Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

I spied this unbelievable staircase in last month’s Chicago Home + Garden.  Located in an 1880’s converted Lutheran church in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, these stairs makes quite a statement.  Crafted from salvaged wood from the structure’s original ceiling joists, floorboards and rafters, LEED certified firm Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson created this staircase for the family’s third floor addition.  It is located above the foyer, creating a dynamic view from the home’s second floor.  Are you are wowed by this as I am?

I am all about mixing old with new, classic with contemporary.  I am a big believer that a home should be an intimate reflection of the owner’s personality and really cannot be boxed into a single style.  I treat every home differently and don’t implement a “signature stamp” onto any project.  In the end, its the homeowner who has to live in it, and I want it to be something personal and beautiful that they can enjoy and take comfort in for years to come.  When you think that pieces have nothing in common remember that they have in common what is most important, the fact that you love them.  And often times, it is unexpected pairings that turn out the best.

Check out this home in Chicago Home + Garden that epitomizes my mentality of live in what you love, not what you think you should love.  I adore how this home pulls together unexpected elements literally from across the globe to create a cozy haven that is truly one-of-a-kind.

It seems that everyone is going cyber these days, doesn’t it?  A few years ago, my children, Caroline, Alex and Madi would have been mortified if I had “friended” them on Facebook, but now it is almost necessary to have some sort of cyber connection- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn- to maintain a fan base in the ever growing online population.  Magazines are running with this trend, and many of our favorite shelter mags have created Facebook pages to keep their fans (their many thousands of Facebook fans, that is) up to date with the ins and outs, happenings and events going on with the mag.  It’s a cool way to feel like a magazine insider, especially when their formal websites can seem to get a bit repetitive month after month.  I have actually been asked by the Social Media Division of Kravet to sit on a panel at the Merchandise Mart on Wednesday,  May 19 at 2:30 in the Kravet Showroom to explore how social media can be used as a marketing tool for designers. If you are in Chicago- come check it out.  Should be a lively discussion. We are hard at work here in the Buckingham ID offices completing our own Facebook page.  We should be up and running sometime this week.  Be sure to check out the Material Girls Facebook page too!

Elle Decor

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ELLE-DECOR/80643096709

Veranda

http://www.facebook.com/VERANDAMagazine

Chicago Social

http://www.facebook.com/#!/modernluxury.CS?ref=ts

Architectural Digest

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1063590085#!/architecturaldigest?ref=ts

House Beautiful

http://www.facebook.com/HouseBeautiful

Chicago Home + Garden

http://www.facebook.com/chicagohomemag?ref=nf

Southern Living

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SouthernLivingMag?ref=ts

Dwell

http://www.facebook.com/#!/dwell?ref=ts

Martha Stewart Living

http://www.facebook.com/#!/MarthaStewartLiving?ref=ts

Lonny

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lonny-magazine/118245763401?ref=ts

Coastal Living

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coastal-Living-Magazine/120871440369?ref=mf

Say what you want about print media being a dying beast, but I still love flipping through the glossy pages of my favorite shelter and fashion mags every month.  Call me old fashioned, but I love to retire at night with my old standbys, Elle Decor, Harper’s Bazaar, and In Style.  One of my favorite- and I think most innovative features of fashion magazines, is the incorporation of interiors articles.  It’s like a two for one special!  Not only do I find my latest dress or shoe obsession, but I find an equally as fashionable home to pore over as well.  In this month’s Harper’s Bazaar, the uber glam Los Angeles home of Simon and Natalie Fuller was featured.  Natalie is a Los Angeles interior designer and Simon is the producer and industry mogul that created American Idol.  From the moment I saw the dramatic white staircase with the lady of the house dressed in an equally as dramatic crimson gown, I knew that this home would be quite captivating.  The home is completely over the top, complete with a giant swan lounge by the side of the pool.  It is an exaggeration of everything glam, old world Hollywood and larger than life elements that make up my Hollywood fantasy.  Hot pink, plush velvet, and dripping in crystal, this home really is the Hollywood state of mind.

1940’s Ico Paris dining chairs

Formal living room…1950’s Italian railway chairs

The wine cellar is Natalie’s favorite room.  Instead of asking people for wedding gifts, they set up a wine registry.  What a cool idea!….Especially if you have a wine cellar like this one.

Natalie and Simon are self proclaimed “winos, foodos, and travelos”

One of her other favorite rooms…she loves the interplay between vintage and contemporary- as do I.

Glamorous dressing room…Natalie is a total fashionista.

Beautiful deck view…1950’s chairs recovered with Bruno Triplet leopard print silk mohair..It doesn’t get much better than that!

Well it looks like spring has sprung! With temperatures nearing the 70’s by this weekend here in Chicago, I thought it would only be fitting to feature House Beautiful’s tips on how to give your home an easy but purposeful spring makeover.  Knowing Chicago’s fickle climate I can only be tentatively excited for this warmer weather, because as any Chicagoan can tell you it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to have a freak snowstorm following such a glorious and well-deserved day.  While our weather here may be anything but predictable, you can count on these helpful insights to give your home a fresh new look!

1. Add a bit of wallpaper to the inside of your closet

2. Camp stool in a bright, colorful print

3. Host a garden party where each guest is asked to bring a plant of a specific color (i.e. purple)

4. Use a real rug in the bathroom, not just a bath mat

5. Create a colorful entryway…eliminate clutter and use colorful pieces that catch your visitor’s eye immediately

6. Paint the ceiling…especially in a pale blue or grey shade, it will give the illusion that there is no ceiling at all

7. Reorganize bookshelves…sort by size and subject, remove damaged books, line books both vertically and horizontally to avoid a monotonous pattern

8. Give something old a new look…find a bargain buy at an antique store or a flea market and give it a new life by painting it white or even a bold color

9. Add a modern piece…mixes things up especially well in a traditional home!

10. Add a pretty potted plant

11. Hang mirrors on opposite walls for an instant room transformation

12. Paint your front door

13. Split up a pair of lamps

14.  Styled storage….store out of season in another place and organize/color coordinate your closet…it will feel like a store!

15. Arrange flowers the easy way…buy one color and cut the stems short.  Buy twice as many as you think you should and just use the extra stems in a small glass.

If a staircase were a room, it would probably be one of the must utilized rooms in a home.  Well, at least in my home, where dogs, kids and even myself are constantly on the move from one floor to another.  A staircase does not have to be strictly utilitarian these days.  Rather, a staircase can be as much as a statement piece as a work of art.  The following staircases are prime examples of the variety and ingenuity of the modern staircase.

These next few staircases were featured in Chicago Home + Garden.  All are from Chicago area homes that really take it to the next level.

And here are some examples of staircases from projects of our own at Buckingham I + D.

Here are some other interesting examples I found on the Elle Decor/Met Home website.

This is actually from a Chicago area home I featured in a post a few months ago!

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

Ahh…the difficult task of pairing fabrics for a room.  There are just so many I love (and hate) that picking just the right combination can be extremely tricky.  The sheer volume of textiles on the market can make this essential task seem very daunting…fabrics can really make or break a room!  This month, Chicago Home + Garden gave its readers some takes on this ordeal with designer Annika Christensen sharing some of her favorite pairings. Above and below-  check out a couple of her favorite combinations.

And here’s a look at  fabric selection that I recently proposed for the salon- style study and office of a city client.  It is a fun albeit difficult process, but finally seeing your hard work come to life in a room is so exciting!

The knack of matching neutral “now” grey colored fabrics with a three dimensional quality using texture along with a “pop” of vibrant scarlet red makes this lounge and home office feel utterly elegant- and functional.  I mentioned to my client that she will want to work from home more now than ever when we finish this room!

The unusual sheen, texture and unexpected colors of the leather accents mix this classically inspired space with a dollop of whimsy.  I am all about mixing it up in an uncluttered way.

Sofa; Fabric by Donghia – ” Cashmere Velvet Herringbone”- Light Grey

Side Chairs; Fabric by Mokum- ” Etoile”- Twilight

Desk Chair; Leather by Edelman- ” Rattlesnake”- White

Ottoman; Leather by Edelman- ” Demi Cow”- Solid Silver

Throw Pillows; Fabric by Holland & Sherry – ” Chamonix”- Scarlet

Drapery; Fabric by Brochier – ” Indochine”- Siam

Available at Holly Hunt

Dwell always seems to house the most architecturally unmatched homes imaginable and as I stock up on inspiration, I can’t help but share these unparalleled abodes with you.

From tranquil trailers…

…to loftlike lairs.

From steel-based suburban sanctuaries…

…to vibrant villas.

From sun-powered surroundings…

…to harvesting habitats….

…and courtyard coves.

It’s hard not to dwell well within spaces like these…

CS Interiors has announced the Grand Opening of Montalbano Furniture’s newest Fulton Market location. So thrilled to hear about a new addition to our city’s Oldest Furniture Manufacturer, Restorer and Importer. Congrats to the Family owned and operated Windy City treasure.

When: Thursday, November 19th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: 1048 W. Fulton, Chicago

Come out and celebrate the Grand Opening amid antiques, art, appetizers and one of a kind pieces crafted by none other than Montalbano.