Elm Treats
For a big-box furniture store, West Elm does a pretty good job of showcasing artists and marketing their original works, which is admirable considering that’s not exactly the side of its bread that’s buttered. This Saturday the Lincoln Park location (1000 West North Avenue) is hosting a We Heart Handmade Art event, bringing in 13 Etsy sellers and inviting them to set up shop for a little pop-up action, from 1–6 p.m. West End called upon Alaina Kaczmarski of the Live Creating Yourself blog (and occasional CH+G contributor) to select the dealers and weed out the Regretsies, and it looks like she did a bang-up job picking the cream of the crafty crop. I might have to get a few of these Red Bird Vintage Home neighborhood pillows myself.
Paris Plunge
If you’re planning on tying the knot anytime soon and need some practice with your rope skills, Lettuce Entertain You is here to help. The restaurant group is hosting its fourth annual bridal fair at Paris Club and Studio Paris (59 West Hubbard Street) on Sunday, March 4 from 12–3. The theme this year is “What Kind of Bride Are You?” and they will have tableaux embodying concepts like vintage, elegance, and whimsy set up, styled by such local companies as BBJ Linen, Revel Décor, and Hall’s Rental. Twenty-two of Lettuce’s restaurants (Joe’s Stone Crab, Hub 51, Shaw’s, Wildfire, etc.) will be sampling wedding-worthy fare, the wine will be flowing, and you can meet and greet local stationers, stylists, florists and bakers. There will be gowns, of course, and also a special room set up for the gents, with tequila shots, grooming tips, and tuxedo enthusiasts. For $10 that’s a lot of prenup prep, I’d say. RSVP here.
Sacré Cure
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but until March’s National Noodle Month arrives, American Heart Month beats on. (March is also the month celebrating foot health, peanuts, frozen food, and furniture refinishing, so aorta start writing out my greeting cards and frosting cupcakes this weekend.) Heart disease is a cause near and dear to Sacred Art’s Sarah Chazin, especially since she lost her mom to it late last year. All month, the Lincoln Square home store/gallery has been raising money and awareness for the American Heart Association, and in honor of AHM and Sacred Art’s sixth anniversary, it’s having a daylong heart-health event and fund-raiser this Saturday from noon till eight. Stop by 4619 North Lincoln Ave. for red wine, a raffle, and specially commissioned merchandise such as Christine Olson’s hand-painted hearts ($50 each) and these anatomical silkscreens printed on vintage book pages by Girls Can Tell ($20). There will also be puppies available for adoption from noon–3 p.m. and a hearty representative from the Association on hand to answer questions.
Lutes, Lanterns, and LeAnn
The Golden Triangle is celebrating the end of the Chinese New Year with a Lutes & Lanterns party next Wednesday night, February 29, from 6–8:30 p.m., at its gracious River North showroom, 330 North Clark St. Inspired by ancient Chinese lantern festivals, where colorful lamps are lit up outside under the full moon, owners Doug and Chauwarin are bringing in classical lute players, court dancers, and actors to celebrate spring Chicago-China style, and serving drinks, pupus, dumplings, and tea tastings. Tickets are $50 (call 312-755-1266), with a portion of proceeds going to help the Thai Red Cross. Fun fact: The premiere episode of the new HGTV show Interiors, Inc. featured a segment with Twitter-holic LeAnn Rimes at The Golden Triangle, shopping for stuff to decorate the Chicago condo she was living in with Eddie Cibrian this summer.
Green Growth
The Oak Park eco-friendly store Green Home Experts has moved to 811 South Boulevard, and more than doubled its square footage, to 3,500, making lots more room for its building supplies, sustainable design options, cleaning supplies, and other healthy home-supply products. It’s nice to hear of a shop’s doing well these days, that’s for sure. To celebrate the achievement, this Friday and Saturday there will be giveaways, activities, discounts, and partying, with catered food from GHE’s new neighbor, The Perfect Dinner, Friday from 11–1, Saturday 11–2.
Franco Finds
Those of us with the “staying home is the new going out” mentality will want to take advantage of Ligne Roset’s annual sale this weekend to snag some discounted furniture, rugs, accessories, and lighting to freshen up for spring. The event will be held February 24–26 and is billed as a warehouse sale, but it actually takes place in the family-run French company’s River North showroom at 440 North Wells Street (storage space was emptied to make room for the 2012 collections). Things will be priced at 30 to 60 percent off retail, which means this iconic Togo chair is down to $1,750. Specific color and style pictured might not be available, you just have to stop by and see. Maybe they’ll have some of their buttery leather pieces––Ligne Roset has some of the softest in the world, and let me tell you, the things I’d do for glove!
Hall of Famers
The Chicago design community honored its own earlier this month at the first annual award ceremony for the Chicago Interior Design Hall of Fame, held at the Mart. More than 500 natty hobnobbers showed up to celebrate style, and Tracy Hickman (pictured, of Hickman Design Associates) was named the winner. Ten noms were chosen by a jury, and then the social-media-clicking public voted Tracy in. Darcy Bonner, Shea Soucie, and Martin Horner were runners-up; the other nominees were Susan Fredman, Alex Jordan and Dan Smieszny, Gary Lee, Suzanne Lovell, Margaret McCurry, Frank Ponterio, and Tom Stringer. In my years of kicking around this industry, I’ve had the opportunity of meeting a lot of this group, and certainly have studied their work in shelter mags. They’re all winners, in my coffee-table book.