When summer is in full swing, Richard Wright, of the auction house Wright, and Valerie Carberry, who owns a gallery that bears her name, settle into a season of gardening, grilling, and outdoor entertaining in the backyard of their 1890s Kenwood home. Dinner parties on the patio typically feature fresh herbs and vegetables that Carberry grows in raised beds and hefty terra cotta pots, which are kept a safe distance from the basketball hoop where Wright and his two sons, who live with the couple, play frequent pickup games.

The atmosphere is casual and traditional, which may seem at odds with the 20th-century art at the core of Carberry’s business or the boundary-pushing design at the heart of Wright’s. But the mood, Carberry says, “feels modern and lively when we’re playing with the boys or relaxing with friends over cocktails.” See below for fifteen of their summer essentials.

15 Things They Love

1950s PATIO FURNITURE
See photo above. He says: “The more lived in, the more relaxing.”

JAMES PERSE T-SHIRTS ($45 each, Nordstrom, 55 E. Grand Ave.)
He says: “They’re the ultimate in summer comfort, and they only get softer with wear.”

CHILI-INFUSED OLIVE OIL IN QUATTRO STAGIONI CRUET
($8 for cruet, left, The Container Store, 908 W. North Ave.)
She says: “It makes a great gift—I like to spread a little fire around.”

MARNI RUBBER BOOTS ($430 for similar style, Barneys New York, 15 E. Oak St.)
She says: “They are surprisingly comfortable and maintenance-free. If they get too muddy, I just hose them off.”

The sausage case at Publican Quality Meats

TOULOUSE SAUSAGES ($9 per pound, Publican Quality Meats, 825 W. Fulton Market)
He says: “They’re delicious on the grill, and picking them up is a quick stop on the way home from my gallery.”

LONG LEATHER GARDENING GLOVES ($35 for similar style at sears.com)
She says: “Two fingertips are worn through, but they are molded perfectly to my hands.”

Photography: (sausage case) Penny Pollack; (all others) Anna Knott

PERSOL SUNGLASSES ($270, Glasses Ltd., 900 N. Michigan Ave.)
She says: “With their light amber frames and weird green lenses, these sunglasses look really fresh.”

MALIN + GOETZ SPF 15 FACE MOISTURIZER ($48, Haberdash EDC, 611 N. State St.)
She says: “It’s lightweight and has a lovely texture.”

BLUNDERBUSS BY JACK WHITE ($13 for CD, Permanent Records, 1914 W. Chicago Ave.)
He says: “My summer album. It’s an instant classic.”

WEBER GENESIS E-310 GAS GRILL ($699, Gordon’s Ace Hardware, 725 S. State St.)
She says: “The cooking surface is ample, and the heat is easy to control. We had to have it.”

Photography: (Blunderbuss, grill) courtesy of vendors, (all others) Anna Knott

FIRE PIT
He says: “Talking around a fire is about as basic as it gets, and the only way to have s’mores.”

LARGE TERRACOTTA POTS
She says: “They are the workhorses of any city garden. I clean them out and stack them upside down at the end of every fall, and fill them up and repot them every spring—mostly with cherry tomatoes, which we end up eating right off the plant.”

PORTABLE iPOD PLAYER
He says: “It folds in half for travel, so we take it everywhere, and it is so easy to carry outside to enjoy music in the evenings.”

WOODEN PASTA RACK
She says: “It’s great for hanging and drying tied bundles of herbs.”

FALANGHINA DEI FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO WHITE WINE ($16, binnys.com)
She says: “It has a bit more body than whites that are typically served in the summer, so it stands up to big flavors from the grill. And at around $16 per bottle, it is perfect for everyday.”

Photography: Anna Knott