A Chicago Collective’s New Line Of Minimalist Furniture Focuses On The Details

PHOTO BY LUCY HEWITT

Led by principals Seth Deysach, Andrew Kephart, Carson Maddox, Zak Rose and Dan Sullivan, Dock 6 Collective has been a one-stop shop for custom and customizable furniture in Chicago for more than 10 years.

“Dock 6 Collective was officially formed when we moved into 4200 W. Diversey in early 2009,” says Sullivan. “Before that, we worked separately in a building on the West Side of Chicago that was sold and converted to artist studios. The owner wouldn’t give us a lease, so we pooled our tools and started looking for a space that would fit all of us. I was just starting my business and didn’t have many tools or much experience. The advantages of teaming up with others was immediately self-evident.”

Among those advantages: collaboration and feedback between the individual designers. Now they’ve come together to launch a furniture line comprising minimalist pieces all made either from wood and metal or metal and fiber, in one unified color palette. At their workshop in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood, the Collective employs more than 40 team members, providing skills and job training to Chicago craftspeople. Luxe checked in to get the details.

PHOTO BY ERIKA DUFOUR

PHOTO BY ERIKA DUFOUR

PHOTO BY JOE TIGHE

PHOTO BY JOE TIGHE

PHOTO BY JOE TIGHE

PHOTO BY JOE TIGHE

How did the concept for a line of furnishings come about? CM: Furniture design has always been at the heart of my business and the core of my inspiration. The Collection is a way to emphasize and put up front what really drives me. Working in our collaborative environment makes it all the more rewarding. 

What are some of your favorite pieces? ZR: The Orbit shelf (shown in slider) and the Foyer Buddy scratched the itch for me to bring a different kind of function to the Collection. CM: The detailing where the metal and wood meet on the Element Barstool is one of my favorite things about the design. Each intersection serves a purpose and highlights the inherent beauties and strengths of the materials. DS: The Franklin Dining Chair (shown in slider) is the flagship piece of a line I designed that employs the same patented, bifurcated leg design. The leg is adaptable to different contexts, scales and materials.

Future plans? CM: The Collection is intended to be a constantly evolving entity. All of us are continually developing and collaborating on new ideas and we expect the Collection to reflect that.