diff --git a/src/Model/chatModel.ts b/src/Model/chatModel.ts
index bc8696aa..b7df4611 100644
--- a/src/Model/chatModel.ts
+++ b/src/Model/chatModel.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
 // this file is responsible for managing chats and chat messages. objects are delegated to objectModel.ts.
 
+import StorageModel, { storageKeys } from "./storageModel";
+
 import { createTimestamp } from "../utility";
 
+export class ChatModel {
+    info: ChatInfo;
+
+    messages: ChatMessage[];
+    objects: ChatObject[];
+    outbox: ChatMessage[];
+
+    constructor(storageModel: StorageModel, chatId: string) {
+      const infoPath = storageKeys.chatInfo(chatId)
+      const info = storageModel.restoreStringifiable(infoPath);
+    }
+}
+
 // creation methods
 export function createChatMessage(channel: string, sender: string, body: string): ChatMessage {
     return {
@@ -15,6 +30,14 @@ export function createChatMessage(channel: string, sender: string, body: string)
 }
 
 // types
+export interface ChatInfo {
+    primaryChannel: string;
+    secondaryChannels: string[];
+    encryptionKey: string;
+    
+    hasUnreadMessages: boolean;
+}
+
 export interface ChatMessage {
     dataVersion: "v2";
   
diff --git a/src/Model/storageModel.ts b/src/Model/storageModel.ts
index 828d3a5a..17594151 100644
--- a/src/Model/storageModel.ts
+++ b/src/Model/storageModel.ts
@@ -6,23 +6,23 @@ export default class StorageModel {
   storageEntryTree: StorageEntry = {};
 
   // basic
-  store = (pathComponents: string[], value: string): void => {
-    const key = this.pathComponentsToKey(...pathComponents);
+  store = (key: string, value: string): void => {
     localStorage.setItem(key, value);
+    const pathComponents = this.keyToPathComponents(key);
     this.updateTree(...pathComponents);
   };
 
-  restore = (pathComponents: string[]): string | null => {
-    const key = this.pathComponentsToKey(...pathComponents);
+  restore = (key: string): string | null => {
     return localStorage.getItem(key);
   };
 
-  remove = (pathComponents: string[]): void => {
-    const key = this.pathComponentsToKey(...pathComponents);
+  remove = (key: string): void => {
     localStorage.removeItem(key);
   };
 
-  list = (...pathComponents: string[]): string[] => {
+  list = (key: string): string[] => {
+    const pathComponents = this.keyToPathComponents(key);
+    
     let currentParent = this.storageEntryTree;
     for (const component of pathComponents) {
       currentParent = currentParent[component];
@@ -32,13 +32,13 @@ export default class StorageModel {
   };
 
   // stringifiable
-  storeStringifiable = (pathComponents: string[], value: any[]): void => {
+  storeStringifiable = (key: string, value: any[]): void => {
     const valueString = stringify(value);
-    this.store(pathComponents, valueString);
+    this.store(key, valueString);
   };
 
-  restoreStringifiable = (pathComponents: string[]): any | null => {
-    const valueString = this.restore(pathComponents);
+  restoreStringifiable = (key: string): any | null => {
+    const valueString = this.restore(key);
     if (!valueString) return null;
 
     return parse(valueString);