All posts by Alison Trovato

Friday Finds: Dan Rak Design

This week’s feature: Dan Rak of Dan Rak Design from Chicago, IL!

“The architecture of this house in Lincoln Park was pretty traditional, but the client wanted to furnish it in a more contemporary way. As we started sourcing we went to Verellen and immediately fell in love with their Oakley chair and Theo chaise. We knew the soft, contemporary lines of these pieces would create a beautiful contrast with the square lines of the traditional architecture.”

Featured Products:

  • Theo Chaise and Oakley Chair by Verellen
  • Grace Chandelier by Tech Lighting

For more information on Dan Rak Design, visit danrakdesign.com.

Our showrooms are currently open and appointments are recommended. Please contact your local showroom for assistance.

Friday Finds: Haywoodmade Interiors

This week’s feature: Kelsey Haywood of Haywoodmade Interiors from Chicago, IL!

“We set the design vision as ‘Understated Coastal’ for this multi-purpose living room. The goal was to maximize and curate comfortable seating throughout. The custom Burton James sofa fits perfectly in the window and the 3-over-1 bench cushion feels casual, yet streamlined.”

Featured Products:

• Custom 98” Zain Sofa in Bacardi Ivory by Burton James
• 3907-01 Swivel Chairs in Sahara Sky by Lee Industries

For more information on Haywoodmade Interiors, visit haywoodmade.com.

Our showrooms are currently open and appointments are recommended. Please contact your local showroom for assistance.

Friday Finds: Lakeside Interiors

This week’s feature: Fern Allison of Lakeside Interiors from Evanston, IL!

“This room features a custom Fine Art Handcrafted Lighting pendant from their Natural Inspirations series. The inspiration for the design was the stone fireplace surround. It has an ethereal/cosmic feeling and these Fine Art globes act almost like stars and asteroids in front of the stone.”

Featured Product:

• Natural Inspirations Random Cluster and Small Hail Stones in a Silver Leaf finish by Fine Art Handcrafted Lighting

For more information on Lakeside Interiors, visit lakesideinteriors.com.

Our showrooms are currently open and appointments are recommended. Please contact your local showroom for assistance.

Meet Heather | Denver Lighting Specialist

Gary Sinise Foundation

What is your past work experience / education?
I started my lighting career about 6 years ago with Savoy Houses’ distribution showrooms. I spent a few years taking homeowner and designer appointments out of 6 different showrooms in North Texas and Greater Atlanta. I moved on to getting my American Lighting Association Certification and transitioned from outside direct to builder/designer sales. I would read electrical plans, assist with whole home selections, bid for large projects/subdivisions, and be on location for install. Because of my field experience, I have become very familiar with the technical side of decorative lighting, lighting code, and the residential building process in general. I was very fortunate to be able to attend the lighting market for the past 6 years in Dallas. I am proud to be able to use my experience to be an asset for C.A.I.’s designers.

Where were you raised?
Southlake, Texas.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from the diversity of lighting I come across in everyday life. I find that everywhere I go I am looking up at the lighting. I am especially excited for my honeymoon to Europe next year. I have always been drawn to the contemporary styles of European lighting designers.

What is your most rewarding project and why?
I am most proud of my work with the Gary Sinise Foundation. Being able to contribute to a smart home for a wounded veteran proved to be a very fulfilling experience. My father is a veteran, so I found this project very personal. I worked very closely with this Veteran and his family to make sure the lighting in his home met all of his needs, while keeping to a very small budget from the foundation. The end result left me in tears!

In your experience working with C.A.I. Designs thus far, what is/are some of your favorite product lines and why?
Hubbardton Forge and Visual Comfort have always had consistently amazing originality and quality. But more recently I have developed appreciation for more independent suppliers like Heirloom Lighting, who manufactures only in the USA, or Terzani, an Italian lighting company.

What is your favorite color?
Pearl Pink.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
What brought me to Colorado is its beauty. I spend my free time skiing, hiking, exploring. I also play piano and guitar and love to sing.

How would you characterize your design style?
I have always been drawn to very contemporary design. With LED integration, lights don’t have to be designed around a light bulb anymore. I am amazed with the innovation we are seeing now that we aren’t constricted to such a bulky light source.

What is your favorite TV Series?
The Office.

Heather can be reached in the Denver showroom at heatherh@caidesigns.net or by phone at (303) 282-8100 x6972.

Friday Finds: Deborah Alexander

This week’s feature: Deborah Alexander, Furniture Specialist for C.A.I. Designs Chicago!

“City on a Hill is a unique creation of console table as art by Paul Michael Company. The base is a sandstone boulder from the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas with hand cut, hand forged steel bound together for a cantilevered pedestal supporting the raw edge sandstone top. Not for the light of heart, the piece weighs approximately 600 lbs with the price reflecting the many hands it took to create. City on a Hill is a stunning showstopper for any home!”

Featured Product:

• City on a Hill Console by Paul Michael Company

For more information on our Chicago Mart showroom, contact Deborah Alexander at deboraha@caidesigns.net or 312-755-9163 x7003.

Our showrooms are currently open and appointments are recommended. Please contact your local showroom for assistance.

Meet Chris | Denver Showroom Manager

Where were you raised?
Dallas, TX.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
When it comes to design the person I find most inspirational is Paulo Mendes Da Rocha.

What is your favorite color?
Moss Green.

Do you have a favorite quote?
“Let us be certain of who we want to be. Let us choose for ourselves our path in life, and let us try to strew that path with flowers.” – Émilie Du Châtelet

What is your favorite food?
Dim Sum.

Chris can be reached in the Denver showroom at chriss@caidesigns.net or by phone at (303) 282-8100 x6971

Meet Cameron | Chicago Furniture Customer Service Representative

What is your past work
experience/education?
I’ve made visual art my whole life, and growing up my parents renovated properties all over the country. Watching homes get gutted and then modernized showed me the practicality of my natural creative tendencies.

Where were you raised?
Roswell, GA.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
My peers, for the most part. I try to surround myself with people different from me, so I’m being constantly challenged with new and rewarding experiences. It also helps me look at the familiar with fresh eyes.

In your experience working with C.A.I. Designs thus far, what is/are some of your favorite product lines and why?
Caracole. I love something flashy, something with a bit of drama, something to talk about. They have pieces that flow such that they have a greater sense of space without having more mass. I like that kind of elegance — large enough to seen but agile enough to suggest grace.

How would you characterize your design style?
Brutalist.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Study new typefaces, make pasta, tactile things.

What is your favorite food?
Capri Meatball Sandwich in Steubenville, OH

Cameron can be reached in the Chicago showroom at cameronc@caidesigns.net or by phone at (312) 755-9163 x7006

Meet Deborah | Chicago Furniture Specialist

What is your past work
experience/education?
I most recently assisted in the opening of the Natuzzi Italia showroom in Lincoln Park, Chicago. It was an invaluable study in clean sophisticated design lines with a color palette of Southern Italy with soothing qualities to bring to every home as we work, and gather for the important events of life. With a background in fine art, I approach design in the role of curator!

Where were you raised?
I was born in Washington DC, raised just beyond the Beltway in Maryland.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from my lineage of strong women in my family, every art museum lingered in, outsider art venue experienced plus the heart of the amazing city of Chicago through it’s diverse neighborhoods.

What is your most rewarding project and why?
My most rewarding project was the client who bought the furniture first before he found the home! We worked to create the energy of leathers and fabrics on pieces which provided respite and inspiration for his global profession. You can imagine my elation when the property was purchased and all designs worked!

In your experience working with C.A.I. Designs thus far, what is/are some of your favorite product lines and why?
I am excited to work with Palecek, bringing outdoor ease indoors and to rooftop gatherings! I love the textures and finish detail of each piece. Also, newly landed in the Chicago, C,.A.I. Designs showroom, Verellen. The snuggly Theo swivel, the look of covered dining chair legs brings a hushed elegance to dining. Can’t wait to pair them with sculptural dining tables of Phillip Selva!

How would you characterize your design style?
Transitional, firmly planted but looking forward.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
All things art. I am working with a photo vellum series layered with gold leaf. My children are currently on 3 different continents. We look forward to safe traveling to visit each other.

If you could travel back in time, where/when would you go and why?
Paris in the late 1800’s when it became a city of fashion, architecture and art. The international exposition changed the way we saw everything.

What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is the color of tumbled sea glass. Walking Oak street beach collecting pale greens and blues.

Do you have a favorite quote?
Trinity to Neo in the Matrix: “You’ve been down that road before…” paired with the slow motion frames of the movie where Trinity and Neo are in the back seat of the car as the back door swings open, a long telescoping look down a rain covered, deserted road.

What is your favorite food?
Right now, almost post pandemic, Small Cheval’s vanilla Amaretto shake sharing golden fries, one for me and one for my Dachshund, Will!

What is your favorite TV Series?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Crown!

Anything else you would like to share?
Please stop in and say hello when you are next at the Mart!

Deborah can be reached in the Chicago showroom at deboraha@caidesigns.net or by phone at (312) 755-9163 x7003