Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

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….

Tokyo at night.

A whole lot of action here.

Last nights dining experience. The New York Grill.

The 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel.  Remember the movie “Lost in Translation?”

Greetings from Tokyo!  My husband John and I just arrived via Hawaii to Japan to see our son, Alex, play with the Pacific Music Festival in Osaka and Tokyo…this is a HUGE dream come true for him and we could not be any more proud.  Add to that our 25th Wedding Anniversary and this is quite an amazing and wonderful holiday.

I have sometimes ventured into Asian influence in my design, but this trip is proving ever-more inspirational for me.  Can’t wait to bring back some great innovation and ideas.  Oh…the fashion…oh the eating….oh the shopping.

I am working on the transport of all the amazing pieces that I am finding here back to the Windy City.  Todays venture into the Tokyo Post Office was fun and fascination

I have always been able to get my fix for all things Asian-with an emphasis on Chinese treasures-  at Pagoda Red, one of my favorite shops in Chicago. Here are a sample of some of things that have caught my eye while sourcing for clients recently at home…

This first image is from a recent Pagoda Red exhibit featuring one of my favorite local photographers, Doug Fogelson. His works here are of Japan’s annual blooming of cherry blossoms. Doug has a way of allowing us to see each of his works as three dimensional and moving along with the eye.  Exquisite. I always feel lucky when I have the opportunity to install one of his pieces in a clients home.

{Dabney Lee Personalized Large Lucite Tray, $130}

Type of tray I am getting for my friend…hope this doesn’t ruin the surprise!

A friend of mine’s birthday is coming up, and I knew exactly what to get her.  She is all about lucite, and I knew that a personalized lucite tray would make the perfect gift, especially since she just moved into a new home.  Little did I know, however, that finding a gift for my friend consequently meant that I might be finding something for me as well!  (Ok, ok, shopping for someone else has resulted on more than one occasion shopping for myself too). Has this ever happened to you????

I found the perfect tray on Layla Grace, a Pasadena based company that has literally EVERYTHING.  While I’m not super into the whole monogram thing, lots of their furniture and other accessories really struck my fancy.  Check out some of my picks that might be making their way into my clients’ homes very soon! Or…maybe mine

These two items really hit the spot with my obsession with crowns!

{Tara Shaw Maison Italian Gilded Wooden Crown, $955}

{Regina Andrew Lighting Royal Crown Table Lamp, $298}

…and my love for all things orange!

{Oly Studio Abe Lounge Chair, Call to order}

{Regina Andrew Lighting Encore Gold Pendant, $473}

{Aiden Gray Furniture Side Table Galvanized, $225}

{Wangright Orange Lacquer Cocktail Table, $548}

{Greek Key Silver Leafed Pendant, $658}

{Regina Andrew Lighting Seeded Oval Glass Lamp with Rattan Shade, $173}

{Regina Andrew Lighting Artifact Wall Sconce, $223}

{Notreddame Sofa Black, $2,376}

{Prince Chair White Oak, $462}

{Carved Chair Antique Black, $495}

{Aurelia Bed Mahogany, $2,310}

{Layla Grace Walnut Leather Chair, $1,934}

{Tara Shaw Maison Wooden Plaque Fragment, $1,298}

{Tara Shaw Maison Gilded Coffee Table Chest, $1,338}

{Tara Shaw Maison Swedish Corner Cabinet, $5,743}

{Ditte Sofa, Fred Shand Pink, $3998}

I know I have posted about Anthropologie’s home decor before, but I just can’t help myself because there are always so many fantastic pieces!  I am inspired literally every time I go into the store or browse the website, and today was no exception…

These are my latest obsessions, expect more to come!

{Mosaic Desk, $998}

{Woodland Slumber Canopy Bed, $2698-2998}

{Amorphous Nesting Tables, $898}

{Springbok Benches, $1698}

{Chien Coffee Table, $2898}

{Kansai Bookcase, $1298}

{Celluloid Dream Base, $498}

{Sure Footed Base, $498}

The new Restoration Hardware “Gallery” at the San Francisco Design District really caught my eye as I was doing my daily sweep of design blogs/websites this morning.  Showcasing the best of their latest collection excellently pulled together into various room scenarios, I must say that I am pretty impressed.  I particularly love the Colonnade Entry, seamlessly blending modern, rustic and traditional into one.  I also love the nicknacks throughout the Kensington living room!

What are your thoughts?  Impressed, disappointed, neutral or just over this altogether?

{Rue Magazine- May/June 2011}

I can’t get enough of Rue Magazine, possibly because it’s such a fun, cheery read.  This little feature on side tables in the May/June 2011 issue could have totally be a “skim over” but I did a double take when I saw these “wow” worthy pieces!  Some cool tables, don’t you think?

After being featured in the magazine’s first issue back in September, this online publication has become a must read for me! Had lots of fun with Crystal and co. and photographer, Werner, at the shoot in my home.  They learned a lot about my obsession with crowns

If I had the means to aquire a fully furnished chateau in France, I’d take it!  Well, I guess I’d have to think of the logistics first.  A 16th century manor home filled with dusty old furnishings would require a lot of TLC, but this British entrepreneur was up to the challenge, as documented in Architectural Digest.  Having owned a weekend home for many years in the English countryside, the Brit was ready for a move to the agricultural region of La Beauce in France, 70 miles from Paris.  Although the wealthy, art-collecting owner has many homes throughout the world, including Ibiza and Paris, this home became a particularly special project.  Chateau de Fontenay was a moated dream castle, and its location in a quiet village provided anonymity and removal from the owner’s social scene.

The owner and friend/principal of prominent design firm Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi, Tino Zervudachi, went to work overhauling the grand home.  Notably, the extensive taxidermy throughout the house had to go, as the owner explains that it was inappropriate as his daughter was an avid vegetarian.  They set out to redecorate the home, keeping old pieces yet updating the manor with many new pieces.  ”It was meant to feel like an amalgamation of over generations,” notes the homeowner.

Image captions courtesy of Architectural Digest.

Zervudachi converted the rustic library into a billiard room. On the walls are paintings by, from left, Hurvin Anderson, Anke Weyer, and Alejandra Icaza. The curtains are made of Algiers silk by Robert Kime, and Claremont’s Toile Chevron stripe covers chairs and a bench; the kilim is from Galerie Triff.

In the television room, the overstuffed armchair and the Louis XV–style bergère are upholstered in a Charles Burger print and a Georges Le Manach chenille, respectively.

Framed herbarium pages bring nature into the entrance hall.

A Claremont fabric covers matching sofas in the paneled living room. The curtains are of Ashoka linen by Robert Kime; slipcovered ottomans serve as cocktail tables.

The kitchen’s neo-Gothic millwork was installed by the previous owners.

A corridor is paved with encaustic tiles.

The pool is hidden behind hedges and flower beds.

An inventively rustic veranda stretches across the rear of the house—its columns are made of tree trunks set on stone bases.

A breakfast table on the gravel-covered veranda.

A guest bedroom’s curtains are made of Concini cotton by Georges Le Manach.

A carved-wood chandelier adds an element of fantasy to a guest bath. The chair, upholstered in needlepoint, is Victorian.

An old-fashioned hot-water tank serves a claw-foot tub; the wallpaper, added by the previous owners, depicts neoclassical urns and statues.

Antique Zuber wallpaper hangs in the Chambre aux Oiseaux.

The Chambre Indienne is enlivened by a Madeleine Castaing print by Edmond Petit, available at Clarence House.

A lit à la polonaise is the focal point of one bedroom.

Bergères are pulled up to a fireplace.

As I passed by the Chicago showroom of Roche Bobois the other day, I decided to check out what this uber chic Parisian home outfitter is up to.  I discovered their Jean Paul Gaultier home collection, which is fashioned in the same style as the designer’s couture creations.  Avant garde, opulent and oh so glamorous, I must admit that this collection isn’t particularly my style, but in the words of one of my most favorite taste makers, Carrie Bradshaw, it is undeniable that it is just “fabulous.”  This sophisticated and very unique line of furniture and accessories is so distinctive that it would take a bold designer and willing client to fashion a room out of this collection.  Perhaps a few pieces here and there might produce a more manageable effect.  What are your thoughts?  Hate it, love it, or somewhere in between?

{Jean Paul Gaultier Fall Winter 2010/2011}

{Jean Paul Gaultier Fall Winter 2010/2011}

{Jean Paul Gaultier Fall Winter 2010/2011}

{The Painted Lady}

I featured a post a few weeks ago about Chicago Home + Garden’s latest issue, “Best of the New in 2011,” and I am so excited to say that the Grand Avenue (West Town) district of Chicago has been deemed the “Best New Design District” in the city!  Grand Avenue is not only home to my own showroom, but it also is the most up and coming area for many designers, showrooms and shops, both those new on the scene and those looking to relocate to this latest design hub.  In fact, my friends at Scentimental Gardens opened up a second shop (their first is in Geneva, IL)-SG Grand- right next to me!  We even have our very own website touting the neighborhood and alerting all to upcoming events and happenings.  Nice to have such fantastic neighbors

{West Town neighborhood with featured Grand Ave. design shops/showrooms}

{SG Grand}

{SG Grand}

Check out the magazine feature below, and feel free to stop by the Buckingham Interiors + Design showroom at 1820 W. Grand Ave. Chicago, if you’re in the neighborhood!

All locations/contact information provided at the end of the post.

{Buckingham Interiors + Design}

{Buckingham Interiors + Design}

{Post 27}

{Post 27}

{Post 27}

{Urban Remains}

{Urban Remains}

{Urban Remains}

Locations

Buckingham Interiors & Design
1820 W. Grand Ave.
312-243-9975
buckinghamid.com

European Furniture Warehouse
2145 W. Grand Ave.
800-243-1955
eurofurniture.com

Grand Street Gardens
2200 W. Grand Ave.
312-829-8200
grandstreetgardens.com

MCM Grand
2219 W. Grand Ave.
312-666-3376
mcmgrand.net

Modern Times
2100 W. Grand Ave.
312-243-5706
moderntimeschicago.com

The Painted Lady
1818 W. Grand Ave.
312-226-0155
thepaintedladychicago.com

Post 27
1819 W. Grand Ave.
312-829-6122
post27store.com

Salvage One
1840 W. Hubbard St.
312-733-0098
salvageone.com

SG Grand
1822 W. Grand Ave.
312-226-6654
sggrand.com

State Street Salvage
2248 W. Grand Ave.
630-863-9941
statestreetsalvage.com

Urban Remains
1819 W. Grand Ave.
312-492-6254
urbanremainschicago.com

Wright
1440 W. Hubbard St.
312-563-0020
wright20.com

Design Inc.
1359 W. Grand Ave.
312-243-4333
designinchicago.com

{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: