Rock This Moon, Rock It Inside Out
Bust out the brilliantine and lint-roll the sharkskin, cats, because tomorrow night Lynne and Ty McDaniel are having a stomp-the-floor party to celebrate the opening of An Orange Moon’s new Wicker Park perch at 2418 West North Avenue. This sharply edited vintage furniture emporium has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and I’m happy to see it blossom into a real player in the Chicago design community. The new space looks great, with high pressed-tin ceilings, gleaming hardwood floors, and exposed-brick walls. There’s even a dance floor, and small stage area for music and spoken-word performances. Friday’s fete swings from 6–10 p.m. and features a rockabilly band, food and drink, and a 10 percent discount for Domestica readers. See you there!
A-OK
Back in June, I told you about a young Chicago graphic designer and vintage furniture aficionado, Logan Koons, who had been selling mid-century pieces on Craigslist and in his private, by-appointment-only showroom and studio in Logan Square for about two years. Well, business has been great for Koons, and he’s taking it to the streets of Lakeview with a retail store, Aosta, opening this weekend at 509 West Diversey Parkway (east of Clark Street, near the hopping Grove Restaurant). There’s a private grand-opening party this Saturday night from 7–10 with drinks, snacks, music, and you (if you print and bring this invite or mention Domestica). Koons tells me that he’ll be showing off such new finds as Barcelona and Bertoia chairs, a collection of starburst clocks, more than 20 floor and desk lamps, and “a ton of other mid-century goodness.”
Design for Saving
The Merchandise Mart’s Design Center is pulling out the stops this weekend for its wham-bam sample sale, with 33 high-style showrooms such as Henredon, Mike Bell, Jardin de Ville, and Designers Linen Source marking down product by up to 75 percent. (This handsome graphic wing chair hails from Kenneth Ludwig Home Furnishings, and has been reduced from $2,550 to $1,500.) Participants are sprinkled on five different floors this year, so wear your comfies. There’s no admission fee, it’s open to the public, and the deals go down Friday from 9–5 and Saturday from 10–3.
RN Practitioners
The Mart’s event isn’t the only sample sailing going on just north of the river this weekend, so the neighborhood is really going to be crawling with well-clad bargain hunters. The River North Retail Furniture Association has also organized a floor-model sale, featuring some of my favorite inspirational and aspirational design shops, and it will be from 10–5 on Friday and Saturday at the eight participating businesses. Showrooms include Montauk Sofa, Pauline Grace, Roche Bobois, Design Studio, Oscar Isberian rugs, and Ligne Roset, which will be offering these colorful, adjustable acrylic Pam bar stools. For 411 contact Corey Hartell at Ligne Roset, 312-222-9300.
Market Appeal
Holy holiday sales, Batman, are there ever a ton of them going on this weekend! Plan a strategy of attack and an ace gift list, and you should be able to bang out your holiday shopping by the time the Thanksgiving turducken comes out of the deep fryer. I’ll cover a few here; for more listings, check out the Events section at Chicago Home + Garden’s website.
Vintage Pine Holiday Market
Stop by Vintage Pine’s weekend-long shopping event this Saturday and snag signed copies of Chicago Spaces for every designaholic on your gift list (editor Jan Parr will be hanging around from 2–5 to personalize the Nate Berkus–endorsed tome). Vintage Pine (904 West Blackhawk) is a charming and eclectic resource featuring more than 20 home-furnishing vendors pushing Eurocentric and rustic American antique furniture, interior design services, vintage prints, maps, and fashion illustrations, garden statuary, and a whole lot more.
Randolph Street Holiday Market
This sale, in its fifth year, has a lot going for it, especially if you’re into vintage and antiques. Browse more than 70 booths of furniture, clothing, and gifts in the rambling, multilevel historic Plumber’s Hall at 1340 West Washington Street in West Town. Kids shop free; if you’re older than 11, admission, which includes a vendor discount voucher, is $10 at the door or $8 in advance. Other perks include free parking, free local furniture delivery, and free gift wrap. Free-free-free!
Green Home Holiday
It’s pretty easy being green with Karen Kalmek and her Green Home Chicago in town — the South African–import is dedicated to espousing high-style, eco-friendly interior design products from flooring and countertops to paints, window treatments, and furniture. This Saturday, from 2–5, GHC will be having a pop-up sale of works by eight local crafters and artists, including ASID designer and prolific knitter Norma Zeiger, who whipped up these colorful pillows. Other offerings include handmade bowls, furniture, jewelry, clothing, and artwork, and there will be a raffle, wine and snacks, and extra day-of-sale discounts on shop inventory (10% off the cool yet toasty Ecosmart portable fireplaces and 25 percent off any new upholstered furniture).
DIY Trunk Show
Don’t be misled by the title—this isn’t an expo for build-your-own-bear kits and Simplicity patterns. The 100-plus vendors the Chicago Craft Mafia has organized for its ninth DIY Trunk Show have already done it themselves, and all you have to do is buy it yourself. Crafters will be selling handmade toys, stationery, housewares, soaps, pet products, jewelry, and clothing, under one roof at the Broadway Armory (5917 North Broadway) on Saturday, November 19, from 10–5. Admission is free, and the first 150 visitors get a goodie bag.
Have Some Art
My friend Diane Soubly is a Chicago film stylist, home stager, artist, and musician, and has been putting together fun group exhibitions of artists and crafters for the last three years or so, and mounting them in storefronts and coffeehouses to expose and promote local work. Her company is called Have Art, and tonight there’s an opening party at the Roscoe Village Starbucks (2023 West Roscoe Avenue), from 5–9. Six artists (including Alex Aponte, pictured with his paintings and mosaics) will be showing, and there’s a silent auction, a raffle, and food (Diane always puts out a nice spread). The work will remain on view for the rest of the year.