READY TO CHAT?
Archive
For nearly 20 years, Bader Art Metal has partnered with design firms, builders, and general contractors to bring creative visions to life. While our focus has evolved to meet today’s demand for luxury interior doors, partitions, and enclosures, our extensive portfolio reflects a rich history of quality craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. Explore our portfolio to see how we’ve transformed spaces with timeless, handcrafted designs.
Perfect Measure | Chicago, Illinois
Bader Art Metal is proud to have partnered with Soucie Horner, Ltd., Wujcik Construction, and Exclusive Woodworking on the 2024 Acanthus Award-winning project, Perfect Measure. Led by Soucie Horner, Ltd., this luxury residence showcases Bader’s craftsmanship through a series of custom brass elements, including refined kitchen cabinet doors, intricate decorative screens and mirrors for the living room and primary bathroom, wardrobe doors for the primary closet, and stunning wine cellar doors. This collaboration exemplifies Bader’s dedication to elevating spaces through tailored design and meticulous fabrication.
Midwest Sanctuary | Deerfield, Illinois
Bader Art Metal collaborated with Robbins Architecture on the award-winning Midwest Sanctuary project, providing design, engineering, and fabrication expertise for this remarkable private residence. Highlights include a blackened steel fireplace facade, a custom range hood, reeded glass pocket doors, and rainglass enclosures for showers and water closets. Each element reflects the home's celebration of art and craft, seamlessly blending materials like metal, glass, and stone to create a sanctuary that embraces nature. Recognized with the 2022 AIA Chicago People's Choice Award and featured in Luxe Magazine, this project exemplifies the transformative power of meticulous craftsmanship.
Optimo Hat Company | Chicago, Illinois
After outgrowing their Beverly neighborhood storefront, Optimo, a leading handcrafted hat maker, relocated to a renovated 100-year-old Chicago firehouse by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). The two-story space blends blackened steel details with warm wood and rich leather. Bader Art Metal contributed hatter’s benches, 12-gauge edge-welded slatted shelving, and mobile storage carts for the first-floor workshop. The second-floor studio features a walnut table illuminated by a ten-foot halo light fabricated from roll-formed I-beam and LED uplighting. Floor-to-ceiling steel shelves house historical hat making artifacts.
Hubbard Inn | Chicago, Illinois
Polished and high-profile, this River North hotspot reopened with a fresh concept after a year-long closure. Partnering with Dunne Kozlowski Architects, Bader Art Metal added shine to Hubbard Inn's contemporary dining space with custom metal details. Suspended steel shelving with a warm metallic finish graces the bar, complemented by matching metal accents on the lower bar wall. An 8-foot bespoke light fixture contrasts with blackened steel doors, while frosted globes cast a soft white glow, inviting patrons inside.
Chicago Public Library, West Loop | Chicago, Illinois
Formerly home to Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios, this Chicago West Loop space has been transformed into the newest branch of the Chicago Public Library. Building on a history of successful collaborations, Bader Art Metal partnered with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) to enhance the space with exceptional architectural and ornamental metalwork. Blackened steel accents throughout the library complement vibrant interior finishes, paying homage to the West Loop’s factory-warehouse heritage. Connecting two conjoined buildings, steel-clad openings and tubular steel balustrades unify the interior. Visitors encounter laser-cut signage and steel-paneled walls with integrated wayfinding screens. A striking brake-formed steel staircase leads to the circulation desk, featuring a folded steel service ledge, creating a seamless blend of form and function.
Bitter Pops | Chicago, Illinois
Bader Art Metal partnered with Bitter Pops, a vibrant Chicago establishment blending craft beer, cocktails, and a dynamic kitchen, to transform their space with custom ornamental and functional metalwork. Our team designed and fabricated retail shelving, open-frame partitions, and a striking steel-and-glass surround for their coffee bar. The result is a bold industrial aesthetic, featuring clear-coated steel elements that complement concrete floors, vibrant pops of color, and Chicago-inspired design touches, creating a space that is as inviting as it is visually compelling.
Roots Handmade Pizza | Chicago, Illinois
In summer 2020, Bader Art Metal partnered with LG Group to bring custom-crafted metalwork to the Fifty-50 Restaurant Group's Roots Handmade Pizza's Printer's Row location. As a turnkey partner, Bader delivered a range of bespoke metal elements, from laser-etched panels layered over powder-coated mesh for a branded host stand to striking i-beam bar structures with decorative laser-cut cladding. The collaboration also included upper bar shelving, storage displays, and sleek pergola structures in a bold black finish, providing both functional and aesthetic enhancements for the rooftop dining experience.
Hexe Coffee | Chicago, Illinois
Hexe Coffee Co. debuted its first café and expanded roastery on Diversey Parkway in late 2019, aiming to redefine specialty coffee. Bader Art Metal collaborated with owner Parker Slade and designer Jordyn Dickson to bring their vision to life through design, fabrication, and installation. Inspired by the name "Hexe," meaning "witch" in German, the space features dark finishes like blackened steel and brass accents, complemented by warm oak casks and burlap bags. A striking steel-and-glass wall with an 8-pane barn door and recessed lock offers views into the roastery. Expanded metal transoms and sidelites align with the soffit above the main bar, while welded steel frames with expanded metal shelves behind the service bar hold drinkware, growlers, and Chicago cult-favorite Jeppson's Malört. Before leaving, visitors can browse a custom retail display with a floating frame and steel shelves featuring waterfall edges.
Tribune Tower | Chicago, Illinois
We were honored to replicate a set of historic elevator doors at the iconic Chicago Tribune Tower. Combining advanced metalworking techniques like LiDAR scanning and laser cutting with centuries-old methods like repoussé, we meticulously recreated the door’s intricate details. Collaborating with master craftsman Roger Carlson of Ephraim Forge, and Matthew Olseng of MDO, Inc., our team ensured every element was authentically reproduced, celebrating the artistry and heritage of this architectural masterpiece.
Crate & Barrel | Nationwide Distribution
In 2013, Austin Bader turned a passion for design and metal fabrication into reality, crafting his first prototype in a friend's garage. This effort secured Bader Art Metal's first client, Crate & Barrel. The project involved 5,200 pounds of steel, 50 pounds of welding wire, and countless hours of craftsmanship to produce 750 frames distributed nationwide. Each MIG-welded steel frame featured a patina finish, automotive-grade clear coat, and sturdy mounting bolts, delivering the rustic, timeless look the client envisioned.
Glenview Community Ice Center | Glenview, Illinois
Bader and Boughner join together again for a sculptural collaboration commissioned by the Glenview Park District Board of Commissioners. Adorning the lobby of the newly renovated Glenview Ice Center, “Under the Stars” is representative of artist Elisa Boughner’s own experiences of skating in Glenview as a young girl. Consisting of an aluminum sub-structure, fascia and laser-cut aluminum branches, the 40-foot-tall, six-foot-wide sculpture towers above a stone and glass mosaic fireplace. The true beauty lies within the more than 45 colorful hand-painted fused glass panels by Boughner backlit by Evo-lite LED panels.
Winchester | Chicago, Illinois
Bader Art Metal collaborated with Eighty-Eight Design and Construction Inc. on the Winchester private residence in Chicago’s sought-after Bucktown neighborhood. The Bader Art Metal team engineered a standout staircase featuring a single steel stringer, floating steel treads, and a wood-capped balustrade, seamlessly blending modern design with the home’s classic setting. The design language extends throughout the space, with a steel and glass partition framing the dining room entry and a high-gloss formed steel mantel enhancing the fireplace. This collaboration resulted in a harmonious fusion of craftsmanship and design that complements the historical charm of the neighborhood while offering a fresh, contemporary appeal.