I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said:

Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous.

West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms.

Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh?

OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now.

—GINA BAZER

Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham

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I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said:

Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous.

West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms.

Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh?

OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now.

—GINA BAZER

Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham

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I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said:

Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous.

West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms.

Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh?

OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now.

—GINA BAZER

Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham

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Landscaping Lowdown

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I recently moderated a panel discussion at the Merchandise Mart about “exterior design.” The audience was filled with interior designers and the panel consisted of: Judi Cunningham, an interior designer whose business is called Chez Jolie (see photo of terrace decked out in white); John West, an exterior designer with an expertise in urban landscaping and the owner of JW Landscapes (see photo of rooftop deck in Old Town); and Stephen Prassas, a landscape architect and owner of Prassas Landscape Studio (see photo of Japanese-inspired Roscoe Village yard). It was all very informative for a condo-dwelling city girl whose last contact with soil was a tomato plant proudly harvested in the fifth grade. Here’s what people said:

Cunningham reminded us of the importance of maintaining continuity between the interior and the exterior design of a home so that you don’t look out the window and see something completely incongruous.

West warned us about the kind of havoc Mother Nature can wreak on your rooftop deck if your furniture isn’t well secured or heavy enough. During last year’s storms, one of his clients had a brand new set of tables and chairs fly straight off his roof onto more than one neighbors’ car. Motto of the story: If you can, seek advice from a professional before plopping a bunch of stuff on your rooftop. (But remember—even the pros can’t make guarantees; did you know that landscape architects lay awake on stormy nights worrying about their clients’ yards? This I learned today. Poor things!) West also reminded us that when decorating outdoor spaces, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to sets—with so much furniture to choose from, we should mix it up, just like we do in our living rooms.

Prassas reminded us of how the elements of an outdoor space compare with those of an indoor space. Outside, he said, our walls are buildings, shrubs, trees, fences, and views; our floors are stone, gravel, lawn, and plants; our ceilings are sky, tree canopies, and pergola tops; and our lighting is the sun, moon, stars, and reflections, along with landscape lighting. Kind of makes you think about your outside space in a whole different way, huh?

OK, I’m ready to move beyond that tomato plant now.

—GINA BAZER

Photos: Roscoe Village, courtesy Prassas; Old Town, courtesy West; Terrace, courtesy Cunningham

Studio 41 in Naperville

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Studio 41 just opened a 5,000-square-foot kitchen and bath showroom at Design Pointe in Naperville. This is great news for area suburbanites who won’t have to burn all that gas traveling into the city for their cabinets and faucets. But the little nugget that had the rest of us raising our eyebrows is that the store offers a price-match guarantee. So be sure to know the best prices on the market before visiting. In addition to carrying brands like Toto, Hansgrohe, Omega Cabinetry, and Jeld-wen, the company offers design services. We could definitely see ourselves soaking in this Naos spa tub from BainUltra.

—JACKIE HUNZINGER

Color Therapy

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I’m driving down Halsted in Boystown. It’s dark, and most shops are tucked in for the night. Gotta get gas before I head home. I’m literally running on luck. I notice a glow up ahead. Seems to be coming through the windows of I.D. Steven Burgert’s bastion of cutting-edge home design and eyewear. Alien landing? No—a crazy coat of paint. A Tiffany-blue back wall has transformed the whole store and left me stone-cold stopped in the middle of the block (’til a beep restores me to reality). I’m known to guess Ben Moore names right off the walls of most places for sport, but this… this I must add to my palette. So obsessed. I leave a voicemail. They ring with the scoop: It’s “Fountain” by Sherwin Williams. Gotta go paint my bedroom immediately!

A few days later, inspiration strikes again at the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Art Institute. There is something magical about the way the paintings pop from their painted backdrops in the exhibit halls. Phone please! Is there a method to the madness of picking these colors? Indeed there is, according to Judith Barter, Field-McCormick Chair of the Department of American Art, who enhanced her Hopper with shades that she describes as “sympathetic to the paintings.” She warns that while these moody hues (Benjamin Moore’s “Evening Dove,” the rich navy behind Nighthawks, 1942, and “Seafoam,” the greener blue behind Western Motel, 1957) may work on big gallery walls, they may be too intense for one’s home. I say mix a batch at 50 percent; it will cut the depth a bit, while giving you the same rich shade. Solitude, introspection, and a can of Ben M. Yum!

—BARRI LEINER

Edward Hopper photos courtesy of the Art Institute

Stockholm Objects’ new location

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We just got a note from the ladies at Stockholm Objects in Hinsdale that they have moved into a larger space and expanded their selection of home design (they also carry clothes). This means if you are willing to make the trek out to Hinsdale you will be rewarded with a fab selection of Scandinavian home goods. (Live in Hinsdale? Go now!) You’ll find accessories like the cool Block lamp, $125, and Tablo tray table, $159, (both by the Swedish company Design House Stockholm) and lots of clean-lined dinnerware and kitchen utensils. 39 S. Washington St., 630-655-0966. 

—GINA BAZER

Photo credit: Photos from stockholmobjects.com

Out-Marted!

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River North continues to be a hotbed for new, freestanding design showrooms, and with the recent opening of the Kinzie Design Center across the street from the Merchandise Mart, more and more trade-quality options are available to the public. Here’s a look at the Mart’s newest neighbors.