about the guild

A life well loved...

From the guests around our tables, to the items we curate for our closets and homes, we celebrate ALL of life’s magical moments and little luxuries…with time being the biggest luxury of all!

At the Guild we spend time laughing, creating and playing in our grown up 5,000 sq. ft dollhouse in Highland Park, Illinois.

We collect and create affordable Art, curate unique and handmade gifts, fashionable accessories, and home accents.

We relish the stories that are “re-told” in the pieces we find. Her story is now our story…we welcome you to our colorful world!

Our showroom is open Thursdays from 11am to 6pm and the first Saturday of every month from 11am to 4pm. Luckily our website is open 24/7. More details here.

the hearts behind the guild

Emily Vaughn

Emily is a multi-faceted designer. She has worked as an interior and landscape designer for more than 20 years on the North Shore of Chicago. She has been featured in multiple design magazines.

For the last few years, she has moved into jewelry and clothing design as well. All of the design inspirations, "fashionations", and lifestyle ruminations have kept her very creatively engaged.

With the debut of the guild she has combined her love of great design with her commitment to sustainability, fair-trade and artisan products. Meeting Laura many years ago at an artisan market began a kinship that ultimately has led to a wonderful partnership in launching the guild.

Laura McMahon

With a degree in Electrical Engineering, this mother of two traded aircraft circuit board design for a Fair-Trade business of handbags and accessories. Everything is handmade by women of the indigenous Wayúu tribe in her native Colombia.

Her passion for sustainable, handmade, high-end quality products helped Laura find her calling. Through The Guild, she loves helping other female small-business owners, artists, and artisans showcase their products while making sure customers know each product's origin.

Closely following the Fair-Trade principles of sustainability, fair wages and respect for the environment, this partnership embodies an evolution in ethical retail.

Isadora "Izzy" Diamond

Izzy is a hunter, gatherer, and collector, with a deep, inherited love for all things vintage. She has handcrafted a career by transforming materials and ephemera from the past into contemporary works of art.

After earning her BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, Izzy honed her eye for design while working in visual merchandising at Neiman Marcus on Michigan Avenue, and began publishing original mixed media collages. By the mid-90s, she made her mark in the gift industry by creating handmade products for major retailers like Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie.

After a hiatus to focus on raising her family with husband Ron and daughters Zoe and Bella, Izzy is now sharing her many passions through The Guild.

Her once-busy home has become a dynamic space filled with creativity, friends, and an ever-evolving collection of objects d'art.

explore the world of the guild

Explore our curated collection and discover the stories behind each piece.

Explore the Collection