Seven people, one room on Carroll.
Three licensed architects, an interior designer, two designers and a studio manager, in a former printing building west of Damen.
How it started
Maren Kowalczyk and David Okafor met at a large Chicago firm, working on towers. In 2013 they left to work on the buildings they actually lived in: two-flats, storefronts and the brick lofts nobody else wanted to measure.
The studio is still small on purpose. The person who draws your project is the person who walks the site with your contractor.
- 2013
Studio founded in a shared room in Pilsen.
- 2017
Moved to 2150 W Carroll Ave, a 1920s printing building.
- 2020
Interiors added as its own practice.
- 2026
Seven people, about a dozen projects a year.
The studio, plan at 1:100. Visits by appointment.
People
Who sits where.
- 01Maren Kowalczyk, AIAPrincipal / Architect
- 02David Okafor, AIAPrincipal / Architect
- 03Priya Raman, RAProject architect
- 04Elise Marchetti, NCIDQInteriors lead
- 05Tomas VrdoljakDesigner / Site
- 06Sam OrtizDesigner
- 07Ruth AdeyemiStudio manager
Working notes
Four things we hold to.
- 01
Measure before drawing.
Old buildings are never square. We survey every room before we propose anything.
- 02
Say no early.
If an idea will not work on your lot or budget, you hear it in week two, not month six.
- 03
Keep what earns its place.
Brick, timber and plaster stay when they still do their job. New work reads as new.
- 04
Stay for the build.
The drawings are a promise. We are on site to see that it is kept.
- Architects licensed in Illinois (3)
- Members, AIA Chicago
- NCIDQ certified, Illinois registered interior designer
- Structural and MEP engineers we have worked with for years
Come see the model table.
Book a studio visit