This Week at . . . I.D.

I.D. was started by two gents with very different strengths and interests. One of them wanted to open an optical store and the other had a design background. You know where this is going, don't you?

The result, which is located on Halsted in Lakeview, is a store that somehow manages to be both without losing its focus. I.D.'s got humor, funk, high design and that machine that tests for glaucoma by shooting a poof of air into your eyeball. Strange, huh? Truth be told, it probably wouldn't work with a different selection of products. The idea's a bit weird, but the selection (which includes a bright neon green roller skate sculpture/doorstop, gilded pigs and hanging vases) is a bit weird too, blending effortlessly with a perfectly chosen contemporary selection from companies like Blu Dot, Flor and Modernica.

One thing's for sure - if the lenses don't clear up your vision, the visual stimulation might. I.D. is located at 3337 North Halsted. For questions, call 773-755-4343 or visit their website.












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This Week at . . . Revival

I've written about Revival before (here), one of the only boutiques in Chicago that should come with a warning label and addiction counselors on-site. Sadly nothing has changed. When I dropped in a couple of weeks ago, I immediately felt a buzz that quickly spiraled into a near-stupor as the range of interesting options began to overwhelm me. The upscale antique shop carriers a mix of periods, but the 70's reign (as they should). Even the price tags are cool.

Revival is located at 1401 W. Irving Park. For questions, call 773-248-1211 or email info@rerevival.com.

To see all my thumb nails, click here.
Or, for a Flickr slide show, click here.



















* Yes, a couple of weeks. If you see something you like in the photos, it's probably gone. Do subscribers get updates in real-time without the two week delay? Good question and luckily for you, although I won't answer it here, it's easy to find out.

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Have you been to George Lowell?

There's George in the mirror.

Readers, George. George, readers. You two should hang out; you'll like each other.

Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, I must say that I'm surprised that you hadn't met sooner. After all, George Lowell is located in Lakeview on the well-traveled Lincoln Avenue and in proximity of other furniture boutiques. And I'm even more surprised because George Lowell is a great fricking store; it's one of those shops where the array of equally excellent choices inevitably confuses me, and I wander around, dazed by indecision, before stumbling out empty-handed (sorry, George. I promise I'll buy something soon).

George goes to the same trade shows and gets the same catalogs as everybody else, but he inevitably winds up with items I see nowhere else. He takes some chances and his store is better for them, more interesting, trendy and trend-transcendent at the same time. When George does participate in what could be a passing fad, he has the uncanny ability to catch it early and to select items a bit more timeless. As a result, there's a bit of a formality at George Lowell, a very current and updated and so-not-fussy formality, which is altogether quite appealing.

So it should be busy all the time, right?



Wrong. Every time I rave to one of you about the interesting selection of furniture and accessories at George Lowell, I get blank stares. When you get to know the area, it's not that surprising; that section of Lincoln Avenue doesn't have much foot traffic in contrast to the rest of Lakeview. And despite a number of furniture and antique stores on the mile-long stretch, the area hasn't yet been recognized as a design destination like Andersonville or River North. George primarily sells to neighborhood regulars who relish their little secret and who are, rumor has it, actively plotting to stop you from finding out about it. Are you going to let them get away with this? (George also uses the store as the base of operations for his bustling design business.)

So do me a favor, I know you're dying to see if that new Pottery Barn in the suburbs is better than the one where you usually shop*, but instead, take a ride over to Lakeview and check out George Lowell.

George Lowell is located at 2920 N. Lincoln Avenue. For questions about the store or design services, call George at 773-248-9021.

For a full set of thumbnails, click here.
For a Flickr slide show, click here.

*Oh no, he didn't!

This Week at . . . Urban Artifacts

This may be an odd way to start a review of a store I love that specializes in mid-century modern, but I think that the style has already hit its peak and is likely on the decline. A few years ago, the style was everywhere, prices skyrocketed, knockoffs flooded the market and purists sold Grannie's rocker and replaced it with an Eames lounge. But now they want the rocker back.

You can see it in any design magazine; people are into mixing it up a bit more and branching out, and just as it did originally, mid-century is giving way to 70's and 80's styles (although pretty much anything goes).



Room and Board and Design Within Reach and a million online stores carry the staples and they likely always will. It's not bold and different and its not tired and unhip; it's graduated to classic status. Tasteful? Yes. Interesting? Maybe. Surprising? Not so much.

But there are still mid-century surprises - pieces and designers and combinations that aren't yet ubiquitous. Now that the style is out-of-vogue, maybe they never will be. And for those pieces, my first recommendation is to check out Urban Artifacts; they've been doing this since mid-century pieces were being discarded in alley's and only die-hard collectors were shaking their heads and mourning their demise.



The store is nearly perfect - its outdoor vignettes grab my attention and pull me in every time. The space is small but carefully crowded, artfully stacked, familiar and surprising (with no knock-offs in sight). Yes, they have the Wassily and Wegner, but most of all, they have knowledge.

If you're looking for a particular piece but can't think of the designer, they'll know. If you want a certain piece but can't find it, they will.

And much like their store, their business cards are so damn nice - cool and small (and square but anything but.) Go there now. 2928 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 773-404-1008.

For a full set of thumbnails, click here.
For a Flickr slide show, click here.





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This Week At . . . Intaglia

Intaglia, in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, offers another option for purchasing stylish furniture at affordable prices. And unlike the merchandise offered by some of the larger chains, Intaglia's quality is good, they offer a number of customization options and most importantly, a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

When I had the flu and didn't return a fabric sample on time, they not only didn't scold me, but one of the managers later called to make sure I was feeling better. That's very classy, very human, very good business and for some reason, very unlikely to happen at their larger competitors.

While Intaglia's not where I would go for most heirloom pieces (although they do carry some very high quality items), it's the perfect place to purchase items which need to be comfortable but which you know you might get tired of over time. Intaglia also offers dining furniture, home accessories and a huge selection of rugs. Intaglia has locations in Chicago, Atlanta and St. Louis. Intaglia's Chicago store is located at 2831 North Clark. For questions, stop in or call 773-880-5440.

This Week At . . . P & L

P & L stands for Paul and Leena, the owners of a chic new clothing store in Lakeview. The couple's roots lie in Bangkok, so they knew that great things were happening in its fashion industry, and they saw an opportunity to offer Chicago residents unique and well-crafted styles at affordable price points.

So why am I writing about a clothes store? First, they're both cool and obviously have a passion for this stuff. I asked Paul to email me some facts about the company, and soon after, I received a VERY lengthy affair going on and on about how much they love the neighborhood, how their philosophy shapes the store, the brands they love, bla, bla, bla. But you know what? I love that. I so respect that they're doing their own thing and doing it their way and doing it responsibly in the neighborhood they really dig. So cool.

And since, yes, this is a design blog, I was seriously digging the store design, which includes a backlit counter, a great logo and cool vignettes. See for yourself (thumbnails or slide show). They wanted to create a warm space while maintaining their modern instincts, and thanks to the help of architects, Vlad Dragusin and Richard Kasemsarn, who worked on different aspects of the project, the couple accomplish their goal and created a very cool space.

Check out P & L next time you're in the neighborhood and while you're there, stop in at their neighbor, 2-Sided, which was featured earlier this week.

This Week At . . . TwoSided

TwoSided is the sister store to FourSided, the excellent framing store with locations in Lakeview and Andersonville. TwoSided skips the framing and focuses exclusively on the quirky (and usually vintage) accessories, cards and "artful stuff". I've yet to find a store with an aesthetic that so closely matches what I thought was my unique interest in old pool balls, globes, electronics, book ends and general miscellaneous stuff. Although the store is a success and my quirkiness has been exposed as common, I forgave them when I found the perfect set of vintage brass horse bookends.

When I'm in the neighborhood, I never plan to stop, but I always do; I always buy something I don't need, but I never regret it.

For all the thumbnails, click here.
For a slide show, click here.

TwoSided is located at 2958 N. Clark. For questions, call 773-244-6431

Introducing . . . Johnathon

Johnathon showcases various artists, which will rotate over time.


This textured wall covering is an inexpensive way to create a dramatic look. Available at Johnathon.

John Gray, a contestant on last year's Bravo TV series, Top Design, has finally opened his store, Johnathon, in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. The space itself is magnificent, expansive and airy with high ceilings and luxurious finishes - stone floors, textured wall coverings, sumptuous fabrics and stunning chandeliers.

John knows how to fill the large space; it's clear that free from unrealistic design challenges created by tv producers, he delivers the goods. The store is a series of vignettes that guide you through the space. Johnathan feels elegant yet accessible, calming yet breathtaking, its smooth palette of creamy neutrals and warm fabrics lulling you into a false sense of security and then without warning, a piece of art or a shimmering light fixture shocks you with a slash of glamor straight to the heart. And let's face it, it's never really good unless it hurts a little.





Last week, I took my friend Liz to see the store. When I told her about my new discovery, her eyes told me she was making the trip for me. But when we drove past the dramatic banners and the sophisticated window display, a little scream escaped her lips, and her eyes told a more selfish tale; suddenly finding a parking space took on a new urgency. And we weren't in the store long, before she was writing a check for a very cool table lamp. She'll definitely be back.



Johnathon looks very expensive, but for the quality of the materials and furnishings, it's really quite reasonable. He also offers a gallery of art, which will change periodically, and design services (which will also secure a discount at the store). Johnathon is located at 3161 North Halsted. For questions about a specific piece, call 773-327-7000.

This Week at . . . Revival (.com)

This lamp may have hypnotic properties. See it for yourself at Revival.

Have you ever found yourself in a store, completely bedazzled by the inventory, unable to distinguish between things you like and things you don't? It's as if the taste "filter," (the automatic list of preferences that gets coded into the software of the brain and makes you YOU) gets disrupted by the dissonance of different eras, styles and materials crashing together like quantum particles. It's visual disco, pure energy expressed as matter.


Mmm, Marboro Murano. Touch the ridges.

Today, I passed Revival and despite my best efforts to resist, found myself inside and seriously contemplating a $300 lamp purchase. This, despite the fact that I don't need a lamp and I may not even have liked it had I seen it in a different context (at an antique mall in tiny town where I grew up, for example). Plus, I had to consider the not-so-little matter of the $300 and its contribution to my credit card debt goal (for me, the glass is half full).

But contemplate I did; the lamp was sublime in its 70's glamour, unusually beautiful in shape and color, swirling lines drawing my eyes literally up into the light as if to simulate a meditative state or near-death experience.


More Murano. Who knew you could capture a raindrop splash?

I feel this way at places like Revival and Scout, incomparable (to each other or to anybody else), shops that bring an intellectual edge to design; they make you think, about the item's past, about the nature of beauty and the dissonant energy produced by unusual combinations, about identity and what your pre-determined and automatic preferences really mean (design or otherwise).


Deco oak chair at Revival.

Their stores are always different, so I usually need to walk through a few times, focusing on each piece, trying to drown out the stimulation, to quiet the noise. After yesterday afternoon's experiences at Revival and Scout, I struggled to explain how I felt; Did I feel drugged? No, not quite. Did I feel dazed? Getting there, but it's not specific enough.

Then I realized; the proprietors had cast a spell, and I was in a trance, a hypnotic state, susceptible to their suggestion regarding color and style and light and touch. Please don't snap your fingers; I don't want to forget.


Remember my religion post? Forget that random pontification. Buddha is better, especially in a little black number. $2200 at Revival.