Talk about your makeovers: the hood of this 1965 Chevy pickup became the material for this coffee table on custom steel legs in the hands of Joel Hester. Hester’s table, plus this settee by furniture maker and artist Jesse Hooker (from salvaged antique yellow pine slabs and upholstered with the original back seat and interior from a 1969 Ford Mustang fastback) will be on display at 360seegallery November 6 through December 15. An opening reception, which also features the art of Curtis Frillman, is Nov. 6 from 6–9 p.m.

—JAN PARR

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Talk about your makeovers: the hood of this 1965 Chevy pickup became the material for this coffee table on custom steel legs in the hands of Joel Hester. Hester’s table, plus this settee by furniture maker and artist Jesse Hooker (from salvaged antique yellow pine slabs and upholstered with the original back seat and interior from a 1969 Ford Mustang fastback) will be on display at 360seegallery November 6 through December 15. An opening reception, which also features the art of Curtis Frillman, is Nov. 6 from 6–9 p.m.

—JAN PARR

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Talk about your makeovers: the hood of this 1965 Chevy pickup became the material for this coffee table on custom steel legs in the hands of Joel Hester. Hester’s table, plus this settee by furniture maker and artist Jesse Hooker (from salvaged antique yellow pine slabs and upholstered with the original back seat and interior from a 1969 Ford Mustang fastback) will be on display at 360seegallery November 6 through December 15. An opening reception, which also features the art of Curtis Frillman, is Nov. 6 from 6–9 p.m.

—JAN PARR

" />

Talk about your makeovers: the hood of this 1965 Chevy pickup became the material for this coffee table on custom steel legs in the hands of Joel Hester. Hester’s table, plus this settee by furniture maker and artist Jesse Hooker (from salvaged antique yellow pine slabs and upholstered with the original back seat and interior from a 1969 Ford Mustang fastback) will be on display at 360seegallery November 6 through December 15. An opening reception, which also features the art of Curtis Frillman, is Nov. 6 from 6–9 p.m.

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List Price: $1.499 million
The Property: It’s a view property, but what you see from this two-story townhouse at the base of a River North condo tower isn’t the usual grand sweep of skyline or lake. Instead, you get a human-scale view of a quieter stretch of the Chicago River and tranquil Erie Park, with the handsome old Read more
Gilt by Association
Brendan Sodikoff, who has worked with Alain Ducasse and Thomas Keller—and currently with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises—plans to open a restaurant called Gilt Bar in the old... Read more
During a drizzly Andersonville Arts and Home walk earlier this month, I stopped in to see what was new at Brimfield, Julie Fernstrom’s home store at 5219 North Clark Street. She showed me around the newly opened basement showroom, (which virtually doubles her floor space) jam-packed with more of her comfy country antiques, midcentury furniture... Read more
Don't-miss picks for 10.28.09 through 11.03.09: Druids at CST … Monsters at Auditorium … dinosaurs in Brookfield … ghosts in West Town … and more Read more
   

You can get a butterfly chair for $30 or you can get one for $5,295 (and probably for some other prices in between). This beauty by the Italian leather company Henry Cuir is on display on the first floor at Barneys New York in black woven leather with a gray pillow. Another goodie to file under “cool insect-oriented design”: a collection of striking framed specimens called Pheromones by California-based Christopher Marley; recent arrivals at Barneys.

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Among the many losses resulting from the recent real-estate downturn, John Wasik’s may be unique: he lost the premise of his latest book. Near the tail end of the housing boom, Wasik—a personal finance columnist for Bloomberg News and the author of a dozen books—was working on a book arguing that... Read more

I’m completely coveting this green garage for our home in Oak Park. Coincidentally, the architect is also from Oak Park, and he sent me these photos of his recently completed garage. It’s the first of four prototypes developed by Tom Bassett-Dilley to address the challenge of how to make a meaningful back yard with what little space remains between garage and house. The firm just won a Green Award from the Village of Oak Park for this design.
    What makes it green? A living green roof, sustainably harvested framing lumber, locally fabricated metal composed of recycled content, and paving salvaged from the previous slab. The L-shaped garage keeps a car sheltered, provides a secure storage/work room, and creates a garden space. “Instead of enclosing the zoning-required second parking space, an open, permeable gravel patio accommodates occasional guest parking and allows for a larger garden with greater solar access,” the press release says. “The green roof covers the low-slope portion, and the rain screen cedar siding provides easy attachment for vining and climbing plants.” On top of all of this, it’s modern and great looking from alley and yard. Genius! My Mini Cooper would be so happy here.

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Tween Scene
Previously only available to Chicagoans via catalog and online, PBteen (2111 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-525-8349, pbteen.com), the latest affiliate of Pottery Barn, recently opened a store in Lincoln Park. The new shop, which shares an address with Pottery Barn Kids, is designed specifically for... Read more