Design Dose

Alessandra Branca Opening

2008-05-16T12:20:14-05:00

Alessandra Branca threw a party to celebrate the opening of her new home furniture and accessories store at 17 E. Pearson St. last week and it was quite a bash. The place, which is set up much like an elegant home, is full of fun finds (like the African feather headdresses pictured here) and antique glass radiometers on pedestal bases, along with china, silverware, Branca's favorite design books, antique chairs recovered in modern fabrics, and tons more. Her PR guy, recently relocated here from New York, said he didn't know of another store like it in this area, and I had to agree (maybe the just-opened Michael Del Piero's Good Design; see our May 7 blog entry)? Or Elements... But it's true that this is one store truly curated by its owner, with a great mix of old and new things that all seem fresh and modern, even if firmly grounded in the traditional. Elegant and charming—just like Branca herself.

—Jan Parr

Lovely Lanterns

2008-05-16T11:25:09-05:00

Interior designer Kara Mann just sent over pics of some new lanterns from Casamidy that she is carrying at her showroom. They are so cool, I want one in every room of my new house (about which I will soon be sharing—so exciting!). They are meant for the outdoors, of course, but I like the idea of pretending that I live in a medieval French castle. (At least for now, while the electrician is updating some of the wiring in our new, um, old place).

—Gina Bazer

Photos courtesy Kara Mann

Post27

2008-05-15T02:07:23-05:00

It’s always fun to drive west on Grand Avenue and discover a new storefront. The good stuff always pops on this strip of old warehouses and invariably (at least in my case) leads to a near-collision. A recent discovery is Post27 (1819 W. Grand Ave., 312-829-6122; you’ll read more about it in our July/August issue) in the old location of Olde Good Things. With a cool mix of vintage (lots of mid-century Scandinavian pieces) and new American-made accessories that all have a cool, eco-stylish slant, the place feels very indie and hip. Here’s a decorating tip: they have Thomas Paul rugs hanging on the walls as art. Love that for a loft space!

—Gina Bazer

The New Bronze Age

2008-05-15T12:24:37-05:00

Two great local companies have teamed up to produce a new line of cabinetry with gorgeous hardware. Jill Salisbury of el: Environmental Language has partnered with New Bronze Age Tile to come up with sustainable new cabinet doors in her el: Kitchen line. These fab new doors—in sustainable rift-cut oak or walnut—feature custom metal inlays and handles.

—JAN PARR

Green Design Party

2008-05-14T10:17:04-05:00

Sit down, relax, and don't worry about global warming. (Well, worry about it a little.) You'll be helping the environment when you lounge in Roscoe Jackson's new line of recycled plastic outdoor furniture (look for these cool chairs in our July/August issue!). Also try on some eco-conscious attire from Pivot boutique, and check out the much-talked-about Smart Car. Get a 25-percent-off discount on an item from Pivot when you purchase the guilt-free lawn loungers or make a Smart car reservation. If you are already the proud driver of one of these groovy tiny new automobiles, pull up in yours and feel extra cool. Hors d'oeuvres from Carnival will also make an appearance. May 15, 5 to 8 p.m., at Pivot Boutique, 1101 W. Fulton Mkt. Click here for more details.

—JACKIE HUNZINGER

Photo courtesy of about.com.

Color My World

2008-05-13T01:38:13-05:00

The magazine House Beautiful hosted a “Color Institute” last week at the Mart. It featured a panel with HB’s editor, Stephen Drucker, local design maven Alessandra Branca and Windsor Smith, a designer from Los Angeles. Here’s what I learned about color from each:

Stephen Drucker on color trends:

“The new femininity.” Pretty, flirty colors such as apple green and pink, especially used on strong shapes.
”The new globalism.” Lots of rich colors that reflect homeowners’ travels.
Neutrals. “A lot of people talk color but only use neutrals.” The today factor: lots of distressing and metallics.
Tropical greens and browns.
Water and sky blue colors brought to life with metallic shimmer, texture, and mixed with greys (see photo above).

Windsor Smith’s tips and observations:

She loves dark, dark brown—nearly charcoal black, with light salmon
Acknowledge the landscape. If your home has a lot of art, you need to create a neutral backdrop for it.
When you paint windows dark, what’s beyond it (trees, shrub, flowers) pops. If you paint them white, your eye stops at the white.
Teenagers inexplicably love purple. Naturally, this very strong color is hard to work with (and isn’t everything hard with teenagers?).
Go-to Colors: Benjamin Moore Rock Harbor Violet, Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White

Alessandra Branca’s observations:

She wakes up to “spring every day” in a room that’s apple green and white
Black balances… it’s as much a color as any other.
No color is bad unless it’s overused.

Find lots of other great color tips from House Beautiful here:

—JAN PARR

Photo courtesy House Beautiful

Get Smart

2008-05-12T09:19:49-05:00

We went to see the Museum of Science and Industry's new Smart Home last week, a fab pre-fab that's all green. Our colleague Cassie Walker from Chicago magazine was also there, and posted this item about it.

Not Your Neighbor’s Sunbrella

2008-05-09T07:44:04-05:00

SilverState just sent along samples of its newest Sunbrella collection of outdoor fabrics, called Casual Elegance by Joe Ruggiero. Still packed with all the good no-stain-no-fade-couldn’t-wrinkle-if-you-tried properties of its well-known past. But, wow. Yes, WOW. It’s soft. The patterns are swanky. The colors are sophisticated. Why leave it outside? Bring it on in! Make a shower curtain. Cover a small bench for the bath. Heck—cover the whole family room in the stuff. If it resists mold and mildew, surely it can stand up to a stampede of messy kids. Available through designers only (it’s about $50 to $70 per yard).

—BARRI LEINER

Images courtesy of SilverState

Wall Royalty

2008-05-08T01:14:27-05:00

A quick check reveals Maya Romanoff doesn’t make the list of claimants to the Russian throne, but in the world of glam wall coverings (think gold leaf and mother-of-pearl) he’s unchallenged royalty. Last Thursday night Maya and family hosted 200 guests from 14 countries (and me) at the opening of Maya Romanoff Corp’s new 40,000 square foot inter-galactic headquarters in Skokie. Seems the company burst from its old downtown Chicago space when sales doubled between ’05 and ’07. Maya, his brother, and son-in-law held court in crimson czarist-era sashes while the Romanoff women (representing the Czarina and Princess of Wallpaper) wore Swarovski tiaras that would have brought tears to a Bolshevik’s eyes. Champagne flowed, and from somewhere deep in the warren of cubicles the fabulous Maxwell Street Klezmer Band belted out the swinging sounds of old Odessa. This warehouse/workroom/showroom is open to the trade only, but judging from the babel of languages at the party the pros are already wearing a path to the new door. (Party chatter had it that the walls of Dubai’s newest palaces are lined in Romanoff.)

—LISA CREGAN

David Seaman (left) and Maya Romanoff
Credit: Photos courtesy AngelaSwan.com

Budget Design

2008-05-07T03:00:41-05:00

If unearthing cheap and chic home stuff and Target and T.J. Maxx gets your adrenaline running, stop by the new shop Home Accents in Andersonville (5653 N. Clark St., 773-754-8466). Owner Kevin Idlewine is a wholesaler who decided to open his own storefront, while still selling to retailers such as Home Goods and Marshalls. He goes to the Maison d’Objets trade fair in Paris regularly, notes the trends, then calls on his manufacturers in China and India to reproduce them for less. Find vases (including some pretty good Jonathan Adler knock-offs) for $25 to $50 and pillows ranging from $20 to $25. The most expensive item in the store is a $225 chandelier-style lamp covered with a string shade (it’s made with real crystals). He also has a good selection of pots and ornaments for the garden. Everything in the store is conveniently arranged by colors.

— GINA BAZER

Michael Del Piero

2008-05-07T10:00:25-05:00

“Welcome!” an enthusiastic and happy Michael Del Piero greeted us at a party to celebrate the opening of her new design showroom, Good Design. “The best part is this,” she said, motioning to the back, where her desk is. No more working from home. For us, though, the best part is the front of this Damen Avenue storefront, where Del Piero has arranged a selection of stylish, earthy, and often oversized accessories that just wowed us. It was no surprise to us that in attendance were stylistically compatible friends who included Larry Vodak of Scout and interior designer Laura Soskin.

—JAN PARR

Arik Levy

2008-05-06T04:48:50-05:00

I’ve been going to a sporadic series of lectures at the Museum of Contemporary Art called “People Who Shape Our World,” featuring various muckety-mucks of the design and art communities. Recently it was Arik Levy, an Israeli-born designer who lives in Paris and has collaborated with firms like Ligne Roset, Baccarat Crystal, and Zanotta to market his furniture, tableware, jewelry, and lots of other stuff, some of which is ending up in pretty prestigious museum collections. Levy gave a charming, cerebral slide presentation that made me think about how people connect to what they fill their houses with. If you put a light bulb in a chair, does that make it a lamp? Hmmm...thinky. I really like this origami-inspired coffee table for Baleri Italia, and these tables for Zanotta. I’ve spotted his furniture at Orange Skin and Luminaire. You can also find his candleholders at the MCA gift shop.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Baleri Italia table image courtesy unicahome.com; image of wire tables courtesy Zanotta

Pretty Pottery

2008-05-05T01:24:46-05:00

We’ve written about the history of Teco Art Pottery, which is now being reproduced in Carol Stream by Prairie Arts. Two new shades, aqua and orange, have been added to the palette of glaze colors. This “Kiss” vase is my favorite shape. And love the new modern shades.

—JAN PARR

Ann Sacks Rocks!

2008-05-02T02:06:10-05:00

Just got a press kit from Ann Sacks featuring all of the incredible new designs the company introduced at the recent Kitchen/Bath show. The colorful Paccha line (see red and white tile above) is the real Moroccan deal, handmade in Marrakech. I’m not sure where I would put this bold flooring—perhaps in a powder room? Kitchen? Probably a small space to pack a punch. Also love the carved stone by Robert Kuo (see the Hua, or “bunches of flowers,” design above). It’s marble hand-chiseled with subtle Chinese motifs that feel both modern and ancient at the same time. Finally: the Perennial line of ceramic mosaics (see the royal blue and white photo above). What a cool alternative to wallpaper.

—GINA BAZER

Photos courtesy of Ann Sacks

I Dream of Teepees

2008-05-01T10:26:20-05:00

Two long months. Two hundred–plus listings. (Shelia Starr from Baird & Warner deserves two million gold stars for patience alone!) A two-block radius to stay within the desired school district. Two exhausted kids. Two losing bids. Too many grim rentals to even consider. Then, one fine just-when-you’re-not-looking-day, the answer arrives by way of email. Leave it to Orange Skin, that bastion of hip furnishings. They call themselves a “complete resource for modern design,” but who knew they had entered the real estate game? My girls are so excited when they see the snaps of the modern wigwam designed by Jose A. Gandia for Gandia Blasco. Comes complete with a small interior mattress made of nautical plastic. We’ll add some Piramide portable lamps (see the lighting leading up to the teepee in the photo) and be done. What more could a girl ask for? I think we’ll take three. Hope Nettelhorst school will let us put up our teepees on the playground. You can’t get more chic—or in-district—right?

BARRI LEINER

Images courtesy of Orange Skin

Ikea, Easier

2008-04-30T09:13:05-05:00

Aside from Trader Joe’s, perhaps no store makes me happy as Ikea, that bastion of inexpensive, smart Swedish design. Now Karin Sullivan, a long-time friend and contributor to our magazine, has clued me in to a tip that made shopping there more fun. In a word, Bolingbrook. All things considered, if you can go to the Bolingbrook Ikea over Schaumburg, do it. It’s a straight shot out 88, and it’s much less crowded and easier to navigate. I bought tons of cute paper napkins for outdoor parties this summer (50 for $2.95), and fell in love with this printed canvas for $80. I also bought a fab coir doormat for $9.99 and a couple of frames for $13.99 each. For her daughter’s room, Karin made off with a loveseat that converts to a bed, colorful pillows, and some discounted fabric emblazoned with peace signs that will become curtains. A Sunday well spent!

—Jan Parr

Toast Master

2008-04-29T09:56:46-05:00

When I was over at my friend’s house for a dinner party, I complimented a robin’s-egg-blue toaster in her kitchen. Turns out it’s from the British company Dualit, it was designed for heavy-duty crumpet-crisping in hotels and restaurants, and she picked it up at Sur La Table on Clybourn. It was also, gulp, over $300. My Pop-Tarts usually warm up in a decidedly more low-rent oven, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it over the next few days. I did a little shopping around, and before long this sexy red two-slot version was hanging out with my KitchenAid mixer on the countertop. I bought mine at Cooking.com for about $240, and every day it makes me smile. I love how solid and simple it is, and the manual lever means muffins keep warm until you’re ready for them. For my sister’s birthday, I gifted her with the same version in pink. (She lives in Boston—does that make us bi-toastal?)

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

ZED451

2008-04-28T09:28:00-05:00

Attention design junkies who also happen to love good food: The just-opened steakhouse ZED451 at 739 N. Clark St. is architect and designer Chris Smith's (he’s done Nobu in New York, among others) first Chicago project. We love all the outside-in natural elements (wood, fire, rocks, plants), the two-story atrium that floods the space with natural light, the mix of dark/light hickory and maple floors, and, on one of many fireplaces (including one of the rooftop), the gun metal curved ceramic tile with rolled steel trim. Oh, and the fresh baby carrots, the ravioli, the chocolate tarts, and the baby lamb chops (the latter loved by my carnivorous husband).

—JAN PARR

Junk Food

2008-04-25T11:10:09-05:00

Calorie-free Pop Tarts? Hostess cupcakes as big as your head? Sign us up. I was first turned on to Pamela Michelle Johnson’s huge and hip snacks series American Still Life amid the yummy home design finds at Zella Brown in Wicker Park. Get a gander of Jonhson’s work and first major exhibition of this series at The Artist Project at Artropolis this weekend. More than 300 soon-to-be-fabulously-more-famous-names will be showing on the 8th floor of the Merchandise Mart through Monday. To meet the girl behind the goodies and more than a few of her creative friends (don’t miss f2), grab a free pass.

—BARRI LEINER

POPTARTS / 52"x72" / oil on canvas / 2007
HOSTESS CUPCAKES / 64"x64" / oil on canvas / 2007

Ralph Lauren, Part 2

2008-04-24T11:43:00-05:00

Two posts in a row about Ralph. No, I'm not on his payroll, but I'm definitely fascinated by how a young man named Lifshitz who grew up in the Bronx could create such a deliciously WASP-y lifestyle empire. I bring this up because in the process of hunting down that sweater-style rug by Lauren that I wrote about two days ago (which, sadly, is no longer being made, according to Lauren's press department), I became ensnared by his online marketing vehicle Ralph Lauren Home. You can't shop on this Web site like you can on the regular Ralph Lauren Web site, but you are invited to learn how you, too, can live like Ralph in the "RL Style Guide." Clearly, their MO is to get you to buy their stuff: The SHOP NOW icon appears shamelessly below tips on topics such as "adding glamour to your home without a complete overhaul" and making your indoor space "feel like the outdoors." But the tips are pretty good and it's fun to look at the videos and pictures. The photos are super-styled and super-luxe and their campaigns really do inspire you to live the RL lifestyle, if only in your mind. See you at the club!

—GINA BAZER

Photography: Courtesy of Ralph Lauren Home

Branca's New Store

2008-04-23T08:24:51-05:00

Nothing like scooping your own publication. Our May/June issue, on newsstands May 1, reports that design doyenne Alessandra Branca (pictured here in her former shop, which was adjacent to her design offices; see our 2005 story about her here) is opening a new store at 17 E. Pearson St. on May 8. I was invited to a preview party on May 7 to see Branca’s furniture and one-of-a-kind accessories culled on her travels to Europe and India. We’ll keep you posted.

—Jan Parr

The Sweater Rug

2008-04-22T10:34:18-05:00

The other day we did a photo shoot at Room & Board for a story about throw pillows (learn everything you ever wanted to know about them in our upcoming July/August issue). The pillows were obviously the stars of the show, but we also used a rug in the shoot that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since. It’s the Cable rug in Heather (see photo at left), and the reason I love it so much is that it looks and feels like a big old sweater. Problem is I’m not sure if it pills like one, too, so if anyone has any experience with this rug, please share. It’s new to Room & Board so it’s unlikely anyone has lived with it long enough to know what will become of it in a couple of years… Still, any insight on 100-percent undyed wool would be great. This reminded me that a few years ago, I was considering getting similar wool carpeting by Ralph Lauren (see photo at right). I was planning to have it cut to an 8-by-10-foot size and bound with fabric, and it was going to cost about $1,300—the Cable rug costs $1,599 for around 7 by 10 feet (granted, it is a lot softer). Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the carpet store on Lincoln Avenue that carries the Ralph Lauren floor coverings collection (anyone have a clue?). Be sure, I have put in a call to RL corporate to figure this out. I will report back when I have more information. I love the idea of having a cozy sweater underfoot.

—GINA BAZER

Photography: Courtesy of Room & Board and Ralph Lauren

Knock. Knock.

2008-04-21T11:02:21-05:00

If you haven't been to the new Elements store yet... well, shame on you. You're missing out on a bevy of edgy/elegant home design finds, delicious jewelry, great bags, gorgeous coffee table books, treats catered by Southport Grocery when you saddle up to the iPod bar, and more. We covered the store's opening in the mag long before the dust settled, so here's our reminder... get there now! OK, now back to La Door. After owners Jeannine Dal Pra and Toby Glickman decided to scoot off Oak Street in favor of trendier digs on Wells, they took a buying trip extraordinaire, scoping the globe for all things inspirational. Among their discoveries in London: "We admired the way people's front doors really showed their individuality," says Glickman. When the two hit upon a stellar door pull at an antique store, the deal was sealed. Dal Pra scribbled a sketch, and they had a carpenter build a totally unique door for their shop. They painted it Rumba Orange (Benjamin Moore #2014-20), et voilà. Entering the loo has never been so fabulous.

—BARRI LEINER

Sit Stay Style

2008-04-18T08:37:22-05:00

My spirited little dog Lucy does not suffer novelty hats or seasonal sweaters gladly, but she’s developed an eye for nice home design, I like to think. My fave Chicago pet store, Streeterville Pet Spa & Boutique (401 E. Ontario St.) just got in some new Italian lines that rolled us both right over. Owner Marion Thompson has a great eye and always stocks a lot of stylish creature comforts, including a rotating display case of dog treats that look good enough to serve bipeds, made by a local pastry chef. She told me these Milanese EGR beds use that super-tough Sunbrella fabric that won't fade or stain, and they're about $50 to $85. The designs are sort of wiener werkstatte meets Japanese print, all in a mid-cent-mod color palette. With chic canine couches like these, who wouldn't mind a couple lying around the house? Good girl, Marion!

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Photos from petego.com

Modernica at I.D.

2008-04-17T04:20:04-05:00

We were sad to see Modernica close its showroom in River North earlier this year. So imagine how happy we were to hear that the store’s fiberglass chairs, bubble lights, Noguchi tables and chairs, and other modern furniture has found a home at I.D., one of our favorite home accessories stores. A manager at I.D. tells us they have a sampling of Modernica’s most popular items, but that any item can be ordered through I.D.

—JAN PARR

Sweet Dreams

2008-04-17T09:14:50-05:00

I got a sneak peek at the Merchandise Mart's DreamRooms the other day. I was there to be interviewed for a video that will play on a loop at the Mart promoting the show. (Chicago Home + Garden is the media sponsor of the event.) Some of the Mart's biggest showrooms—Holly Hunt, Donghia, Henredon—had designers showcase their wares in lovely living spaces. DreamRooms doesn't feel as personal and eccentric as DreamHome (which features the work of individual designers who source from all over the Mart), but there's a lot to like here. The mood of the rooms is overwhelmingly glam and sexy: rich, touchable fabrics (love the unfinished drapes in the Green room), gold- and metallic-toned colors, curvy furniture. It's not ’til you get to the last room, an outdoor space designed by Holly Hunt, that straight, modern lines come into play. I really liked the luxe drapery fabric that gets carried over as wallcovering in the Donghia room. My favorite? The C.A.I. bedroom designed by Christopher Guy Harrison—really sexy. Check out this vanity and chair. See it April 25 through July 12.

—JAN PARR

More Kitchen & Bath

2008-04-16T02:51:43-05:00

In all my excitement over new things at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, I nearly forgot to mention the new Walker Zanger tile I fell for. This is Sonja’s La Fluer.

—JAN PARR

Kitchen & Bath Show

2008-04-16T10:44:21-05:00

I was a bit nervous to go the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show at McCormick Place last weekend. A few years ago, I came home from the expo obsessed with a space-saving microwave/toaster by LG Electronics. I bought it, and it became a sticking point in a subsequent kitchen remodel (I wanted to save it and the designer had to jump through hoops to accommodate it). In the end, it went. I still miss it.
This year’s show had more to love.
•I guess I have a thing for space savers. This one is a water saver, too: Caravelle’s Caroma toilet with a small sink built on top. I asked a contractor looking at it with me if he’d ever seen such a thing. “Only in prisons,” he said. (A representative for the company said only his and one other company makes them.) But the contractor loved the idea of it for a very small powder room. The water used to wash hands gets re-used to flush the toilet.
•American Range’s French door oven. With one hand both doors open, allowing the user to get up close and personal with her roast, instead of having to lean over an open door. Why didn’t someone think of this before?
•Smeg’s retrofabulous refrigerators in tons of fun colors.
•Element Design’s Eluma illuminated backsplash. It’s backsplash and undercabinet lighting in one; LED lights are hidden inside an aluminum-framed glass or acrylic backsplash.
•i.Formz by Design Studio which is made with Corian and bent, shaped, molded, and punched out any way you can imagine. The booth at K/BIS displayed some lacy cutout panels that were fantastic.

Things that scared me:
•Liquid stainless steel that you spray on an old appliance to make it look like stainless.
•The “Bloomin’ Bidet.” I refused even to get close enough to it to find out more.
•ProSun’s Sunshower, which allows you to tan as you bathe.

—JAN PARR

Eye Candy

2008-04-15T09:09:36-05:00

It was a Willy Wonka moment at the New York International Gift Fair in February that got me going. Not just my usual craving for Kookaburra licorice (have you had?) and Swedish fish, but for the delicious candy-colored glass that spotted and dotted the football fields full of new products, gadgets, and gizmos launched there. The Urchin vases and lighting from Union Street Glass, available locally at Material Possessions, stopped me cold. The “nubs” resemble vintage milk glasses, clearly gone far down the lane from any grandmotherly roots—much more modern, almost edgy. Lemon yellow…yum. Tangerine…wow. Raspberry red…pow. Always eager to see where trends land moments and months later, a spin around Barneys New York a few weeks ago, showed me that a craving for colored glass was not missed by its buyers. (Check out the floor to ceiling celebration of the stuff!) Then I spotted the 1930s Argentine seltzer bottles ($150 each) at Jayson Home & Garden, and I’m sold again. Feels right now to add a splash.

-BARRI LEINER

Vase photo courtesy Union Street Glass

Diesel for the Home

2008-04-14T09:47:00-05:00

I just got an invitation to attend a party in Milan on April 16 celebrating the launch of Diesel’s new home collection. Too bad I won’t be able to make it. I think I have lunch plans at Potbelly in the Nordstrom building that day. But, as a proud wearer of Diesel jeans (the same pair from like 1995 or something!), I thought other Diesel fans might want to know that the company is jumping on the interiors wagon. OK, now don’t rush into Diesel tomorrow expecting to buy a perfectly distressed premium-denim sofa—they’re starting with linens this fall and will gradually move into furniture, accessories, and lighting, all of which are sure to embody that company’s devastatingly hip je ne sais quoi.

—GINA BAZER

Photo courtesy Diesel

Totes to Love

2008-04-11T09:48:26-05:00

In our May/June issue you will read about one of my favorite shops, Asrai Garden in Wicker Park. But here’s a little something that landed in my InBox after we went to press. These totes from Patch NYC, available exclusively at Asrai in Chicago, will make as fun a statement thrown over your shoulder on a Sunday afternoon at the flea market as they will hanging from a hook or storing magazines in your house.

—GINA BAZER

Photo courtesy of Asrai Garden

Wall of Fame

2008-04-10T11:02:19-05:00

I was over at interior designer Todd Haley’s house/design lab to interview him for a story for Chicago Home + Garden, and he showed me a terrific wall treatment he came up with for a hallway. I hesitate to call it a “treatment” because it’s more of just a novel approach to hanging artwork, but it reads almost like paneling, or wallpaper. He framed a portfolio of antique prints in identical black frames and put them up with plain-old carpet tape, butting them against each other to cover the whole wall. It’ll involve some measuring angst, but I think it’s a sharp, tailored look that freshens up what could easily seem too Merchant-Ivory drawing room.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Plumbing Issues

2008-04-09T07:26:47-05:00

So I’m in the shower, and on the way to hot, the faucet falls off in my hand. Literally. I ring the super, who can fix anything and looks like Schneider (it’s like our own One Day at a Time around here at the highrise), but he’s not available. It’s all fun and games ’til you have to venture out into the big, bad world and find a fix yourself. It’s a small part inside the faucet that requires replacement, something—as I learn at Home Depot—they don’t sell separately. “You may have to open the wall,” says the helpful Depot-er. And who makes this fixture anyway? I remodeled the bath, and think it’s Groehe, but there’s no signage, number…nada. The contractor has no record. (Note to self: write this stuff down and keep a file long after the project is complete!). I head to Community Home Supply. The “question desk” is full of crack professionals who are stumped. (Great place to order bath accoutrements by the way.) They send me home to take a snap of the part that remains in the wall. I return. They think they discover a discontinued model that matches. Then, out from the secret and sacred files, comes The Card. I’m directed to the Godfather of all parts, The Faucet Shoppe. One step inside the store and Norman Miller, third generation “shoppe” keeper, has found the part (in an opened and thus discounted box to boot) for $40! His warehouse is filled to the rafters with replacement parts from toilet covers to vintage fixtures. May not seem like a sexy stop on the interior decorating tour, but for me, it’s heaven!

– BARRI LEINER

Bronze Age

2008-04-08T12:01:25-05:00

Copper is the new stainless. What a cool hue! I saw it on a new Weber gas grill (called the Summit E-420) the other day at a lunch sponsored by the Chicago-based company. (Poor people...it was snowing, and they had planned an outdoor cooking demo. Special guest and cookbook author/chef Jamie Purviance valiantly carried on.) I'd love to see their adorable little Char Q tailgater in some fun colors.

—JAN PARR

Photo courtesy of Weber

Landscaping Lowdown

2008-04-07T10:52:02-05:00

I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said:

Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous.

West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms.

Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh?

OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now.

—GINA BAZER

Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham