A Hedge House chair, at Apartment 528

Street Presence

Two online design stores recently went brick-and-mortar. Maya Mueble (3754 N. Ashland Ave., mayamueble.com) was launched online in 2011 by sister and brother Emily and Brian Prendergast to sell artisan-made El Salvadoran and Guatemalan textiles and furniture. Now they have a Lake View store to display their colorful rugs, sculptural chairs, occasional tables, and more. Apartment 528 (2620 W. North Ave., apt528.com) was started by India Shannon in 2007 to chronicle the decoration of her first apartment, and, later, to sell her vintage furniture. Today, Shannon runs a Logan Square shop filled with unusual new accessories (dinosaur-shaped wine bottle holders, funky fondue forks); new furniture by Indiana-based Hedge House, and, of course, her vintage finds.

Baby’s Breath air purifier, at The Evolutionary Home

Green Front

Green building has proven to be more than just a passing fad. But it’s still a challenge for most consumers to access eco-friendly materials all in one place. Enter The Evolutionary Home, a new retail store in Geneva opened by Evolutionary Home Builders (200 S. Third St., Geneva, evolutionaryhomebuilders.com), a green design-build studio led by Brandon Weiss, a leader in the passive-house movement. The showroom carries high-performance European windows, sustainable flooring, tile, organic furniture and bedding, and more. Two other Chicago-area one-stop sources for green building supplies: Green Home Chicago; (213 N. Morgan St., ghcdesigncenter.com) and Green Home Experts (811 South Blvd., Oak Park, ghexperts.com).

Lighting by Miles & May

Exhibit A

Described by its owners as “a curated apartment,” Wilmette’s newest home shop, Exhibit, is divided into a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bedroom—all appointed with a mix of new and vintage furniture. 1148 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, shopexhibit.com

The new annex at Maze

More is More

It’s expansion season. Winnetka’s upscale luxury home accessories and gift shop Maze (735 Elm St., Winnetka, mazehome.com) has opened an annex focused on French and English antiques, vintage furniture, art, and rugs. In Ukrainian Village, Circa Modern (1114 N. Ashland Ave., circamodern.com) has expanded into the space next door, doubling its pedigreed mid-century modern inventory. While there, consider strolling next door to Art Shop (1112 N. Ashland Ave., laynejackson.com), where artist Layne Jackson is painting family portraits with a modern twist.