An Old Hyde Park House Remade for Today

List Price: $2.25 million
The Property: If you had designed a home in the late 1880s knowing how families would live in 2011, you might have come up with today’s residence: imposing on the outside—all that rough-cut limestone and a pair of turrets—but warm and casual on the inside…

Ikram Goldman: From Dressing Michelle Obama to Opening a New Store

THE DIVA’S NEW DIRECTION: With a celebrated eye and an imperious style, Ikram Goldman turned her high-end Chicago shop into a quasi salon for the rich and well dressed. Now, even as reports surface that she’s no longer outfitting her most famous client, she’s making her boldest move yet—opening a 16,000-square-foot megaboutique that challenges her personalized sales formula

Penny Pollack's Favorite North Side BYOs

Today, an old friend requested recommendations for a North Side BYO dinner spot—making restaurant suggestions to pals is one of the unofficial duties of a dining editor. After writing him a lengthy reply, I figured I’d pass along the list to you, our readers…

Beckett’s Brew-haha: The Lake View Bar Goes Craft Beer and Burgers; Plus, a Lady Gregory Update

This just in: On a phone call today with Martin Cournane—the co-owner of Wilde Bar & Restaurant and Beckett’s Public House, both in Lake View, plus the in-the-works Lady Gregory’s (5260 N. Clark St.) in Andersonville—I got the scoop on some upcoming changes, including how Cournane is putting two new hires to work despite a high-profile setback…

Ayn Rand's Favorite Book: "Calumet K"

The Objectivist writer’s most loved tale is an obscure 1901 Chicago novel about the building of a grain elevator, wheat monopolies, and those dastardly union men. It’s no “Atlas Shrugged,” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Fashion Illustrations

In the days before Style.com, buyers at luxury European retailers had to sketch at fashion shows to remember what they wanted to buy for their clientele…

Cheap Belgian Beer and Free Pretzels: My Freelance Afternoon at the Map Room

The question “Where’s your office?” borders on the existential for a freelance worker bee like me. There’s a white desk and a lumbar-friendly chair in my dining room, and that’s where most of my writing gets done. But some days I’m a WiFi nomad, chasing the signal all over the city between interviews, tours, meetings, and, yes, cocktails…

Condo Ruin Gets a Second Chance

A five-story building at 2609 West Belmont Avenue that has stood unfinished and exposed to the elements for about three years is on its way to getting a restart later this spring. Lewis Korompilas, the head of the Northbrook-based Premium Builders, said that he will close on his purchase of the former North River Court project from Village Bank & Trust in Arlington Heights at a price that he will only specify as “under $3 million.” He expected the deal to close around June 1st…