Free chairs, LaGrange Antique Show, Sacred Art Bday

Take Your Seats, Please

The Blizzard of 2011 has mostly melted away, so it’s increasingly rare to see furniture/placeholders sitting on the street, holding dibs on parking spots for commandeering shovelers (and we saw a lot of them last month, huh?). Well, this weekend they’re going to be back con brio, as House Beautiful magazine comes to town to promote its March Power of Pink color issue by giving away more than 30 rosy chairs. Beginning Saturday, February 26 and continuing through Monday, reps will be dropping chairs off all over town, from touristy meccas like Navy Pier to local hoods like Lincoln Park, and providing clues to the hiding places via a Twitter feed (@House_Beautiful). From that point it’s first come, first served, whether you’ve been following the hints or just happen to be walking by on your way to Pilates. The merchandise (all new pieces, ranging in value from $10 to $3,700) comes from such retailers as Arhaus, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Target, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and Ethan Allen, who provided this handsome Matrix chair. If you don’t manage to snag a freebie, you can drown your sorrows with pink champagne and cupcakes, and win prizes at a party the periodical is hosting Tuesday, March 1, 5:30–7:30 at The Container Store, 908 West North Avenue (RSVP to hbrsvp@hearst.com). Find complete deets on Power of Pink events here.

Pink P.S.

This Sunday’s edition of the Ravenswood Artwalk has teamed up with House Beautiful and temporarily rebranded itself as the Ravenswood Pink Walk, and businesses up and down the corridor will be showcasing pink-inspired artwork from more than 100 artistes, from noon till five. Area venues include such RAW regulars as Architectural Artifacts, Art Lab, the 1802 Building, and the Blackbird gallery and frame shop, shown here with participating artist Dena Lyons (she painted that skinny building façade and the tree she’s partially blocking) and Blackbird owner S. Fernando Mastroianni. Pink giveaways and goodie bags are in the mix, and part of sale proceeds goes to the Ravenswood Elementary School’s art program.

Winging It

On the premiere episode of Bring It Home! (which, by the way, is a home run in my opinion—the production values are impressive and the amount of local resources covered in half an hour is dizzying), host Rochelle starts out by chatting up Kara Mann for bedroom inspirations, and I couldn’t place where I’d seen the wild, wall-mounted display of dozens of black butterflies circling above the headboard. It was stuck in my craw for about a week, until I was watching Gossip Girl (yeah, I said it!) and it hit me that Blair Waldorf apparently commissioned the same artist when she fixed up a spare room in her penthouse for BFF (at time of posting, anyway) Serena van der Woodsen. Both flocks are by New York artist Paul Villinski, who crafted the creatures from crushed beer and soda cans he collected on the streets of his NYC neighborhood. They’re then blackened with soot and mounted at differing depths with superthin stainless steel spring wire. If you want some flighty wings for your walls, Villinski sells studio pieces through the Morgan Lehman Gallery, or will create custom, site-specific installations for private clients such as Kara Mann and Gossip Girl. XOXO

Loving La Vida Local

Sarah Chazin opened her Sacred Art shop in February 2006, meaning this month the craftsy Lincoln Square outlet for local artists turns five. To toast the accomplishment, she’s throwing a cocktail party tomorrow night from 6:30–9:30, with raffled prizes from some of her more than 100 gallery artists. Sacred Art carries a comfortable caboodle of affordably priced prints, ceramics, paintings, clothing, and home creations from Chicago creators, many of whom you may recognize from neighborhood outdoor arts and crafts shows.

Home, Home in LaGrange

The 55th annual LaGrange Antique Show kicks off tonight and continues through Saturday, February 26, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in LaGrange, Illinois. This fair features more than 35 furniture, antique, and art dealers, and also gives co-star billing to home-baked sweets and savories, fresh lunches and dinners, and a tea room. Traditionally the 55th anniversary gift is an emerald, but these organizers are asking for a different kind of green (an $8 donation; $10 to $15 for the meals). Check out dealers and hours here.

Photograph: (Lyons and Mastroianni) Courtesy of Laura Engel