Strange Closets

Warm evening strolls are one of life’s great pleasures. It was almost hot and definitely humid last night, but there was a hint of a cool breeze that made it pretty bearable. The neighborhood looks so different at night. Rather than focusing on the architecture and landscaping, my eyes were drawn to the illuminated windows [...]

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Hipsters and vintage enthusiasts crowded the slightly decaying but still grand Congress Theatre for the second Vintage Bazaar last weekend. It was a little dark and somewhat warm, but that (and the DJ) just intensified the weird, zany, sexy energy that made the whole day feel kind of like a Tarantino movie (sans the violence [...]

Taking photos at Pavilion Antiques is so much fun. Have you been?
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Pavilion Antiques. 2055 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL. 773.645.0924
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I love Serge Mouille’s lighting designs.
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More Mouille.
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Brett and Shane lived in Lakeview before buying their vintage one-bedroom condo in Edgewater Glen in 2001. While the new zip code lacks Lakeview’s hustle-bustle, it’s not without its own charms: the lake’s a few blocks away, the streets are lined with mature trees (including many Catalpas), and the housing stock is gorgeous – a mix [...]

Do you like the wall color in this image from West Elm’s website? I love it. In fact, I love the whole room, which feels fresh, sophisticated and comfortable. But it’s the Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green paint (HC-134) that now plagues my thoughts. I’d like to live with it for awhile, but I’m not sure where [...]

During a recent trip to New Buffalo, Michigan, I snapped a few photos at Pop’s Noze, an over-the-top antique mall / lawn sculpture emporium. (There’s also a peacock farm in the back, which is a near perfect cherry on the nutty ice cream sunday that is Pop’s Noze). My visit was entertaining as all get [...]

The Found’s Albert Tanquero e-mailed me a link to one of their new cards after reading my recent peacock post. Their new line of graphic Matchbox cards is amazing!
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Within a 24 hour period last summer, I spotted fine examples of peacock taxidermy at both artist Gail Potocki’s condo and artist Michele Stone’s house. Not more than a few months later, I marveled about seeing yet another peacock at stylish stylist Martha Muholland’s Wicker Park duplex. Shortly thereafter, I visited Geyer Morford at Schumacher in [...]

Please check out my latest Time Out Chicago story featuring Josh Rogers very cool Printers Row loft. When Josh moved into the 2000 square foot space, he asked his friend, Agent Gallery’s Mariano Chavez for help, and the two wound up working night and day incorporating salvaged pieces and constructing custom furniture and lighting. For [...]

Rumor has it that legendary twentieth century interior designer Frances Elkins kept her clients’ keys and would drop in unannounced to make sure that no liberties had been taken with her meticulous and thorough interior decor. It’s the kind of brilliant tidbit I inevitably pick up when visiting my friends at Richard Norton Antiques. Founded in [...]