August 2008

Since Hejfina’s opening day, I’ve swooned and saved my coin to shop the well-edited selection of well-cut and oozingly cool clothing lines for men and women, and the small, artful selection of furniture by the likes of Carson Maddox and Michael Koehler that was in the front of the store. While she is no longer representing the furniture makers, shop owner Heiji Choy Black has caught the home bug harder than ever. The front of the shop now boasts a carefully curated cache of tabletop goods and art, including a sustainable line from Denmark called Mater (see white pitcher above) and Lexon clocks (see clock radio above). This month, Chicago-based artist Noelle Allen’s window display kicks off the shop’s collaboration with local artists, whose work will be shown throughout the space.  Look for a new artist every month, with photographer Doug Fogelson and multimedia artist William J. O’Brien coming soon—as well as more homewares.

—BARRI LEINER

 It’s that back-to-school time of year again, and even though I haven’t seen the inside of a classroom in a while I still think about grade school shopping lists of Pink Pearl erasers, number two pencils, and Mead spiral notebooks every time the dog days of August start barking. (Maybe it’s the tree-and-a-half’s worth of circulars that slips out of my Sunday papers every week.) Kids have a lot more options these days, though. I saw some great, stylish school/office supplies the other day at Staples. No kidding. Who’da thunk that this utilitarian supplies chain would come out with a quirky line of stationary and office products that rivals Target in its creativity and sophistication? The line is called M by Staples, and it’s available at select Staples locations (4610 N. Clark Street, for one) with limited online availability. I especially like these pushpins and binder clips that are made to look like old typewriter keys. They’re $5.99 for a set of eight, and they’ve taken my cubicle to the head of the class.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN

I recently returned from my vacation to Germany, Austria, and Croatia, and my head is still swimming from cultural overload (or am I just detoxing from all of that great beer?). We spent most of our time driving through Southern Germany and then took a train to Salzburg, Austria, by far my favorite place on the trip. What struck me the most were the painted houses and buildings: pinks and grays were neighbors to yellows and greens—and for some reason they all seem to get along quite nicely.

     One interesting color factoid emerged from our tour through the countryside (The Sound of Music tour; don't laugh—I initially resisted, but it turned out to be a great way to see the city) and a stop at Hellbrunn Palace, a striking yellow-gold summer home built for the Archbishop of Austria in 1613, which you can see from a mile away. Our guide informed us that “Schonbrunn Gold” was the favorite color of Archduchess of Austria Maria Therese and thus became the standard for her palace buildings, garden walls, and just about any administrative built under her rule. The color is also supposed to have the unique characteristic of repelling mosquitoes. Interested in trying it out for yourself? The closest thing I can find is Farrow & Ball's “Babouche 223.” Luckily, it's not available in exterior masonry paint (I don't think your neighbors are quite ready for your Austrian bungalow), but it is available in exterior eggshell-perfect for doors, gates, large flower pots, or even your old picnic table. Just add a stein of beer and your palace is complete.

-Adam Moroschan