Ultra-Chic Bar/Lounge

No matter where I go, I always end up redesigning any given space in my head. My friends have all suffered the wrath of inviting me over and having me rearrange their living room while we’re watching the game. I’ll be the first to admit it, I know I have a problem, I am thoroughly obsessed with design. Sorry I’m not sorry.

When I walked into the pale yellow front room of this beautiful home outside Naperville, I immediately envisioned the end result. They were looking for ‘a trendy, ‘River North Lounge’ type bar with a little glitz and glamour.’ Checkmate.

Having the main priority focus on the custom dual-height wet bar, everything came into place there after. The antique, grey-washed, barnwood bar lent itself perfectly to the contrasting glitz. Using a granite/mica faced, pinstripe wallpaper added an incredible amount of luminescence and width to the room while keeping it clean and classy. Custom metallic upholstery was chosen for the bar stools as well as the leather barrel chairs, bringing the look from ‘trendy reclaimed’ to ‘ultra chic.’ Selecting unique pieces such as the Christopher Guy knockoff mirrors, hand-scraped reclaimed shelves and wine racks, and a few key Artemide lighting fixtures finished off the job.

All in all, I believe it turned out to be a complete success. I was happy, they were happy, and now all their friends will be happy when they throw lavish parties in their new fabulous ‘ultra chic lounge.’

Chicago Love

I. Am. Exhausted. The last few days were a complete and total blur of design brilliance. From installing a chic bar/lounge in the ‘burbs, to buzzing around River North showrooms, to Gary Lee’s CS Interiors’ event last night, it is to no one’s surprise that I am writing this blog from under my covers.

Our Chicago agenda quickly escalated from ‘busy’ to ‘my IV of coffee is about to run out and I need more before I pass out on the spot.’ Some highlights were as follows:

1) Chris blew our minds with his new, stellar, high-end rug concepts from Organic Looms. I had to babysit Liz to make sure she wasn’t sneaking a 9×12, 100-knot, all silk rug under her jacket when we left.

2) Artemide released their Tolomeo Mega (a personal favorite) in BLACK. If you know anything about me, you know that this is pretty much the icing on the cake for my Italian lighting obsession.

3) Stopping in to the River North Baltus showroom was somewhat equivalent to two design nerd kids in a candy store. We spent over an hour, drooling over their automotive finishes on their toned-oak, dual-finish coffee tables/sofas/desks, etc.

4) Not to be mentioned last: the Gary Lee event for the CS Interior magazine release was everything it was hyped up too be. With over 600 rsvps, his brand new showroom was jam packed full of the who’s who in Chicago’s Interior Design world. From the furniture to the lighting to my brand new kicks (and Gary Lee’s), the night went off without a hitch.

My next post, which you’ll get to enjoy next week, features the gorgeous, chic bar/lounge that we installed in the suburbs. I’ve included a teaser pic to get you excited.

That’s all for now. I think it’s about time for a nap, what do you think?

CS INTERIORS

Alright y’all. It’s that time again! Check out the brand new issue of CS Interiors dropping in Chicago today!

Leaving tomorrow morning for a brilliant install in Naperville and off to the release party at Gary Lee’s new space in the Merchandise Mart!

Pictures to come.

Oh My Baltus

Most of the catalogs and promotional pieces we get from vendors are nice and normal. You expect to open up an email to see their new line or to flip through the new catalog seeing a lot of the same stuff. After looking through 20 new books a week it just all starts looking the same.

Today, this was not the case. We received a full bound, 250 page, 9×12″ photo book from BALTUS. I was honestly blown away. I have been familiar with their beautiful furniture for a while now, but today I had my breath taken away by how stunning their entire package was. The photography alone is enough to make me want to fill the studio with their product.

With touches of Holly Hunt-esque frame work, blended with Bolier type styling, their look is tailored and timeless. Using a wide range of impeccable finishes, the whole line flows from piece to piece without feeling monotonous.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Still No Snow?

I am still dumbfounded that my world isn’t covered with snow. I usually approach January with a bit of a “Debbie Downer” type outlook. I prepare myself for below zero temperatures and know that I will most likely have to shovel my car out of its spot one too many times. But I was wrong. This year I must have done something oh-so-special to get a reprieve like this. (My apologies go out to all of you who actually DO enjoy the snow… Whomever you are.)

So consider this a little taste of what we could be walking out our door to see every morning. Phew.

However, that being said, perfect pieces of architecture really do come to life when dusted with a beautiful blanket of white.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.