Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

{Buckingham Interiors + Design showroom, featured in CS Interiors}

Chicago has always held an important place in the design world, with not only the world renowned Merchandise Mart but also a plethora of international design showrooms within the Mart and around the city.  A new and exciting design trend to come to the Windy City is the combination interior designer showroom + shop.  I myself have decided to embrace this concept, with my newly opened Buckingham ID design space on Grand Avenue in the West Loop area of Chicago.  My plan is to showcase the multitude of talented local artist and artisans as well as those from across the country and globe in my space, changing it up on a regular basis.  And of course, most items are available for purchase. Right now, the space features art by local artist Marilyn Borglum, lighting by LA based Marjorie Skouras and furniture from various artisans at Outdoorz Gallery in Paris.

{feature article in CS Interiors}

My good friends from Scentimental Gardens are now my next door neighbors in this shop/showroom venture!  In fact, we bought the space together and then split it for our respective uses.  The West Loop area is the latest up and coming neighborhood in the city, so I’m excited to be on the cutting edge of this impending design boom!

Other Marjorie Skouras Pieces:

{Chandelier I used in my showroom}

Other Marilyn Borglum Pieces:

More pieces from Outdoorz Gallery:

As mentioned in an earlier post,Pantone has declared turquoise to be the color of 2010.  I am so happy about this as turquoise is a great way to brighten up virtually any room.  Both sharp and soothing at the same time, there are so many options for this wonderful hue…lucite chair? lacquered cabinets? bed frame? You name it, turquoise has got it covered! Designer Ghislaine Vinastook to the streets in search of terrific turquoise finds that make the most of this year’s winning color.  Here are her picks:

{Enamel Ceramic Bishop Stool by India Mahdavi, $2,160, Ralph Pucci}

{Frilly Polycarbonate Chair by Patricia Urquiola, $299, Kartell}

{Happy Cat Beanbag Chair, $199.99, Giggle}

{Crackled Leather Address Book, $29.95, Anthropologie}

{Moriche Island Road (Supersonic) Print by Meredith Allen, $1600, Amy Simon Fine Art}

{Foscarini Le Soleil Pendant Lamp by Vicente Garcia Jimenez, $1,551, YLighting}

{Vintage 1960’s Bisotti Ceramic Head, $1,500, End of History}

{Buckingham ID}

Have you noticed oversized wall decor popping up all over magazines, website, magazines, designer’s projects, the blogsphere…etc?  This trend seems to indicate that larger is better at the moment, or at least the customer/client favors the big and the bold.  From paintings to mirrors to series of framed photographs and unique pieces of wall art, oversized wall decor is very chic without being too trendy.  I think this decor may stick around for a while, and even if you hop on the bandwagon now, it won’t likely be passe by this time next year.  It seems to be especially popular in the dining room.  Is there that one wall adjacent to your table that just doesn’t seem to get it right?  Try out a larger than life piece of decor…it just might be the solution to your wall problem!

{Elle Decor…Ellen Pompeo’s home!}

{CS Interiors}

{Casa Sugar}

{Blu Label Bungalow}

{Katie Did Blog}

{Angelino Interiors}

{House Beautiful}

{Elle Decor}

{Decor Pad}

{Buckingham ID}

{Made By Girl, $25}

There are thousands of ways to say hello in this world, and Casa Sugar is showcasing different works of art that feature just a few.  What a cheery way to greet people upon their arrival into your house or into a room.  I like them all, but I think my favorite is the first (the one above).  A bonus?  They are all very affordable!  Like $50 and under affordable….that’s a bargain I’d like to say hello to.

{William Dohman, $32}

{Julia Pott, $25}

{Paper Squid, $15}

{Hello Poster Show, $12}

{Jason Hill, $20}

{Keep Calm Gallery, $33}

{Huckleberry Bumpkin, $46}

{Persimmon and Pink’s, $13}

{Two String Lane, $16}

{Wrigley Field}

Are any of you familiar with Thrillist?  I recently discovered it, and I am a big fan.  I knew I’d like it when I saw the declaration, stated boldly on their homepage, “stop thumbing through crappy city guides and join Thrillist…the best of what’s new in your city, delivered once daily, always free.”  Sure is true, isn’t it?  There are a ton of mediocre city guides out there, and even the ones that seem credible never seen to actually have what you want.  Thrillist is like a cool word of the day calendar.  Even as a native Chicagoan, there is still so much I have yet to discover about my city, and Thrillist is like my hip, in the know friend who always seems to have some new find.  Thrillist is not exclusively for Chicago.  Three of the other MG cities- Los Angeles, Dallas, and NYC- are also represented!  Plus many more…

I received a Thrillist the other day that featured this Chicago artist, whose name remains anonymous, but who is the creative brains behind Mad Canvases.  The work of MC canvases utilizes photos of Chicago landmarks, and mixes them together in a sort of collage-esque/mash up style that successfully prevents these hallmark images from becoming like hokey, touristy souvenir posters.  And you won’t break the bank picking up a canvas or two!  Each are priced at $40 and can be found at my fave, Etsy.

{Art Institute of Chicago}

{Navy Pier}

{Marshall Fields}

{Giordano’s Pizza}

{Music Box Theater}

{Aragon Ballroom}

{CTA Green Line}

{Chicago Theater}

{Palace Grill Sandwich Shop}

{Coasters…get a taste of them all!}

{via Coco Perez}

I am obsessed with the Vogue documentary “The September Issue.” Anna Wintour is so incredibly fascinating, and don’t even get me started on the clothes.  It is an hour and a half feast for the eyes.  It truly is such a captivating film.

Artist Alex Katz captured the trademark look of Anna Wintour in his signature, poppy style.  As reported on Coco Perez (yes, yes, I am a fan, especially of the fashion offshoot Coco Perez), Katz asked Anna to remove her wardrobe staple- her sunglasses- because he loved her eyes after seeing them in the film.

I think Katz did a remarkable job of capturing the essence of Anna, which if any of you have seen the film, is particuarly rigid and cold.  Always impeccably groomed, not a hair is out of place in Katz’s portrait.  Somehow though, Katz has managed to show glimmers of vulnerability and intimacy in this painting, which makes Anna ever the more intriguing.

With a career spanning over 50 years, Alex Katz has created an endless number of stunning works.  Take a look at some other favorites:

{Blueberry Field, 1968}

{Orange Interior, 1968}

{Poppy, 1968}

{Gray Umbrella, 1979}

{Samantha, 1987}

{Black Shoes, 1988}

{White Hat, 1990}

{Orange Hat, 1990}

{Grey Dress, 1992}

{Marina Del Ray, 1993}

{Margite Smiles, 1994}

{David and Janet, 1995}

{Eleuthera, 1999}

{Unfamiliar Image, 2001}

{Sharon, 2009}

If you think maps are only hung on the wall of your 6th grade geography classroom, think again.  This month’s Elle Decor features a great article about using maps as inexpensive wall art, and I couldn’t agree more.  Hanging a map (or a collection of maps) on a wall or using map wallpaper in virtually any room adds a sense of sophistication and instantly makes the room feel more personal.  I would love to dedicate a wall to vintage maps of all of the various cities I’ve lived, locations of my children’s colleges, and countries of ancestral origin. I have used an historic map of all of Paris as the backdrop of an entire living room wall- and just installed a vintage 1950’s school map of the United States in a young pair of brothers playroom.  Both made a huge impact and sparked a yearning for more information- and travel

There are so many websites devoted to vintage maps as well as reproductions, not to mention the endless selection to be found by simply typing “maps” into the search on eBay.  Check out the gallery of Elle Decor’s map art.

Here are some great resources for map art given in the article:

Ward Maps

Natural Curiosities

Argosy Bookstore

V & J Duncan

Rand McNally

National Geographic

After falling in love with the orange and white mod print (above) in Eddie Ross’s winning room in the Bloomingdale’s Challenge, I decided to do a little investigating.  Turns out, this piece is actually from a website!  That’s right…anyone can buy it at the click of a button! In addition to the piece that Eddie used, this website- Artaissance- has thousands more works to choose from.  Most works come in a variety of sizes and are relatively well priced ($119 and up).  I was pleasantly surprised to find such an interesting inventory.  Check out some other cool finds I stumbled upon from the convenience of my computer…

On one of the last days before my children headed back to school for the Spring Semester- one back to Los Angeles, one back to Boston and one just back to the books at home, we decided to head to the city for a visit to the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago.  As I reported in a post back in September, the Modern Wing is one of my favorite places in the city and is truly as beautiful on a cold winter’s day as is was back in the summer and fall.

Located in the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, the highly anticipated Terzo Piano is a must-stop for lunch and Thursday dinner. It featuresthe signature cuisine of Chef Tony Mantuano, who has been delighting Chicagoans for years at the four-star Italian restaurant, Spiaggia. The food is all fresh, local, organic and sustainably produced. There is even an authentic cava di stagionatura (cheese cave), where some of America’s most interesting artisanal cheeses are kept at ideal temperature and humidity. Outside you can dine al fresco on the covered piazza, while enjoying spectacular views of Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and the Bluhm Family Terrace. Unfortunately, today was not one of those picture perfect piazza kind of days with the temperature hovering at around 28 degrees…..

Here is the beautiful rooftop deck of Terzo Piano- this picture was obviously taken in another season. Only 5 more months until we will feel that kind of sunshine here in Chicago…..

The interior of the restaurant is white, fresh and endearingly modern. Our lunch being over was quite a sad event but now was the time- after browsing countless priceless pieces of art that we came to the part of the museum experience that makes my credit card start to exit my wallet in anticipation: the gift shop.

Museum gift shops have become destinations in themselves.  Filled with unique, tasteful gifts, museum gift shops are the place to go to find a hostess gift, birthday present or even a little something for yourself!  Needless to say…I did not leave empty handed that day

Check out some of the cool finds in the gift shop at the Modern Wing at the Art Institute….

Computation clock…Color and style will work with almost every  decor. Adds a bit of whimsy.

Modern lighting galore…

These vases would be beautiful with a single bright bloom to help us get through these gray days of winter.

Interesting and textural bowl for a dose of color on a tabletop or placed on a shelf for a more rugged perspective.

Lucite candelabra.  Just add candles and you have an amazing centerpiece.  Have placed this on a white Saarinen table.  Looked really nice. Clean and simple.

Check out the online shop here for more amazing finds.  What are some of your favorite museum shops?  And, what did you find?

Have a passion for food, wine and art?  Well then I’ve got the event for you!  One of Chicago’s favorite eateries, Blackbird, is hosting a “Salon Series Dinner” on January 27, where Blackbird’s master chef Michael Sheerin is creating a meal in collaboration with and response to the work of four featured artists.  In addition to being talented artists, all four have at one point worked at Blackbird!

The event includes a 5 course meal, specifically designed to be paired with the showcased artwork.  The evening of divine dining and amazing art costs $115 dollars, and with space limited at this unique event, better call today to make a reservation!