The failure of a boom-era townhouse and condo project in the heart of Libertyville may have seemed like bad news at the time. As things turned out, it made way for another developer to step in with a new plan where the houses will be less expensive—and better suited to the neighborhood…
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Interiors and product designer and head of New York-based Aero Studios Thomas O’Brien gave a great talk last Friday at the Merchandise Mart promoting his new book, American Modern. Jan Parr and I (along with one of our contributors, Tate Gunnerson who wrote a nice synopsis of the lecture here were all very taken with one line in particular: “Everything was modern in its own time.” This sort of historical perspective is what makes O’Brien such an interesting designer—and person. He talked a lot about contextualization, or thinking about a home’s age when decorating it. In his Long Island house, a converted boys’ academy that was built in the 1830s, he tried to create a kitchen that felt like it could have been around during the home’s younger years (say, in the ’20s) and he consciously collects artifacts from that era as well, such as books published the year the house was built. I also liked seeing how his personal decorating style has evolved. At one point, his Manhattan condo was pristine, cream, and rather minimal. Very sophisticated, but not particularly daring. Then, he decided to embrace clutter and non-conformity, moving his bed into the living room and covering every surface with art and memorabilia. It’s refreshing to see that designers, too, sometimes need time to come out of their shells and live in a way that feels true to them.
—GINA BAZER
Photos courtesy of aerostudios.com.
A serenely modern take on a traditional Cape Cod
Q: I want a pizza oven for my backyard. What are my options?
Savvy tips on choosing and buying art from one of the city’s top experts
Hang these over a baby’s crib as a mod mobile, from the trees for a backyard party, or over your desk
The Properties: The homes pictured here are three of the nine Hinsdale houses that sold for $1 million or more between April 15th and April 29th. That’s up from four sold last year in the same two-week period and just one house sold in that time frame in 2008.
The annual Jean Stoffer, as well as the dramatic, mod tile behind the stove. In the kitchen designed by Rebekah Zaveloff of
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The Chicago-based Union of Concerned Scientists is out with a new guide to explain how to reduce your carbon footprint in your own back- and front-yard. Most of the tips you’ve heard before: ditch the gas-powered lawnmower, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers; plant trees and shrubs to remove CO2 and to shade your home, compost, limit lawns, and the like. But if you’re new to gardening, the green movement, or need a refresher, this nice concise guide will steer you straight. And for chemical-free fertilizer and electric mower recommendations, see Lou Manfredini’s latest column in Chicago Home + Garden’s May/June issue.
—JAN PARR
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Hot off the presses is a gorgeous coffee table book of photos of mostly Chicago-area midcentury modernist homes taken by the famed architectural photographer Julius Shulman, who died at 98 in 2009. Gary Gand, a founder of Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond (who himself lives in a Keck and Keck ranch house in Riverwoods), approached Shulman in 2006 about doing the book. Julius Shulman: Chicago Midcentury Modernism (Rizzoli; $60) features the Minsk House, designed by Keck & Keck in 1955; the 1960 Burton Frank House; architect Harry Weese’s inspired modernist home and studio of 1957; and other modern masterpieces.
—JAN PARR
