Tiffany Dusina and Mallory Slesser met in design school in Chicago, and the two quickly became friends. In fact, they bonded so much that Tiffany was there for the birth of Mallory’s daughter. The two kept in touch when a job change for Dusina’s husband took her to Singapore. When Dusina returned to the Oak Park area, Slesser had a proposal to expand their relationship to the professional side of things.
Slesser recalls, “Tiffany had come back from Singapore, and I had grown my business so much that I needed a partner.”
A Realtor for Baird & Warner in Oak Park, Slesser had been operating a design firm on her own. With Dusina on board, the two rebranded and formed Curated Interiors Collaborative this year.
This spring, they made things really official and opened up a design studio at 1111 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park. They may just be getting started, but they are already hard at work redesigning the shared lobby space and the two office bathrooms in their new building.
Dusina, who lives in Berwyn, noted that there were some practical considerations behind their choice to open a studio right off the bat. “I bought a fixer-upper house, and working from home was almost impossible,” she laughs.
She and Slesser really wanted the opportunity to invite clients into a neutral spot for presentations and meetings. Dusina came into the partnership with a cabinet line relationship. Rather than lugging around cabinet doors, tile samples and fabric swatches, the two now have everything at their fingertips when clients come to review plans.
As Slesser says, if a fabric or wallpaper is not to a client’s taste, it’s much easier to go into a sample library during the meeting and find an alternative.
Working as a team, the pair are able to offer comprehensive design packages to clients. A big part of their work is demystifying the design process for clients and making it easy to get pricing estimates up front.
During initial consults, they bring along a trusted contractor who can ballpark construction costs, and Curated Interiors Co. can also provide a design estimate. This early consultation not only provides helpful budget numbers but also lets clients know what kind of work is or isn’t possible in their home.
Slesser says, “You’re getting a holistic view of what the entire process looks like. You see it from ideation to fruition.”
Dusina can do all of the planning drawings, cabinet designs, electrical layouts and construction plans, saving clients on architect fees. Clients are welcome to work with their contractor or the contractor of their choice.
For clients who are not interested in construction, the firm also will do what they call “soft good” consultations, in which the focus is on furniture, lighting and color choices.
They are finding lots of work in the Oak Park and River Forest area’s older homes and will also work remotely. A recent project featured a bathroom makeover in Long Beach, Indiana.
An active Instagram account, highlights their work. Slesser and Dusina say that beyond social media, marketing themselves tends to happen very organically — from word of mouth at school pick-up and sporting events.
Working together has been a dream come true for the pair. Dusina said, “She knows what my strengths are, and I know hers. I’m not the social extrovert.”
Slesser chimes in, “And I don’t love spreadsheets.”
As they settle into their new office space, the pair are already taking advantage of the proximity to Broken Tart bakery across the street and love having a central spot to grow their business.
Slesser sums it up, “Our business is hyper-local, which I love. It’s a testament to building a brand here.”