In the event you’re conversant in the much-loved, much-lauded boutique empire Chook in Brooklyn, that the outlets outlined indie model within the borough for greater than a decade (see the NY Instances piece Saying Goodbye to Chook, “the store that created the ‘Brooklyn Look’ of the aughts).
Plot twist: In 2022, proprietor Jen Mankins closed her shops, moved to Sweden, and shifted her focus to inside design.
Right here’s the backstory:
“I lived and labored in Brooklyn for greater than twenty years earlier than my faculty boyfriend-turned-husband and I made a decision to maneuver to Sweden with our twin toddler sons in 2022,” Jen says. “Our timing coincided with me touchdown my first skilled inside design with Brooklyn-based shoppers I knew by means of Chook. Fortunately, although I used to be shifting 4,000 miles away and embarking on a brand new career, they didn’t blink a watch.”
In live performance with Ingui Structure, a NY agency identified for its method to sustainable residing, Jen designed the interiors of a six-story landmarked brownstone from 1895. Her inspiration? “Sweden has been massively influential for me personally and continues to be a unending supply of design inspiration. On my earliest visits to Stockholm with my husband, I used to be instantly drawn to the colours and patterns of Josef Frank designs championed by visionary retailer Estrid Erickson at Svenskt Tenn. I used to be charmed by the whimsical ceramics of Stig Lindberg and Lisa Larson. (Though I can’t deny that my first expertise with Swedish design was by way of Ikea, the design emporium that has for over 80 years introduced Swedish model to the lots.)”
Be part of us for a tour of Jen’s not too long ago accomplished venture:
Pictures by Jessica Antola.
