This weekend one of our favorite artists is wrapping up his first show of portraits at Generation Gallery in Dumbo. Primarily a sculptor, Vincenzo Amato turns his attention here to large, beautiful portraits of a raft of friends and acquaintances done with strong charcoal on rough, found pieces of plywood. The show closes next Wednesday, so check it out this weekend. All info is below.
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If you've ever been to one of Unison's famous warehouse sales, you know that their whitewashed Chicago space is a perfect setting for their designs. This spring, after many requests, husband and wife team Robert Segal and Alicia Rosauer decided to adjust their office space so that they could devote part of their warehouse to a weekend retail shop. More

Paint swatch art meets pop art meets the one time I tried to go record shopping after partaking in $3 margarita night at El Cid Tacos; the album covers we know and love, but slightly off-kilter, obscured just enough to be visually stimulating beyond a straightforward band poster. More

Thrift store paintings are pretty predictable — religious icons, weird clowns, and lots of very boring landscapes. Not many of us would think to include them in our home decor, unless we found a particularly rare gem or were going for a kitschy tongue-in-cheek theme. But we feature projects of upcycled and hacked thrift store finds all the time. Why not embellish a painting? And if you are going to go through the effort, you might as well make it worthwhile, and not bother adding a tree or quaint woodland cottage. Add a monster. A big one.
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It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, good old fashioned text does the best job. Quotes from funny, clever people like Julia Child, Oscar Wilde and Robert Burns will give you a chuckle. Hang them up wherever you need a pick-me-up or a little kick in the behind.

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The line between devoted pet owner and crazy cat lady (or dog person) is a fine one. One day you pick up a pair of cute salt and pepper shakers, and the next thing you know there are pillows, coasters, custom golf club covers shaped like your dog's head, and a full-length professional portrait hanging over the fireplace. How far would you go? More

Usually it's decorators taking inspiration from works of art; artist Jonas Wood has flipped that relationship upside down with his series of domestic still life paintings.

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Other people's bedrooms are always so foreign, so exotic. With just a few elements — a bed, blankets, perhaps a chair — there are a million ways to configure this most intimate of spaces. Some bedrooms inspire a reaction of, "Seriously, you like to sleep here?" while others make us want to move right in... More

This weekend I learned of a study that says looking at images of delicious, high-calorie food can make the food we're actually eating taste better. Now I find myself inspired to cover my entire kitchen in representations of rich, indulgent foods so my friends will think I'm a better cook. Read on for some food-related kitchen decor that may actually make a person feel better about eating quinoa instead of bread pudding. More

Love it or hate it, graffiti has been around as long as there have been public spaces. From the interiors of ancient caves to the walls of Pompeii to subway cars in Brooklyn, humans have always made their presence known using this subversive art form. Graffiti is about making one's mark, creating a legend and a constantly evolving conversational history.

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