I think I have an addiction. OK, I know I do. I’m BML and I am a monogram-aholic. My new fix is the monogramania that just launched at Jonathan Adler. Leave it to Mr. Tastefully Playful, who in all of his spare time (does he ever sleep?) launched a brand spanking new line of custom textiles. Llama rugs are $25 a square foot in any color combination and a variety of edging selections; wool pillows, $98, any way you like, and even a tote for $125 that you can make your very own. All the wool is hand-dyed and comes in the most delicious colors, creating infinite one-of-a-kind combinations we L-O-V-E. Check out the wall of fame at the Chicago store that we snapped. Orders take 10-12 weeks if you can stand to wait!

–Barri Leiner

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I think I have an addiction. OK, I know I do. I’m BML and I am a monogram-aholic. My new fix is the monogramania that just launched at Jonathan Adler. Leave it to Mr. Tastefully Playful, who in all of his spare time (does he ever sleep?) launched a brand spanking new line of custom textiles. Llama rugs are $25 a square foot in any color combination and a variety of edging selections; wool pillows, $98, any way you like, and even a tote for $125 that you can make your very own. All the wool is hand-dyed and comes in the most delicious colors, creating infinite one-of-a-kind combinations we L-O-V-E. Check out the wall of fame at the Chicago store that we snapped. Orders take 10-12 weeks if you can stand to wait!

–Barri Leiner

" />

I think I have an addiction. OK, I know I do. I’m BML and I am a monogram-aholic. My new fix is the monogramania that just launched at Jonathan Adler. Leave it to Mr. Tastefully Playful, who in all of his spare time (does he ever sleep?) launched a brand spanking new line of custom textiles. Llama rugs are $25 a square foot in any color combination and a variety of edging selections; wool pillows, $98, any way you like, and even a tote for $125 that you can make your very own. All the wool is hand-dyed and comes in the most delicious colors, creating infinite one-of-a-kind combinations we L-O-V-E. Check out the wall of fame at the Chicago store that we snapped. Orders take 10-12 weeks if you can stand to wait!

–Barri Leiner

" />
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Ad Categories: Home and Garden

A is for ADLER

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I think I have an addiction. OK, I know I do. I’m BML and I am a monogram-aholic. My new fix is the monogramania that just launched at Jonathan Adler. Leave it to Mr. Tastefully Playful, who in all of his spare time (does he ever sleep?) launched a brand spanking new line of custom textiles. Llama rugs are $25 a square foot in any color combination and a variety of edging selections; wool pillows, $98, any way you like, and even a tote for $125 that you can make your very own. All the wool is hand-dyed and comes in the most delicious colors, creating infinite one-of-a-kind combinations we L-O-V-E. Check out the wall of fame at the Chicago store that we snapped. Orders take 10-12 weeks if you can stand to wait!

–Barri Leiner

Koons Alert!

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If you were captivated by the Jeff Koons exhibit at the MCA, on view through September 21, and want to own one of his original pieces, the upcoming fine art sale at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is giving you a chance to pick one up. Lot number 49 is a set of three skateboards, painted with monkey faces in acrylics—the same distinctive style he used on these limited-edition beach towels on sale in the MCA giftshop for $60. This untitled, signed piece has an estimate of $3,000 to $4,000, but as Gina discovered in a previous blog adventure, that means bidding can start at $1,500. The auction is Sunday Sept. 7 and Monday Sept. 8; there are loads of terrific paintings and prints among the other 471 lots offered. I love the gutsy bravado of the Chicago imagists and am going to take a shot at some of the Roger Browns, Ed Paschkes, and Karl Wirsums on the block. Wish me luck.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Like a Needle in a…

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Took a lazy walk through Lakeview to get an old find framed at Four Sided and there, standing before me on the way out the door, stood a six-foot lighted marquee screaming my favorite word of all time…VINTAGE. It called me right in off the street to see what was hiding inside. Low and behold, I’d found Haystack Vintage (2934 N. Broadway, 773.549.1225). It is the cleverest of new shops around, boasting everything old (save for a few hip new T-shirts). The shop is tricked out in retro chairs, old books, drinking glasses, and side tables, as well as cool jewelry, clothing, and, when I was there, a banana-seat Schwinn. A gem from Phil Tadros (who owns several coffee shops in town) along with his former employees/investors John Mokate and Erin Liston. Scoop up what you find because the well-priced offerings change weekly.

– Barri Leiner

Sarah Drake Stationery

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Sarah Drake just has it together. The local graphic designer creates beautiful, understated wedding invitations, complete with details like matching envelope liners and custom stamps (love the concept of the custom stamp; wish I was that motivated with my postage). Recently, Drake launched a line of letterpress-printed personalized stationery called Couture Correspondence (shown above). She also has a lovely blog in which she shares her inspirations.

—Gina Bazer

Plant a Tree, Win a Chair

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Sign up for the Roche Bobois eco-newsletter, with green tips and trend reports, and you could win this special version of their swanky Maurizio Manzoni Nuage swivel chair, upholstered in bamboo fabric. RB has partnered with American Forests Global ReLEAF (get it?) Program and promises to plant a tree for every person that registers. Hurry up and click though, the drawing will be held on Friday, August 29.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

Renovating Nightmares

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I’ve been reading an advance copy of Chicago journalist Ed Zotti’s The Barn House: Confessions of an Urban Rehabber, which hits bookstores in September, and I have to say it’s making me feel a lot better about the rehabbing of my own house (his process, complete with not only ugly additions built by previous owners, but burglars, sounds painful). Zotti, who edits the syndicated column “Straight Dope” that appears in the Chicago Reader, chronicles his woes with great humor and detail (sometimes a bit too much detail about things like electrical wiring if you ask me; on the other hand, lots of fun footnotes with tidbits of Chicago history). It’s worth picking up if you want to commiserate and chuckle at Zotti’s dry wit.

—Gina Bazer 

Reincarnation of White

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Walking down Superior Street the other night, I spotted a shapely red fiberglass chair in a window across the street. I crossed Superior to get a better look and saw more colorful fiberglass seating and several other midcentury modern pieces, arrayed amid stacks of rugs. I was intrigued but left hanging: The store was closed, and there was no visible signage. So I walked by again the next day, saw a familiar face inside, and suddenly it all made sense. Juhm, the man with one name behind the recently shuttered White on Kinzie Street, has resurfaced to sell his reproduction classics at Generations Rug Gallery (200 W. Superior St.). He’s scaled back the offerings from his White days but also has some beautiful new pieces in wood—stools in the style of Finn Juhl, an incredible daybed in homage to Hans Wegner, and sleek modern planters. I’ll continue to save my pennies for the real thing, but I’m glad Juhm is back and that instant gratification remains an option. Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 7p.m., or by appointment: 312-222-0922.

—Megan Duffy Rostan