07/31/08

Scoop | Small World

I just ran into an old… um, friend? What do you call a person who mercifully pulled over and offered you a ride home when, four years ago, you were walking along North Avenue in the dark, in the about-to-start-pouring rain, holding two overflowing bags from Whole Foods while trying to balance an umbrella under your armpit, because the bus was JUST driving off as you approached the gosh-darn stop?! I think that person is called a friend. (Normally, I don’t hitchhike, but this woman had “good person” written all over her face—and let’s face it, I was desperate.) I ran into Evelyn Daitchman at the studio of artist Michael Thompson (whose super-cool and interesting space will be featured in our November/December issue). She is a massage therapist and has all sorts of celebrity clients, but she’s also a collector of vintage clothing, fabric, and dishes. She sells her wares (the home stuff has a fun Anthropologie feel) out of Thompson’s loft space and at the Randolph Street Flea Market. Look for the name Jackie Ono. Here’s to the kindness of strangers!

—Gina Bazer
 

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07/30/08

InBox | C’est Moi

C’est Moi, a delightful shop in Vintage Pine, is closing. The owner says no reasonable offer will be refused on rugs, bedding, candles, oilcloth bags, David Fussenegger throws (shown here) and lots more. 904 W. Blackhawk St., 312-944-2116.

—JAN PARR


 

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07/29/08

InBox | Soft Stuff

Pillows are the T-shirts of the home design world.  (Funny—in our last issue, I recall writing that “pillows are the shoes of the home design world”… OK, so the fashion and design worlds have some crossover, and I like to point that out… repeatedly! No big deal.) Anyway, I say this because pillows (like shoes and T-shirts) provide a relatively inexpensive way to express yourself. You can easily tone down a formal room by tossing in a vibrant or, in the case of Jonathan Adler, cheeky pillow. Enter Adler’s latest line of needlepoint pillows, shown above. They may be too precious for some, but I think if you don’t overdo it (like throw the “drugs” AND the “hugs” pillow on your sofa), the look is kind of fun.

—GINA BAZER 
 

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07/28/08

InBox | House Painting

How much do you love your house? Enough to have a portrait of it painted by a professional artist? If you like the idea of having your casa immortalized in watercolor, you’ll be happy to know it doesn’t cost all that much. Send Jim Pinto a photo of your precious and he will deliver a 12-by-18-inch rendering for $350. It’s a little kitschy, maybe even sappy, but sort of sweet, too. Pinto sells gift certificates as well, so you could get your parents a portrait of the home you grew up in before they sell the empty nest and head to Arizona. Most of the photos in his gallery are of traditional homes, but I think it would be fun to shake it up and have him do your ranch. Or an interior shot? What do you think? I think it would be even better if you could get a paint-by-numbers kit of your house. Business idea, anyone?

—Gina Bazer

 

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07/25/08

Happy Hour | Me, at the Manor

If you find yourself near Bannockburn Tuesday evening, join me at the Scottish Manor, a concept home by Orren Pickell. I’ll be leading a tour and discussion with Pickell’s Tracy Konrath, the designer who chose the finishes in the 9,000-square-foot manse. If you’re into the barrel-vaulted-ceiling-tons-of-tumbled-stone-and-wood look, you’ll love this 9,000-square-foot home. The event is free, and takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 30 Aberdeen Court (call 847-572-5200 for directions).

—JAN PARR

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07/24/08

Scoop | Black Walnut Plants New Roots

After three years on Division Street, Robert Wayner’s Black Walnut Gallery has moved to the West Loop gallery district. If you love rustic, rough-edged wood tables and benches with a modern sensibility, and contemporary art with a political slant, this is the place to get both. (Through the rest of July and all of August, check out Tolerance of Belief, a group art exhibit featuring 10 Arab and Jewish artists from around the world, “who are making a stand for peace and understanding in the Middle East by displaying their artwork side-by-side.”) Wayner, an artist and furniture maker, is a very friendly man who loves to share stories about the origins of the reclaimed wood he uses to make his furniture.

—GINA BAZER

 

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07/23/08

InBox | Treasure Trove

We just got word from Steven Burgert, owner of I.D., that the shop is now the exclusive Chicago retailer of Trove wallpaper. This gorgeous paper feels more like art than a wall treatment. I actually would like to buy some just to frame it. It costs about $13 to $16 a square foot.

—Gina Bazer


 

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07/22/08

Happy Hour | Florense

A stylish crowd of about 200 people came out last week for the opening party of Florense in River North, the Brazilian furniture and cabinetry company. If you didn’t know better, you might have thought you were in the Poliform showroom: the company’s sleek wares are very similar (the internal structure of the cabinets is indeed the same as Poliform’s; the wood veneers are made in Italy and then shipped to the factory in Brazil), at about half the price. The reason? This Brazilian company doesn’t have to deal with the strong Euro/weak dollar issue, and the cost of raw materials and production is lower in South America. This is Florense’s third North American showroom (the others are in New York and Miami). Bonus: the company’s goods have met rigorous ISO green certification standards both for its materials and manufacturing processes. Also find Pallucco Italia lighting and Miele appliances in this 5,000-square-foot showroom.

—JAN PARR

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07/21/08

Scoop | Alt Kids’ Portraits

I saw some of these silhouettes, sort of the modern equivalent of a portrait, in a family home designed by Julia Edelmann. Local photographer Maggie Meiners does them.

—JAN PARR

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07/18/08

Scoop | Au Revoir, Le Magasin!

I really hate starting a post with an expression of farewell, in any language. Another of my favorite shops, River North’s Le Magasin, is closing July 31. The impossibly charming owner, Didier Milleriot, is moving back to his native France to be near his partner, who is off to Germany for a fellowship. The good news is that many of Milleriot’s lines—including Point à la Ligne vegetable-shaped candles, glassware, and linens from Garnier Thibaut (shown here) and Alexandre Turpault—will now be carried at Oak Park’s year-old Botanica. Milleriot reports that there’s not much left in his shop, but what is there is all 50 percent off. Milleriot will make a special appearance at Botanica on October 16. Details to come.

—JAN PARR


 

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07/17/08

Obsession | Fashionably Cool

For more than 40 years, these incredible fashion photos by Mark Shaw (best known for his work documenting the family life of the Kennedys at the White House) went unviewed. In the past few years, Andrew Wilder of Svenska Mobler worked with Shaw’s only heir, David (a childhood friend), and his wife, Juliet Cuming, to make the photos available to the public. Svenksa Mobler in River North, the fantastic showroom filled with Swedish Modernist and Argentine Functionalist furniture, has about 15 of the photos, which Shaw shot in the 1950s and early 1960s for LIFE’s coverage of the European fashion collections, on display. They range from about $800 to $2,000.

—JAN PARR
 

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07/16/08

InBox | Green Kitchen

Architect Lisa Elkins of 2 Point Perspective, a firm that specializes in eco-friendly design, just sent over a snapshot of her kitchen. Look at the LED-underlit bamboo panel on the ceiling—I love how this sustainable material continues from the cabinets and draws the eye upward (making for a cool lighting fixture to boot!). Also notice the slate-colored walls and how they play off the recycled-glass countertops, which are sort of blue-ish gray in color. The look is sleek, warm, and unified.

—GINA BAZER
 

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07/15/08

InBox | Simes’ Tiles

I’m crazy about Simes Studio’s new “eglomise,” or back-painted glass tiles, inspired by textiles. They can be used for backsplashes, cabinet door inserts, niches—you could think of other things. 

—JAN PARR


 

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07/14/08

Spotted | Chill Grill

It’s summertime, and the grilling is both easy and stylish when you take this Laptop portable charcoal grill from Design Within Reach on a walk to the park. It folds up to be a little more than a single inch thick, weighs 9 lbs., and has a handle that makes for easy transport. With a spaceage portable cooktop like this, everybody’s going to want to get ALL up in your grill.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN
 

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07/11/08

Scoop | CB2 Represents for Chicago

When the new CB2 catalog arrives in your mailbox this month, you’ll probably find yourself either perfunctorily or obsessively (depending on your mood) perusing a bunch of sleek-looking sofas, beds, and tables set against backdrops of exposed-brick walls decorated with bold-colored prints featuring either Andy Warhol-esque urban scenes or tree branches. Sound about right? Well, this month, at least a few of those prints—one featuring the Sears Tower and others some local tree branches—will be by Chicago artist Matthew Lew. Somehow the fact that these are images of Chicago branches and Chicago buildings shot by a Chicagoan makes me like them all the more.

—Gina Bazer

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07/10/08

InBox | Andrew Stansell Design

Though I admire Arts & Crafts style (in fact I live in an Arts & Crafts bungalow), it can get a little dull. Andrew Stansell, a local furniture maker, has reinterpreted Arts & Crafts in metal in a new line. I particularly like this bookcase.

-JAN PARR 
 

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07/09/08

Scoop | Linens 'n Things Mega-Sale

As my boss put it, “Gina went insane” at the 600 N. Michigan Ave. Linens 'n Things liquidation sale over lunch. I came hobbling back to the office with two huge bags full of Nate Berkus linen window panels and a bed skirt. According to my receipt, I saved $350. All sales are final, but if you're willing to commit on the spot, you'll be very happy with the deals.

-Gina Bazer
 

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07/08/08

Obsession | Pillow Talk

Interior designer Hillery Estes and her associate, Meredith Smerchek, noticed an increase in their clients’ desire for pillow talk.  (To see more on this subject, check out page 68 of our current issue!) Always looking for just the right “toss-on” to add to their effortlessly chic rooms, over time, they generated enough ideas and sketches to suit hundreds of beds and heads, and thus, the Estes Home Pillow Collection was born. Look for lots of leather applications and designs inspired by vintage belt buckles. I’m a big fan of the one with the cream-colored Greek key stitching on chocolate leather. Find them at Zella Brown in ready-to-buy designs or order up a custom creation. About $300 each.

-BARRI LEINER

 

Photos Courtesy of Estes Interiors
 

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07/07/08

Obsession | Road Trip!

I was on vacation last week in Three Oaks, Michigan, where I always make a point to stop at Ipso Facto, a great antique/salvage shop that Larry Vodak says was his inspiration for starting Scout in Andersonville. Ipso’s owner, Brandon Nelson, a transplanted Chicagoan, stocks a cool mix of odd Americana pieces, art, sculptural objects, and retro furniture. It’s just an hour or so drive from Chicago—a great day trip.

—JAN PARR

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07/03/08

InBox | Design Contest

 Feeling creative? Got a cool concept for a piece of art, something in fashion, furniture, or an interior design element? Want to win $10,000? Nate Berkus is judging a design contest, sponsored by Basil Hayden Bourbon and Out magazine. Submit your design concept here by August 15. You have to be a resident of Illinois, Ohio, or Wisconsin, and be a least 21. (All the rules are at the link above.) 

—Jan Parr

 
 

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07/02/08

Obsession | Modern Baroque

John Reeves’ “modern-Baroque” dining and occasional tables (and bookcases) are just the ticket for schizophrenic designphiles who (like me) want it all: classical, contemporary, minimalist—you name it; these pieces have elements of each. All are made from solid wood and finished in lacquer or veneer (they’re available at Stitch in oak veneer and red, black, or white lacquer). 

—Gina Bazer
 

Images courtesy stitchchicago.com
 

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07/01/08

Spotted | Pool Cues

 
I'm not sure if I'm going to add the new CBS show Swingtown to my TiVo faves just yet, but it's a lot of nostalgic fun to check out the furniture and home design on this Winnetka-set series that starts out in the summer of 1976. The shag carpeting’s wall-to-wall, the kids play Gnip Gnop  in a red, white, and blue bedroom, and there is more avocado than in Rick Bayless’s walk-in cooler. Upright yet open-minded Bruce and Susan move across the street from swingin’ Trini and Tom, who have awesome pool furniture. I got in touch with set designer Beauchamp Fontaine (you’re not going to find THAT on a keychain at Navy Pier!), who told me some of those chairs are Verner Panton S-chair repros, available locally at Orange Skin for $245, and the molded fiberglass lounge chairs ($595) came from Room Service L.A.  Groovy!

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

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