Modernique Times

Interior designer Julia Edelmann’s sunny showroom, Buckingham Interiors & Design (1820 W. Grand Ave.), expanded from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet last fall. If you haven’t stopped by yet, do: It’s the kind of place that widens your eyes (the antiques, modern art, and found objects are magnificent) while slowing your heartbeat (there is a serene quality to it all). Edelmann calls her aesthetic “Modernique.”

How does she spin it in warm weather? “I combine seasonal flower arrangements—hydrangeas are my favorite—with accessories in pops of color,” she says. “I love blue because it’s vibrant and any shade coordinates well with green. I also like to bring unexpected objects, such as mirrors and frames, outside. Modernique is all about integrating eras, styles, and contexts, inside and out.”

News at the Mart

There’s lots going on at LuxeHome at the Merchandise Mart. Cucina Moda (cucinamoda.com), a U.S. distributor for the high-end Italian cabinet company Scavolini, has opened a 3,000- square-foot showroom displaying sleek kitchen and bathroom vignettes. This spring, German uber-appliance-manufacturer Miele (miele.com) will open a 5,500-square-foot showroom with demo models and a working kitchen. And in April, the interior design showcase DreamHome will reopen with a new slew of covetable rooms created by A-list designers. The lineup includes Tom Stringer, Jessica Lagrange, Kara Mann, Erik Kolacz, Jeannie Balsam, and Susan Fredman.