The Guide: Chicago
September 1, 2005
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A vignette at the Golden Triangle. Photography by Amie Hana. (Click image to enlarge.)Shop
North Michigan Ave. (and its cross-streets like East Oak and East Delaware) is known as Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, which is home to most of the city’s best shopping—from Barneys and Marshall Field’s to Frette and Gucci. The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest collection of luxury boutiques for the home and is where you will find large showrooms like Holly Hunt and Baker Knapp & Tubbs. But it is the city’s numerous galleries and boutiques—dealing in one-of-a kind antiques and collectibles—that lend Chicago’s residences their panache. Material Possessions has the city’s most nteresting items for the tabletop, in styles that range from old-world to contemporary. Elements is defined by functional beauty; specializing in everything from throw pillows and vases to handmade jewelry, the store is an especially good source for hostess gifts. Antiques stores like Rita Bucheit, which has an astounding collection of Biedermeier and Art Deco furnishings, and Douglas Rosin, which carries collectibles gathered from across the world from 1890 to 1970, are the best places to find historical accents to complement the newer pieces you may pick out at Thomas Job, whose showroom includes furnishings from Nancy Corzine and rugs from Christopher Farr, and Troscan, whose to-the-trade-only home furnishings collections (available at Holly Hunt) are influenced by a wide spectrum of design, from ancient China to the Weiner Werkstätte.
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A table setting from Le Magasin. (Click image to enlarge.)Andrew Hollingsworth quit his job as a CFO to open up his eponymous showroom that exhibits an array of Nordic and contemporary furnishings from the 20th and 21st centuries. Wright is a national leader in the auctioning of modern art and design collectibles from designers like Mies van der Rohe and George Nakashima (those not patient enough for auctions can also browse their “Wright Now” section for pieces such as an Hermès clock-and-barometer set from the 1960s and a Pierre Cardin floor lamp from the 1970s). Designers often head to the Golden Triangle for Asian antiques like armoires and chests that add variety to modern interiors. Also specializing in imports, Le Magasin’s Didier Milleriot visits France several times a year to bring back the best fine linens, furniture and soaps from his homeland’s boutique workshops; close to 85 percent of his wares are not available anywhere else in the city. Chicago’s climate is not conducive to year-round outdoor living, but the antique garden accessories at Kimball & Bean will at least inspire you to spend more time looking at your garden; the collection ranges from fountains to hooks and knobs, all displayed throughout a 19th-century historic barn just outside the city. New Metal Crafts has the kind of elegant lighting fixtures that make your jaw drop, but do not let their name fool you—their chandeliers can date back to the 19th century (among the collection is an elaborate Baccarat crystal chandelier in the Louis XV style from around 1880). Finally, Architectural Artifacts, which salvages everything from stained glass windows to fireplace mantels that would have otherwise been destroyed during routine demolitions, is a must-visit. The enormous collection is displayed in the company’s 80,000-square-foot showroom and 15,000-square-foot museum, which exhibits artifacts from Frank Lloyd Wright, George Elmslie and Louis Sullivan.
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A Biedermeier table from Rita Bucheit. (Click image to enlarge.)Shopping
The Merchandise Mart, The Merchandise Mart, Suite 470, Chicago,
800.677.6278, www.merchandisemart.com/mmart
Material Possessions, 704 North Wabash, Chicago, 312.280.4885, www.materialpossessions.com
Elements,
102 E. Oak St., Chicago, 312.664.5222
Rita Bucheit, 449 N. Wells St.,
Chicago, 312.527.4080, www.ritabucheit.com
Douglas Rosin, 730
N. Wells St., Chicago, 312.337.6556, www.douglasrosin.com
Thomas Job, 222
Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, 312.822.9944
Troscan, 320 N. Damen Ave.,
Suite D300, Chicago, 312.733.0158, www.troscandesign.com
Andrew
Hollingsworth, 222 W. Huron St., Chicago, 312.440.9554, www.andrewhollingsworth.com
Wright,
1140 W Fulton, Chicago,312.563.0020, www.wright20.com
The Golden Triangle, 72
W. Hubbard St.,Chicago, 312.755.1266, www.goldentriangle.biz
Le Magasin,
408 N. Clark St., Chicago, 312.396.0030
Kimball & Bean, 3606 S. Country
Club Rd.,Woodstock, 815.444.9000, www.kimballandbean.com
New Metal
Crafts, 812 N. Wells St., Chicago, 312.787.6991, www.newmetalcrafts.com
Architectural
Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, 773.348.6118, www.architecturalartifacts.com
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