Apartment Therapy Chicago - Archive for the week of 2008-07-10

A Peek Inside: Midwest Mid Century

Architect Jack Viks designed this home which was built in 1960. It sits on nearly 4 acres in Lake Forest and is currently up for sale, but our interest is pure inspiration. Jump below for a glimpse at...

The Gallery: Carrie Marill's Big Small Town

Carrie Marill's intricate drawings of flora and fauna have been featured on Apartment Therapy before, but the artist's newest body of work veers in a different direction. Her 2008 series of painting...

How Far Do Your Recycling Habits Go?

It's sometimes easier to go big when it comes to being green. Sorting your recyclables, using flooring that has been salvaged or installing energy saving appliances all seem more appealing than remem...

Why Speed Decorating Doesn't Work for Us

We had such big plans this week. We were going to pull together a guest room from scratch in 6 days. Day 1: Find a bed that could also work as a sofa. Day 2: Buy bedding. Day 3: Clear out and organi...

Being Eco-Friendly Without Deep Pockets
O At Home

When you think about being green and building a home, typically numbers with lots of zeros come to mind. But not in this case. Heather Ferrier's home near Forth Worth, TX rings in at 2,028-sqft and ...

New Wallpaper, Furniture on Wheels, a Decorative Home & Mirror Shopping
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.16.08

A few good links from our online searching today: New hand printed wallpaper, adding wheels to furniture, a decorative painter's home and the choice between high, low and medium-priced mirrors. Jump ...

New Gallery Beta!

Dear Readers, For the next hour we'd like to ask you to help us by trying out our new gallery, which we've totally redesigned. You can click to any gallery in any post or house tour to see the new...

Hot or Not? Industry Wall Flat

Jump below for voting, price and link....

Be Here Now

Tucked away on the "Square" (if you're a local), or downtown area of Independence Missouri, lies Be Here Now, a Home Decor and Design Center. Click through the jump to see the sea of pictures that...

Bargain Hunter: Under $15 - Fado Table Lamp

Good design for not much more than the price of a movie ticket - that is hard to beat. We've been fans (and owners) of this sized-just-right table lamp for ages. It is the......

Look! Recycled Vases

Remember those glass bottles we scrubbed clean a while ago? We've been using them as vases in our kitchen......

CHI Good Questions: Ideas for Shelving in this Nook?

Jamie sent in a good question: I just moved into a great place in Wicker Park and have begun decorating it. One challenge so far: this strange nook/inlet in my dining room wall. It's about 6.5 feet wi...

Summer Sale at West Elm

There's SO MUCH on sale right now at West Elm, it's hard to showcase just a few items. We narrowed it down to some bigger ticket pieces and threw in colorful accessories to inspire:...

Look!: Chain-Link Fence Beautification

A graphic designer covered chain-link fence in something more ambitious than ivy or morning glories....

Linden Street Accessories at JCPenney

In April, JCPenney unveiled a new line of furnishings and accessories called Linden Street. Now, the entire series is on sale! This 5" Round Metal Clock, for example, is marked down from $40 to $19....

CHI Scavenger: Mid-Century Modern Under $100

Lots of good stuff on craigslist today - almost too much to post! We found some great mid-century modern pieces under $100 in downtown Chicago, Andersonville, and the Ukrainian Village. If you're lo...

Green Pet: RecycleBall and RecycleBone

Made by Planet Dog in Portland Maine, the RecyleBall and RecycleBone are made with 100% "regrind" scraps left over from the production of other chew toys......

CHI Good Questions: What Goes with "The Monster"?

Ann sent us a good question: Dear AT Chicago, I have a question about putting a living room together around my vintage sofa. This sofa walks a very delicate line between ugly and gorgeous. It's old, i...

Summer in Chicago: Green Home Workshops

The Chicago Architecture Foundation and the Chicago Center for Green Technology have teamed up to present a summer series of green home workshops. Programs include lessons on greening your historic ...

Lemony Lounge, Painted Closet, Colorful Book Wrappers & Martha Stewart Blue
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.15.08

The theme for today's Slinks - color! A lemon-y bright lounge, orange hand painted closet doors, organizational book wrappers and "Martha Stewart Blue" at Macys. Jump below for all the links......

How To: Easily Trim Hedges Yourself

Being a homeowner has many pros and cons. Sure you have yard space to hold a great dinner party and garden outside of containers, but keeping up on the yard work can sometimes seem daunting. Even i...

Inspiration: Simple Rooms from Tine K

It doesn't get much simpler than the home of Danish designer Tine Kjeldsen. An advocate of basic, comfortable home furnishings, Kjeldsen translates that style into her company. The Tine K catalog of...

Roundup: Floor Vases

If you have thumbed through any of the recent catalogs to hit your mailbox (or inbox), you might have noticed a growing trend. Floor Vases. Sure they have been around for a long time (think Egypti...

Hot or Not? The Paper Potter

Make your own sowing and seedling pots from old newspaper. Jump below for voting, link and price:...

Slim Slant Coffee Table

It's rare that a piece of furniture makes us stop in our tracks and say, "Dang!" but the Slim Slant by Modern Slant does just that. And the fact that it is also eco-friendly, made from renewable bamb...

Look: Fun Filigree Gate

The Elmwood Cemetery sits in a blighted area on the outskirts of downtown K.C., in an area that is usually rather un-hip and less than photo-worthy. While my husband and I were taking the long way ho...

Green @ Home: Matt's Power Plan
submit your own...

Name: Matt Location: Chicagoland Profession: Financial Auditor/Photographer Welcome to Matt, whose green moves started with a simple motivation - to save some money. As we all look for ways to spend ...

Printing by Hand: Lena Corwin's New Book

We've been reading Lena's blog for years and remember when she wrote about working on her book project oh so long ago - but the release date has finally arrived. The book, Printing by Hand comes out t...

Budget Motel Makeovers
Budget Travel 07.2008

Flipping through Budget Travel magazine, we noticed a small article on Motel 6 and Microtel, two budget chains that are trying to revamp their image without raising prices. Click below to see how de...

CHI Good Questions: Source for Pillows Like Rachel's?

Kelle wants to know: Where can I find pillows like the ones in Rachel's Grad School Getaway living room? Her entry for the Small Cool Contest 2008 was my favorite. I love her style and the colors th...

Roundup: Modern Yellow Sofas

Like many of you, we were smitten by Design Public's black, white and yellow room in Sarah's color combo post last week. While a white sofa would quickly be destroyed in our home, we could still get t...

Alphabet Trend

Maybe it's a collective longing for back-to-school, but we're noticing an emerging trend: the ABCs... or at least, some of them. ...

First Aid (and More Fun) by Help Remedies

Caring for oneself should be simple. Help Remedies is here to, well, help. By removing the "gaudy graphics" from their 100% recycled paper pulp packaging, Help Remedies wants to prove that first aid...

Green Fabrics and Fibers

You know about organic cotton and pesticide-free hemp but what about SeaCell, an open-weave blend of wood pulp and seaweed that's soft and breathable? Or paperwool, a blend of organic wool and rice ...

CHI Scavenger: Fiberglass Shell Chairs for $350.

Two fiberglass shell chairs for sale in Uptown. One plum with rocker base, one red with chrome wheeled base. Will also sell separately. Jump below for links to this and more good finds: Apartment The...

Guess the Decade: Sunny Rec Room Bar - The Answer

It's a total slam DUNK by the readers this time around - you guys are good! (Click here to guess first - then jump below for the answer & more photos)...

The Gallery: John Murphy

John Murphy is one of those rare artists who pays as much attention to the frame as the work inside. It's probably safe to say that the frames make these artworks, which are very much about objectho...

CHI Good Questions: Anthropologie-style Bedding?

Tricia sent in an email: Hi, I am a sophomore in college and will be moving into my first apartment this fall up at school. Since i will be spending a lot of my time in my room i want something that i...

Villa in Positano
Yatzer 07.2008

In keeping with our look at rich patterns today, we thought we'd showcase this Italian Villa found on Yatzer. If you want to make the suzani trend work for your own home, this is the space to study....

At On... Lowering Your Bills While Being Green

Since this month is "green month" my husband and I have started taking a look at some of the smaller things we can do to be a little more eco-friendly. Sure we want to save baby seals and give the ...

Best of Three: Round Dining Tables

We've been looking at round dining tables FOREVER but have yet to find the perfect fit, so the search continues . Here are three that are currently on the market - they vary quite a bit in price and s...

Tile Vault: Sam's Bargain Town

What: Exterior 1x1 tiles at Sam's Bargain Town Where: Truman Road, Kansas City Mo. When: Photos taken Saturday, July 12th @ 6 p.m. Why: Truman Road in K.C. Mo, is a street that feels like it could ...

Temporary Kitchen, Patterned Villa, DIY Coatrack, and a Battery Only Weekend
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.14.08

Some good links from our travels around the blogs today: a cute and temporary Ikea kitchen, a gorgeously patterned villa, a chain link and wooden hanger storage solution and limiting your weekend work...

High and Low: Richly Patterned Pillows

Lately we've been impressed by the variety of richly patterned pillows available from several hundreds of dollars down to the $20-$50 dollar range. At the expensive end of the spectrum, saturated co...

CHI Good Questions: Good Vintage Store?

Brooke is looking for some shopping info. She writes: Ok... I live in Lincoln Park and am looking for a vintage store to find a good sideboard at a good price.(Note: Include a pic of your problem and ...

Taking Your Style with You

We made the brave Metra journey out to Ravinia (a local outdoor concert venue) on Friday night. For those that haven't done this recently or ever, expect full trains to pass you by, standing room only...

Become an Urban Farmer

OK, so you've read No-Impact Man and Fritz Haeg. If it’s time to try your hand at the land, SPIN Farming intends to help you do it for fun and yes, profit. You don’t even need a yard of your own. ...

Laundry: Self-Managed or Outsourced?

This is not a landscape shot of some triumphant mountain range. After playing catch-up from a vacation, this is our Everest-esque pile of dirty laundry. In desperate moments like this, we often long...

CHI Scavenger: Metal Steelcase Desk for $50

In Naperville, this white metal Steelcase office desk with a wood grain laminate top is selling for $50. The desktop includes a hole for wire routing. Jump below for links and more good finds: ...

Leslie Hindman Auctions: This Week

The largest auction house in the Midwest, Leslie Hindman, has several auctions coming up this week. Today they present two sessions of the higher end Furniture and Decorative Arts category and Tuesday...

CHI Hot Posts:Home Office Roundup, Target vs. Ikea, $199 or Less from CB2's Fall Catalog & the Olde Bell Inn

The readers favorite posts on AT:Chicago this week were a glimpse inside the homes of 12 Chicagoans with great workspaces, a budget chair faceoff between Target and Ikea (guess who won?), 8 good items...

Guess the Decade: Sunny Rec Room Bar

It's Friday, time for a new round of the Guess the Decade game, this time featuring a sunny spot for at home cocktails. Simply take a good look at design of the room above for clues and then jump belo...

Color Combo: Black, White, and...

For today's color combo, we thought we'd start with black and white, then spin the wheel for bold accent colors. We love the way yellow offsets the high-contrast scheme in this room, so we went on a...

CHI Good Questions: Sectional, Long Couch or 2 Couches?

Kate send us a good question and 3 possible floorplans: We recently bought our first home in the Chicago area--Forest Park. Before we got the house, I spent almost every spare minute I had designing ...

Petite Collage by Lorena Siminovich

Lorena Siminovich's petite collages are marketed to parents shopping for a nursery (her Animal Poster was featured on odeedoh), but we think they work for grown-ups, too. We could see these apple an...

Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company
Cool Hunting

There is limit to what we as individuals will do when it comes to being "green" and "eco-friendly." Sure the recyclables get sorted and the same canvas/nylon bag is used for each trip to the grocery s...

Toy Photos, Fabric Sale, Danish Decor & a Vintage Bunk
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.11.08

Found today while trekking through the design blogs: inside out bear photos, fabric on sale at PB, beautiful danish decor from Tine K and a very cool 70's bunkbed. Jump below for the links:...

Survey: Recycling Storage

We're thankful (and fortunate) that Berwyn has a Recyclable Materials Program. Every Wednesday, the garbage truck swings by and takes our trash and then a bit later, the RMP truck swings on by and ta...

The Gallery: Little Friends of Printmaking

The Little Friends of Printmaking are a husband-and-wife team of silkscreen artists living and working in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Emerging onto an already crowded poster art scene in early 2003, The ...

Green@Home: Lara's Gone Green
submit your own...

Name: Lara Location: Clarksville, TN Profession: Realtor Welcome to Lara and her family, who have made many meaningful green moves already, with plans for more. From the basics to big plans, this is ...

Flickr Finds: Thefarmersdaughter's Recycled Garden Path

Checking Flickr today, we were excited to find new photos from long-time Cure member thefarmersdaughter (aka lorijo) tagged with "apartmenttherapychicago." This brick pathway leading up to her door ...

CHI Sales Calendar: 07.11.08

July Sales & Events... Griffins & Gargoyles Garden Market Sale Saturday June 12 All outdoor pieces and garden elements discounted 30% All indoor furniture and accessories discounted 20% 2140 W....

Roundup: Deck of Cards Decor

If you're on a summer card kick, then you might just appreciate these suit-inspired items for the home. While there's a definite way to do hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs the wrong way in decor, we...

3-D Porcelain Tiles

Summer shelter mags always feature cottages with some artful, oddly appealing use of shells. Yet they never felt quite at home in the Midwest. These oceanic-even-when-they’re-not Wall Tiles might ...

Tastemakers Design Chicago Contest

Out Magazine and Chicago Home & Garden, along with Basil Hayden's, are sponsoring a design competition this summer. It will cover 4 categories (artwork, fashion, furniture, interior design elements), ...

CHI Scavenger: Vintage Modern Desk for $200

In Andersonville, this vintage modern desk made from solid walnut is selling for $200. Cleverly designed with lots of storage space, the desk has a cream formica top, two file drawers, one center dr...

From Maxwell's Desk to Yours: The AT Email

Hey Chicago - want another track into the world of AT? Maxwell prepares a daily email every Monday through Friday which includes a new post by Max and links to the top posts from across the AT sites. ...

CHI Open Thread: 118

Friday RoundtableHello to KWorld, Cde and Madampince!...

House Tour Roundup: Hard Working Home Offices

This week, we dug through our House Tour archives for the best of the best of home workplaces on AT:Chicago. As someone who works full time from home, I know it's not always easy to incorporate a good...

Wright Now Scavenger: Vintage Black on Black

This bevy of black beauties would look amazing with a simple white walls and a shaggy cream colored carpet - maybe in a Mies highrise? Why not dream big? Four vintage finds from Wright working togethe...

The Gallery: Chris Uphues

Almost ten years ago, I randomly met Chris Uphues at a tiny gallery in Chicago. He gave me a homemade button printed with a smiling heart. I saved the button, and now those same doodles are plastered ...

Best Gift, Retro Flatscreen, Concrete & David Hockney
Seen, noted and found interesting. Slinks for 07.10.08

Good rest stops on our web travels today...the best gift, a retro flatscreen, some very pretty concrete and David Hockney. Jump below for all the links:...

Philippe Starck for Yoo Group

Lately we have been really mesmerized by Philippe Starck's interiors for global developer Yoo Group. Even though they're very upscale, we've found a few ideas that could be incorporated into almost ...

Found: Skinny House in Kansas City

While driving around western Kansas City this home caught our eye. At first we thought it was neat because of the square paneling on the outside of the building and the giant red stripe that goes u...

Good Quote: Picasso

"Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint."...

Best of Three: Modern Wooden Lamps

While reviewing some teen bedding for Ohdeedoh, we noticed that Delia*s now sells lighting. It was one of the lamps we found there, which inspired this Best of Three. Voting, links, price and info b...

How To: Turn Your Summer Photos Into A Color Palette

Have you ever walked into a room that reminded you of somewhere you had already been? Maybe the colors are the same as the hotel you stayed at on your honeymoon, or the room is so bright and airy th...

Inspiration: Great Guest Rooms

Since we moved a couple of months ago, we've been avoiding one room in our house. Our "guest room" has become the catch-all for stuff we're not sure what to do with and, needless to say, it's not in...

How To: Shelly's Outdoor Upholstery Makeover

Shelly aka Mod Home Ec teacher (here is her first appearance on AT:Chi, followed by this one and this one) just sent us the link to another one of her always great tutorials. She tackled the job of ma...

Traditional Mosquito Repellant?

The mosquitoes are driving us all crazy this summer, and the citronella candles don't seem to be helping all that much. This "Anty Fly" sphere designed by José de la O was recently shown as a mosquit...

CHI Scavenger: Wormley for Dunbar Table for $150

In Andersonville, a circa 1950 vintage modern corner table by Edward Wormley. The seller is asking $150 and says it is in excellent condition. Jump below for links: Apartment Therapy Furniture Classi...

Magnetic Calendar

A friend recently passed on this fab DIY calendar, ready for fridge or filing cabinet. It spoke to our inner procrastinator, managing to make even "deadline" look good. ...

Roundup: Not Entirely Ridiculous Items from SkyMall Magazine

Known for its collection of eclectic wares, SkyMall Magazine can always be counted on to alleviate in-flight jitters. As we flipped through its pages, however, we realized that some items aren't pure...

Penelope's: Eclectic Accessories

When we wrote about seeing Shinzi Katoh's housewares at Penelope's, we realized that this Wicker Park shop wasn't yet in our store guide, so we thought we'd add it. Although Penelope's is primarily ...

The (Modern) Art of the Tea Towel

Opening this week at the Nicolas Gallery in Cincinnati, A Mad Tea (Towel) Party features over 20 designers and artists from around the world. A mashup between the highly practical and totally creative...

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