Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

Who says that just because you are an adult means you must have a “Grown Up House”?  I have always loved using bold, bright colors, patterns and textures throughout my projects, bringing a sense of fun and whimsy that is not just limited to children’s quarters.  In the darkest days of the bitter Chicago winter, its always nice to have a warm, cozy place to go home to. When I can take a design risk that evokes a smile- I am there. Add to that a lighting frenzy that allows a mixture of fixtures and moods alongside multi media nationally acclaimed art.  Whoa!

One of my recently completed projects, a modern brownstone in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, incorporates this fun, eclectic mantra in a family home.  Adults and children alike can enjoy the house…after all a house is not a home unless you can have fun in it! The family that inhabits it is amazingly awesome. The perfect client’s…lucky me.

It is a great time to be thankful for the wonderful design that I have been allowed to share this year with my fantastic client’s and my BID team- Paulina, Shannon, Whitney, Amy, Colette, Nancy and Marla. You all rock it.

Happy Holiday’s to all!

{That really tall one? Yes, that’s the Trump.  Expect anything less from Donald?}

How have I not heard about this until today?!  A friend of mine saw a commercial for, get this…an HGTV giveaway of a ONE BEDROOM CONDO IN CHICAGO’S TRUMP TOWER!  I am not kidding…although this does sound too good to be true.

For those of you who aren’t from Chicago or have just never seen the Trump Tower (although it’s pretty hard to miss), the building is truly spectacular.  Part super luxe hotel, part incredibly chic condominiums, the Trump Tower is the place to be.  It has an amazing restaurant (Sixteen) and a spa that is hard to rival.  Who wouldn’t want to live in this paradise in the heart of the Windy City?

{Sixteen}

{Spa at the Trump}

Downside…the giveaway ends in 2 days!!  Sign up fast for your chance to win your new home in Chi Town!

Photos of model condo at the Trump Residences

If I had to sum up my personal aesthetic in one word, it would be modern + antique.  Ok, two words plus a punctuation symbol.  Having been in this industry for many years, living in many homes, and owning/operating several shops and showrooms, I have become accustomed to searching high and low for artifacts- both new and old- to fit a space.  More often than not, such pieces can be very pricey, but I am always on the lookout for things that won’t break the bank.  One of my go to’s for affordable modern is CB2, the fun, funky and well-priced kid sibling of Crate and Barrel.

I was very excited to learn of CB2’s “Unlock Affordable Modern” event taking place in various cities across the country this fall/winter- including Chicago, DC, San Francisco, LA, New York and Atlanta.  The concept behind this initiative is the handiwork of some very creative minds…CB2 representatives will be traveling to the cities listed above (as well as five others) to hand out 95,000 “orange keys”, each with a unique code.  Orange key…you’ve got my attention right there!  These keys can be redeemed at CB2 locations for a chance to win a CB2 card, worth $10 up to $1000!

Over the weekend, the CB2 team dropped off keys for this event at my showroom and we all scrambled over to the store- but no winners yet.  Better chances for the rest of you!

Chicagoans…if  missed the drop off at my showroom and across town this weekend and want a key respond “Attending” to the “Unlock Affordable Modern: Chicago”event and swing by the CB2 store (800 W. North Ave., Chicago) October 8-9 to pick up your key!

If you are unable to get your hands on a physical key or want to learn more, you can receive a “virtual key” via text by visiting the “Unlock Affordable Modern” website.  Oh the joys of modern technology!

And…ONLY for MG reader’s a “secret” phrase mentioned at the Chicago or Washington DC stores for the first 20 reader’s will garner you another key..announce that “Material Girls Love CB2″ and you will grab another chance at winning.

To learn more about the event, what cities the CB2 team will be visiting and where the representatives will be handing out keys visit their website here.

More from CB2….

{Me and designer Jason Wu }

Things have been quite hectic for me lately!  I have been in New York (twice), Boston, Florida and Arizona all within the last month, and I feel like I hardly have had time to  sit down- except while I was in the air.  Can’t complain, though, because all of these trips were extremely worthwhile.  We moved our son Alex into his new apartment at Boston University-a charming vintage home in Brookline- was sprucing up a client’s home in the Sunshine State, visited our youngest daughter during the University of Arizona Parent’s Weekend, attended the 8th annual BoD (Business of Design) Conference and the Blogger 19 Event with Brizo and Jason Wu- both of which were in the Big Apple.

{Enjoying cocktails and conversation with the other amazing bloggers in attendance at the Blogger 19 event hosted by Brizo}

{Hanging out with other inspirational women!}

I blogged about the Brizo/Jason Wu Blogger 19 event beforehand, but I can’t believe how much it surpassed my expectations!  As I’m sure you gathered, there were 19 of us designers/bloggers all together, and as part of the event schedule we were split into five different teams.  Each team was given 3.5 hours and a specified area of Manhattan (my team’s designated area was Midtown), to create a proposed bathroom scheme for Brizo, the luxury bathroom outfitter.  Each team had the chance to create a concept board for the group, all of which was presented in front of the other bloggers as well as members of the Brizo company.  The guest judge was Michelle Adams, editor-in-chief of Lonny Magazine.  Brizo really knows how to throw a fabulous event!

{Our team-Team Solna- inspiration board}

Not only was the challenge amazing, but we had the opportunity of attending designer Jason Wu’s show during NY Fashion Week as well as a special cocktail party with the man of the hour.  Brizo has sponsored Wu for several years, and now he is collaborating with them on a line of faucets.

Although I was well acquainted with Brizo before this event, I learned so much about the company and their wonderful team through this experience.  Brizo has been sponsoring the talented, young Wu since 2006, several years before he was quickly launched into the fashion stratosphere with Michelle Obama’s iconic Inaugural Ball dress.  Remember that dreamy white, one shoulder creation?  That was a Jason Wu design!

Seem like an odd pairing?  Think again.  Both Brizo and Wu are very cutting edge in their respective fields, and fashion and interiors have always had a great deal of creative crossover.  Brizo is known for their whimsical ad campaigns, green initiatives and elegant designs.  Wu’s similar aesthetic of a seamless blend of timeless and classic lends itself well to the Brizo line.

{Wu’s collaboration with Brizo- unveiling this fall}

{At Jason Wu’s fashion show with fellow bloggers}

{Fabulous gowns by Jason Wu…I wish I had an occasion to wear them all!}

It was great to see old friends, make new ones and get to attend one of the most stylish and inspiring events I have had the pleasure of attending!

{Me at the Jason Wu event with fellow blogger, Kerrie Kelly}

{All 19 of us at the Wu after party}

{Amazing Q&A session with the designer himself}

I love blogging for MG so much and it was wonderful to be in the company of those who were equally as passionate about sharing inspiration with their audience.  I will be sure to follow the blogs of my new friends from now on and hope you will do so as well!  Here is where (in cyberspace) you will find them located…Miss you guys!

Chicago Home + Garden is hosting their first ever “Chairs for Charity” event that I as well as 13 other Chicago designers/design teams will be participating in.  The gist of the event is that each design team has refurbished a vintage chair to be auctioned off that night.  I know I’m very excited about it (and gotta say proud of our chair ) The charity event will be taking place on November 3, 6:00-8:00 pm at the Tile Gallery (555 N. Franklin St. Chicago).  Tickets are $32.50, and auction proceeds/portion of the ticket proceeds will be going to Designs for Dignity.  Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails to be served…sounds good to me…a little retail therapy here.  Would love to see some MG out there to check out the Buckingham Interiors + Design chair as well as to support a great cause.  Thank you to Romo for the amazing fabric, Burchell Upholstery for the custom handiwork, Craig’s List for the fab chair- what an amazing previous owner story here- and to Ballard Design for the ultra secret surprise that we are keeping from the paparazzi until the event

{Buckingham ID chair!}

{our chair!!}

{Buckingham I+D dog bed, titled “Forest: Where Your Dog Can Stroll The Forest in Its Dreams}

As a huge dog lover (my Wheaton terriers, Frankie and Jane, really are my fourth and fifth children) I was thrilled when asked to be a part of the PAWS Chicago dog bed competition sponsored by Janus et Cie.  A number of Chicago designers  entered the battle to create custom dog beds- using only Janus et Cie fabrics-  to be auctioned off at the event held at the Merchandise Mart, with all proceeds going to the PAWS shelter.  Luckily, our design was selected from this elite group to be chosen as one of the 15 designs created live by Janus.  Our design was based on their highly touted “Forest” armchair- which I personally covet.

PAWS is  Chicago’s largest no kill animal shelter, so we were more than happy to participate in this worthwhile cause.  We had a lot of fun designing the bed- took us off the track a bit in the office- but all work and no play make for some dull designers!

With so many amazing designs, I couldn’t resist picking one up  for each for my beloved puppies.  I know Frankie and Jane will be very excited to see their new beds, although their favorite spots probably will still be my bed and my living room sofa

Detail of our dog bed

Baxter…the adorable dog our dog bed was benefitting!

Some of the other incredible and innovative dog beds at the event…

I loved this one….had to buy it for my pooches!

Woohoo Eddie!  So proud of our fabulous friend and amazing designer, Eddie Ross, for winning Bloomingdale’s Big Window Challenge.  His week of hard work paid off…he was the fan favorite with 51% of the votes!  Eddie was up against other big wigs, the co-founder of Apartment Therapy Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan and Eileen Joyce from Bloomingdales.  As part of the Elle Decor team, he represented our favorite shelter mag beautifully!  His chic space was created as a room in an apartment for a media mogul and mother of two.  As orange is one of my all time favorite colors, I was immediately attracted to the mod print prominently displayed on the wall.  And how cool is it paired with the muted blue molding?  I wish I could get a better glimpse of that amazing blue glass lamp hiding in the corner!  That gold shade may have to make its way to my house….

Info on this victory courtesy of one of my favorite blogs, Casa Sugar.

I must admit, I am a “Bachelorette” watcher.  Something about seeing grown men weep in front of a multi-million person audience every week really gets me.  Let’s face it, it’s great guilty-pleasure television!  It’s also just fun to see the clothes, the sets, the floral arrangements, the houses…

It wasn’t last week’s teary elimination that captured my attention, it was the incredible ice furniture scene!  Was anyone else as blown away by this as I was!? I mean this took ice sculpture to a whole other level.  I had to do some serious research on the web to dig up some of these fabulous pieces.  My question is… why aren’t more people buzzing about these?! Here is their website http://www.icebulb.com They are fabulous! I am only sorry that I could not find an image of the sculptural beauty of the entire tablescape that was featured on the show.  Guess that I will have to tune in to a rerun or two to keep the memory fresh!

During a mere three days, the Merchandise Mart in Chicago goes from its usual hustle and bustle to a veritable whirlwind of events, speakers and presentations during the Neo Con World’s Trade Fair, the country’s largest conference and exhibition of contract furnishings for the design and management of the build environment.  The over 50,000 visitors can view the latest products, learn about innovative techniques and mingle with designers, artists and architects from around the country.  

Returning for its second year to Neo Con is CANstruction, a charitable event that enlists 20 of Chicago’s best architecture, construction and engineering firms to create innovative structures out of, yes, CANS!  Over 86,000 can were used in last year’s competition to create these phenomenal larger-than-life structures, and this year’s competition is expected to exceed this amount.  The “Build Night”  on June 10 kicks off CANstruction, where build teams have from 6 pm – 6 am to complete their work.  Not only does this event showcase the incredible talent of these firms, but all of the cans used are donated to the Greater Chicago Depository- double whammy!

The event is free to the public June 11-30.  I will definitely make at least one trip to check out these works of art.  Stay tuned for more surely incredible photos to come.  So whether or not you plan to attend this year’s Neo Con, be sure to check out this CAN-tastic and worthwhile event!

I am working on the winner of the March Material Girls Design Challenge as I post.  The winner will get a shelving  ”facelift.”  Bookshelves are not just for books….or are they?  Tune in on Wednesday of this week for more!