chicagoMV's Profile

Beautiful, LJY! I am a friend of Lauren's, and her home is every bit as beautiful as depicted in the photos. Her style is so impeccable and so individual. It reflects who she is-hip, smart, interesting, warm, caring. CONGRATS, Lauren!

*caroylnapplebee: The "Paper Doll" piece is by a local artist named Derek Erdman. When he was making this series some years ago he also did a big Angela Davis head, and I am kicking myself for not getting it. His work is VERY reasonable.

*epindc: I ordered the couch pillows, which are by notneutral, from Design Public.

*Clank1969, MarshallO & ProfKD: I started my grant writing and development consulting biz here in Chicago 10 years ago, and Tom joined me in it just this year. I have developed a good, steady client base, but we're far from rich. Units in our building are suprisingly reasonable, and a real glaring omission in my "advice" section above was to Never Pay Full Price! We waited out the womb chair for Luminaire's annual Knoll sale; all the DWR pieces were on sale when we got them; I scored both of the Bertoia chairs at charity auctions for a song; the Artefort chairs, the cork stools, and the glass office door were all floor samples; we scored the Nesso lamps at 75% off when our beloved Marshall Fields on State Street sold its soul to Macys; and several pieces were thrift store acquisitions. The biggest deals were the Heywood pieces. All but the Kohinoor chest were from one seller on ebay. She had listed the dining table (which came with 2 drop leaves and original pads) and chairs and the dresser (all 8 pieces for less than $1K), but when we went to pick them up, I spotted the bedside tables and TV table, and she sold me those for like $100 a piece. Only violation of the never pay full price policy were the Guidi boots (still feeling guilty, but still loving them intensely). The elevenfive, B&B sideboard and Brumfield photographs were exceptions, too, but we saved up/spaced out the purchases, and Carl Hammer Gallery (best gallery in Chicago, in my opinion) allowed me to pay in installments on the Brumfield. That's good advice, too-Don't think you can't afford great contmeporary art; most galleries will allow installment payments.

*ProKD and others: We used three different shades of gray paint throughout. Light gray in bathrooms and kitchen, medium in bedrooms and office, and darkest in dining and living rooms. The cans are in the basement, but Tom is going to go check the brand/color names this afternoon, and I'll post that info tomorrow.