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Staff Décor, Martha, Design Parties, and More
By Bradley Lincoln
Joanne Trestrail, one of Chicago Home + Garden’s senior editors, wears a lot of hats. In addition to being a fellow copy-cat, she runs all over town as a food critic for Chicago magazine, has taught photography at Jane Addams Hull House, and is an accomplished artist. Read more
Johnson’s Stacks
By Dennis Rodkin
Over the past few months, as the new 47-story condo tower at Van Buren and Franklin Streets has taken shape, it’s become clear that the city has another Ralph Johnson dazzler on its hands. Known as 235 Van Buren, the building impresses from all viewpoints, be it the seemingly crazy pattern of box balconies projecting off the south side; the ribbon of concrete running... Read more
Who Shot J.R.?

 

Wait a minute… that’s not the question. The question is, who decorated the Green Room for the Daytime Emmys? Of course you know from reading this blog that Chicagoans Christopher Michiels and Sheri Zeman did! They just sent this snap of Sheri (left) in the room with Bobby Ewing and an associate. They’re standing in front of Sheri’s textural art panels. Toto, we’re not in Southfork anymore!

—JAN PARR

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Urban Wowboy
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $1.899 million
The Property: Among the sharpest buildings from the city’s recent years of condo buildup is the five-year-old Contemporaine, a modern 15-story concrete and glass design by the estimable Ralph Johnson. Read more
Pagoda Red Happening, Fun in Buchanan
By Bradley Lincoln
Hobnob with the ninth Earl of Spencer (that would be Charles, brother of the late, lovely Diana, Princess of Wales) at Barrington’s Honquest Furniture for Living, this coming Tuesday, September 8 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Charlie is in town to meet and greet fans... Read more
Turret Syndrome
By Dennis Rodkin
Christopher Kowalski’s home may not be his castle, but his guesthouse sure is. A three-bedroom castle complete with turrets, gargoyles, and rooftop battlements, the guesthouse stands about 50 yards away from the four-bedroom Tudor home where Kowalski and his wife, Grace, have lived since 1990... Read more
Who’s Happy?
By Dennis Rodkin
Three dispatches about happiness:
According to a new homeowner confidence survey from Zillow.com, homeowners in the Midwest are more glum about the near-term future of the value of their homes than their counterparts in the rest of the country. The survey, released Tuesday, comes on the heels of... Read more
Bathroom Break
 

I had dinner recently at Nightwood, a wonderful place from the Lula Café people (see our story about the fantastic artwork at Lula here that was designed by Kevin Heisner (Empire Liquors, Bar DeVille, Angels & Kings). While going to the bathroom was not the highlight of the evening, I was impressed by howstylin’ it was for a loo (don’t laugh—we take bathroom design seriously around here!). It felt like it belonged in a vintage apartment more than arestaurant, actually. Heisner and his team did all the moldings and painted them in Benjamin Moore’s Honey Oak to match the handmade Moroccan cement tiles on the floor (from the online dealer Mosaic House. I love the black sink, too, though it could use some nicer pipes sticking out underneath. If you want a vintage look that feels fresh, try this for inspiration.

—GINA BAZER

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Stylin’ Phones, Summer Sales, Flower Arranging 101
By Bradley Lincoln
It’s almost August yet it feels like summer just started, with all that less-than-beachy weather and whatnot. Oh well, if life gives you lemons, you can still make a vodka lemonade, and there’s plenty of time to legally still wear your white skinnies... Read more