Peruse Artisan-Crafted Collections At This Chicago Boutique

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Shop with whitewashed brick walls, cream armchair and neutral-colored art.

After over a decade working within the Chicago design scene, last August Christina Karvelas Stavropoulos took a leap and opened a small boutique showroom in West Town featuring the work of the 11 artisans that she represents through CKS Collective. “

I started the company in my basement in March and orders were really strong,” she says. “But I needed a living, breathing space to show these emerging talents.”

Of the artisans she represents, lighting designer Gabriel Scott is probably the best known, but it’s important to Stavropoulos to also find and represent newer and lesser-known artisans. The gallery has a few ready-to-go pieces, but the vast majority are custom made, and Stavropoulos welcomes the chance to facilitate collaboration among the client, designer and artisan to make a unique piece perfectly sized for a specific space.

And because she only chooses artisans and collections that she loves, a side benefit is that pieces can be combined across lines in the same room. “All the lines play well with each other,” she says. “It’s been great to see designers order 10 pieces from different lines and they all look fabulous together.”

PHOTOS BY GRACE FEDERIGHI