I’m currently loving one of Milwaukee Avenue’s newest home décor destinations: Caza (1459 N. Milwaukee; 773-227-7774). It opened at the end of July and is sort of like a vintage department store with a boutique vibe. They do have clothing, but I think the real gems are the furniture and home accessories. The owners have filled it with a curated mix of Southwestern, Scandinavian, and Art Deco items. Some of the best pieces include a large navy and bronze brocade mid-century sectional sofa, shown here, a pair of wood-slat pub chairs with iron bases designed by Arthur Umanoff, a vintage 1930s film projector that still works, and an awesome collection of vintage salt and pepper shakers.

Bored with the artwork in your home? Instead of buying all new pieces, rent some. HangItUp Chicago, leases artwork from local established and emerging artists, such as Mark Collins, Jamie Link, Fred Moss, and Elisa Boughner (she did this oil painting). Just choose from their offerings, which include oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, mixed media, photography, and even sculpture. The company will deliver, install, and rotate the artwork for you. You rent each piece for three months at a time (the cost depends on the value and some of the fees go to the artist). And don’t worry about falling in love with a piece and having to say goodbye to it. If you find the perfect painting, you can buy it.

I love when stores need to clear space in their showroom—it usually means great markdowns on floor samples. And that’s exactly what’s happening at Green Home Chicago (213 N. Morgan Street, #1D; 312-432-9400). To make room for new merchandise, the owners have cut prices on floor models by 20 to 60 percent. You’ll find unique reclaimed pieces (like this vintage chair reupholstered in a cork fabric) as well as new upholstered sofas, chairs, and ottomans from manufacturers including Lee Industries (a furniture maker known for its eco-friendly yet gorgeous products).

If you didn’t notice from our feverish tweeting or from our blog post last week, the annual Design Harvest took place this past weekend. From scoping out new designs to sipping on freshly brewed coffee while walking down Grand Avenue, we thoroughly enjoyed this year’s fall festival. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite finds:

The changing of seasons brings about the changing of home décor. Start from the floor up, with Organic Looms one-of-a-kind Tibetan carpets and coverings. Available in a variety of patterns, prints, and textures, these carpets are hand-woven in Nepal. Even better, the rugs are biodegradable, eco-friendly, and non-allergenic.  The company recently moved from its Fulton Market location—check out the new showroom at the Mart Parc Building [401 N. Wells St.].

Interested in adding custom pieces of furniture to your space? Check out Zak Rose, a woodworker from Dock 6 Collective. Using reclaimed materials, he pairs natural woods with sleek, colorful metals. We were all on board with these small round tables. Like what you see? Dock 6 is hosting Design + Art IV, a showcase of their newest designs, on Friday, October 12 from 6 p.m. – midnight and Saturday, October 13 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Another furniture manufacturer we found is Oak Park–based Modern Industry [907 N. Mapleton Ave.]. To “bring the art of handcraftsmanship back to the world of home furnishings,” Jacob Wener designs and builds all of his pieces himself out of reclaimed, solid hardwoods and steel. Shown here: the La Rascasse cabinet.

Casa Couture [3256 N. Damen Ave.] in Roscoe Village refinishes vintage furniture to give it a fresh, new look. From the chest of drawers to the armoire, we were digging these shabby-chic creations. 

It’s been a very busy few months since I took the reigns here at CH+G. Lots of quality time at my desk in the Tribune Tower. But last night, our editorial assistant Leslie Marshall and I hit the town to check out some openings.

First stop, Eskandar, where we admired the mix of elegant, flowy clothing, the smattering of earthy-chic home goods, and the excellent mini-burgers (we admired those most actively). Eskandar himself was present, wearing a scarf and looking very handsome; it’s always fun to meet the man behind the dramatic name and learn he’s as down-to-earth as a man who goes by Bob.

Next it was off to a soirée at the Public Hotel (whoa—amazing! I hadn’t seen that marvelous Ian Schrager makeover yet!) for the launch of a new online shopping site called Hestia & Bear, to which we’ll come back in a sec.

En route, walking north on State from Walton Street, we came across a little gem of a shop called Judy Maxwell Home. After all those perfectly appointed Oak Street shops, it was fun to come across a quirky almost small-town-ish find like this (I mean, who isn’t charmed by a store containing, among other things, a carousel-style elephant and a bucket of oversized Scrabble pieces, surrounded by truly lovely artwork on the walls?). Turns out, the owner, Joan Burke, is famous, but that’s all we’re saying about the famous owner. Seeing her utterly unique, personal shop (she loves dioramas—the lantern shown above is an example of one she has in stock—and thinks of her ever-changing store as its own sort of diorama) made us admire her even more.

Speaking of falling in love with shopowners, the darling couple behind Hestia & Bear had us at “Hello,” spoken in their cute English accents (they moved here from London two years ago). And when we saw the fantastic large-scale butterfly prints they will be selling when their British-inspired home-goods site launches on Saturday, we were even more smitten.

Gee, I really should get out more!

The part of Grand Avenue known as the Design District pulls out all the stops this weekend for the third annual Design Harvest, co-sponsored by Chicago Home + Garden. Local furniture and home accessory designers, vintage and antique collectors, and local stores gather under a tent for what is basically a pop-up shop on steroids. You’ll find State Street Salvage, Urban Remains, Buckingham Interiors, Salvage One, and tons more. The free event, which is co-produced by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and Post27, keeps getting more and more popular (the first year had 2,000 people visit it and last year that number was 20,000). And it isn’t just shopping, although that is definitely the draw for me. There will also be fall activities such as hayrides and pumpkin painting, autumnal beverages including Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale and Crispin Cider, and live music. Check it out Saturday or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Grand Avenue between Damen and Wood.

For some homeowners, an empty room is a blank slate to fill with beautiful furniture and artwork. But for others (me included!), it can be completely overwhelming. That was the case for this Lake View couple with a ho-hum living room and a $15,000 budget. To solve their woes, they turned to roomations.com, the brainchild of Oak Parker Lakshmi Bhargave and her two partners. The clients filled out an online questionnaire (about budget, style preferences, etc.). Then they got matched up with a designer, who created this rendering of what the room could look like, complete with shopping info for where to buy every item shown. The finished room (the rendering is shown here, along with the before photo) cost $9,400. That price includes all the furniture, accessories, paint, and fabrics (installation labor not included)—and it clocked in at well below the client’s budget. Have you had experience with online decorating services? We’d love to know. Check out some other online designers here and here.

It is rare to find comfort, convenience, and storage packaged into one well-designed convertible lounge chair. Hosu, designed by Patricia Urquiola, offers just that. Designed on the premise that people seek comfortable and relaxing atmospheres to get things done, the Hosu is a modern approach to the conventional lounger. Offered in two designs — a single and two-seater — the lounger can easily transform into a foldout chaise. Side pockets allow you to store your laptop wires or remote controls—perfect for working from home or playing video games with your kids. The Hosu will be available in bold colors including blue, green, yellow, and charcoal. Want something more sophisticated? It is also available in leather.  Find it at Coalesse in the Merchandise Mart starting in October.

Lake View’s Workroom Couture has just acquired a new line of wallpaper and fabrics. Inspired by Scandinavian and mid-century modern designs, the Melinki collection by the British company Scion is a cheerful alternative to humdrum, one-color wall and window treatments. If you go for wallpaper, make sure to read our primer on wall coverings (including tips on materials, installation, and removal). Find out what you need to know before getting knee-deep in adhesive, here.

The doors just opened at Divine Consign’s brand new 10,000-square-foot showroom (809 South Oak Park Ave.). The Oak Park furniture consignment shop that previously had two locations has consolidated into one big, beautiful space. And they’ve designed the new showroom to be fun and easy to navigate. For example, there is a 10-foot-high wall with glass shelves and a sliding library ladder so you can access the goodies all the way at the top. And this isn’t a you’re-on-your-own thrift store—they have on-staff interior designers to help you pick out the best items for your home. They even have an upholsterer on staff to help you with custom orders. And unlike many consignment shops, they let you return things you don’t like for up to three days after purchase. So if that orange velvet ottoman ends up not looking so good in your home, you can bring it right back for a full refund.