Walk the Walk
Some people do triathlons. Others do 5Ks. Personally, I like a nice kitchen walk. If you do too, check out the 27th Oak Park and River Forest Kitchen Walk Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Ten newly souped- up cucinas will be on display, including one in a 100-year-old Henry Holsman-designed Craftsman and another in an apartment (renters, this one’s for you—you may not have a mortgage on your kitchen, but you can still style it like you own it, baby)! Chef Denise Norton of Forest Park’s Flavour Cooking School will be cooking up her finest in one of the homes, while a fromage monger from Oak Park’s Marion Street Cheese Market will be handing out samples in another, all to support Paranthesis Family Center. Tickets ($40 in advance; $45 the day of the event) can be purchased on the organization’s website or at retailers including Marion Street Cheese Market, Flavour Cooking School, Moss Modern Flowers, Magic Tree Bookstore , Buzz Cafe, and Rave Wines. On the day of the event, purchase or pick up pre-ordered tickets at 405 S. Euclid in Oak Park, from 9-11 a.m. —Gina Bazer
Finish This Sentence: Katie Ernst of Revision Home
Revision Home owner Katie Ernst had the fabulous idea of combining shopping for home decor with partying, filling a West Town warehouse space with vintage home furnishings and libations every few months. We get it, Katie. First get us all loopy and then, sure, we’ll buy that reupholstered settee! (Who am I kidding? The very sight of Katie’s gorgeous goods intoxicates me.) Her next party is Thursday, May 3, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., followed by weekend shopping hours that Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-4p.m. So, we thought we’d get to know Ernst a little better by asking her to finish these sentences.
1. Every home should have something that makes you laugh.
2. If I could live in any movie or TV setting it would be the set of “Magic City” on Starz. It takes place in the Miramar hotel in Miami on the cusp of the 1960s. I can't get enough of the hotel set, the fashions and vintage cars.
3. I eat like an absolute pig at the Purple Pig (excuse the pun).
4. The best music for a dinner party is Johnny Cash's covers of contemporary artists.
5. Most people don’t know that I am a huge political junkie who loves presidential election years.
6. A beauty/grooming product that I swear by is Moroccan Oil. This company’s hair products would really have come in handy when I was growing up in Southern Louisiana. —GB
High-Browsing
Highland Park’s Antiquaire is the kind shop that makes you feel like you’re in Europe (and it’s pricey, which might add to that feeling). But April 26, there is a “secret sale” plus Champagne and hors d’oeuvres from 2 p.m.- 8 p.m. and you just might get a deal on a lovely accessory or piece of furniture imported from France, Italy, Spain, England, Greece, or Turkey. The occasion? Antiquaire just became a Niermann Weeks dealer and has also partnered with locally based, globally minded Arzu Studio Hope rugs to sell that company’s existing designs and develop a signature Antiquaire line with a “French-country contemporary” feel. Now that is a description I like—an elusive aesthetic that Antiquaire pulls off beautifully (did you see their room at the 2011 Lake Forest Showhouse; if not, it’s conveniently pictured here, from a story in Traditional Home). The shop also offers interior design and floral services. —GB
Pin-up Stars
Pinterest, the popular pinboard site, has made it easier than ever to find inspiration for home décor. Who to follow? I asked some local designers which boards they love. Follow their favorites (along with ours—just search for Chicago Home + Garden). Designer Julia Buckingham Edelmann of Buckingham ID, loves the fabulous interiors on pinterest.com/midcenturyjo, curated by one of the writers of DesireToInspire.net. For outdoor ideas, David Migdal from The Garden Consultants in Highland Park recommends pinterest.com/beunique/admirable-design and pinterest.com/gamberaia/landscape-designs. The first has good advice for how to combine colors and textures in the garden, while the second shows how to use structures to create stunning outdoor rooms. For designer Jillian O’Neill, it’s not a home décor board that gives her the most inspiration—it’s pinterest.com/netaporter. Seeing how this fashion board mixes prints, textures, and accessories inspires Jillian to think about combining textiles and adding elements like lighting and art to rooms. —Alice Oglethorpe
Green Your Thumb
This season has me determined to finally improve my gardening know-how. That’s why I’m excited about all of the higher horticulture education being offered around the city. Sign up for one of these classes—you might see me there! The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe has loads of options. Choose from classes centered around specific herbs and flowers, ones that cover broader topics such as how to grow annuals, workshops aimed at urban gardeners, and one on how to keep plants alive in spots that don’t receive much direct sunlight. The Lincoln Park Zoo’s offerings include lessons on growing herbs in window boxes, a three-part series on perennials, and classes on what plants attract pretty wildlife. If you want a one-stop shop where you can learn about gardening and buy what you need to get started, swing by a workshop at Sprout Home in Ukrainian Village. A super popular class is all about building a terrarium, but they also offer them on plants that are local to Illinois and what to plant now for a fall garden. Classes fill up fast; book early. —AO
Photograph: (Kitchen Walk) Michael Scarpelli