Custom Furniture
Interior designer Lori Schroud is as much a regular at New York Fashion Week as she is at the Chanel boutique on Michigan Avenue, so it’s no surprise that the fledgling line of furniture she’s designing, called Lori Frank, has runway roots. “Fashion-conscious people want to buy statement pieces,” she says. Thus she has produced five dramatic prototypes—a chair, two sofas, a 12-foot buffet, and a love seat—available for viewing at her West Loop factory. The most striking are the sofas, each a whopping 108 inches long (from $24,000). A red cashmere one, inspired by a military-style coat from Karl Lagerfeld’s Russian collection, is criss-crossed by diagonal fringed sashes. A black kid-leather model (above), with soft folds in its skirt, is reminiscent of a sexy evening gown. “I don’t see people filling a room with my pieces,” she says. “I see my furniture as part of a collection—the way you would buy a special Hermès purse and keep it forever.” All upholstered pieces can be custom-sized and made with a client’s own material. Available through designers or by contacting Schroud at lschroud@lorifrank.com.