Ad Categories: Home and Garden

York Wallcoverings claims to be the first American manufacturer to add sand to wallpaper, and we are inclined to believe them. The company describes the process as “a lot like a child’s glitter-and-glue project,” but as you can see, the results are grown-up indeed. The sand adds subtle texture. Shown here is lattice on charcoal non-woven with white sand from Candice Olson Dimensional Surfaces ($130 per roll). Buy it locally through Finishing Touches Interiors, 227 W. North Ave., 312-787-5404.

—JAN PARR

It’s always sad to see a family-owned company shut its doors, but after 15 years of selling handcrafted traditional furniture, Robert Bergelin Company is going out of business. All remaining merchandise will be liquidated over the course of the next few Fridays and Saturdays, or until supplies last. See the Web site for details.

—GINA BAZER

Tate Gunnerson, who also contributes to Chicago Home + Garden, has blogged about our Oak Park home on StrangeClosets. His photos are really lovely, and it makes me want to put the house on a tour all over again. Having the talented Lauren and Courtney of Kelly + Olive stage our house was a complete happy trip. They staged it for the tour, but ended up staging it for our life. We haven’t changed a thing since they spruced up the place (using all of our own stuff) for the South Oak Park Style tour. The hammock we strung between our two giant pines because we thought it would look good has become a favorite spot for reading. The living room arrangement is far more comfortable. I actually now want to hang out on the front porch, with its defined dining area, and the newly fab front study. I buy flowers just for us. The lessons: 1. Bring in a pro! Another set of eyes really helps, no matter who you are. (It really helps to like your pros. We had a blast with Courtney and Lauren, who really seemed to get our style and had an appreciation for both old and new, and a talent for both furniture placement and vignette styling). 2. Set a deadline! A big party is ideal. 3. Enjoy it! It’s not about staging your home for other people; it’s about loving it every day.

—JAN PARR 

Need a new custom look for your kitchen but can’t afford to shell out the money for a design consult? Not interested in spending hours going from showroom to showroom trying to figure out what tile goes with the countertops you like? A local kitchen design firm, KitchenLab, has come up with a solution they call Design in a Bag. Rebekah Zaveloff, the designer behind KitchenLab, created designinabag.com with her husband, John Nichols, to give homeowners a simple and inexpensive way to get professionally coordinated finishes for their kitchens. Chose your style (modern, classic, vintage), and then select from several different looks (shown here: the Highgate). Bags are priced between $99 and $199 and include samples of cabinetry, countertop, tile, glass, and four 8” x 10” paint samples. You also get four color 3D renderings showing your finishes with the different wall colors, plus info on how to buy and care for your finishes. Coming soon: Design in a Bag for the bath.

—JAN PARR 

HOK, a global architectural and design firm, just sent us some images of its new Chicago office space in the CNA Building. Besides being cool, it has received LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of green-ness offered by the U.S. Green Building Council. I’m green with envy.

—JAN PARR

The new Ukrainian Village brunch spot Jam doesn’t only offer a yummy gourmet brunch at a reasonable price—it’s got some great design going on, too. An open kitchen keeps things casual, while chic, modern touches throughout the space give it an upscale flavor. The décor is simple: gray walls broken up with lots of white moldings and mirrors. Ligne Roset’s Plexi light fixtures (from the Josephine 5d collection) add some glamour on the walls, while CB2’s pressed vinyl Dot placemats by Chilewich in citrine lend some punch—and civility—atop charcoal-hued stone tables. If you’re in a decorating, um, jam, find some inspiration here. Jam, 937 North Damen Ave., 773-489-0302

—Gina Bazer