Ad Categories: Home and Garden

Vince Vaughn had The Break-Up with the River North townhome he bought Four Christmases ago, and now he’s trying to rent the four-bedroom crib for five hundy short of ten grand—that’s right, swing $9,500 a month and you’re money, baby. Rubloff is handling the deal, and a real estate agent said that it’s available furnished, “if you want the Vince Vaughn effect.” Looking at the slide show makes me wonder what that would be, other than mismatched, oddly proportioned furniture placed randomly around, flat-screens everywhere you look, and a cramped viewing room painted tomato-soup red floor-to-ceiling. Is that the Vince Vaughn effect? I do like those Western campground paintings he has over the bed, though, and that is a sweet view from the roof top terrace. 

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

A couple weeks ago, we mentioned Primitive’s warehouse sale on our Web site, but I had never actually been to the flagship store in the West Loop store until last week. This place is amazing, with four floors filled with furniture, artifacts, and textiles from around the world, as well as a line of contemporary furnishings by Primitive’s in-house designers. There are many different appealing vignettes throughout the space (including a wonderful library, which several clients have asked to have simulated in their homes), but what blew me away was a Buddha-filled room that feels like a real monastery (not that I’ve ever been to one) with intricate woodwork and murals on the walls. Owner Glen Joffe told me that one evening a woman rushed into Primitive just as he was about to close and breathlessly asked, “Is the Buddha Room still open?” Apparently, she needed to meditate—and did just that. In a store. Commerce has never been quite this spiritual an experience. It’s clear, though, that Joffe puts his own heart and soul into the business.

—Gina Bazer