Chicago Love Stories: Interior Define & Monica+Andy
February 9, 2016
Second in our Chicago Love Stories series is Rob and Monica of Lincoln Park’s Interior Define and Monica + Andy. Here’s 5 things you didn’t know about this business-minded power couple.
- They began their relationship through a steamy office romance.
“We met at work! When I moved to Chicago, Monica and I worked in different divisions of the same company. We were paired together for a day during my first week.” – Rob - Their daughter prefers Monica + Andy over Interior Define.
“The Monica+Andy store has a milk and cookie bar, and our daughter’s picture is all over the store. I can’t compete with this.” – Rob
“Actually she is pretty obsessed with Rob’s sofas. We can’t drive by his store anymore without having him pop out to say hello or she gets very upset. I think she sees Monica + Andy as her own office, since she has spent so much time running around there. Bella believes my job is talking to people and taking notes. That pretty much sums it up.” – Monica - Working in the same neighborhood has its benefits: they meet up for lunch dates.
“We try to meet up as much as possible, but it’s surprisingly difficult to coordinate! We’ll grab lunch at Summer House or Le Pain Quotidien.” – Rob
“Yes. LPQ is my favorite, and I try to convince Rob to eat there with me as much as possible.” – Monica - Monica’s brother Andy, founder of Bonobos, inspired Rob to start ID.
“I’ve always been passionate about furniture and design, and felt there was a huge opportunity to create a differentiated furniture brand; one that better connects with people (like myself), who are design-oriented but looking for better value and to shop an authentic brand. My background at other startups, including Bonobos (founded by Monica’s brother, Andy) inspired me to start something new.” – Rob - They plan to make Valentine’s Day their first night off in months.
“Rob and I will probably spend the night in and make a fun dinner and hopefully drink some wine. We do not give ourselves too much time to relax and we will make sure to give ourselves a night off!” – Monica
“Monica is an amazing mom and wife. Despite running a business, she picks our daughter up from school every day and always prioritizes her experiences, even if she is hanging out at her store when Monica has a meeting. On the weekends, we love taking our daughter to the zoo or a museum.” – Rob
Send a bouquet like Monica’s to your Valentine.
