After 152 years in business, Porter’s of Racine, a fine furniture store, is closing. North Shore-ites are among the customers who have made the trek over the border for furniture by Stickley, Henredon, Baker, Century, and other big names. Now everything must go, and price reductions are huge. It’s a big blow for downtown Racine, but an opportunity for anyone in the market for new furniture.
—JAN PARR
" />
After 152 years in business, Porter’s of Racine, a fine furniture store, is closing. North Shore-ites are among the customers who have made the trek over the border for furniture by Stickley, Henredon, Baker, Century, and other big names. Now everything must go, and price reductions are huge. It’s a big blow for downtown Racine, but an opportunity for anyone in the market for new furniture.
—JAN PARR
" />After 152 years in business, Porter’s of Racine, a fine furniture store, is closing. North Shore-ites are among the customers who have made the trek over the border for furniture by Stickley, Henredon, Baker, Century, and other big names. Now everything must go, and price reductions are huge. It’s a big blow for downtown Racine, but an opportunity for anyone in the market for new furniture.
—JAN PARR
" />
 |
After 152 years in business, Porter’s of Racine, a fine furniture store, is closing. North Shore-ites are among the customers who have made the trek over the border for furniture by Stickley, Henredon, Baker, Century, and other big names. Now everything must go, and price reductions are huge. It’s a big blow for downtown Racine, but an opportunity for anyone in the market for new furniture.
—JAN PARR
 |
Yesterday we checked out the new collections at Room & Board and let’s just say we were not disappointed. Every year the company introduces a new signature chair, and this year’s Louis is an elegant, well-priced one ($899) that’s stocked in a navy blue and houndstooth fabric (also available in leather for $1,699)—at once modern and classic. Another cool chair: the Tiffany, a lovely polycarbonate—it’s that Lucite look we love¬—number that’s durable enough for outdoor use and fabulous enough for your dining room ($199 for side chair, $249 for arm chair; available in solid colors as well). Moving on from the seating options, I really like felt rugs and I also like square-shaped rugs (so often area rugs only come in rectangular configurations—though you can get custom sizes through R&B), so I fell in love with the Fuller felted rug ($1,715 for 7 by 7 feet), shown above. I was also so impressed by the workmanship of the Munich storage/media cabinet. Available in solid walnut or cherry, the sliding veneered tambour door panels look completely smooth when closed (see photo above). With a stainless steel base and handles, it’s a true beauty ($2,799). I’m off to save my pennies.
—GINA BAZER
Christine Noelle, who owns the sweetly chic Lincoln Park flower and gift shop Dilly Lily with her sister, Melissa, is not one to rest on her florals. The pair opened Dilly Lily in 1996, and it’s blossomed into a popular go-to florist for creative weddings and events, as well as a source for unusual candles, tableware, and stationery. I’ve gotten several gifts and arrangements from DL over the years, and the packaging and presentation is amazing. Christine has just opened…
 |
 |
Over the holidays I went to a party at my friend Jeanne’s home (she of Figaro Parisian Interiors) and met Janet Torelli, who makes handcrafted silver napkin rings (featuring semiprecious stones), serving pieces, ice tongs, martini pics, cocktail stirrers, and more. Her designs, some of which have a Michael Aram vibe to them, would dress up any table. Shown here: sterling/semiprecious gem napkin rings ($675 for eight) and a ginkgo bonbon server ($160).
—JAN PARR
In an Evanston front yard, a conventional turf lawn is replaced with amber waves of ornamental grass
Lagging economy, be damned! In recent months, a whole slew of new—and affordable—shops have opened. Most focus on vintage and secondhand furniture, while others have it in their mix
Fabrics can make a huge difference in a room—creating a mood via window treatments and upholstery, rugs and wallcoverings, pillows and linens. We asked Annika Christensen, an interior designer and the owner of Midnight Sun Swedish Antiques & Design in Libertyville, to talk about how she’d use textiles in two spaces of her own imagining—one urban, the other country
 |
I just got an email from the Careful Peach in Oak Park about these soaps by Savon de Marseille. Don’t you just want to eat them? Perhaps I felt this way because it was about 4 p.m. and my stomach was growling when they appeared, in all their lusciousness, in my InBox yesterday. Available in five varieties (including unscented, rose petals, and lavender) these guys are made of Mediterranean sea salt, ash from Mediterranean sea plants, olive oil and, in some cases, crushed flowers or herbs. You can use them not only to clean your skin, but to do laundry, and wash your dishes (just don’t eat them). They come in 300-gram bars (unscented $8, with pressed flowers/herbs, $13). What a lovely counterpart to any sink.
—GINA BAZER
 |
These fabulous poufs have just arrived at @Work Design in Forest Park. Think of them as throw pillows for your floor. Frank (red), 13½ inch diameter by 15¾ inches high, $617, and Henry (black), 16 by 16 inches, $317.
—GINA BAZER
 |
 |
 |
It’s summer in Australia right now and Chicago’s Aussies are missing the motherland. That’s why this Sunday from January 24, from 1 to 5 p.m., a bunch of mates are getting together at The Trump Hotel for Experience Australia. Dozens of Outbackers will be selling artisanal cheeses, specialty seafood and meat selections, desserts, aboriginal art, and more; there will also be live performances by popular Australian musicians Anthony Snape and Claire Windham. Among the vendors will be one of our favorite Aussies, Jenny Rossignuolo, co-owner of Urban Source, who will display the lovely wallpaper of fellow countrywoman Florence Broadhurst, which is carried exclusively at Urban. Buy a $35 ticket and you’ll get a chance to win two rolls. That would make it a G’day!
–GINA BAZER
