September 2009

The American Association of Interior Designers (Illinois chapter) and i4Design magazine presented the annual Design Excellence Awards Thursday night. Two of my favorite winners: A sophisticated kitchen by Barbara Ince and Sarah Davis of Susan Fredman Design Group [susanfredman.com] (which won Best of Show) and John Robert Wiltgen’s lovely bathroom, inspired by his clients’ trip to Florence. Frank Ponterio also won awards for his room in the 2009 Lake Forest showhouse—it appears in the September/October issue of Chicago Home + Garden.

—JAN PARR 

Photos: Ince (kitchen):  Novelli Photodesign; Wiltgen (bath): Wolfe Photography

Toms-Price is holding a warehouse sale Saturday and Sunday in Bloomingdale (279 Madsen Dr., 630-924-2070). Find lots of furniture, including truckloads of special upholstery purchases, at 40 to 70 percent off retail.

—JAN PARR

Mary Jeanne Kneen, head of Nymphenburg Store USA and Au Coin Du Feu (a source for antique fireplace surrounds and accessories) has renamed her operation Kneen & Co. and has expanded her offerings. In addition to Nymphenburg and the fireplaces, she’s now carrying Lobmeyr crystal, James Robinson sterling silver, and bespoke and boxed stationery from The Printery. To celebrate her new venture, Kneen is planning events in her River North showroom this fall. The first is a trunk show featuring The Printery stationery and cards on September 30.

—JAN PARR

Photo courtesy Pathway Creative 

The designer Michael Abrams alerted us to a great deal on gorgeous art photography by Chicagoan Stephen Bullock. He’s dissasembling a show in Dallas and would rather ship the work directly to you, kind reader, rather than storing it. All pieces are 40 inches by 40 inches and are going for $1,900 (instead of the typical $3,200).

—JAN PARR