Best of CS Interiors: Fall 2010

As soon as I saw the new fall issue of CS Interiors on the stands, I dashed across the sidewalk, weaved through the pedestrian traffic, and grabbed a copy all for myself. I know I have shown why I love this publication time and time and time and time again, but I must reiterate that it is a fountain of beautiful photos and amazing home decor, mostly native to the Chicago area or created by Chicago-bread talent.

The fall 2010 issue is chock full of great inspiration, in fact, one of the ads caught my eye as well. Check out this beautiful (I'm guessing) ceramic rhino bust from Branca. Ever since taxidermy has come into the trendy home decor spot light, I have loved the alternative materials companies have made animal busts from including this little guy.

The article accompanying this photo was called The New Clutter, fitting, no? What strikes me in this photo is not only the abundance of old photos on the wall, yes there are a lot, but rather the manner in which they are used, as a wallpaper. It may not toot everyone's horn, but the large amount of photos applied en masse diminishes the "cluttered" look and appears as a varied texture, lush and rich paired with the red-burgundy leather couch.

Photo by Maia Harms, CS Interiors

Another way, albeit less hectic, to round up a collection is to create a framed collage, such as this one found in the home of Jerry Kleiner and Marisa Molinaro. I am always drawn to gallery-looking collections in homes and this one joins the pile in my inspiration folder. It can be quite difficult to successfully create an assorted framed collage but one tip I picked up from this image is to limit the frames you use to two colors, such as what Kleiner and Molinaro used (black and gold).

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

When I glimpsed these voluptuous jug table lamps by C.A.I. Designers I was attracted to their bodies. The curves of the base are so lovely and large but in any other material they would appear heavy and overweight. However, because the base is transparent glass, and is paired with a well proportioned light-colored drum shade, the lamp is graceful and would look elegant sitting right on my office desk.

CS Interiors

It's not every day that a model home interior looks this mod. When charged with the task of designing the models of Aqua Parkhomes, designer Jeanne Gang called upon art guru Mark Rowland for some fine art finessing. With their two powers combined, they created a bedroom, and model, worth spending all your life savings. The triptych of tree photographs is by Jin Lee and is completely DIY worthy and doable.

Photo by Maia Harms, CS Interiors

Last, is this kinetic light fixture titled Gleam by RockPaperRobot. With the click of a button this $9,000 fixture can "widen or bend" and "cluster or radiate" depending on the mood of the operator. Aside from the price tag, I love everything about this baby. Adjustable lighting in every room is a dream I have and a motorized chandelier seems right up my alley.

CS Interiors

Thanks CS Interiors for another fabulous issue. I can't wait for winter 2010!

Want to flip through the whole issue? Read it online!

Best of CS Interiors: Summer 2010

As soon as I picked up a copy of the summer 2010 issue of CS Interiors, I plopped down on my couch and started perusing. There is some good eye candy this issue! Here are some of my favorites.

First, this funky, vertical garden. I've seen these in a few magazines and blogs now and they amaze me. How and what can you grow like this? I know certain things can be planted to grow upside down (like my strawberries), but where do the roots of these plants go? Somebody please tell me!

CS Interiors

Next was this home. Although the photo is quite small in the actual magazine, I am enthralled by all of the pink books. My immediate reaction was, who owns that many pink books and then I read the accompanying paragraph explaining that the owner Dave Albin painted a bunch of second-hand books to use as an art installation for his bookshelves. Ingenious!

Photo by Tate Gunnerson, CS Interiors

The article married to these next two beautiful photos describes the design excellence of a Chicago home's three-tiered patio deck. I enjoyed reading the article but more so liked looking at the pictures. I love the space's minimalism with much needed splashes of organic colors, textures, and shapes. Also, the little Yorkie pup was a selling point as well.

Photo by Bob Coscarelli, CS Interiors

Photo by Bob Coscarelli, CS Interiors

I always make sure to take a few extra minutes browsing the Trends! section of CS Interiors. I like to see what is coming around the corner while at the same time scoping out some cool stuff. This issue, the magazine fittingly showcased some cool planters that would be excellent in any home (especially ours). These two were my favorites from the bunch.

Wood grain herb pots by Magenta

CS Interiors

PAD Pod planters at Sprout Home

CS Interiors

Because this glossy is localized (the C in CS stands for Chicago) when I flip through the pages, I am bound to add items to my "To Buy," "To Wish For," or "To Visit" lists, like this shop Marco Polo Antiques. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of tiptoeing through antique stores so not to break anything and therefore tend to avoid them all together but one that touts its Haute Farm goods, I've got to visit. Just look at this image for example. It looks wonderful.

Photo by Jim White, CS Interiors

And of course, I have to show you images of the amazing featured homes. The first is the Wisconsin weekend retreat of Jay Franke and David Herro. As you can see, it oozes with mid-century-modern lushness

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

But what really makes my heart flutter is the art gallery in their stairwell. I love love love the collectible-kitschy vibe it has going on.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

The second featured home is the Michigan weekend getaway for Jodi and Walt Eckenhoff. They designed, built, and decorated it themselves all with eco-friendly materials. This photo alone convinces the city-girl in me that living in the woods (preferably on a lake) wouldn't be too bad.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Anybody else lovin' the summer 2010 issue of CS Interiors as much as me? Want to flip through the whole issue? Read it online!

Look at my favorites from past issues of CS Interiors here, here and here.

Best of CS Interiors: Spring 2010

As soon as I saw the newest issue of CS Interiors on the newstand, I grabbed myself a copy. Not only does this publication have great photography, it is one of my favorites because it is specific to the Chicago area. In past issues, I've posted information about Chicago vendors or other Midwest designers (read them here and here), but in this issue, I am loving local interior designers.

Such as this inviting entry in designer Tom Stringer's home in Belmont Harbor, which is one of the homes participating in the Chicago City Day School house tour. I love the color scheme of creamy neutrals and rich deep browns, but my favorite part is in the far right back of the photo. The grid of black framed photos with generous white mattes look like an art gallery installation and something that can easily be copied in any home.

Photo from CS Interiors

The next photo that captivated me was of this room designed by Jordana Joseph. A few of the many things that I am crushing on in this room are: the color palette and the Jonathan Adler accents. I think this may be the color scheme I go with in our TBD office.

Photo by Bob Coscarelli, CS Interiors

Next on my list of favs is this photo from a house in Bucktown designed by Aimee Wertepny. Talk about modern glam! The mix of shiny tile, the crisp white mantel, and the red art make this wall striking.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Designer Amy Lehman, gives us the pleasure of the next two photos and all I can say is texture, texture, texture! There is so much visual interest in her dining room I don't know what to focus on. The oven? The antlers? The windows? They're all so lovely!

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

How cool would it be to have a swing in your house? Well, just ask Amy Lehman because she's got one, and it's super cool. Being a fan of swings myself, this image definitely made my list.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

The second to last photo from the spring issue is of Dave and Jeannette Jordano's home. The combination of funky chairs and the collection of hulk fists would make any dinner party in this room a blast. It especially hits home with me because the hulk hands are flea market finds—score!

Photo by Dave Jordano, Michelle Litvin, and Leah Missback Day, CS Interiors

This last image digresses from my theme of Chicago-land designers but for reasons, as you can see, I still had to include it. This is a shot of the interior of Po Dog Coffee hot dog shop on Capitol Hill in Seattle designed by Pb Elemental. The oversized photo of the pug dog is ultra cute and adds playfulness to the otherwise basement-looking space.

Photo by CS Interiors

And those are the images that top my list from the spring issue of CS Interiors. If you don't live in the area, but want to see what's up in the interior design world of Chicago, flip through or download the digital edition from their website here.

I may have overdone it

From the title of this post, those of you who know me may be thinking, "How many shoes did she buy this time?" or "Poor Justin, having to eat burnt grilled cheese again!" But, oh how mistaken you are today, my dear friends!

Last weekend I was cleaning up and organizing things around my house, putting things in a pile to go upstairs, a pile for Goodwill, and a pile of the magazines that I still need to go through before the May issues start rolling in a week...

Do you see that? Twelve issues from nine different magazines and all mostly from April. But before you jump to the conclusion that I bought them all off the rack, let me explain. Over the winter holiday I received an email blast from the lovely people at Hearst magazines offering a deal I couldn't refuse, $5 yearly subscriptions. Yes, you heard me correctly. Five. Dollars. So, what was a girl to do?

If you can't read what I've got  in my cue to read flip through before the end of this month, check out the list:
Ready Made
Chicago
Country Living
Elle Decor
House Beautiful
Coastal Living
Veranda
Real Simple
Martha Stewart Living

Oh, one more small confession, I just sent in a subscription form for Better Homes and Gardens last week...c'est la vie.

What magazines do you subscribe to? Do you have any favorites that you just can't part with on matter the cost?

Best of CS Interiors: Winter 2010

When I casually flipped through CS Interiors Winter 2010 issue a few weeks ago, this quote from Adam Sorkin immediately jumped out at me. I think it suits more than just him, don't you?

And of course, accompanying his spot-on quote, are photos from his verde-licious home located in Chicago's neighborhood of West Andersonville. On the left is his dining room with a green striped FLOR carpet square rug and if you look in the background, you can see a sliver of his kelly green lacquered foyer. On the right is his living room complete with an astroturf rug. No. Joke. Actual astroturf, I wonder what Justin would say...

Photo by Bob Coscarelli, CS Interiors

Then a dozen pages later, this image of Joe Paolucci and Tom Hitchcock's modernist, mid-century patio complete with wire-framed furniture had me at hello. Where can you even find an entire, mint-condition, vintage patio set anyways?

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

In the magazine's TRENDS! section there was an impressive display of clear glass terrariums that promise greenery all year round, which is important to me and my fellow chicagoans who bear the bone-chilling winter weather every year. These pear shaped ones from Vivaterra are made from recycled glass and my favs from the assortment.

Also to top the TRENDS! section was a medley of string obsessed items. These two, the flock of swallows mobile and the delta bell strand both from Anthropologie, had my heart swinging from the trees. I love their naturally neutral colors and think the swallow mobile would look amazing hanging above a baby's bed for that modern meets nature look.

One of the best parts of having a Modern Luxury interiors magazine in Chicago is that it features Chicago retailers and designers. I had to include this little guy on my best of list because it is completely unique and unpredictable. This gnome stool/side table was created by Phillipe Starck for Kartell and if you're in the area, you can get it at Orange Skin.

These may just look like decorative blocks of twigs but they are actually big enough to be used as a bench, side table, or coffee table. Any ideas on how to DIY? I'd love one, or two, or three in my foyer.

One of the featured homes in the Winter 2010 issue hails from Caroline Scheeler, the creative director of Jayson Home & Garden. Her living room, embodies pattern, comfort, and, what CS Interiors calls, "global-vintage." I can't believe how put together this room looks with everything that is in there. I love the textures, animal influences, vintage pieces, and brooding color scheme. If only one of the rooms in my house could look like this.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

And last, but not least, I just like how this room's designer used the vertical space to the right of the fireplace to store some firewood. Obviously the fireplace is gas (see the rocks in the fire), so the wood isn't necessary, but it looks natural and provides a great texture/pattern for the space.

Photo by Jememy Bustos, CS Interiors

If I didn't show you enough of CS Interiors Winter 2010 and you want to see it all, click here. I'm interested to hear if someone else has a favorite that didn't make my list.

All photos from CS Interiors.

Best of CS Interiors: Fall 2009

I picked up my fall 2009 issue of CS Interiors from the Merchandise Mart last week. Unlike last time, I was underwhelmed with the showcased design, articles, and photos in this issue. You can pick up your copy at the Merchandise Mart or view their digital version here. Nevertheless, here are a few that made my best of list.

On page 50, I was greeted with this charming coat rack. The article, showcasing brotherly furniture design by the boys of Misewell, pulled at my heart strings and this gem called stretch caught my eye. The past couple months I have been swooning over the 10 degree coat rack at CB2 and this one might have changed my mind. I love its angles, details, and rich walnut wood.

Photo from Misewell.com

From the front cover of the magazine, to the opening spread of the feature article, Todd Hilt and Alvin dela Cruz's home was inspiring. I love this image of their entry way (pardon the seam, the photo bled across the spread). The faux animal head and the simple symmetry of the space, mixed items from a variety of eras while maintaining its class.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Another photo of Hilt and dela Cruz's home, I love industrial furniture, especially stools, but this cabinet which offers endless storage made my heart pitter-patter.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

I hope I don't even need to explain what drew me into this photo, yet again from Hilt and dela Cruz's home. The frog anatomy chart hung in the dining area, how could it get any more interesting?

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Heiji Choy Black's living room, pictured here, made me feel not-so-bad for still having unhung framed art in my home. Leaning your pieces against the wall allows for easy swap out and a more casual feel.

Photo by Tony Soluri, CS Interiors

Best of Canada's Style at Home: October 2009

While Justin and I were in Toronto, I couldn't pass up the chance to pick up some much needed "road trip" reading materials. (Me justifying my purchase to my better half.) One being Canada's Style at Home October 2009 issue. I found dozens of inspirational photos from this northern friend, but chose 10 of them to feature here.

The first two photos immediately caught my eye since I have been dreaming of a new bathroom mirror since we moved in. Imagine two of these round mirrors hung side by side above our double sinks.

I also love this version that displays the strap the mirror is hung from. I could see this being a DIY project by using a thick leather strap and some epoxy glue around the mirror to cradle it.

Since this issue is the magazine's Bathroom Issue, there are plenty of water-closet photos. While white isn't my color-of-choice for a bathroom, I couldn't help but swoon over the color palette in this bathroom. The white is evenly balanced with a vibrant turquoise painted wood floor, light turquoise above the wainscoting, and spots of poppy red.

I love how the owner framed scraps of wrapping paper to give the walls some pop-art and strategically placed Japanese toys to pump up the playfulness.

These Verner Panton chairs in this photo are fabulous. Especially when juxtaposed with the woodsey-looking cabinets.

However, when I turned the page, I stopped in my tracks. I had just spoken to Justin about mixing and matching the chairs in our dining room and low and behold, not only did this homeowner do just that, but in style. The aspects that make this work are that the tops of the chairs all have the same shape and they are the same color.

These dessert plates from Anthropologie also grace my top 10 list. Look how charming they look set in this place setting!

And last but not least, photos of displays in the store Buk & Nola located in the Canadian french city, Montréal. Suspending multiple drum shades in a row would look urban-chic over a credenza in a dining room. Additionally, I have recently became fond of wall paper and I love the look when an empty frame is hung on a graphic wallpapered wall.

Photos courtesy of Style at Home.