Ad Categories: Home and Garden

Antiquaire’s new shipment of gorgeous European antiques just arrived. The Highland Park shop’s collection of vintage and antique furniture is primarily French, but you can expect Italian, Spanish, English, Greek and Turkish goodies mixed in, as well as a Gustavian Swedish collection. Owner Melissa Edelman just sent me a few photos of the French treasures: a bleached oak trestle dining table (shown above), a brass tea cart; and a leather 1950s Chesterfield sofa, to name a few. 

—LISA GARTNER

Months ago I was lucky enough to get a tour of an Edgar Miller apartment at 155 W. Burton Place that had been updated and furnished by Karen Mozer. It was quirky, fun, and entirely original. Now Richard Cahan and Michael Williams have produced a gorgeous and impressive coffee table book on Miller, who they call “Chicago’s forgotten renaissance man.” The original green man, Miller was a Chicago artist who used recycled materials and his own artistic skills (he was a painter, a carver, mosaic artist, and stained-glass artist) to turn old homes into works of art (he designed three other apartment complexes in the 1920s and 1930s, at 1734 N. Wells, 2150 N. Cleveland, and 1209 State Parkway). With stunning photos by Alexander Vertikoff, this book, Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home (Small Press United, $50), is a fitting tribute to Miller and will be of interest to anyone interested in Chicago history, art, or architecture. 

—JAN PARR

Last week we checked out Repeat, a new vintage furniture and accessories shop we were alerted to by our friends at Thos. Moser. Repeat, owned by Joe Hunnewinkle and Tom Leahy, who owned Mudd, a card/gift store on Broadway, is a cross between a really great thrift store and a vintage furniture shop, with lots of funky, affordable midcentury finds. The owners scour thrift stores and sales in out-of-the-way places, and paint and reupholster where necessary. We spied a walnut table with an X inlay for $135; clean-lined nesting tables, three for $188; a reissue of a Sol Bloom wire and mesh catchall for $160. 1535 W. Division St., 773-278-7983. Open Thursdays–Sundays.

—JAN PARR

We are completely and utterly devoted to the Chicago design scene, and we love shopping at actual brick-and-mortar stores. But every so often, our eyes wander. While sourcing an item in our upcoming January/February issue (the chandelier in the private dining area at Sepia, which you will see if you pick up the mag in a month or so), I was introduced to Atlanta-based Pieces, from where the aforementioned fixture was purchased by local designer Gary Lee. This boutique has a great, user-friendly website. All of the merchandise is searchable by clicking on key (very key) words, like Brown (or Blue or Pink or Orange or Red or Black), Ceramic, Brass, Leather, Chrome, Lucite, Lamps, etc., displayed on a banner on the home page. Click on what interests you, and you will see all the options available in this category (above see a screen shot of some of what comes up under “Green”). It’s so very easy to shop this way… and the merchandise is a great mix of vintage and new, with a glam aesthetic. Just sayin’.

—GINA BAZER

My phone is less than two years old and my friends say I have the equivalent of an early 90s bag phone with a two-foot antenna. I’ve been on the verge of pulling the trigger on an iPhone, but the pragmatist in me says to keep waiting to reap the benefits (and cost savings) of the next inevitable iPhone ‘upgrade’ Apple will launch—most likely the day after I buy one. But now I have one more reason to be jealous of my phone-fashion-forward friends, with the stylish new Elan Form Chilewich Case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Created through a partnership between Sandy Chilewich and Griffin Technology, the impact resistant cover features the signature strong and easy-to-clean basketweave vinyl textile you’ll find in all Chilewich products: from bags, placemats and utility mats to woven floor mats and window shades. It’s about $40, and available in two colors (gravel and light gray) through the Apple Store and MoMa. Between this great new modern phone cover, and my inability to remember song titles (there’s an app for that), I think it’s finally time to join the iCrowd.

–Adam Moroschan

From the Bisazza Home Collection, a new take on the Louis-inspired chair, in white lacquer with gray velvet. So sophisticated, and at $900 for the chair sans arms, a great price (settee and armchair available, too). If you haven’t made it to the (relatively) new Bisazza showroom yet at 226 W. Kinzie (so glam! so gorgeous!), this is a good excuse. I wish I could tell you to hurry and get these chairs for the holidays; alas, the lead time (they’re made to order in Italy) is 8–12 weeks. Some things are worth the wait.

—JAN PARR

Tonight, Evan and Sandra Lewis of Evan Lewis are hosting a reception to celebrate Lewis’s new suite of tables, the Renzo Collection, as well as new wallcoverings by Christiaan Pretorius Studio. The wallcoverings, shown in the background here, are handpainted seamless canvases. Each design is unique in scale and color; there are no repeats. Evan’s tables, made of hand-rubbed steel and topped with glass, were inspired by the light-filled architecture of the Modern Wing at the Art Institute. Stop by any time between 5–8 p.m. at 3368 N. Elston Ave.

—JAN PARR