John Peters (the former chef at Powerhouse) is in talks with Grant Achatz, his boss at Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St.; 312-867-0110), to do a restaurant project together. “Our intention is to open something else in the style of Alinea,” says Peters, who goes with Achatz back to the Trio days. “Not another heavy-hitter restaurant but something in the style of Alinea. We are kind of in limbo with the economy, obviously, but hopefully…
Welcome to the first issue of Domestica, Chicago Home + Garden’s subscription e-newsletter. We’ll be delivering fresh weekly blasts of local design news, openings, killer sales tips, and inspirations. Whether you’re a hard-core minimalist who sorts the mail outside and only allows the kids to play with gray cubes, or a Buatta-buff fond of twee, toile-trimmed rooms that take a few minutes to settle down after a good sneeze, Domestica wants to be there for you, and thinks we can all be friends. Design is fun, and Chicago has it for you in spades…
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While cutting into some lovely ravioli the other night, I noticed the simple-but-nicely-done lighting fixtures at the Bristol. How were they made? Co-owner John Ross was kind enough to share: “We built the boxes [that are attached to the ceiling] and dropped three cords from each,” he says. The key, says Ross, was in choosing just the right bulbs to set the mood. Ross and company got their amber-colored ones through Rejuvenation. The result is subtle and stylish. We also loved the artwork on the exposed-brick walls—acrylic paint on wood, featuring mainly trees—by local artist Evie Ogborn (evieogborn.com). The food and cocktails (try the Apple Pie drink—yum!) was pretty darn good, too.
—Gina Bazer
In 2008, according to Appraisal Research Counselors, developers called off 13 downtown condo projects, pulling a total of 2,078 housing units out of an already log-jammed condo market. (Only one of those buildings—Burnham Pointe, at 720 South Clark Street—was already under construction; it was sold to an apartment developer.) While the cancellations aren’t necessarily happy news…
Shop for a Cause
The jewelry designer Sarah Radford of Chic Gems (312-602-2561; chicgemsetc.com) has long supported various charities, including the cancer support agency Imerman Angels and the charity Aid for AIDS. This month, Radford partners with Angela Rose of PAVE, a national non-profit organization founded in 2001 to raise money for victims of domestic abuse. Shop at Chic Gems virtual trunk show online and enter the discount code “pave” through the end of the month to save 10 percent on any jewelry purchase; 20 percent of proceeds will…
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Mig and Tig of Chicago and Mortise and Tenon of Los Angeles partnered with Harrington School of Design on a competition to design an audio/visual cabinet and a sofa. Chicago native Julie Logan, an interior design senior at Harrington, won the A/V cabinet category. Her entry, made of ash wood, is shown here (an elevator function raises the TV out of the credenza). Stay tuned for more information on the manufacturing of this prototype, as well as for details about the winner of the sofa competition.
—JAN PARR
List Price: $4.75 million
Sale Price: $5.05 million
The Property: This 13-room residence, with its ornate carved limestone and brick façade, stands among the new mega-homes along Burling, Orchard, and Howe streets south of Armitage Avenue in Chicago. The house has six bedrooms, six-plus baths, two fireplaces, and..
When the Evanston writer Cornelia Maude Spelman tried to unlock the mystery of her mother’s melancholy, she turned to one of her parents’ long-ago college pals—William Maxwell, the famed fiction editor of The New Yorker—and found a new friend
Who says hipsters don’t dance? We caught hordes of folks getting down this past Saturday at Windy City Soul Club, a new monthly night dedicated to 1960s and ’70s Motown soul at Heart of Gold, a private performance space. From 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. the first Saturday of every month, DJs/collectors spin the best and rarest on 45s—none of this newfangled iPod nonsense…
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It seems like everyone is discounting these days—even those who rarely do. On the Thos. Moser Web site it says, “Our long-time customers know that we don’t have “sales”. However, during these unprecedented times….” Now the company is offering 10 percent off its most popular sellers (such as the New Gloucester rocker, now $1,595, and the Lolling chair, $2,600, and ottoman, $855, both shown above). Also look for up to 20 percent off on showroom samples and customer returns.
—Gina Bazer
