March 2009
03/31/09Scoop | We’re Tweeting!
Don’t miss a thing. Follow us on Twitter: --Jan Parr Posted at 03:34 PM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/31/09InBox | Haus Sale
Haus in Andersonville is closing its doors at the end of April and having a big sale (70 percent off everything) starting Wednesday, April 1, until all merchandise and shop fixtures are sold. To make sure we don't get too sad, they are going out with a bash: come by the shop for drinks and discounts, Friday, April 3 from 7 to 10 p.m. -Gina Bazer Posted at 09:31 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/30/09InBox | Blue Bell Bazaar, Up Close
We always look forward to receiving photos of Gosia Korsakowski’s latest funky vintage finds in our inbox. Until lately, she has sold her well-chosen goods only through Etsy under the shop name Blue Bell Bazaar. Now Gosia has a space in the Heritage Trail Antique Mall in Wilmette and at Andersonville Galleria. Nice to check out the goods in person. —JAN PARR Posted at 02:03 PM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/27/09InBox | Getting Married?
Two tips for lovebirds have been brought to our attention lately. The first is a bridal event on Sunday, March 29 from noon to 6 at Asrai Garden, a flower shop in Wicker Park that we’ve featured in our pages before (great for those who love unpredictable arrangements). Meet various vendors who might be of use to you in the planning of your big day. —Gina Bazer Posted at 10:13 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/26/09InBox | Christofle Sale
What’s your cutlery situation? Looking to upgrade or fill in some pieces? Christofle is holding a two-day sale on flatware purchases Friday and Saturday. —JAN PARR Posted at 09:37 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/24/09Happy Hour | Small Prints and Small Plates
Jill Dryer has a background in architecture and design (she worked at Architectural Digest for seven years), so it’s a no-brainer that elements of those worlds show up in her current work as a fine artist and illustrator. The Chicagoan will be having a one-night showing tomorrow from 6 – 9 at a loft space in the building that houses Avec, easily one of my favorite restos in the city (get the chorizo-stuffed dates and the garlicky whipped brandade, when you stop in for a snack after the exhibition). “My friend owns the building, and currently doesn’t have a tenant so she offered me the space,” explains Dryer of the somewhat unorthodox venue. “It’s a nice open white loft with wood floors, high ceilings, big windows…perfect for a show, and ideal for my purposes!” She’ll be showing paintings and prints from the series she calls “Design Meets Nature” and I call clever, colorful, and not a little silly. The lamps In “Flamingo” are Castore Suspension by Artemide, the cup in “Sandpiper” is Russell Wright, and, in one of my favorites, “Robinson Zanuso,” a bird perches on a Marco Zanuso chair in front of a Vernor Panton lamp. As a bonus, Jill’s design is well within reach—signed prints are $30, and original paintings under $1,000. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 11:22 PM in Happy Hour | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/24/09InBox | Sale at Willow
One of our favorite shops, Willow, is closing its doors. So sad, but the silver lining is that it’s staying in business online—and there’s a blow-out sale at the store today through Monday, March 30. —Gina Bazer Posted at 09:45 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/23/09Spotted | Rough Drift
I walk past the Michigan Avenue Crate & Barrel all the time, and usually I do just that—walk past. But a couple of days ago I saw these gnarly (literally) driftwood end tables and went in to inspect. They are made of three or four hunks of unfinished wood from Java, stand about 25 inches high, and are topped with a circle of glass. I would have liked a thicker top—a designer once told me to go half-inch or go home, and that advice is stuck in my head—but these are nice accent tables nonetheless. They're $399, and if you want one (or two?) I recommend that you go in and pick them out, don't order by phone or cyberspace because they are all very different snowflakes. Some have a nice solid heft, like the one above, but some look like they were cobbled together by a clock-watching factory worker anxious to get home to see who got booted from Indonesia's Next Top Model. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 09:38 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/20/09InBox | Johnathon Sale
Johnathon, the new-ish Lake View furniture showroom owned by Top Design alum John Gray, is holding a floor sample sale. A big selection of items will be 50 to 75 percent off starting today. Examples: Find sofas that were $4,128, now $1,295. Pillows reduced from $138 to $40. Coffee table from $740 to $375. Side tables from $400 to $200. Chaise longues from $1368 to $685. Low fireside ottoman from $1,386 to $555. A large mosaic Venetian-style mirror from $974 to $349. The items shown here are not necessarily included in the sale but give you an idea of Johnathon’s style. The sale runs ’til all is sold. —JAN PARR Posted at 09:35 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/19/09Scoop | Too Hot to Hold
Steven Burgert, owner of I.D., just informed us of some new hot sellers at his shop: Blu Dot’s One Night Stand sofa bed, $1,799 (a sleeper sofa that actually looks good? sign us up!), and designer Tord Boontje’s latest ethereal light-fixture line, Future Flora, made from silver-plated steel, $97 (it comes with a 15-foot electrical cord). Burgert had orders for both of these items before they even arrived at his shop. Now the sofa and at least one of the Future Flora designs is on back-order, but you can still get your request in. Proof that even in a slow economy, the good stuff sells. —Gina Bazer Posted at 10:02 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/18/09InBox | Fired Up
We were sad when the showroom Casamonte closed up shop earlier this year, not the least because they were one of only two outfits in town to sell the fab EcoSmart ventless fireplaces (Green Home Chicago is the other). Now Vesta, which is adjacent to the shuttered Casamonte, is carrying the line. Vesta, which also represents Bentwood and Leicht kitchens, has several EcoSmart models on display. By the end of the week, they’ll have the crazy cool leather-wrapped, hand-stitched Zeta, pictured here, in their showroom. —JAN PARR Posted at 09:23 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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03/17/09InBox | Accessible Art
In our January issue we did a story about alternative venues for buying art. I just heard there’s a new source online called UGallery that features work by art students—including some from Columbia College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—ranging in prices from $20 to S5,000. The offerings are very well organized by categories such as price, size, and color, and aside from a painting of Angelina Jolie, which struck me as slightly odd, the selection is pretty good (a “curator panel” reviews applications and accepts about 25 percent of applicants). Shown above, “River Rocks,” a photograph, $70, by Jenn Bomar, Michigan State University. —Gina Bazer Posted at 09:29 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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03/16/09InBox | Puzzled
Maya Romanoff’s newest design, Puzzle, is the third pattern in the David Rockwell for Maya Romanoff Collection. It consists of hand-dyed paper that resembles fine lacquered leather, which forms the backdrop for a curvilinear tone-on-tone jigsaw pattern. —JAN PARR Posted at 09:36 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/13/09Scoop | Crafts and Cocktails
It’s going to be a couple months before the summer art fairs get going, but in the meantime there’s March’s Handmade Market this Saturday at the Empty Bottle bar, 1035 N. Western, from noon until 4:30. Thirty-two vendors are showing wares and demonstrating crafts, ranging from jingly-jangly jewelry to cards ‘n’ candles, scarves woven from handspun wool, Megan Lee’s sock dogs (above) and even bedazzled hula hoops (no kidding), all made with loving hands at home. The overall vibe is hipster/rocker, with lots of repurposed vintage items and affordable prices—a perfect spot for last-minute Pi Day gifts for your mathlete team. Empty Bottle opens at noon, so (if you’re 21+) you can grab a bloody mary, shop around, then go next door to Bite Café for brunch. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 11:16 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/12/09Happy Hour | Views on a Vessel
Interior designer Laura Soskin, whose home was featured in our magazine in Winter, 2006, loves a good vessel. She also loves collaborating with her many artist and designer pals. So she came up with a concept—an exhibit revolving around a huge 300-year-old Mediterranean olive storage-jar that for a long time stood in her dining room (see above). She asked 16 talented cohorts—her husband/artist Dave Soskin, sculptor Lucy Slivinski, lamp-maker extraordinaire Ted Harris, local shop owners Michael Del Piero of Good Design and Larry Vodak of Scout, to name a few—to create something, anything, inspired by this vessel. “The results are so diverse, it's amazing,” says Soskin. The show, called “The Vessel Magnifique,” opens this Friday, March 13 (reception is 7-11 p.m.) and goes through April 12 at Las Manos Gallery in Andersonville. Check out the cool promo video one of the participants, artist Chuck Meyers, created for the show here. Of course, the original muse—the vessel magnifique of which we speak—will be present, in addition to a couple others that Soskin has picked up. —Gina Bazer Posted at 09:59 AM in Happy Hour | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/11/09InBox | Smart Bed
The Museum of Science and Industry tapped Sawbridge Studios to provide the bed and end table for the master bedroom in the Smart Home: Green + Wired ’09 exhibit, which opens March 19. Artists/designers Margaret Taylor and Simone Wilson of Chamblee, Georgia, created the bed and table, part of a line carried exclusively by Sawbridge in the Chicago area. Stay tuned for more on the Smart Home. –JAN PARR Posted at 03:33 PM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/11/09InBox | Scentimental Second Home
Consignment for the home, edited and plucked—even “re-fluffed” with a designer’s eye? Most finds vintage and antique? Count us in. SG Too in St. Charles is a new division of Scentimental Gardens that sweet spot for one-of-a-kind finds, design ideas, and garden plans. Stop by for the gently used home finds and garden accessories (stylish bargains include a Henredon cabinet circa 1940s in putty grey with a quilted paneled front, an ornate French gilt mirror, a bamboo armoire with chicken wire detail, or a cane topped table with glass insert). Even the cleverly styled vignettes are inspiring. Every quarter the owners will donate five percent of the sales to a charity. Hop on the site or ring to arrange for a consignment appointment. —BARRI LEINER Posted at 10:37 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/10/09InBox | At Home Finds
Jill Maremont over at Susan Fredman’s At Home in the City sent over a few fun new items the store is carrying. The Akira dog, 20” x 11” x 15”, is handcrafted of papier mache wrapped in abaca fiber. The porcelain Boot vase by Maxim Velcovsky for Qubus is 10.5 inches high. And the Pigeon Light, by Ed Carpenter for Thorsten van Elten, is made of acrylic and attaches to a wall mount with the clothespin. It’s 9 inches by 9 inches and includes a 25-watt euro-base lamp. Jill has a fun blog, find it here. —JAN PARR Posted at 03:13 PM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/10/09Spotted | Buckminster Horror
Is it just me, or does the Boris Artzybashoff painting the MCA is using to promote the upcoming Buckminster Fuller exhibit remind anyone else of Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies? Give Pinny some emo specs and it’s like they’re separated at birth! —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 09:31 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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03/09/09InBox | Jolly Good
Love these French 1820s directoire painted arm chairs, newly arrived at Thomas Jolly Antiques. They're $3,600 for the pair. -JAN PARR Posted at 02:46 PM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/09/09InBox | New Amazing Space
Diana Ostreko closed her midcentury modern furniture store in Oak Park a few months ago, but now Amazing Space is back—at the Lincoln Antique Mall at 3115 W. Irving Park Rd. Ostreko joins some 25 other dealers of vintage, retro, and Hollywood style in this terrific mall. Look for Amazing Space at the Chicago Antique Market starting in May, as well. —jan parr Posted at 09:41 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/06/09Scoop | Hey, Get Back Here With That Spoon!
P.O.S.H. is doing some serious spring cleaning, slashing prices and hauling everything out of the basement, attic, and warehouse to set up the annual “Dish Ran Away With the Spoon” sale, March 6-15. I used to drop by this store a lot, to kill time before movies at the Music Box Theatre back when they were still in their original location, on Southport. Like NYC’s Fish Eddys, they specialize in china and silver from restaurants, ocean liners, country clubs, etc., that have gone under. It’s fun to find platters and plates with weird logos or loopy monograms, and mix them up with your other tableware. Make up your own P.O.S.H. provenance! Did you know that the acronym stands for “Port Out, Starboard Home” which some say comes from the time of the Raj, when highfalutin travelers between England and India booked the best, most expensive rooms based on a location that was in the shade most of the time, therefore cooler? History lesson over—now go buy a bargain gravy boat. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 11:58 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/06/09InBox | Painted Lady Sale
Cottage chic your thing? Starting today through March 22, one entire room at The Painted Lady is filled with clearance items prices at 30 to 75 percent off. Everything else in the rest of the store is 10 percent off. Find deals on bedding from Pine Cone Hill, Bella Notte, and The Chandler Collection. The sale is to make way for more primitive antiques, new bedding, and chandeliers. —JAN PARR Posted at 10:18 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/06/09Scoop | Great Deals at Post 27
This weekend, March 7-8, Post 27 is offering “deep discounts” on the mid-century pieces in the shop’s “back room.” They’re not as cleaned up as those on the floor, but these items were still handpicked by style-savvy shop owners Angela Finney and Barkley Hoffman—and thus are pretty darn cool. The china hutch shown above is only $175. —Gina Bazer Posted at 10:02 AM in Scoop | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/05/09Spotted | New at Room & Board
I have the unfortunate knack for walking into a store and immediately honing in on the most expensive item available for purchase. So when I recently dropped by Room & Board to get a look at their new lineup, I stayed true to form and promptly fell in love with the Cirrus sectional. But who could blame me? Every part of this lush and extravagant sofa is wrapped in a cozy down fill, and it even features magnetic pillows that can be positioned at different heights for personalized comfort. As my gracious Room & Board tour guide, Steven Rosengren, noted, “It’s design-forward but comfortable.” The Cirrus comes in a variety of colors in both microfiber ($5,999) and leather ($9,999). —ARANYA TOMSETH Posted at 09:30 AM in Spotted | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/04/09InBox | Design S.O.S.
The folks at Refined Rustic just emailed us about a new service they are offering: The Creative Handyman. “Whether you’re looking to install light fixtures, window treatments, artwork, or tackle something a bit more complicated, our all-in-one decorating team and handyman service has the experience and creative eye to get the job done right.” Talk about killing two birds with one stone! —GINA BAZER Posted at 09:33 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/03/09InBox | To the Min
Attention bargain hunters, HomeGoods, owned by the same off-price retail company that owns Marshalls and TJ Maxx—and also the dirty little secret of at least a couple interior designers I know—is opening its first downtown location on March 8 at 2731 N. Elston Ave. With 18,000 square feet worth of merchandise to choose from, you just might find something you like. —GINA BAZER Posted at 09:31 AM in InBox | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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03/02/09Happy Hour | Kinesis Connection
I stopped by the “Kindred Spirits” event at the Thos. Moser showroom on Thursday night—it was nice to see a solid turnout on such a torrential evening, and the snacks and spirits were tasty. Andres Verzosa, a Maine gallerist and curator, was on hand to give a talk and slideshow on the work of the late artist Bernard Langlais, whose found-wood assemblages (think Louise Nevelson, only more rustic) and paintings are featured at Moser this month. The party was hosted by designer David Moser (son of the company’s founders, Tom and Mary), who also presented his new Kinesis chair and ottoman, pictured above. It comes in cherry or walnut, and swivels on a cast-bronze base that was inspired by the human hand—lighter patina between the stretched out “fingers.” I tested it out, and the sleek, organic design is a winner. So comfortable and enveloping, and the finish is beyond smooth. You can really see and feel the love that goes into all of the custom woodwork at this bi-level boutique, which is offering free delivery for all orders placed through March, and also discounting floor samples and a number of their most popular designs. —BRADLEY LINCOLN Posted at 09:13 AM in Happy Hour | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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