Ad Categories: Home and Garden

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

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

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

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