Please Give
The cucumber-cool, mid-century-minded Torontonian furniture company Gus Modern has a no-brainer “Keep On Giving!” deal going on for the month of January at all of its retailers, including local dealers Stitch and I.D. Bring in a few non-perishable food items for local food banks (that’s three or more cans or packages, and please, don’t just grab those off-brand misfits from the back of your cupboards—it’s a charity!) and you’ll enjoy a 15 percent discount on all of Gus’s accessories, lighting, furniture, and upholstered seating. I.D. also has a sample sale going on until tomorrow night, so dash on over and check out the deals. In addition to home stylings, I.D. has an on-site optometrist and some pretty spectacular spectacles, if you’re looking to burn off that flex-spending surplus.
Oyez Perez
Multidisciplinary Chicago designer Mike Perrone has worked with such high-profile players as Panasonic, Newmarket Films, Midway video games, restaurateur Jerry Kleiner, and even the almighty Oprah to develop branding, promotional items, and apparel at his design studio, Hunterwasser. He recently decided to share the love with a website, Oyez Perez, devoted to selling limited editions of handmade, idiosyncratic items— light-up chalkboards, a Meig’s Field ashtray, manipulated Michael Jordan–inspired photo prints, hipster T-shirts, and, perhaps my favorite, a line of pillows picturing Chicago mayors (Jane Byrne reporting for duty here, circa her Cabrini-Green stint). Who does that? The quirky collections and offerings are released just about every month and often sell out, but if enough potential purchasers rally to support an item, Oyez Perez will reissue it.
We’ve Got Issues
The first new issue of 2011 Chicago Home + Garden magazine will be gracing newsstands (and your coffee table?) roundabout Monday, and we’re showcasing some of the best: new trends in home design, great online shopping and advice, bright shining design stars. Some hip, happy homemakers let us into their private lives to photograph inspirational environments, and exterior shots of a Gatsby-grand North Shore estate show that no garden needs to be lying in winter. It’s a keeper, for sure. Oh and did I mention there’s an article by yours truly, starting on page 28? I had fun getting experts to talk about houseplants—how to grow them and best show them—in contemporary settings. Pick up a copy and check it out!
Think Pink?
The Pantone color institute has chosen its Color of the Year for 2011, and the winner, kicking 2010’s turquoise to the curb, is this divisive Honeysuckle rose pink. A bit on the Pepto-Bismol side of the spectrum, no? Apparently it’s going to be filtering down into everything from our clothing and jewelry, to interior design and accessories, to company logos. I can see Michelle Obama rocking a sleeveless summer shift in this coralline tone, but personally I’m just not feeling it. What do you think?