Sometimes this city serves up an embarrassment of riches. This week: William Petersen returns—with free beer … Daniel Burnham appears onstage (in spirit) … indie rock icons toast a local lit legend … bicyclists get a gospel revival—and a midnight ride … and much more
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As soon as you walk through the doors of the newly revamped Ethan Allen at 1900 N. Halsted St. in Lincoln Park and see the glamorous vignette pictured above, you sense the company has updated its look. It’s still traditional but feels more of-the-moment; some collections are downright modern. There is also a user-friendly component: The store’s first level is divided into rooms decorated in distinct styles—Global, Metro, Villa, etc.—with descriptive commentary printed on the walls for each one. (I find that sometimes it helps to have a definition of—or at least some words to describe—what I like.) If you go to the company’s Web site, you can also take a quiz to help you figure out your aesthetic. Take their assessment with a grain of salt—my style was deemed Loft and I just moved to a house in the ’burbs! But I found the words that Ethan Allen uses to define Loft to be pretty darn consistent with what I like: “Energetic. Fashion-driven. Practical. Materials borrowed from industry, architecture, and nature. Clean shapes. Punches of color. Spontaneous and fresh. Kids and pets? Bring them on.” Not bad at all, Ethan Allen.
—Gina Bazer
Contemporary Spanish kitchen and bath design house Porcelanosa has moved into LuxeHome at the Merchandise Mart, where it will compete with the similar in aesthetic Italian (Ernestomeda, Poliform) and German (Poggenpohl) lines already there. What does Porcelanosa have that the others don’t? For starters, a photo of George Clooney in its promotional materials (he is a customer). Furthermore, the company offers a complete line of porcelain and ceramic tile and mosaics in addition to its kitchen and bath collections. Porcelanosa, 149 Merchandise Mart; porcelanosa-usa.com
By now, it’s pretty well known that the foreclosure crisis is no longer limited to lower-income households. Large numbers of middle- and upper-income homeowners are falling into default, too. But a new report from the Woodstock Institute points out that, in many parts of the Chicago region, more affluent households are far less likely than lower-income homeowners to get specialized counseling about the foreclosure process—and that could potentially…
June 19, 2009—Partygoers at the 9th annual Summer Lovin’ event, co-hosted by Chicago magazine and the Auxiliary Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, struck a pose inside the photo booth provided by Spex.
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An architect gives two of her earlier kitchen designs fresh new looks
The articulated Karbon faucet by Kohler pivots like crazy to send water right where you want it. It comes in a variety of finishes, from $1,015, at The Kohler Store, 100 Merchandise Mart, 312-755-2510; thekohlerstore.com.
If you want to make a splash in your bathroom but can’t be bothered to pick out a sink, bathtub, and shower individually, the Ebb all-in-one freestanding system by the British company usTogether is for you. It’s made of a stain-resistant natural acrylic stone called LG HI-MACS; the line is available in multiple combinations, … Read more
In Highland Park, a poolside Bastille Day party worthy of a king, courtesy of chef Gabriel Viti
Renewed
Despite the recession, Vipul (Victor) Aggarwal has continued to expand his small, family-run business. The 29-year-old entrepreneur recently opened Renew Spa (980 N. Michigan Ave., 2nd floor; 312-526-3891, renewspachicago.com), his third start-up business in three years. Believing that spas were either overpriced or dingy, Aggarwal sought to…
