03/31/08

Dilemma | To Paint or Not to Paint Wood Moldings?

My husband and I have been shopping for a new house for months and if we ever find a home that we both agree upon and that we can actually afford, it will be a miracle. Here’s one issue. While we both want a vintage place, we are divided on our preferences for original wood trim (husband likes; I don’t). All the real estate ads make a big deal about “original woodwork,” and I when I arrive at these places I feel the weight of history pressing on me the second I walk through the door. If I buy this place, am I morally obligated to carry on this torch of originality? In wanting to paint the woodwork white, am I as evil as all those developers who destroy old buildings to put up hideous new construction?

I turned to two interior designers, Laura Soskin and Jessica Lagrange, to get their two cents. Both were adamant: Paint it white! “Just because that’s how they used to do it doesn’t mean that’s how it should stay,” said Soskin. “White is modern—your house doesn’t have to look like grandma’s!” Lagrange added, “Many times, the wood itself is nothing special—just stained pine.” That made me feel better. Now I just have to find the house.

—GINA BAZER

Living room photo from Jameson Realty.
Soskin’s home photographed by Nathan Kirkman.

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03/31/08

InBox | Glass Backsplashes

A graphic designer here wonders if there’s anyone in the area who manufactures and installs solid pieces of glass for backsplashes. His research has turned up only companies outside of Illinois. Anyone?

—JAN PARR

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03/28/08

InBox | Randall Kramer

Furniture designer/artist Randall Kramer sent us this photo of a new stair railing he made from an Asian antique window screen from Primitive. We love the idea of repurposing as a green design strategy. 

—JAN PARR

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03/27/08

InBox | Willow

—GINA BAZER

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03/26/08

Obsession | Binth Pillows

I am obsessed with the local screen-printing company Binth, which mainly produces paper products (greeting cards, art prints, notecards) but has recently expanded into pillows. Many of the company’s designs have a sort of Edward Gorey quality to them (but, more upbeat, like if Gorey went to therapy), but they are also surprisingly kid-oriented, featuring birds and bears. The pillows are made in the USA out of organic linen and are great for adults and kiddies alike. Watch for new designs, with mice and bunnies, based on Binth’s “cameo card” collection, out this month. Available at Sprout Home and Grow.

—GINA BAZER

Photos from binth.com

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03/26/08

InBox | Moserform

Pauline Grace is displaying a new collection from Moserform, by furniture designer Thomas Moser. We’re not big Art-Nouveau fans, but these pieces caught our eye with their elegant restraint. They’re available through designers and architects.

—JAN PARR

Photography copyright MOSERform, from moserform.com

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03/26/08

Spotted | Can Someone Please Explain This?

http://michael-associates.com/HInsdale%20IL_Res2.htm

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03/25/08

Scoop | Clearly Cool

If you love the whole Dale Chihuly-colored-glass thing, you’ll want to check out Prodigy Glassworks, a new studio I recently spotted on the happening Harrison Street strip in Oak Park, (on the way to yoga, natch). Matt Kwilas and Bob Johnson moved the studio from Westmont—both have experience in big-name studios like the Corning Museum of Glass. Let them make something for your home or garden, or take a class.

—JAN PARR

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03/25/08

Happy Hour | Kathy Taslitz

At Wright auction house one recent evening, we thought maybe we were in L.A, except for the foot of snow outside. The people-watching was great for the opening of interior designer Kathy Taslitz’s new sculptural furniture collection, called Pieces of Ourselves. The pieces are no longer on display at Wright, but she’s opening a showroom soon. In the meantime, see the collection on her Web site.

—JAN PARR

Photos from ktaslitz.com

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03/25/08

Dilemma | Merging and Purging

My new husband and his son recently moved into my house, which meant some rearranging and merging of furnishings. So far, good. We decided that my coffee table, a gorgeous expandable, slatted walnut piece from my parents’ home in the 1960s, would look better as a bench against the wall in our entrance. So now we hunt a coffee table. There’s way too much wood in our home—a 1920s bungalow with quarter-sawn oak molding and oak shutters. So more wood is out of the question. Molded plastic is too modern. Glass-topped on thin legs would be fine. I love this Kagan one from Pegboard Modern, but it still might be too much wood. I had a wild idea that the Link sidetable from CB2 would look good. My husband is not convinced.

—JAN PARR

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