About Us

A mix of side hustle, entrepreneurial spirit & passion for sustainability ignited the creation of Icon Modern, started by Rocky Levy & Aaron Tvrdy, in 2007. Our origins lie in the creative reuse of materials: diverting urban trees designated for landfill and handcrafting them into unique pieces of furniture.

Furniture with a story and a mission.

And what started with 2 guys and a mission has grown into a full-service custom interior solutions company. We are a team of dreamers and do’ers that have a genuine passion for the work that we do and the sustainable products we make.

With an emphasis on handcrafting our products locally, we source all of our materials within a 100-mile radius of our shop in Chicago, IL. It is our versatility and flexibility that has enabled Icon Modern to become the go-to custom shop in the Chicagoland area.

Favorite material we work with and why? Any material with a story, whether it’s wood from a parkway tree or a car hood from a 1960’s Cadillac – everything we use has something to say.

Secret Talent? I can usually tell the make of a car from hearing it start.

Cocktail of Choice? Gin it to win it

Rocky Levy Owner & Sales/Marketing Director

Secret Talent? Does knowing every word to Digital Undergrounds's The Humpty Dance count?

Favorite material we work with and why? Urban Elm, it is a great under the radar urban wood. No two trees are ever the same but Elm is particularly unique from tree to tree.

Zombie apocalypse, what’s the first thing you grab before you run? Bulldozer, I don’t want to run.

Aaron Tvrdy Owner & Operations Director

Favorite material we work with and why? Steel, love that it can be powdercoated with any color!

Favorite pop culture icon? Little Sebastian

Favorite City? Florence, Italy! The food, architecture and history are second to none.

Nicole Humphrey Sales Operations Manager

Favorite material we work with and why?
Urban wood. Trees are just as intelligent as humans and animals, just in completely different ways that we are still learning about. Each tree has its own story just like each of us do.

And I love that we are able to gives these trees new life, in another form. Its what made me fall in love with Icon Modern's work and daydream about working here!

Allison Stegich Marketing Director

Favorite City? Breckenridge, CO – great drinks, great music and of course the SNOW!!

Secret Talent? Mad skills on the go-cart track, I refuse to lose.

New skill you want to learn? I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar. Oh wait, were you asking about a professional/work skill?

Jeff Shuey Senior Project Manager

Favorite City? Bern, Switzerland

New skill you want to learn? I want to learn how to make pastries.

Favorite project you have worked on while at IM and why? I really enjoyed working on the new Caterpillar office. It was a lot of fun to work with found objects and create some truly unique pieces.

Carla Cortbawi Junior Designer

Favorite material we work with and why? Hot rolled steel. The possibilities are endless!

New skill you want to learn? Projection mapping for art installations.

Favorite pop culture icon? Björk!

Craig Gronowski Sales & Design Consultant

Favorite material we work with and why? Spalted Maple. Cause its cool as hell!

New skill you want to learn? To play guitar.

Favorite City? Del Mar, CA

Mike Graziano General Manager/Accountant

Cocktail of Choice? A margarita, in any form

Favorite City? Lisbon

Favorite material we work with and why? Urban live edge Walnut; I love the movement and uniqueness of each slab

Meagan O'Keefe Junior Project Manager

Favorite project you have worked on while at IM and why? Jump Trading NYC because the job itself included so many different materials, from stone, steel, veneer, and solid wood within the different styles of furniture.

Secret Talent? Jack of all trades, master of none… some.

Tim Boiko Logistics Manager

To start your next project
contact Craig Gronowski

Our Values

TRUST WITH OUR CLIENTS

We are committed to building trust with our clients, forming authentic relationships through collaboration & delivering consistent, reliable service. We do this by listening intently to designers’ needs, remaining flexible to make a client’s vision a reality and going the extra mile to ensure their project is a success.

CULTIVATING NEW IDEAS

We embrace new ideas and cultivate a culture of opportunity & ingenuity to remain at the forefront of our industry, offering our clients the most innovative custom solutions.

SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY

We ensure sustainability is weaved into everything that we do. We are committed to connecting with the environment and community around us, telling stories through our ever-evolving custom products that are handcrafted to last a lifetime.

History

Big ideas & inspiration are often hidden in the everyday things that we do. For Rocky Levy that was coming across a 2007 newspaper article in the Chicago Tribune that highlighted the thousands of trees being cut down in the city due to disease. Having worked in the commercial furniture industry for several years, a seed of an idea was planted: creating sustainable furniture out of local urban trees.

As luck would have it, he met an architect who had a similar passion for designing spaces with sustainability in mind, Aaron Tvrdy. Together, they worked with local craftsmen to fabricate urban wood tables for local businesses, leading to projects with brand names like Starbucks, Whole Foods and Twitter. What started out of a garage has grown into a 10,000 sq. foot office and showroom in the West Loop of Chicago.

Sourcing unique, sustainable materials serves as the foundation for Icon Modern. Our passion for sustainability is what enables us to offer one-of-a-kind furniture & architectural elements to our clients!