Studio Gild
Studio Gild was a Chicago-based, privately held interior design studio founded in 2013 by three co-founders (Jennie Bishop, Kristen Ekeland, Melissa Benham) that operated for over a decade as a small (1-10 employee) residential and commercial design practice before splitting into three independent firms in April 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Studio Gild does
Studio Gild was a privately held interior design studio based in Chicago, founded in 2013 by three co-founders — Jennie Bishop, Kristen Ekeland, and Melissa Benham — who built the firm over more than a decade into what it described as a nationally recognized design practice. The firm offered interior design services as its sole product line, with no disclosed technology platform, proprietary tools, software, or AI components underpinning the offering. Distribution was minimal: the firm relied on organic social media (Instagram) as its primary marketing channel, with no disclosed paid acquisition, partnerships, sales team, or office locations beyond the Chicago headquarters.
The business model was a traditional fee-for-service interior design practice. No pricing, project minimums, engagement structure, or customer segmentation data is publicly disclosed, and there are no named customer logos, repeat-client disclosures, or revenue figures in the source material. The firm operated at micro scale (1-10 employees), was privately held by its three founders with no external investors, funding rounds, or parent company involvement, and reported no patents, trademarks, regulatory actions, certifications, or third-party integrations. As of April 1, 2025, Studio Gild ceased operating as a combined entity and restructured into three independently led successor firms — Bishop Studio (Jennie Bishop), Kristen Ekeland Interiors (Kristen Ekeland), and Studio Emblem & Co. (Melissa Benham) — with the original Studio Gild brand effectively dissolved.
Studio Gild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Studio Gild
- Legal name
- Studio Gild
- Website
- https://studiogild.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Studio Gild was a Chicago-based, privately held interior design studio founded in 2013 by three co-founders (Jennie Bishop, Kristen Ekeland, Melissa Benham) that operated for over a decade as a small (1-10 employee) residential and commercial design practice before splitting into three independent firms in April 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Studio Gild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Studio Gild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Marketing channels1 record
Studio Gild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Studio Gild was a Chicago-based interior design studio that provided interior design services to clients across the United States for more than a decade. Founded by three partners (Jennie, Kristen, and Melissa) in 2013-2014, the firm built a nationally recognized design practice. As of April 1, 2025, Studio Gild transitioned into three independently led successor firms: Bishop Studio, Kristen Ekeland Interiors, and Studio Emblem & Co.
Product overview
Studio Gild was a unified interior design studio that operated for over a decade, offering interior design services. The studio has now transitioned (as of April 1, 2025) into three distinct, independently led design firms: Bishop Studio, Kristen Ekeland Interiors, and Studio Emblem & Co. These successor firms represent the individual paths of the three founding partners (Jennie, Kristen & Melissa). The original Studio Gild operated as a single entity offering interior design services rather than a software product platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Interior Design Services Studio Gild provided interior design services as a nationally recognized design studio. The studio operated for more than a decade offering design services to clients before transitioning into three independent successor firms on April 1, 2025.
Companies that use Studio Gild
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Studio Gild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Studio Gild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Studio Gild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Modsy: Tech-enabled online interior design service that pairs customers with designers for room concepts and 3D renderings. Directly comparable to Studio Gild's interior design service offering, though delivered virtually at greater scale.
- Havenly: Online interior design platform that matches customers with professional designers for room-by-room design projects. Operates in the same residential interior design service category as Studio Gild with a broader, tech-enabled delivery model.
- Decorilla: Online interior design marketplace delivering multiple designer concepts per project, comparable to Studio Gild's residential interior design services and competing for the same end-customer.
- Homepolish: Was a tech-enabled interior design service that matched clients with vetted freelance designers — a model structurally similar to a boutique Studio Gild-style studio. Provides a relevant precedent for service-model dynamics and lifecycle.
Broad incumbents
- West Elm: Major home furnishings retailer with in-store and online interior design services, serving a similar residential clientele to Studio Gild but with national reach and brand-driven scale.
- Crate & Barrel: National home furnishings retailer offering free interior design services in-store and online, competing with Studio Gild for residential design customers at substantially larger scale and brand recognition.
- Ballard Designs: National home furnishings brand offering complimentary interior design services to customers, overlapping with Studio Gild's service category but operating as part of a much larger retail platform.
- One Kings Lane Interior Design: Home furnishings retailer operating an interior design service arm, competing in the same residential design space as Studio Gild but at substantially larger scale and across a national footprint.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Studio Gild social profiles
Digital presenceStudio Gild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Studio Gild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Studio Gild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Studio Gild M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Studio Gild
What does Studio Gild do?
Studio Gild was a Chicago-based interior design studio that provided interior design services to clients across the United States for more than a decade. Founded by three partners (Jennie, Kristen, and Melissa) in 2013-2014, the firm built a nationally recognized design practice. As of April 1, 2025, Studio Gild transitioned into three independently led successor firms: Bishop Studio, Kristen Ekeland Interiors, and Studio Emblem & Co.
Is Studio Gild a public or private company?
Studio Gild is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Studio Gild founded?
Studio Gild was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Studio Gild based?
Studio Gild is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Studio Gild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Modsy, Havenly, Decorilla and Homepolish. Broad incumbents are West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Ballard Designs and One Kings Lane Interior Design.
Does Studio Gild have an API?
No public API is recorded for Studio Gild.