Strange Closets

Taking photos at Pavilion Antiques is so much fun. Have you been? ↔ Pavilion Antiques. 2055 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL. 773.645.0924 ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I love Serge Mouille’s lighting designs. ↔ ↔ More Mouille. ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔

Running a shop takes different skills than decorating a house, but creating art is another thing altogether. But as I learned during a recent visit to her Bucktown boutique, Michael Del Piero effortlessly pulls off all three. Part entrepreneur, part curator and part decorative artist, Del Piero has consistently influenced the Chicago design scene since [...]

Just a reminder that entries are due this Friday, June 25th for the My Favorite Room contest sponsored by The Painted Lady in Bucktown. Simply snap a photo of the favorite room in your own home and email it to me (strangeclosets at yahoo). So far I’ve received ten gorgeous entries, and methinks we’re looking at [...]

When I visited The Painted Lady recently, the most expensive item in the store was a gorgeous French antique upholstered headboard. While at $1500, it’s not a garage sale steal, it’s priced far less than comparable pieces at most antique stores and reproductions at the big chains. Everything has been priced fairly at The Painted [...]

People are always asking me if I know where to find this or that rare furnishing, but the person they should be calling is Daniels Antiques owner Danny Popuch. An expert in the field, Danny maintains not only his fantastic Bucktown showroom but also a west side warehouse full of pieces waiting for their moment [...]

The Object Design League sponsored  The Worth Your Salt Pop Up Shop has popped up at Bucktown’s Pavilion.  And the concept’s clearly una situación Win-Win-Win! 1.)  Young designers get a splashy venue and a little attention (they also keep all profits). 2.)  Pavilion gets to expose their wares to an audience likely to be interested [...]

Last month I attended an opening for Lucy Slivinski and Janet Mesic Mackie at interior designer Michael Del Piero’s Bucktown boutique.  Slivinski has outdone herself with her new line of salvaged metal chandeliers, which are strange, spiky beautiful works of art.  And photographer Janet Mesic Mackie’s foray into fine art photography is a success, particularly [...]