New home design center opens in St. Charles

The owners of Encore Gallery home design center in St. Charles want to show homeowners what their home could look like.

“We truly believe we can change how people see their existing living space,” said Marcin Malawko, one of the partners that operate Encore Gallery.

Encore Gallery recently opened a 20,000-square-foot showroom at 1950 Lincoln Highway in the space that previously housed Binny’s Beverage Depot. Encore Gallery also has showrooms in Berkeley and Chicago.

“We truly believe there is huge potential in this area,” Malawko said in talking about the reason Encore Gallery decided to move into the space. “There are a lot of beautiful homes here that were built 10 or 20 years ago and it’s time to remodel.”

The other partners in the business, Marcin Kondek and Chris Huptych, live in the area. On display in the showroom are a variety of products.

“You have garage doors, windows, skylight windows, floors, carpet, kitchen cabinets and fixtures,” Malawko said. “It’s all under one roof and they are all designed by some of the most popular designers from Europe. Some of the bathrooms are designed by our own designers.”

And those who walk in the showroom will notice a difference in the quality of the products on display. Encore Gallery specializes in selling ceramic and porcelain tiles.

“People can see here something different,” Malawko said. “And we show them exactly how it is going to look in your bathroom. We can do a 3D rendering showing your existing bathroom with new tiles, new flooring or new windows or whatever. So you see can see it before you even purchase it.”

At the same time, Encore Gallery’s products are competitively priced. For example, he noted that materials for one of the bathrooms on display might cost between $2,500-$2,800.

“And your average costs for labor would be another $3,000-$4,000,” Malawko said. “That’s really no more expensive than any other bathroom from a big-box store.”

Financing options are available. Encore Gallery also does delivery and installation.

“As a customer, you’re going to have a project manager assigned to your project,” he said. “He’s going to be watching every single step from beginning to end. We treat every customer with a very personal touch.”

Encore Gallery also sets itself apart from other home design centers by selling preserved moss.

“It’s preserved to the point that it can last on your wall for about 10 or 12 years, completely maintenance free,” he said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

The majority of the products that Encore Gallery sells are from Europe. The owners of Encore Gallery want the store to become a community gathering place and plan to hold events there on a regular basis.

“We want it to feel like home,” said Huptych, whose two daughters attend St. Charles North High School.

Huptych and Kondek both live in Thornwood subdivision in South Elgin.

The store’s grand opening for the general public will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 5. Encore Gallery will have a separate grand opening on Nov. 3 for designers, architects and officials.

More information about Encore Gallery is available at its website, encoregallery.us.