Jul 7, 2011
Million Dollar Decorators, Shopping Edgewater, Flower Arranging 101
By Bradley Lincoln
Million Dollar Babies
People, are you watching Bravo’s new design show, Million Dollar Decorators? It’s one of my favorite guilty-pleasure summer TV treats, with all the elements of what makes for reality-show success: carte blanche budgets, a couple of droll Brits, the zinger-slinging fashionista Mary McDonald (rumored to be the inspiration for the Karen Walker character on Will & Grace,) and an insufferable May-December gay couple who puts the “ass” in aspirational interior design. The show follows this merry band of tastemakers around Los Angeles as they deal with difficult clients and impossible deadlines, and, while they’ve yet to hit our city, they often frequent swanky sources with Chicago outposts. McDonald was recently seen shopping at Mecox (which reminded me to stop by its treasure trove of a River North store, pictured here, to check out the shipment of vintage and antique furniture that just came in), and others have sourced The Rug Company and Janus et Cie for fancy fixings. Watch what happens! Trunk Show Spend more than $250 on Georg Jensen home products (not hard to do at all, and boy do they have some beautiful options) at stores or online, and you’ll receive this polished little pachyderm of a bottle opener, a $55 value, free. If you want this elephant in your room, use POPTHETOP discount code at checkout. And don’t forget—the offer ends at the end of July. Edgewater Window Shopping To stimulate new small businesses in Edgewater’s environs, create awareness of the neighborhood, and prettify some vacant storefronts along Granville, the Edgewater Development group is having a summer-long Market Days event on Saturdays and Sundays on and around the corner of Broadway and Granville, from 10–3:00. Organizers have invited businesses from all over to pop-up with little branded store displays (most get about a 10-foot expanse of window exposure), and some of the home-centric dealers include Brimfield, Roost, Brownstone Antiques, and Mr. & Mrs. Digz. There are clothing vendors, spas, and other genres of merchandise. While you’re in the neighborhood, hop over to one of my longtime favorite vintage malls, the Broadway Antique Market, just down the street at 6130 N. Broadway. Tussie Mustering If you’ve planted and planned it right, now’s about the time decorative gardens are coughing up colorful blooms that are ripe fodder for sweet tabletop displays at summer dinner parties, everyday pick-me-up arrangements, or seductive breakfast-in-bed posies. Lopping off flowers and sticking them willy-nilly in vases has its charms, I suppose, but why not take it to the next level and try a floral class at Sprout Home, where you’ll learn how to create artful arrangements and showcase your blooms with panache. The sessions fill up quickly, so save a seat at August 3’s color theory class, or August 31’s green-themed event. Tuition is $125 per person, all supplies included. Get to Work Look, up in the Northbrook! It’s a desk! It’s a treadmill! No, it’s a Walkstation from Steelcase, and it’s part of Office Solutions storewide Steelcase desk sale, continuing until July 17. We’re right in the dog days of summer, granted, and it’s tempting to find a cool spot on the floor and just take a nice nap. But if your home office was more efficient, ergonomic, and attractive, punching the clock wouldn’t be such a drag. Here’s a nice opportunity to style it up a multitasking notch. (My colleague, Jan Parr, already warned you about the dangers of sitting all day.) The Walkstation is an actual commercial-grade treadmill that’s whisper quiet and comes in nine finishes, and it’s currently on sale for $3,780, reduced from $4,200.
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