Raj-ma Haul
To celebrate 21 years in business, The Golden Triangle is kicking it British Colonial style from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, October 30, with Return to the Raj, a free open house with themed refreshments and costumed actors lolling about the showroom’s newly expanded veranda house (pictured here). Owners Doug Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak will be showing off recent acquisitions of antique and contemporary furniture, ceramics, structural ornamentation, screens, and an array of other Asian home accessories. If you haven’t seen the 23,000-square-foot River North space at 330 N. Clark St., this would be a golden opportunity to experience a special Chicago retailer that has been bringing its A-game for more than two decades.
Sitting Pretty
We’re hoping for standing room only at the first-ever Chairs for Charity event from 6 to 8 p.m. next Wednesday, November 3, at The Tile Gallery, where a generous baker’s dozen of repurposed vintage chairs will be auctioned off to benefit Designs for Dignity. These seats of authority have been created by such Chicago design-drivers as Kara Mann, Jessica Lagrange, Michael Del Piero, Susan Fredman, Larry Vodak, Julia Edelmann, and Angela Finney-Hoffman (that’s her short-dark-and-handsome Oscar chair, pictured here). Bidding starts as low as 50 bucks, snacks from More, Floriole, and Abigail’s will be served, and wallet-loosening cocktails will be flowing. Tickets are a precise $32.50, and must be purchased in advance through the website.
Edifice Complex
When Matt Bauer attended one of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust’s celebrated Wright Plus weekend tours in Oak Park (tickets for the spring 2011 house tour, on sale now, would make a Wright-on gift for that architecture buff on your holiday list), he was inspired by the façades of the Prairie-style homes, and the idea behind Edifice Models was sparked. Bauer and a buddy used to make intricate models of buildings for architects, but when that business took a sharp nosedive along with the rest of the economy, they came up with the idea that there might be a market for souvenir models for the home. “The work of Frank Lloyd Wright was a logical starting point,” says Bauer, “as it looks great in model form and there is a passionate audience for his designs.” Edifice currently offers five Wright tabletop models in cast resin that they are marketing as bookends, including this verisimilar version of the 1908 Unity Temple. It’s 3.5 pounds, seven inches tall, and sells for $75 (with free shipping) from the Southern California–based company. If things go well, the gents plan to branch out to the structures of other 20th-century architects.
In the Loop
You have until 8 p.m tonight to make one of the ten finalists in the Art Loop Open a very, very happy camper by voting for your favorite painting/sculpture among the ones on temporary display in different downtown locales, helping the artist win a purse of $25,000 (second and thirds of 15K and 10K aren’t too shabby either). Since October 15, 191 works have been gracing the lobbies of the Palmer House, the Burnham, the Hard Rock, the W, and other hotels, as well as Block 37, the Merchandise Mart, and the French Market. It’s cool to see fine art in unexpected places (we did a little piece on that last year, remember?). I happened upon Jennifer Hanson’s 20 oz Biomorphic Mass while having drinks at the Wit before a concert, and thought it was a pretty great looking chandelier before I even realized it was part of the competition. It’s made of 1,050 salvaged plastic water bottles, and would be right at home on the floor at Lightology. Hanson’s not a finalist, but she could still be up for one of the additional awards to be announced tomorrow. All pieces will remain on view until November 12, and will be for sale starting this Saturday.
Pagoda Ready for Its Close-Up
Hutton Wilkinson is a successful California designer who worked with old-school-Hollywood iconic showman Tony Duquette from the age of 18 until Duquette’s death in 1999. Together these two collaborated on residences for Doris Duke, Herb Alpert, the Norton Simons, and other such muckety-mucks, and launched a jewelry line that has been appreciated by Tom Ford, Raquel Welch, Andre Leon Talley, Faye Dunaway, and Liza Minnelli (natch). Ah, glamooor, glamooor! After the passing of Mr. Duquette, Wilkinson has continued the legacy of luxe by collaborating on furniture with Baker and lighting with Remains, and on Saturday, November 6, the Bucktown location of Pagoda Red is putting on the ritz by hosting Hutty at a reception from 5 to 8 p.m., where he’ll be signing some of his design books, displaying some of the Tony Duquette furniture and lighting lines, and undoubtedly doing a great deal of air-kissing. Reserve your spot at info@pagodared.com by November 1.