CHICAGO—Nearly one year after the widely celebrated unveiling of his namesake showroom on the 18th floor of The Merchandise Mart, Gary Lee will be expanding and relocating Atelier Gary Lee to the 14th floor as part of The Mart’s Design Center reconfiguration.
The reorganization of the Design Center will shift more than 60 showrooms—previously housed on floors 16, 17, and 18—to 6, 16, and the newly renovated 14th and 15th floors. Lee’s interior design firm, Gary Lee Partners, spearheaded the design of the renovated floors which will feature sleek and modernized corridors, and the creation of "Lounge 1447"—a new designer amenity center anchoring the 14th floor. This highly anticipated project will serve the design community with a fresh and inviting environment equipped with workstations, flexible conference space, and a lounge area complete with a café and wine bar.
In early January, the Atelier Gary Lee showroom will join its neighbors on the 14th floor in an expanded space located at #1419. The Atelier will maintain its open gallery layout as well as the concept of a rotating floor that highlights pieces for both residential and contract projects. This expansion will reinforce the showroom’s effort to continuously refresh works from more than 20 designers and artisans of furniture, lighting, art, and textiles—providing a unique experience and resource for designers upon each visit.
The upgrade in square footage will yield more room to exhibit highly sought after pieces from around the world including the new Montreal-based line by Gabriel Scott, London-based Sé, and U.S. designer favorites Codor Design and Mark Albrecht Studio. The expansion will also make way for further development of Gary Lee’s furniture collection, Chai Ming. Atelier Gary Lee showroom director, Christina Karvelas believes "this transformation is an inspiring and exciting opportunity to relaunch the Atelier Gary Lee showroom, the Design Center at The Merchandise Mart, and most importantly, to showcase the amazing work of our partners in a vibrant, new setting."