These fun chairs by Anna Hrecka, inspired by the dandelion, are newly available at IQMatics in Schaumburg, one of the suburbs’ hippest furniture stores. The Comfee, as it’s called, comes in black or white mesh ($699) or aniline leather ($2,299) in several colors and stitched patterns.
—JAN PARR
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These fun chairs by Anna Hrecka, inspired by the dandelion, are newly available at IQMatics in Schaumburg, one of the suburbs’ hippest furniture stores. The Comfee, as it’s called, comes in black or white mesh ($699) or aniline leather ($2,299) in several colors and stitched patterns.
—JAN PARR
" />These fun chairs by Anna Hrecka, inspired by the dandelion, are newly available at IQMatics in Schaumburg, one of the suburbs’ hippest furniture stores. The Comfee, as it’s called, comes in black or white mesh ($699) or aniline leather ($2,299) in several colors and stitched patterns.
—JAN PARR
" />
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These fun chairs by Anna Hrecka, inspired by the dandelion, are newly available at IQMatics in Schaumburg, one of the suburbs’ hippest furniture stores. The Comfee, as it’s called, comes in black or white mesh ($699) or aniline leather ($2,299) in several colors and stitched patterns.
—JAN PARR
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A friend of mine just went to Paris and, knowing that Design Dose readers would appreciate it, snapped this photo of Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten’s boutique there. My friend said it best: “It was the perfect blend of done and undone, luxe but not pretentious. And so original—just like Dries himself.” The New York Times covered its 2007 opening here. The space was formerly a bookstore and I love how Dries kept that feeling alive with the tall shelves, replacing books with clothing and using those tomato red boxes as accents. The use of color is fantastic.
—Gina Bazer
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If you haven’t seen the Chicago Home + Garden July/August Kitchen & Bath issue yet, we thought we’d get you in the right frame of mind by sharing notes from our colleague, Kristin Shea, after she attended the Parenthesis Kitchen Walk in Oak Park this spring. Here, five things she found very impressive.
Porcelain tile floor that mimics the look of hardwood
We came across a dark wood floor (above, top) that was actually porcelain tile! The designer of the kitchen was Pamela Polvere.
Stainless steel-like countertops
Also in Polvere’s kitchen, we saw a very sleek, shiny silver countertop. I’m not sure if the material was chrome or stainless or if it was just the finish applied onto a stone, but we thought it was cool.
Barbara Barry for Ann Sacks backsplash
I loved the diamond pattern of the Barbara Barry tile that designer Jean Stoffer used in her kitchen (above, center).
Lots of refrigerator and freezer drawers
We toured a lot of smaller kitchens with limited space. While this isn’t a new idea, we were still impressed by the use of space. We also liked the sink made from a solid block of granite (above, bottom) by Designs For Living.
-Kristin Shea
Do you feel blue when you work chez vous? We asked Julia Archer, owner of the hip new Forest Park–based home office store, At Work Design, to choose five elements from her shop that can give your office the kick it needs. At Work Design, 7500 W. Madison St., Forest Park, 708-488-9297; atworkdesign.com
The idea that a glittering chandelier can work in any space has moved into the kitchen—right over the cooktop. Elica just introduced a line of range hoods that not only ventilate but also (glamorously) light up your stove. Shown here, the Star, made up of hundreds of glass prisms (about $3,750). There are also shaded-pendant styles; all models use halogen bulbs. Available through designers in late summer at Elica, 947 Merchandise Mart, 312-410-7343; elica.com
Small square footage and a tight budget inspire major creativity in an architect’s house in West Town
Q: I want to cut down on kitchen-counter clutter, starting with small appliances. Are built-in coffeemakers as practical as they are cool?
The PrairieMod Design Group’s lease is up on their Wheaton offices, and they’ll be moving to a smaller location in Lisle at the end of this month. The new space doesn’t have room for the product inventory they stocked for the PrairieMod outlet store…
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Toms-Price’s annual furniture warehouse blowout is this weekend. Stickley, Baker, Henkel, Harris, and other manufacturers are sending truckloads of excess inventory to liquidate at 40 to 70 percent off retail. Find lots of rugs, Ephraim Pottery, and more. 279 Madsen Dr., Bloomingdale, 630-924-2070.
-Jan Parr
If you’re in the market for stone but aren’t up for a weekend trek to a massive suburban warehouse, check out Studio Stone Design, a 1,500-square-foot outpost of Stone Design (a major Midwest supplier whose Glendale Heights warehouse contains some 14,000 stone slabs). The Lincoln Park location features 120 panels of granite, onyx, and other stones, as well as a virtual warehouse in the form of a 56-by-96-inch HDTV that allows customers to peruse high-resolution photos of the Glendale Heights selection. Studio Stone Design, 1355 W. Concord Pl., 630-858-9658; stone-design.com
