Slipcover Plus In these uneasy times, perhaps a new sofa is not in the cards. But a slipcover just might be, especially one made at this family-owned, Oak Park–based business. For about $350, plus fabric, you can give an old three-seater a facelift. Provide your own fabric (there’s no surcharge) or choose from Slipcover Plus’s … Read more
The Museum of Science and Industry’s popular Smart Home exhibit is unveiling its totally revamped interiors tomorrow, and if this chic sneak of the dining room is any indication, I think I’m going to heart Smart Home 3.0—seriously, what’s not to like about this room? (Although one of those “pops” of color…
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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
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The Nantucket-vibing Winnetka home furnishings shop Seagrass has just issued a very enticing offer: “We’ll come to your home before you come to our store. For free.” Not bad if you need a little advice before making the plunge on a home accessory or piece of furniture. And it’s a darling shop, too.
— GINA BAZER
Photo: Denise Orlin
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A handful of design boutiques in Oak Park are shifting shape, and we’ve got the scoop. Careful Peach is relocating from 128 Harrison St. to 1024 North Blvd.—and gaining 300 square feet of retail space. The new location, slated to open April 1, will boast more room for vignettes and an expanded inventory of home goods. We can’t wait to browse imported French dinnerware by Jars and upholstery fabrics from Broderies Langlet, not to mention jewelry by Parisian designer Anne-Laure Frizot. Tres chic, non? Nearby Maison Suzanne is shaking things up, too. Mid-March, the antiques dealer will close its Glen Ellyn location and expand its 206 S. Marion St. shop to encompass the neighboring storefront at 208 S. Marion, a space that’s currently occupied by Michael FitzSimmons Decorative Arts. (FitzSimmons will be shacking up with Barley Twist over at 144 N. Oak Park Ave.) The expansion will boost Maison Suzanne’s square footage from 4,000 to 8,000, allowing for a deeper selection of European and Asian antiques, custom pillows, and vintage textiles.
–Bridget Herman
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As if we needed any more convincing that Holland is totally cool, this tulip-happy design-savvy country that serves spacecakes at its cafes has recently launched a marketing campaign with the slogan “Just Be. In Holland.” I would love to just be. In Holland. Right about now. But here I am blogging about it instead! I suppose it’s to make us all feel better (and to get us on their promotional email list) that the tourism board of Holland has launched a contest (that started yesterday and lasts until March 3), offering the opportunity to win a Moooi Carbon Chair, designed by Dutch designers Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders. All you need to do is visit www.holland.com and answer the quiz displayed after you hit: "Just click. To win."
—GINA BAZER
42 Go-To Shops, Spaces, and Design Pros to Know
Hydrology Hydrology gets top international designers (including Jaime Hayón, Ross Lovegrove, and Claudio Silvestrin) to apply their magic to bath fixtures and accessories, many of which can’t be found elsewhere, or only in Europe. Among items we’re gaga over: the elegant, furniture-like bathroom suite designed by Hayón (shown above, right) and a completely digital shower … Read more
Mecox Gardens At Mecox, a 19th century Italian crossbase pine table with planters, baskets, and garden ornaments This is one of the few Mecox Gardens stores outside the company’s tony Hamptons home base, the only place in town where two antique concrete greyhounds sit cheek by jowl with stunning reproduction David Adler urns. Owner … Read more
Neff Valet This modular custom closet system, made in the same scrupulous manner as Canada-based Neff’s kitchen cabinetry, can be finished in 5,100 colors and various door styles. (Shown above is a doorless Polo system with stitched leather trim.) Double your closet space with such smart touches as shelves that go to the ceiling … Read more
