Ad Categories: Home and Garden

Vintage wallpaper rollers become candle holders. Chicken coops become light fixtures. A vintage sieve becomes a mirror. Found objects find a new home as furniture and accessories in the hands of Philip Sassano and his crew at Refined Rustic Studio & Gallery. Last week Sassano threw a party for the opening of his new showroom at 3924 N. Milwaukee Ave. (he has a studio in Harvard, too). He also does design consultations and is the exclusive area retailer for Romo, a fabric and wallcoverings company out of England with fantastic designs that would work equally well in modern or more traditional interiors.

—JAN PARR

I went down to Grant Park to cheer on a friend who ran the Chicago Marathon last month (way to go, Franklin!), and stopped by the last day of the Wired NextFest since it was right there, in a big ol’ tent. Maybe because the show was in its waning hours, nothing seemed to be working. I busted out my best Marcel Marceau–moves in front of a robot that was supposed to mimic human gestures, but all I got was public humiliation. Plus it was hella hot up in there…color me nonplussed. Then I came across an elegant display of futuristic sculptures, which turned out to be custom serving pieces designed for Grant Achatz’s Alinea restaurant. Did a little research, and discovered they are made by Crucial Detail, a Chicago design studio headed up by Martin Kastner. Kastner’s a Czech who trained as a blacksmith, and he offers these “delivery systems” for sale on his Web site. I’ve never been to Alinea, but I’m guessing that most of its foodie fans are usually celebrating a birthday, popping a big question, or toasting a momentous life event—at any rate, it’s not the sort of resto you’d go to when feeling vaguely peckish. A gift of some of these contraptions would make a great remembrance of the occasion, maybe even paired with the luscious Alinea cookbook that just came out. Shown above (counterclockwise) are: the Antiplate (put a spoon in the middle of it with an amuse bouche, $15), Squid (balance food in the middle of the wires, $35), Bow (hang food off of it, $35), and Sectional (a little pedestal for a bite, $10). After all, if you’re going to the trouble of hollowing out a grape, stuffing it with truffle foam, and balancing it on a frozen bubble of unicorn tears, you don’t want to plop it on Chinet, now do you?

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Photos from Crucial Detail

Need some ideas on how to go green in the kitchen? DDK Kitchen Design Group in Glenview has installed an ecofriendly kitchen in the ABT Electronics showroom. The kitchen features solid bamboo cabinetry, stools of renewable monkey pod wood, Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops, Paperstone tabletops, recycled leather wall tiles, low-VOC paint, and LED undercabinet lighting, which uses virtually no energy. DDK’s president, Dan Thompson, says the kitchen meets and exceeds the LEED program’s standards for green kitchens. He believes it could be the greenest display anywhere.

—JAN PARR

We just got word that Antiquaire, a fantastic high-end European antiques shop in Highland Park, is getting two new containers from Europe (the first on November 10, followed by another December 1). “There will be several gorgeous French walnut dining tables ready for Thanksgiving delivery,” reports owner Melissa Edelman. As for the turkey, you’re on your own.

-Gina Bazer

Grasshopper 510 just got some cozy—and green—throws from Yumi & Laurie. Made of organic cotton and bamboo, they are just right for fall and winter. After all, this unseasonably beautiful weather won’t last forever.

—Gina Bazer

I just checked out Bucktown’s Mongo Home (1753 N. Damen Ave., 773-486-6200), a joint venture between the owners of Architectural Artifacts and Urban Remains, both of which are very cool but pretty messy and unedited salvage shops. This more-polished destination is amazing! It has unique pieces galore, from a working vintage foosball table ($2,400) to a great little pair of knee-high nude iron statues ($4,800 for both) that would be great in a foyer. There is a lot of furniture, too. I just about flipped when I saw the low, wide vintage vaulting bench from the Czech Republic shown above (and not because I was channeling my gymnastics days—I cannot even do a cartwheel!). I’ve been on a hunt for an unusual (and unusually large coffee table) for months now and this one was perfect for my needs, though at $4,800 a little out of my price range. Still, there was plenty there that was affordable, including a whole pile of charcoal sketches on charmingly yellowing old paper for $55 a drawing. Mongo Home also offers free consultations by on-site interior decorator Kara O’Connor, who will come to your home and help you figure out if the piece you are considering will work for your space.

—Gina Bazer