{"id":3725,"date":"2020-03-11T05:43:11","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T05:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/living.chanintr.com\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/"},"modified":"2022-01-11T08:36:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T08:36:54","slug":"keeping-up-with-kara","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Up With Kara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Text by Uracha Chaiyapinunt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the name \u2018Kara Mann\u2019 is uttered, the words \u2018cool\u2019 and \u2018edgy\u2019 come to mind. But real fans of the Chicago-based designer know that Kara\u2019s magic lies in creating spaces that combine relaxed glamor with an earthy, grounded attitude. Her style is modern yet classic, youthful yet enduring, luxurious yet comfortable. And this unique blend of juxtapositions is what helped her attract some of the most coveted clients and partners. In between landing Gwyneth Paltrow\u2019s goop pop-up, Virgil Abloh\u2019s apartment and a steady stream of other commercial and residential projects, Kara has also collaborated with American furniture brand Baker. Perhaps it comes as a surprise, then, that on top of it all, the designer managed to launch her own brand, <a href=\"http:\/\/KEPTHOME.COM\">Kept<\/a>, late last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d15ap29giwmq9i.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/10235511\/UTILITY-DARK.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3731\" width=\"768\" height=\"600\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kept was a natural next step for Kara. The brand sells a full complement of household utility pieces \u2014 all elevated to match the designer\u2019s aesthetic. There are brooms, dishcloths, dustpans, storage boxes, aprons and more. In other words, items you normally hid in the closet or under the sink as soon as you were done using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a designer, we would get to the end of a project, installing beautiful homes that we spent years working on, and go to purchase utilitarian items, and the options weren\u2019t great,\u201d Kara said in an interview with Business of Home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d15ap29giwmq9i.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/10235455\/ALL-PURPOSE-CLEANER.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3727\" width=\"600\" height=\"768\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d15ap29giwmq9i.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/10235459\/CERAMIC-CANISTER.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3728\" width=\"600\" height=\"548\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>With Kept, Kara strives to transform the things you need into things you love. She and her team have scoured the globe to find beautiful, high-quality versions of everyday products for discerning customers. And if they can\u2019t find the perfect one, they make them. One of the designer\u2019s favorite items, the feather duster, for example, is made from delicate ostrich feathers that caress fragile objects without risk of damage or tipping. The industrial-cool hamper, on the other hand, is constructed of recycled steel, natural linen and aged leather detailing from a New Zealand factory that focuses on ethical manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d15ap29giwmq9i.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/10235503\/KARA-PORTRAIT.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3729\" width=\"600\" height=\"1024\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When working on the project, Kara admits that sustainability played a big role in both the creative and manufacturing processes. As a brand, Kept urges consumers to buy once and buy well. The logic is to invest in everyday essentials that can be cherished \u2014 and reused \u2013 instead of cheap products that are easily disposable. In terms of sourcing, Kara was also meticulous about who (artisans who honor the earth with sustainable and ethical manufacturing) and what (natural, biodegradable and animal-friendly materials) she worked with.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So who does she see as her end Kept customers? \u201cAnyone and everyone,\u201d she told us. \u201cMaintaining a well-kept home shouldn\u2019t be for just one specific group of people.\u201d Thanks to Kara, everyone can now live out their guilt-free, earth-loving domestic goddess dreams. Now that is what we call Living Well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/KEPTHOME.COM\">KEPTHOME.COM<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3726,"template":"","filed_under":[],"class_list":["post-3725","journal","type-journal","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Keeping Up With Kara | Chanintr Living Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The cool and edgy designer Kara Mann has launched her own brand Kept, offering a full complement of household utility pieces - all elevated to match the designer&#039;s aesthetic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Keeping Up With Kara | Chanintr Living Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The cool and edgy designer Kara Mann has launched her own brand Kept, offering a full complement of household utility pieces - all elevated to match the designer&#039;s aesthetic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CHANINTR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-11T08:36:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LAUNDRY-OVERALL-BLACK.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"790\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Up With Kara | Chanintr Living Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/34.124.208.30\/pages\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LAUNDRY-OVERALL-BLACK.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-11T05:43:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-11T08:36:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"The cool and edgy designer Kara Mann has launched her own brand Kept, offering a full complement of household utility pieces - all elevated to match the designer's aesthetic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LAUNDRY-OVERALL-BLACK.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LAUNDRY-OVERALL-BLACK.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":790,\"caption\":\"LAUNDRY OVERALL BLACK\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/keeping-up-with-kara\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/34.124.208.30\/pages\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Journal\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Keeping Up With Kara\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/34.124.208.30\/pages\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/34.124.208.30\/pages\/\",\"name\":\"CHANINTR\",\"description\":\"CHANINTR pursues the art of &quot;Living Well&quot; 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