Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

Amazon from the Elements collection

 

I am constantly on the hunt for the new, the different, the bold and the often times daring to bring into my projects to give them depth and enduring interest.  I was in the Artistic Tile showroom at the Chicago Merchandise Mart when I spotted the incredible work of artist Ellen Blakely.  I was familiar with Blakely before, but had never really gotten a chance to take a close look at her work.  Blakely began her career as a ceramist, however she was inspired by shattered glass from a bus shelter to create innovative mosaics defined by clear glass that reveals treasures below its surface.  Literally anything can be used in these amazing mosaics, from family photos to leaves to scraps of newspaper.  You name it, Blakely can do it!  Her work comes in tile form, but can also be molded into sink basins, sculpture or used for tabletops.  If you can dream it, Blakely can do it!  I hope to be using Blakely’s work in projects in the near future.  Nothing says personal and unique like crafting a table or a counter from your treasured photos and memorabilia!

 

Moss from Elements collection

 

Fall Leaf from the Spotlight collection

 

 

Spring Leaf from the Spotlight collection

Black Lace from Core collection

Blossom from Core collection

New Yorker from  Core collection

Degas Dress

 

Degas Dress detail

 

 

Degas Dress detail

 

“My Girls” mosaic

“Heartwood” sculpture

“Meredith” sculpture

“You Are Here” sphere

Blue Bowl

“Dot Calm” gold sink

Sink, Wild Mango

Things have been very busy around BID headquarters!  We have several fab additions to our team, Jessica-previous assistant to the hugely talented artist Francine Turk, Brenna-mostly recently from the Bradley Hughes Showroom (one of my favorite resources) at the Mart, and Caroline-newly handling the BID Showroom and our 1stdibs foray. We also have our hands full with a variety of amazing new projects both here and around the country. I am secretly loving the travel until tonight-as am stranded at the New Orleans Airport indefinitely. The upside is that I scored some one of a kind treasures from this town of special haunts and secret antique venues.

 One of my most recently completed projects is a North Shore home for a family transplanted to Chicago from Michigan-outside of Detroit.  This lovely family of 6 wanted to completely change the look and feel of this old home to reflect their sophisticated, chic- yet comfortable and family friendly aesthetic.  We did a complete overhaul throughout the entire house, including new paint colors both inside and outside, all new light fixtures, modifying the kitchen finishes and providing furnishings throughout the whole house with custom pieces and spectacular fabrics and materials-for both furniture, wall coverings and window treatments. Special art for each room, accessories,rugs and spectacular artifacts add  to the finishing touches.

We are in the process of finishing up and photographing many more projects, so stay tuned for upcoming info and photos from all things B I+D! There is nothing like the feeling of sharing a new project…..Thanks go out all the way around for those people who have helped me create some design magic.

All photography courtesy of Buckingham Interiors + Design and shot by Eric Hausman.  All floral design by Julia Buckingham Edelmann.

 

Leaping, Ocean, 1994
Todd Burris
1994

I have always loved 1stDibs, but since recently opening my own shop (check it out here!) on the site, I have been all the more intrigued by their incredibly amazing selection of all things beautiful.  Their tag line is after all “The Most Beautiful Things on Earth.”

One of my favorite parts of decorating is adding art to the space, and 1stDibs is one of my favorite places to go for inspiration/purchases.  It is like having the most fabulous gallery right at your fingertips!  Take a look at some of my picks from the 1stDibs fine arts collection.  Stay tuned…you might see some of these popping up in upcoming BID projects soon!

By the way, can you tell I have a thing for abstract?

 

La Femme aux Bijoux (The Bejeweled Woman)
Joan Miro
1968

The Princess Mnemosyme
Max Gimblett
2011

Untitled (Blue Tank Top) LM c17
Laura Craig McNellis
2010-11

Studio
John Baldessari
1988

DUST STORM, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, 1983
Steve McCurry

Convergence II
Sheila Hicks
2001

One World
Ayad Alkadhi
2011-2012

COURTYARD OF THE ZAYOUIYA, FEZ, MOROCCO, 1993
Bruno Barbey

VENICE BEACH ROCK FESTIVAL, CALIFORNIA, USA, 1968
Dennis Stock

Untitled #5
Thomas Nozkowski
2012

31-1/4
Frank Bowling
2011

FS3187CT12
Cecil Touchon
2012

PDP542CT12
Cecil Touchon
2012

Sleeper
Dan Christensen
1998

Atlantic Explosion (Diptych)
Conor Mccreedy
2011

It is always an incredible honor to have your work featured in print, and I was especially surprised and excited about the feature of my own home in the recent book “Chicago Space: Inspiring Interiors” by Jan Parr and the editors of Chicago Home + Garden magazine. The foreword is by Nate Berkus, a hometown guy.  Jan is a longtime friend and colleague of mine, so the inclusion of my North Shore home was all the more special. It makes me proud to see the stunning works within that were all designed by a very talented group of Chicago based designers. We can rock design here in the Windy City!

Take a look at the piece on my own home (love their title “Electric Eclectic”!)  and definitely grab the book (available on Amazon).  ”Chicago Inspiring Spaces” is at the top of my list- my favorite subject-well crafted interiors- and my favorite city-my hometown of  Chicago. I have purchased for clients and love seeing it placed on their coffee tables.

See more photos of my home and other projects on the Buckingham Interiors + Design website.

I had such a blast shooting a segment for Chicago Home + Garden’s “Bring It Home” series that was featured on WGN!  The host Rochelle Vayo Adkinson was such a doll-along with her assistant, Maddie Yastrow.  And, y’all know how much I love all my peeps over at CH+G Magazine.  The segment was all about how to create a functional and beautiful breakfast nook, and we featured a space in one of my North Shore projects in Evanston as inspiration.  This fun and active family has three young children, so the area had to be bright, cheery and kid friendly.  My “Modern-ique” mantra was a driving force here, as I brought in quite the mix of old + new pieces to create a feeling of layering and depth without overcrowding or cluttering the area.  Click here to watch the segment online and learn the tips and tricks to making a great breakfast nook in your home. And, not to miss the indulgence of a couple of Krispy Kremes for both of our teams. #loveagooddoughnut.

To see more photos from this particular project on the Buckingham ID website, click here!

Breakfast nook, pre curtains

Having fun at the shoot!

As the story often goes, what hits the runways is often hitting the shelter mags and blogosphere as well.  I am loving this spring’s trends, especially the bold hue color blocking and of course, orange!  Orange has long been my signature color, so I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves  These trends are accompanied by many other exciting ones as well, such as futuristic prints and pastels.  I love that there is great variety this season, proving there really is something for everyone to wear.  Oh, and to put into their home too!

Take a look at how runway translates to home!  Fashion photos courtesy of Glamour.

Sig Bergamin’s Sao Paolo home in Architectural Digest

Super Bold Prints

Houzz

Orange and Tangerine

Trendir.com

Pink Shorts Suits

…for the sake of this blog, let’s just abbreviate this trend to “Pink”

Schuyler Samperton

Futuristic Prints

Kelly Wearstler

Pastels

Pinterest

Metallic Basics

Aerin Lauder’s Dressing Room, Habitually Chic

Cubist Woman
Judith Deim

I love sharing my modern + antique finds with my clients, MG followers and shelter mag readers.  Now, I am so thrilled to say that I will be sharing my favorite pieces from Buckingham Interiors + Design with 1stdibs members too!  I loved being a part of the One Kings Lane Design Blogger Tastemaker Tag sale, and now I have been asked to be a dealer on one of my other favorite sites.  I will have my collection up and ready for viewing tomorrow at 12pm CST!

I have long been virtually obsessed with 1stdibs, aka “The Most Beautiful Things on Earth” (love their tag line).  As a site dedicated to the highest quality of all things furniture, fashion, art…you name it, I feel strongly that 1stdibs has maintained the integrity of high end products while still making it all accessible to an internet audience.

Here are some of my current favorites on 1stdibs now-  from the only place where one can view “Storefronts” of 1200 of the most respected antiques dealers in the world!

Lip Streaks (Donna Mitchell), New York, 1967
Melvin Sokolsky
1967

Pair Of Hans Wegner ‘Halyard’ Chairs , Denmark 1957

 Silas Seandel Free Form Coffee Tables

One of my favorite parts of any project is bringing in lighting, particularly overhead lighting.  Lighting can really set the tone of the room, and the right lighting can truly bring the space to life.  I loved this feature on chandeliers (of all sorts!) in Elle Decor, and it inspired me to feature some of my favorite ceiling lighting from some of my own design projects.  I have modern designer favorites as well as more transitional to traditional connections and always love using the Merchandise Mart as a much valued resource. It gives me great pleasure to seek out one-of-a-kind pieces that literally “light up” a home as each space and client calls for just the right piece of highlighted lighting.  Regardless of its vintage, the perfect piece of lighting adds character, style and personality to the home.

Happy Monday!

Take a look at some of my favorites from the Elle Decor lighting feature…

And here are some of my faves from my own Buckingham Interiors + Design projects…

Living room in a North Shore client home, lighting by Bradley Hughes.

Dining Room lighting custom designed by BID alongside Marjorie Skouras. I represent her entire line of lighting and furnishings in the Midwest and have some amazing examples in my showroom to see live!

Office in my Grand Ave. showroom (3 lights ago as they have all sold. It seems to be a hot spot!), is a fixture repurposed and found as an industrial object compilation.

Dining Room in my  North Shore home, lighting is an antique french crystal chandelier which I found during a visit to New Orleans.  I had to add over 4 feet of chain to suit my tall ceilings.  This was originally a flush ceiling mounted piece.

Dining Room in a project on Michigan Avenue, lighting found at Lightology.

Dining Room in one of my Nantucket project’s, lighting from Currey & Company.

Dining Room in a Wicker Park project, lighting from Furniture File in the UK.

Dining Room in one of my Lincoln Park project’s, vintage fixture from a demolished St. Louis hotel which I found while antiques hunting.

Foyer in a city project, lighting by Graypants.

Office in a North Shore home, vintage lighting by Sciolari.

Parlor in a North Shore home, chandelier from Randolph Street Antique Market and the hook is a found object from my collections. What fun I had pairing the two!

Study in a Gold Coast project, lighting by Cleveland Art.

Dining Room in a Gold Coast Oak Street residence, lighting by Formations found at Holly Hunt.

Guest bedroom in a Nantucket project, lighting by Oly Studio.

Office in one of my North Shore project’s, fixture made from a variety of vintage recycled industrial parts and pieces.

Dining room in another North Shore project, lighting by Niermann Weeks.

I fell in love with the style of cosmetic heiress Aerin Lauder when I featured the Lauder family estate in Palm Beach last year.  I was very excited to come across her Hamptons home in Wainscott, New York in Vogue.  With the same traditional elegance infused with modern comforts as her family’s home in Florida, Lauder’s country home is lovely and elegant, yet oh so comfortable.  Don’t you just want to dive into that cheetah sofa?  I love the personal touches throughout the home…signed photograph from Grace Kelly to her grandmother, Estee (your home has one of those too, right?), knick knacks from her young sons strewn throughout the kitchen (if you have young children, you know sports equipment and homework assignments become decorator accessories), and a framed letter from her grandmother next to her bed.  The home, like Lauder herself, is effortlessly stunning.

Wicker Park project that will be featured in tomorrow on LXTV Open House

I had such a blast when I hosted an LXTV tour of my own home on Chicago’s North Shore, and was so excited when I was invited back as a guest designer to give a tour of one of my projects in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

This project was several years in the making, and I must say that it is one of my proudest achievements.  The home is loved and cherished by a lovely family and I was so lucky that they were willing to embark on this journey with me in pushing the design envelope a bit in a surprising fashion.  This house is an amazing 19th century Italianate manse that the family-along with the renowned Chicago architectural firm of Vinci Hamp and famed Chicago Landscape Design firm, Hoerr Schaudt and myself- completely gutted and restored from top to bottom.  No detail was overlooked in this massive undertaking.  It was definitely worth the years of waiting for the big reveal. The house is beyond amazing, especially since it sits on a rare 5 city lots in the heart of one of Chicago’s chicest and most historic neighborhoods.  It is like a suburban paradise in the middle of its urban surroundings!

Join me on the tour tomorrow (Sunday, March 4th) during LXTV Open House on NBC Channel 5 at 10:30 AM CST.  I would love to have my MGs tune in

Here’s a sneak peek of what you will be seeing tomorrow…

Photos all from Buckingham Interiors + Design website and photographed by Eric Hausman.