February 2010

Vintage collector extraordinaire Katie Ernst is opening the doors to her normally by-appointment-only showroom Revision Home at 2132 W. Fulton for her second three-day sale this Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. There will also be a preview of the merch on Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Also on Thursday night, nearby Supreme Novelty Fabrics  at 2156 W. Fulton (open to the trade only) opens its doors for a reception. Though Supreme stocks a big selection of bridal fabrics, it carries about the same amount of home decor fabrics.

—GINA BAZER

A few weeks back I was rushing through the Mart and Robert Briggs of Granite & Marble Resources beckoned me into his showroom to show off Stonewood, a pioneering product exclusive to Granite & Marble in the U.S. If you like the look of wood but need your floors to have the properties of stone, check it out. Made mostly of quartzitic limestone or marble, which is dense and non-absorbent, it doesn’t warp or contract when in contact with water and can be placed in the bathroom (even showers), lower levels, and kitchens. It’s scratch-resistant, looks like exotic wood, and comes in eight colors. It’s stocked in the Chicago area for faster delivery, and you can get countertops in large slabs or mosaics to match. If there are some other materials out there that you’d like to mimic with good old durable tile, check out our story Copy Cats, which features tile that looks like linen, wood, bamboo, and more.

—JAN PARR