At Department Home, our journey began with a shared love for thrifting and vintage design. Katie and I have always enjoyed hunting for treasures, whether it was books, knickknacks, bicycles or furniture. Before it all officially started, one of my many side hustles was restoring bikes, cleaning them up, replacing parts, and learning everything I could about their mechanics. It was a rewarding hobby/hustle, but everything changed the day we realized the potential of vintage furniture.
Our first big find was a 1950s Mainline desk by Hooker Furniture. We bought it from a seller in a storage unit, along with a Lane Acclaim Surfboard Coffee Table for our apartment. At the time, we didn’t need the desk and could barely justify the $100 we spent on it, but something about it called to us. A few months later, I reluctantly listed the desk for sale at a high price, thinking no one would buy it. To my surprise, it sold within a week for $800! That lightbulb moment made us realize the potential of vintage furniture, and soon we shifted our focus from bikes to furniture.
Our first apartment, a converted storefront, became both our home and our workspace. The front of the space served as an art studio where we restored furniture, while the back was our living area. As our business grew, we upgraded to a 2,000 sq ft stand-alone building just around the corner in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village / Humboldt Park neighborhood. There, I honed my skills in refinishing and restoring vintage pieces, learning as I went, just like I had with the bikes. While the process was fun, it was also grueling: constant searching, hauling heavy furniture, and restoring each piece before it could be photographed and sold.
Building things has always been a passion of mine. Whether it was learning simple woodworking from my grandfather Roy as a teen or exploring bookbinding, papermaking, and woodworking in college. Those experiences laid the foundation for what came next. After converting a portion of our shop at the time into a woodshop. We began with mid-century-inspired credenzas and nightstands, taking inspiration from icons like Paul McCobb and Raymond Loewy. Our first cabinets combined McCobb’s simplicity with Lowey’s bold use of color and industrial design elements like peg board.
The turning point came in 2015, when Katie and I designed a cabinet to store our vinyl records and audio equipment. As lifelong music lovers, we wanted something that combined mid-century aesthetics with modern functionality. We soon realized there was a gap in the market for beautiful, well-designed record storage. That realization sparked a small collection of LP storage cabinets, which quickly became our most popular products.
Over the years, we’ve chosen to remain a small, hands-on operation, choosing not to outsource production but to keep everything in-house— for better or worse. Our woodshop has grown from the 2000 sq ft space we started in to our current 6200 sq ft woodshop in Chicago’s Logan Square / Hermosa neighborhood. This decision has allowed us to keep our high standards (especially Brandon’s) and keen attention to detail to be consistently reflected in both our production process and customer service. It’s this personal touch that sets us apart from all of our competitors.
Our mission has always been clear: to craft pieces that prioritize quality, design, and functionality. When customers reach out with questions, they’re speaking directly to us—the furniture makers—not a middleman, a commissioned salesperson, or someone sitting in an office many miles away from where the furniture is being built.
Every piece we create is shaped by thousands of hours of hard work and a deep commitment to craftsmanship. We’re proud to offer a collection of thoughtfully designed cabinets that we hope will become cherished additions to your home.
Thank you for being a part of our story and ever evolving journey.
Brandon & Katie
Founders, Department Home
