Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

art : the conscious use of skill and creative imagination…

This season’s CS Interiors has opened my eyes to the fascinating work of Windy City-based knitter-photographer-artist, Michelle Litvin, who epitomizes the definition above in her “Mindscrim” creations.  Her one of a kind vision begins with meditiation and weaves intuitive intricacy… Litvin tells CS “I go into these meditative states and then I start knitting… There’s no predetermined design in mind, and I make up stitches as I go.”

Enjoy these compelling images and swing by Caste to experience Litvin’s sculptures and accompanying photographic collection live.

What I love most about art and design is that inspiration is everywhere… Michelle Litvin found a muse in kneedle and thread… What will inspire you today?

Who knew that Neiman Marcus had such an interesting array of lighting, not unlike their chic and varied array of clothing, shoes and accessories? Although I am a big fan of both NM and it’s wonderful kid sister store Cusp, I really do not pay much attention to their home decor.  However, a NM lighting ad popped up on the side of an online tabloid I was reading (hey, a girl’s gotta have her guilty pleasure!) so I had to click!  Sure enough, Neiman Marcus has some very cool lighting.  Take a look!

What are your thoughts?  Do these light fixtures and lamps live up to the illustrious Neiman Marcus reputation?  Or should they stick to what they do best, outfitting stylish women?

Before bed I like to curl up with a good book, a new design magazine, or get lost on etsy.com.  Kind of like eBay but with really cool (well actually not everything is all that cool…it takes some dedication and major sifting to find the true gems) artisan creations, vintage and refurbished pieces.  Etsy is comprised of hundreds of thousands of sellers from all over the globe and features products ranging from furniture to clothing, art to jewelry.  You name it, someone on Esty probably sells it!  There is even a section titled “Weddings” that features jewelry, hair pieces, artwork….all sorts of artisan creations pertaining to weddings!  No one in my family is getting married though, so I focused my search on furniture.  266 pages of furniture!  I could only get through about page 75 before I started doze off, but here are some of my cool finds!  Click on the picture to be redirected to the page on Etsy and be sure to read their fascinating stories!

Have you MG readers ever been to esty.com before?  And if so have you ever made a purchase?  I’d love to hear about your cool finds!

The new Artistic Tile showroom at the Merchandise Mart is just fabulous.   What really catches my eye every time I pass by is the incredible chandelier in their front window (pictured above).  I did some research, and found out that it is made by an Italian company called Barovier and Toso.  The intriguing story of Barovier and Toso dates back to 982 AD on the island of Murano with the inception of glass blowing, and in 1450 Angelo Barovier invented “crystalline glass,” a diaphanous film of crystal.  The rich history of Barovier and Toso that dates back to the Renaissance adds to the splendor and character of these individual, hand-crafted pieces. I have been browsing through their online catalogue, and all I can say is…WOW.  Such an incredible assortment of unique, glass light fixtures and lamps.  They come in the craziest colors, too…liquid yellow, liquid green, liquid orange, red, violet….so cool.    Here are some of my favorites:

Oh my,  I am in love.

History has it’s advantages.

So much good design began so long ago..

Ever walk in a room and feel as if something magical is happening? You cannot place your finger on it but it just feels right.  Such is the power of the perfect placement of unique lighting.