This Week’s Top Story

Eva Quateman hasn’t always dreamed of launching her own furniture line, but when she created the living room for the Merchandise Mart’s 2015 DreamHome, the interior designer—who’s crafted tables, chairs, and more for her clients throughout the years—discovered that she could share her perspective in a whole new way.

“The seller who made the sofa for me in the DeAurora Showroom asked where I got [some] other stuff, and I said, ‘I made it,’” Quateman recalls. “He said, ‘Well, what else do you have?’” Nearly a year and a half later, Quateman debuted Eva Quateman Essentials (evaquatemanessentials.com) in that same showroom during the recent Design Chicago event.

“I like to mix scale and do smaller pieces in a room—almost what people would think is too small,” Quateman says. “Anything that’s really little is my favorite.” For her Morgan Mini Chair, Quateman drew inspiration from a similar-sized chair that she had refurbished after stumbling upon it in a junk shop decades ago. “If you put a chair like that in the middle of the space, you can see beyond it. People love sitting in little chairs—especially during a cocktail party—because they can hunker over the coffee table with hors d’oeuvres and the like.”

With other standouts including a console, decorative privacy screen, and églomisé tables, Eva Quateman Essentials consists of 16 pieces and counting. “I’ve been making [pieces] as I go along,” Quateman says. “When I’m inspired, I do it. Although my husband keeps saying, ‘Let’s sell some, first.’”

Interior Intel

View nearly 30 new, large-scale works by Chicago-based artist Adam Siegel at The Golden Triangle (330 N. Clark St., goldentriangle.biz) through December 10.

Walter E. Smithe (smithe.com) has expanded its offerings with the addition of three labels: Baker Furniture; Rachael Ray Home by Legacy Classic Furniture; and Carson, a lower-priced division of the Marge Carson brand.

Events

Tonight at Elements (741 N. Wells St., elementschicago.com) Sandro Miller will be signing copies of The Malkovich Sessions, the photographer’s coffee table book that celebrates his frequent collaborator, actor John Malkovich.

Tour six Harbor Country homes and their state-of-the-art kitchens as Designs For Dignity (designsfordignity.org) hosts its 13th Annual Kitchen Walk this Saturday. Tickets will be available during check-in at Susan Fredman at Home (15998 Red Arrow Hwy., Union Pier, Mich., fredmandesigngroup.com), or they can be purchased here.

Icon Modern (346 N. Justine St., #100, iconmodern.com) has crafted sustainable furniture for brands like Goose Island Beer Co., Google, Starbucks, and Whole Foods, and for the first time, the West Loop-based company is hosting a public sample sale through Saturday.

Arte Italica (arteitalica.com) owner and president Chris Collins will visit Peachtree Place (303 S. Happ Rd., Northfield, peachtreeplaceonline.com) on October 26, where he’ll be sharing the label’s inspirations.