Ad Categories: Home and Garden

There’s a terrifically clever furniture and design show going on right now at the Cultural Center that’s going to put a smile on your face, I guarantee it. Deceptive Design was organized by a collaboration between the Chicago Chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America and the Chicago Furniture Designers Association, and consists of 18 objects that play with our conceptions of furniture. The trompe l’oeil living room includes a chair (“Caveat Sittor”) with what appears to be a thumbtack sticking up out of the seat, a dresser with drawers that only open from the back, and “Wolf in Sheep’s Lighting”—a sweet little sheep lamp that casts a menacing shadow when it’s turned on. I really liked this adaptable shelving unit by Mark Kinsley that forms art when you fold it flat against the wall, Andrew Peerless’s  “Herd” Table, and Craighton Berman’s “Coil Lamp,” made from an industrial extension cord. The show is up until Jan. 4.. Don’t miss it.

"Herd Table", above left. "Riveli Shelves", above right, "Coil Lamp", right.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Crimson Lounge was packed for the final event in the Basil Hayden Tastemakers competition, where Nate Berkus presented an oversized $10,000 check at the end of the evening to crowd favorite Rion Stassi for his chandelier, and gave a heartfelt speech about the effect such an award can have on the trajectory of a young designer’s career. I was impressed by the quality of the prototypes that he, Sarah Tranum, and Bryan Lump crafted—each semi-finalist got $2,500 to bring their Berkus-selected designs to life—and they’re all winners in my book! 

BRADLEY LINCOLN

PHOTO: Frank Failin

The Ambiente Collection, the River North shop that specializes in contemporary European (mostly German and Swiss) furniture is clearing its merchandise and shuttering in January. The manager informed me that he just sold a couch for $900 that would normally go for about $3,800. As sorry as we are to hear of this news, more good buys are waiting. 

-Gina Bazer

Botanica, a newish home accessories shop in Oak Park, last week held a reception featuring the charming ex-owner of Le Magasin (now closed), Didier Milleriot (shown here with me). Milleriot is consulting and advising Botanica’s owner, Danah Kozma, on many of the glassware, linen, and candle lines La Magasin carried. Wine and cheese from Marion Street Cheese Market made the night extra fun. Milleriot, who now lives in Paris, says he misses Chicago. “Now that I am back in Paris I see all these things that drive me crazy about Parisians!” he says.

-Jan Parr

Despite all my best intentions, I haven’t had the chance to pick up any of decoupage artist/designer John Derian’s wares at Target (have any of you?). I think the melamine vases, trays, and picture frames might still be there for a couple weeks longer if they didn’t all fly of the shelves immediately last month when they landed (his Web site said they were to be there for six weeks). Oh well, on to the next Derian thing… we just heard that his new furniture line will be available at the end of the month exclusively at Jayson Home & Garden in Chicago. The historically-inspired five-piece collection-two sofas, one loveseat, a chair, and a long tufted bench -is tres chic, though sadly I don’t think it will be as easy to just add them to the cart after grabbing a few items in the toiletries aisle. 

-Gina Bazer

Cambium has introduced the Cambium Condo line of sofas, geared toward first-time furniture buyers but made to be better quality than starter furniture. A three-seat sofa runs $1,988 to $3,238. The company says the sofas are made “with the same high-quality care and bench-made approach that all of our sofas are given.” Have your couch upholstered in one of more than 40 new fabrics the company is carrying.

-JAN PARR

 Gregg Fishman of Fishman Fabrics just informed us that he purchased about 1,000 pounds of upholstery leather from an “ultra high-end furniture manufacturer.” The leather was originally sold at Mart showrooms at $12 to $20 per square foot, he says. Fishman is selling it for $3 per foot or less. Yikes!

—Gina Bazer 

Want to get Nate Berkus in your bedroom? This week, he launched his partnership with the Home Shopping Network and will be peddling his pillows, sheets, furniture, and accessories on a five-week series of live, hourly interactive home design-driven shows presented by Elle Décor. Other participants include the MoMA Store, John Robshaw, and Colin Cowie. If there’s no time for telly, you can view and buy the collection online here.

-BRADLEY LINCOLN

Tree table and bedding set photos from HSN.com

Jill Weinberg of Refind Interiors recently hosted a panel discussion on home remodeling at Pauline Grace’s showroom. Local experts in lighting, kitchen and baths, tile and stone, and home furnishings gave tips on how to successfully tackle a renovation project. Here are some tips I picked up from the panel:

Jill Weinberg’s pre-construction tips:
-Before you even start, flip through magazines and keep a file of looks you like.
-Determine how you want to use the space you’re renovating
-Prioritize and set budget.
-Build in a 15 to 20 percent cushion for those inevitable unforeseen costs.

Kate Solovio of Materials Marketing on trends in stone and tile:
-Natural stone tiles cut in an elongated plank size to mimic wood floors are the new hot thing (see photo).
-Also look for beveled and stainless steel tiles.
-Add interest to your room with bamboo and wood mosaics.

Community Home Supply’s Julie Bower on kitchens and baths:
-Go green!
-By January 1, 2010, high efficiency toilets, or toilets that hold 1.28 gallons of water per flush, will be required. Consider installing these and low-flow faucets.

Jeff Wonsetler from Lightology:
-Today’s standard lightbulb is being phased out for more energy-efficient version.
-Screw-in, dimmable LED fixtures are the future.
-Compact fluorescent bulbs are will soon be required, so don’t buy fixtures that won’t accommodate them.

Pauline Grace’s Megan Hinchsliff on design trends:
-There’s a lot of chocolate brown out there, and a bright, chrome yellow seems to be accent color of the moment.
-Vinyl is a popular right now—it wears like leather but is less expensive, and it’s easily cleanable.

—JESSICA LINN