I stopped by Kneen & Co. a week or so ago for the trunk show for the Côté de Bastide fragrance line from Provence, which Mary Jeanne Kneen is carrying exclusively in the Chicago area. Made of all-natural ingredients, the line includes hand-poured candles, as well as soaps and bath salts and other yummy and beautifully packaged items that make great hostess gifts. Speaking of which: check out these notepads with prestige Zip codes.
—JAN PARR
]]>
Love these mouthblown glass lamps by Tracy Glover, available at At Home in the City. Prices range from $550 for a table lamp to $885 for a floor lamp.
—GINA BAZER
Photo courtesy tracygloverstudio.com
]]>
Recently I went to see my friends John and Frances to view the new art-furniture piece they had commissioned. They had asked the artist Matt Hanner (thebuildup71@gmail.com) to have his way with an old wooden dresser. They gave him no restrictions on the design, and now they are so in love with the results that they actually display the dresser as sculpture. In my friend’s own words: “Matt surprised me today when he asked what we were keeping in the drawers. I still don't think he has any idea how much we enjoy these drawers as living-room sculpture. We do not find this chest to be empty... it is quite full.” Just shows that there are no rules when it comes to decorating.
—JAN PARR
]]>
A few weeks back I was rushing through the Mart and Robert Briggs of Granite & Marble Resources beckoned me into his showroom to show off Stonewood, a pioneering product exclusive to Granite & Marble in the U.S. If you like the look of wood but need your floors to have the properties of stone, check it out. Made mostly of quartzitic limestone or marble, which is dense and non-absorbent, it doesn’t warp or contract when in contact with water and can be placed in the bathroom (even showers), lower levels, and kitchens. It’s scratch-resistant, looks like exotic wood, and comes in eight colors. It’s stocked in the Chicago area for faster delivery, and you can get countertops in large slabs or mosaics to match. If there are some other materials out there that you’d like to mimic with good old durable tile, check out our story Copy Cats, which features tile that looks like linen, wood, bamboo, and more.
—JAN PARR
]]>
Back from the New York International Gift Fair for a week, but can’t stop thinking about a few of my favorites making their way to a store near you soon. Kikkerland’s “fake grass” charging station is kitschy meets practical. I am unpatriotically obsessed with Union Jacks these days, and loved Halo’s giant Union Jack Bensington foot stool. Jill Rosenwald’s pottery and lamps made me have to lie down. The vintage reproductions made the Go Home, and Design Legacy booths feel like a trip to the flea market. Loved the ‘Tini tables from Oomph—just tiny enough for your martini—get it? We’ve been obsessed with the tiny table trend for quite some time—I think every chair should have a table. Rumor has it Chiasso picked up Camilla House Imports clear-backed and patent Louis chairs, and I saw a buyer from Branca taking a peek at Alice Supply Co.’s cheeky chic household helpers. We have more showstoppers up our sleeve—but have to save some for upcoming issues. Stay tuned!
—Barri Leiner Grant
]]>
The name of the game for covering the New York International Gift Fair is not just what’s new—but hedging your bets (and byline) on what’s next. I remember covering my first show for Chicago Home + Garden in 2008. After combing the football field–sized scores of floors, I rang the office to weigh in on my trend declaration! Hey, breaking news—“peace sign = the new owl,” “mushrooms are the new birds,” “metallic is the new black.” And boy, do we LOVE when we’re right! This show, the BIGGEST news was SMALLS. Jonathan Adler introduced more than 200 new products this season including Jonathan Adler Junior. Diminutive and witty little versions of his furniture and furnishings for only the coolest kiddos. We heart the idea of buying a teeny alpaca throw, included Oly Petite Seating—tables and shelves too! Look for them this spring at Jayson Home & Garden. Little Nest had the most mod of the minis, replicas of iconic favorites scaled down to suit “budding design enthusiasts” (see photo). Stay tuned so we can share their imminent whereabouts here in town. Garden spot Sprout was ahead of the game with its recycled outdoor offerings from Iman, look for them in our March-April issue.
—Barri Leiner Grant
]]>
Lots of changes are afoot on Kinzie Street near the Mart. This week the 100 West block is getting a new resident: Pauline Grace, a contemporary furniture showroom that had been on Kingsbury. Pauline Grace joins Thomas Jolly Antiques and Oscar Isberian Rugs , which moved next door to a new space. P. A. Larkin closed its storefront but is now selling its Asian furniture out of Vintage Pine. Evanstonia also closed its River North doors, but is still open in Ravenswood. Got all that?
—JAN PARR
]]>
If stuffed deer make you queasy, you’re not alone. We’re over the Aspen lodge look, too. But there’s still a place for faux taxidermy—as long as it comes with a healthy dose of humor. Tamar Mogendorff’s playful hand-sewn animal heads (top row; about $135 to $800), available at Asrai Garden, are delightfully irreverent. Made with pretty hand-printed fabric, the collection of penguins, kangaroos, and horses are friendly enough to hang in the nursery. Look for unicorn heads to debut this spring. Anthropologie is also touting a cheeky take on the trophy head: Savannah Story Busts (bottom row; $68), constructed from recycled cement bags and vintage book pages, feel lighthearted and homemade.
–Bridget Herman
]]>
Yesterday our art director, Megan Duffy Rostan; associate art director Adam Moroschan; and I scoped out the new West Elm store, the first in the city and only the second one in Illinois (1000 W. North Ave., 312-867-1770). Located in the former Whole Foods spot, the store opens today and is bursting with happy colors (think dark turquoise and canary yellow), contrasting textures, and a few brilliant storage solutions. West Elm offers free design services—you bring apartment measurements, they’ll create a floor plan—and a smattering of original work from School of the Art Institute of Chicago students. We saw art pieces, some matted and framed, priced from $100 to $1,000 (see inset). Here’s a round up of what really caught our eye.
—Bridget Herman
Shown clockwise above:
Right photo:
Not pictured:
I got the chance to meet textile designer Mark Pollack last week at Verde, Michele Fitzpatrick’s showroom in Pilsen. This was my first time seeing Michele’s new showroom (more about that later). Pollack was showing off his new green collection of fabrics, called Pure. A handful of designers and I sat in a circle as he discussed his fabrics and passed them around. It was like a baby shower, with us oohing and aaahing over the gorgeous texture and feel of the fabrics (not to mention how wonderful they looked.) I loved the checkered velvet (shown here), which reminds me of Chilewich’s vinyl creations and also of this Ann Sacks tile I’m considering for my bath. Except the fabric is incredibly, dreamily soft. See samples at Verde.
–JAN PARR
]]>