April 2008
04/30/08Spotted | Ikea, Easier
—Jan Parr Posted at 09:13 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/29/08Spotted | Toast Master
—BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 09:56 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/28/08Happy Hour | ZED451
 Attention design junkies who also happen to love good food: The just-opened steakhouse ZED451 at 739 N. Clark St. is architect and designer Chris Smith's (he’s done Nobu in New York, among others) first Chicago project. We love all the outside-in natural elements (wood, fire, rocks, plants), the two-story atrium that floods the space with natural light, the mix of dark/light hickory and maple floors, and, on one of many fireplaces (including one of the rooftop), the gun metal curved ceramic tile with rolled steel trim. Oh, and the fresh baby carrots, the ravioli, the chocolate tarts, and the baby lamb chops (the latter loved by my carnivorous husband). —JAN PARR Posted at 09:28 AM in Happy Hour | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/25/08Happy Hour | Junk Food
Calorie-free Pop Tarts? Hostess cupcakes as big as your head? Sign us up. I was first turned on to Pamela Michelle Johnson’s huge and hip snacks series American Still Life amid the yummy home design finds at Zella Brown in Wicker Park. Get a gander of Jonhson’s work and first major exhibition of this series at The Artist Project at Artropolis this weekend. More than 300 soon-to-be-fabulously-more-famous-names will be showing on the 8th floor of the Merchandise Mart through Monday. To meet the girl behind the goodies and more than a few of her creative friends (don’t miss f2), grab a free pass. —BARRI LEINER
POPTARTS / 52"x72" / oil on canvas / 2007 Posted at 11:10 AM in Happy Hour | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/24/08Obsession | Ralph Lauren, Part 2
Two posts in a row about Ralph. No, I'm not on his payroll, but I'm definitely fascinated by how a young man named Lifshitz who grew up in the Bronx could create such a deliciously WASP-y lifestyle empire. I bring this up because in the process of hunting down that sweater-style rug by Lauren that I wrote about two days ago (which, sadly, is no longer being made, according to Lauren's press department), I became ensnared by his online marketing vehicle Ralph Lauren Home. You can't shop on this Web site like you can on the regular Ralph Lauren Web site, but you are invited to learn how you, too, can live like Ralph in the "RL Style Guide." Clearly, their MO is to get you to buy their stuff: The SHOP NOW icon appears shamelessly below tips on topics such as "adding glamour to your home without a complete overhaul" and making your indoor space "feel like the outdoors." But the tips are pretty good and it's fun to look at the videos and pictures. The photos are super-styled and super-luxe and their campaigns really do inspire you to live the RL lifestyle, if only in your mind. See you at the club! —GINA BAZER Photography: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren Home Posted at 11:43 AM in Obsession | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/23/08Scoop | Branca's New Store
Nothing like scooping your own publication. Our May/June issue, on newsstands May 1, reports that design doyenne Alessandra Branca (pictured here in her former shop, which was adjacent to her design offices; see our 2005 story about her here) is opening a new store at 17 E. Pearson St. on May 8. I was invited to a preview party on May 7 to see Branca’s furniture and one-of-a-kind accessories culled on her travels to Europe and India. We’ll keep you posted. —Jan Parr Posted at 08:24 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/22/08Obsession | The Sweater Rug
The other day we did a photo shoot at Room & Board for a story about throw pillows (learn everything you ever wanted to know about them in our upcoming July/August issue). The pillows were obviously the stars of the show, but we also used a rug in the shoot that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since. It’s the Cable rug in Heather (see photo at left), and the reason I love it so much is that it looks and feels like a big old sweater. Problem is I’m not sure if it pills like one, too, so if anyone has any experience with this rug, please share. It’s new to Room & Board so it’s unlikely anyone has lived with it long enough to know what will become of it in a couple of years… Still, any insight on 100-percent undyed wool would be great. This reminded me that a few years ago, I was considering getting similar wool carpeting by Ralph Lauren (see photo at right). I was planning to have it cut to an 8-by-10-foot size and bound with fabric, and it was going to cost about $1,300—the Cable rug costs $1,599 for around 7 by 10 feet (granted, it is a lot softer). Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the carpet store on Lincoln Avenue that carries the Ralph Lauren floor coverings collection (anyone have a clue?). Be sure, I have put in a call to RL corporate to figure this out. I will report back when I have more information. I love the idea of having a cozy sweater underfoot. —GINA BAZER Photography: Courtesy of Room & Board and Ralph Lauren Posted at 10:34 AM in Obsession | Permalink | Comments (2) |
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04/21/08Spotted | Knock. Knock.
If you haven't been to the new Elements store yet... well, shame on you. You're missing out on a bevy of edgy/elegant home design finds, delicious jewelry, great bags, gorgeous coffee table books, treats catered by Southport Grocery when you saddle up to the iPod bar, and more. We covered the store's opening in the mag long before the dust settled, so here's our reminder... get there now! OK, now back to La Door. After owners Jeannine Dal Pra and Toby Glickman decided to scoot off Oak Street in favor of trendier digs on Wells, they took a buying trip extraordinaire, scoping the globe for all things inspirational. Among their discoveries in London: "We admired the way people's front doors really showed their individuality," says Glickman. When the two hit upon a stellar door pull at an antique store, the deal was sealed. Dal Pra scribbled a sketch, and they had a carpenter build a totally unique door for their shop. They painted it Rumba Orange (Benjamin Moore #2014-20), et voilà. Entering the loo has never been so fabulous. —BARRI LEINER Posted at 11:02 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/18/08Spotted | Sit Stay Style
My spirited little dog Lucy does not suffer novelty hats or seasonal sweaters gladly, but she’s developed an eye for nice home design, I like to think. My fave Chicago pet store, Streeterville Pet Spa & Boutique (401 E. Ontario St.) just got in some new Italian lines that rolled us both right over. Owner Marion Thompson has a great eye and always stocks a lot of stylish creature comforts, including a rotating display case of dog treats that look good enough to serve bipeds, made by a local pastry chef. She told me these Milanese EGR beds use that super-tough Sunbrella fabric that won't fade or stain, and they're about $50 to $85. The designs are sort of wiener werkstatte meets Japanese print, all in a mid-cent-mod color palette. With chic canine couches like these, who wouldn't mind a couple lying around the house? Good girl, Marion! —BRADLEY LINCOLN Photos from petego.com Posted at 08:37 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/17/08InBox | Modernica at I.D.
—JAN PARR Posted at 04:20 PM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/17/08Spotted | Sweet Dreams
—JAN PARR Posted at 09:14 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/16/08Spotted | More Kitchen & Bath
—JAN PARR Posted at 02:51 PM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/16/08Spotted | Kitchen & Bath Show
 I was a bit nervous to go the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show at McCormick Place last weekend. A few years ago, I came home from the expo obsessed with a space-saving microwave/toaster by LG Electronics. I bought it, and it became a sticking point in a subsequent kitchen remodel (I wanted to save it and the designer had to jump through hoops to accommodate it). In the end, it went. I still miss it. This year’s show had more to love. •I guess I have a thing for space savers. This one is a water saver, too: Caravelle’s Caroma toilet with a small sink built on top. I asked a contractor looking at it with me if he’d ever seen such a thing. “Only in prisons,” he said. (A representative for the company said only his and one other company makes them.) But the contractor loved the idea of it for a very small powder room. The water used to wash hands gets re-used to flush the toilet. •American Range’s French door oven. With one hand both doors open, allowing the user to get up close and personal with her roast, instead of having to lean over an open door. Why didn’t someone think of this before? •Smeg’s retrofabulous refrigerators in tons of fun colors. •Element Design’s Eluma illuminated backsplash. It’s backsplash and undercabinet lighting in one; LED lights are hidden inside an aluminum-framed glass or acrylic backsplash. •i.Formz by Design Studio which is made with Corian and bent, shaped, molded, and punched out any way you can imagine. The booth at K/BIS displayed some lacy cutout panels that were fantastic. Things that scared me: •Liquid stainless steel that you spray on an old appliance to make it look like stainless. •The “Bloomin’ Bidet.” I refused even to get close enough to it to find out more. •ProSun’s Sunshower, which allows you to tan as you bathe. —JAN PARR Posted at 10:44 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/15/08Obsession | Eye Candy
It was a Willy Wonka moment at the New York International Gift Fair in February that got me going. Not just my usual craving for Kookaburra licorice (have you had?) and Swedish fish, but for the delicious candy-colored glass that spotted and dotted the football fields full of new products, gadgets, and gizmos launched there. The Urchin vases and lighting from Union Street Glass, available locally at Material Possessions, stopped me cold. The “nubs” resemble vintage milk glasses, clearly gone far down the lane from any grandmotherly roots—much more modern, almost edgy. Lemon yellow…yum. Tangerine…wow. Raspberry red…pow. Always eager to see where trends land moments and months later, a spin around Barneys New York a few weeks ago, showed me that a craving for colored glass was not missed by its buyers. (Check out the floor to ceiling celebration of the stuff!) Then I spotted the 1930s Argentine seltzer bottles ($150 each) at Jayson Home & Garden, and I’m sold again. Feels right now to add a splash. -BARRI LEINER Vase photo courtesy Union Street Glass Posted at 09:09 AM in Obsession | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/14/08InBox | Diesel for the Home
I just got an invitation to attend a party in Milan on April 16 celebrating the launch of Diesel’s new home collection. Too bad I won’t be able to make it. I think I have lunch plans at Potbelly in the Nordstrom building that day. But, as a proud wearer of Diesel jeans (the same pair from like 1995 or something!), I thought other Diesel fans might want to know that the company is jumping on the interiors wagon. OK, now don’t rush into Diesel tomorrow expecting to buy a perfectly distressed premium-denim sofa—they’re starting with linens this fall and will gradually move into furniture, accessories, and lighting, all of which are sure to embody that company’s devastatingly hip je ne sais quoi. —GINA BAZER Photo courtesy Diesel Posted at 09:47 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/11/08InBox | Totes to Love
In our May/June issue you will read about one of my favorite shops, Asrai Garden in Wicker Park. But here’s a little something that landed in my InBox after we went to press. These totes from Patch NYC, available exclusively at Asrai in Chicago, will make as fun a statement thrown over your shoulder on a Sunday afternoon at the flea market as they will hanging from a hook or storing magazines in your house. —GINA BAZER Photo courtesy of Asrai Garden Posted at 09:48 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/10/08Spotted | Wall of Fame
I was over at interior designer Todd Haley’s house/design lab to interview him for a story for Chicago Home + Garden, and he showed me a terrific wall treatment he came up with for a hallway. I hesitate to call it a “treatment” because it’s more of just a novel approach to hanging artwork, but it reads almost like paneling, or wallpaper. He framed a portfolio of antique prints in identical black frames and put them up with plain-old carpet tape, butting them against each other to cover the whole wall. It’ll involve some measuring angst, but I think it’s a sharp, tailored look that freshens up what could easily seem too Merchant-Ivory drawing room. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 11:02 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/09/08Dilemma | Plumbing Issues
– BARRI LEINER Posted at 07:26 AM in Dilemma | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/08/08Spotted | Bronze Age
—JAN PARR Photo courtesy of Weber Posted at 12:01 PM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/07/08Scoop | Landscaping Lowdown
I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said: Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous. West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms. Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh? OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now. —GINA BAZER Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham Posted at 10:52 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/04/08Scoop | Studio 41 in Naperville
Studio 41 just opened a 5,000-square-foot kitchen and bath showroom at Design Pointe in Naperville. This is great news for area suburbanites who won’t have to burn all that gas traveling into the city for their cabinets and faucets. But the little nugget that had the rest of us raising our eyebrows is that the store offers a price-match guarantee. So be sure to know the best prices on the market before visiting. In addition to carrying brands like Toto, Hansgrohe, Omega Cabinetry, and Jeld-wen, the company offers design services. We could definitely see ourselves soaking in this Naos spa tub from BainUltra. —JACKIE HUNZINGER Posted at 08:56 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/03/08Spotted | Color Therapy
I’m driving down Halsted in Boystown. It’s dark, and most shops are tucked in for the night. Gotta get gas before I head home. I’m literally running on luck. I notice a glow up ahead. Seems to be coming through the windows of I.D. Steven Burgert’s bastion of cutting-edge home design and eyewear. Alien landing? No—a crazy coat of paint. A Tiffany-blue back wall has transformed the whole store and left me stone-cold stopped in the middle of the block (’til a beep restores me to reality). I’m known to guess Ben Moore names right off the walls of most places for sport, but this… this I must add to my palette. So obsessed. I leave a voicemail. They ring with the scoop: It’s “Fountain” by Sherwin Williams. Gotta go paint my bedroom immediately! A few days later, inspiration strikes again at the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Art Institute. There is something magical about the way the paintings pop from their painted backdrops in the exhibit halls. Phone please! Is there a method to the madness of picking these colors? Indeed there is, according to Judith Barter, Field-McCormick Chair of the Department of American Art, who enhanced her Hopper with shades that she describes as “sympathetic to the paintings.” She warns that while these moody hues (Benjamin Moore’s “Evening Dove,” the rich navy behind Nighthawks, 1942, and “Seafoam,” the greener blue behind Western Motel, 1957) may work on big gallery walls, they may be too intense for one’s home. I say mix a batch at 50 percent; it will cut the depth a bit, while giving you the same rich shade. Solitude, introspection, and a can of Ben M. Yum! —BARRI LEINER Edward Hopper photos courtesy of the Art Institute Posted at 09:30 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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04/02/08InBox | Stockholm Objects’ new location
We just got a note from the ladies at Stockholm Objects in Hinsdale that they have moved into a larger space and expanded their selection of home design (they also carry clothes). This means if you are willing to make the trek out to Hinsdale you will be rewarded with a fab selection of Scandinavian home goods. (Live in Hinsdale? Go now!) You’ll find accessories like the cool Block lamp, $125, and Tablo tray table, $159, (both by the Swedish company Design House Stockholm) and lots of clean-lined dinnerware and kitchen utensils. 39 S. Washington St., 630-655-0966. —GINA BAZER Photo credit: Photos from stockholmobjects.com Posted at 10:04 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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04/01/08Scoop | Leontine Linens
It’s spring (officially). In a matter of weeks we’ll be cleaning out our kitchen drawers, preparing for Kentucky Derby parties, folding up wool blankets, and laying out bright tablecloths. And what better way to usher in the new season than with heirloom-inspired customized bedding, towels, and tabletop from the Old South? Leontine Linens was founded by Kentucky native Jane Scott Hodges in New Orleans and is best known for its bespoke bedding and 20th-century Southern style. We love Leontine for bolstering the monogram trend we’ve been tracking for the past year, but make no mistake—Leontine is no passing fad. In fact, all of its offerings are made-to-order so you can pass down the family heirlooms you never inherited from your waspy great grandmother. Alas, since Leontine Linens is represented exclusively by Bergdorf Goodman in New York and its only showrooms are located in Atlanta and New Orleans, it’s been rather hard to get our hands on these divine linens here. That might be why we’re a little too excited about the company’s Chicago trunk show. Stop in to see the entire Spring 2008 collection April 1 to 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 73 East Elm St., 4A; 917-513-9579, hosted by the local sales rep for Charlotte Brody, a high-end women’s fashion outpost known for its luxurious threads. How appropriate. —LIZZIE GARRETT Posted at 09:32 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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Copper is the new stainless. What a cool hue! I saw it on a new 
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