishes and lighting to the original detail so the change reads as restoration rather than replacement.

A pediatric ABA therapy center built around the kids who use it. The lobby wall was framed and carved into oversized A, B, and C alcoves that double as reading nooks, with soft-curved flooring transitions that guide families from the entrance past a dedicated Kiddos' Corner to a custom wood reception desk. Beyond the lobby, we constructed the center's sensory rooms and installed all of its AAC devices. Calm colors, even lighting, and durable finishes keep the space welcoming for children and easy to maintain for staff.