Best of the New Design Shops

What’s in Store?

Big chain stores have their purpose, but I’m all about finding my next home décor obsession at one of the new finely curated shops popping up around Chicago. Here are three that I’m thrilled have opened their doors:

Martyn George, 1855 West Grand Ave., 312-340-4666, is stocked with vintage culinary objects. Everything inside has been handpicked by owner Johanna Lowe, a London-born, Chicago-based food and prop stylist with an uncanny ability to discover the most gorgeous finds around. Her philosophy is that the world is full of beautiful, useful, old things—it can just be tough to find them. Luckily, she does all the work and all we need to do to own those treasures is walk inside her new store. There’s an ever-changing inventory of goods like European 19th century ironstone, mid-century American barware, baskets, artwork, textiles, and furniture. The hours are limited—it’s open noon to 6 on weekends only or by appointment—but it’s totally worth a visit.

Shop 1021, 2650 Milwaukee Ave., is the new store from the owner of Play, a much-loved toy store in Logan Square. Ann Kienzle kept hearing her customers say that they wanted more places to shop in the hood, so she decided to fill the need herself. This latest store, which is named after the address of the West Hollywood apartment Kienzle lived in 10 years ago, carries all kinds of gifts and home décor accessories. On any given visit to the shop, you’ll find Pyar & Co. pillows, Newgate clocks, The Home Port furniture, glassware, and stunning coffee table books. One customer accurately described it as “walking into a Pinterest shop.” And if all that shopping has worked up an appetite, you aren’t too far from the amazing food at Longman & Eagle. Sounds like a perfect afternoon to me!

E.G.G. stands for Eclectic Gorgeous Goods, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in this new Glencoe shop, 378 Park Ave., Glencoe, 847-226-0626 (we briefly mentioned it two weeks ago in Domestica’s round-up of new stores in the North Shore). Owner and designer Janice MacVicar has filled the 500 square feet with vintage artwork, accessories, glassware, pottery, and light fixtures. It’s as if you walked into your grandparents’ basement and found it stuffed with the coolest antiques ever. And if you go visit this weekend, you can take part in Glencoe’s big sidewalk sale. In addition to E.G.G., other local boutiques like Vignette Home are discounting loads of items for the event, which runs Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 at the intersection of Park and Vernon Avenues. —Alice Oglethorpe

The Home Team

You live in Chicago, why not fill your home with products that are actually made here? See the latest in local design at the Objects In Space exhibit, now through August 3rd. Located in the gallery space at LivingRoom Realty, the exhibit shows a living room and dining room stocked with art, fixtures, and furniture made by more than 25 of Chicago’s brightest stars. One of my favorites is a new desk from zakrose, made from locally sourced ash with steel legs and pull details in a pretty teal. The best part is that everything you see can be purchased directly through the designers and artists. Make an appointment to see the goods by calling 312-226-3020. —AO

No Wallflowers Here

Wallpaper is one of those things that can run the gamut from boring, mass-produced strips (a.k.a. the kind that covered my childhood bedroom) to stunning one-of-a-kind pieces of art. On the latter end of that spectrum is Chicago’s Maya Romanoff. And while they’ve been around for more than 40 years, they are still coming out with exciting new products that get me looking at my bare walls with disdain. The most recent is the just-announced Roger Thomas Collection for Maya Romanoff. As the executive vice president of design for Wynn Hotels, Thomas worked on the Bellagio, Encore, Wynn Las Vegas, and more. And after more than a decade of using Maya Romanoff for those projects, he decided to partner with the wall covering artisans himself. Inspired by his world travels, the line has two products, Tremolo and Moon Lake (shown here), that are handcrafted in Chicago. For purchasing, contact their showroom in the Merchandise Mart at 312-212-8792. —AO
 

Gina Bazer is off this week.

Photography: (Martyn George) Derek Richmond; (Objects in Space) Damon Locks