07/08/08
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
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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07/02/08
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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06/27/08
I’ve already bought five sheets of these fab stamps (gave one sheet as a hostess gift, along with wine, last weekend). At first, I was stingy about using them on actual envelopes, then thought, hey, why shouldn’t the person who processes my car insurance bill get a little treat? Buy them at the Postal Store here.
—JAN PARR
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06/19/08
Jeff Koons’ New Hoover Convertible, 1981-1986 |
I recently attended the MCA’s press preview of the provocative and downright kitschy artist Jeff Koons and was left inspired by the way Koons elevates everyday household items to high-art status. Hoover Convertibles under glass. Wow! A toaster memorialized in a florescent bulb backdrop. Cool! We sit around in editorial planning meetings oohing and ahhing about the latest stainless pots and pans, groovy garbage cans, and finely designed bars of soap. Hey, don’t we, too, desire to bring people the latest in cool wares? Don’t we memorialize materialism? Note for next meeting: figure out a way to elevate it to a new level. Does the MCA hear us knocking? Just teasing Mr. Koons. Seriously, please pop by this only-in-Chicago affair and see how it inspires you.
-BARRI LEINER
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05/29/08
Adam Moroschan, our trusty associate art director, had another big idea. Why not head to opening day at the Randolph Market Festival and design a room on location using our favorite finds? We could call it “On the Spot” and post big Chicago Home + Garden signs at the market promoting it. I believe he used the words “make it a spectacle.” Then, he said, we’ll publish the results in our special September/October eco-chic-design issue (after all, isn’t reusing and repurposing old treasures the best way to recycle?). So in true Adam form, he got it all together, right down to the perfectly art-directed fine weather! I pull into port on Saturday, May 24, at 7:57 a.m. (the market opens at 10 but we spy plenty of in-the-know early birds.) The first find of the day? Front-of-the-gate, rock star parking. Let this be a sign. I head in, heart already racing (did I mention I am a flea market junkie?) to find Larry Vodak of Scout already perusing the rows (his home will get its close-up in our next issue, after all). I meet the crew (shown above from left to right; I’m the one crouched at the bottom): Matt Gilson (photog and fellow collector), Nellie Williams (intern of all interns!), David Ettinger (Matt's ace assistant), and the aforementioned Adam. We set up our backdrop and let the fun begin.  |
Dashing up and down the aisles snapping pics of ideas and taking copious notes (thanks, Nellie), we decide a few of our finds would anchor well on a ruddy red and grey Turkish rug. It is said to have mystical powers. Who wouldn’t want that? We haul it over, and begin to build our room. Pairs of chairs, a settee, a mod coffee table (hey, is that Saarinen?). A wooden ironing board (yes, we repurpose it in our room). Hmmm. Feel like home yet? One of the most exciting parts of the day is that our picks begin to sell right off the set. My favorite part is adding the extras (dealers call them smalls – I call them personality) that make it look like someone lives there. Vintage specs on a side table and a retro cocktail glass. Shells from a vacation destination. Auction catalogs and old books. It’s nearing 11:12 a.m., and Matt snaps some pics. The crowd gathers. They are brimming with queries and offers to buy. Shown at top right is a sneak peek of a few of our finds. Stay tuned for more in the September/October issue. To hear about some of my favorite ideas on flea marketing, tune in here for a recent interview with Sally Schwartz (owner of the market) and me on Nate Berkus’s Oprah and Friends show on XM Radio. A big shout out to Sally for her support (shown above, to the right of Nate). It’s good old-fashioned fun.
—BARRI LEINER
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05/19/08
 | “Horse Mane,” photo by Ron Seymour |
 | “That Guy’s Gotta Stop,” mixed media on canvas by Peter Mars |
One of the great joys in my life is settling down with a large Diet Coke for an indie film or two at the Landmark Theatres in the Century Shopping Centre, but I usually just avoid the mall shops on the winding road up to my Shangri-lobby. It’s pretty much Retail Without a Cause, unless you’re in the market for board games based on reality television, or some cloyingly sweet body lotions (who are these customers demanding to smell like gingerbread pancakes, anyway?). But there is an unusual, salon-style gallery on the third floor called Maison Rouge that I’ll drop by now and then, and always see cool stuff. I like the WPA-ishness of some of the photos and paintings, and noted Chicago artists like Ed Paschke, Tony FitzPatrick, and Marc Hauser can often be spotted. This Peter Mars painting popped out to me, as did the black-and-white horse photos of Ron Seymour. The eclectic gallery also carries a great selection of sculpture, vintage silver items like watches and frames, and African-American art. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Images courtesy Maison Rouge
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04/24/08
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| 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
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04/22/08
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| 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
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04/15/08
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
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