merchandise mart

Summer In the City – Design Inspiration

August 19, 2014

So … this post would not be possible without my wonderful parents who took my boys for a few days last week up to Lake Delavan, WI. (Thanks again Mom and Dad!)

While they were jumping off pontoon boats, miniature golfing and eating lots of ice cream, Dan and I had a nice staycation and a little deja vu of our days living in the city pre-kiddos! I also got to hit some of my favorites shops and the showrooms in the Mart while Dan walked to his office on Michigan Ave. (A very nice commute for him!)

Always inspired by the city, I snapped some pictures along the way …

Yes, sometimes you find inspiration on a street corner. How lovely is this little stretch of sidewalk? Even though I missed the window of time to buy donuts, I had to stop. I love this cream, blue and green color combo. How fun would it be to create this look in a breakfast room? I seriously love those blue chairs with the reclaimed wood table. (Next time, I’m getting the donuts!)

So … maybe our hotel was only a half a block from one of my favorite stores … Classic Remix. I could have snapped about 50 pictures here, but at the time I was the only one in the store so I felt a little strange about that. But I had to get one of this gorgeous mirror and this fabulous feather chandelier. The shop was filled with antique brass and gold, my latest crush.

I also happened upon P.O.S.H. – a quaint little shop that felt like a European Flea Market.

This back room of the store overlooking a little courtyard was filled with light … so charming.

Full of unique pieces … from Hotel silver to vintage cannisters and colorful china, it was fun to browse and discover little treasures.

(Had to grab one of these mugs for our pancake-loving family!)

Many of the pieces tell a romantic story of days gone by …

You can see the little Jadeite cake stand I got in the background of this picture … perfect for displaying my favorite succulent!

And then it was off to the Mart. I was dying to see and grab some samples of this new grass cloth wallpaper by Celerie Kimble for Schumacher.

(I really want to use it in my powder room.)

I also fell in love with this one …

And this one too … (not grass cloth.)

Something about these bold black and white leaf prints hanging in the Hickory Chair showroom really grabbed me. I kinda want to try to make something similar on my own !?!?

Anyway … with summer winding down, the emotions are definitely bittersweet. I will miss the lazy mornings and extra time with my boys. It has been a fun summer.

Good luck with all of your Back-To-School adventures!

Dream Home 2012

April 13, 2012

Wednesday night Kristy and I had the pleasure of previewing the 2012 Dream Home at the Merchandise Mart. Some of the city’s leading interior designers collaborated with the the Mart’s incredible showrooms to design these unique and sophisticated rooms.

We wanted to share a few of our favorites with you … and where better to start than this stunning kitchen?

(Most of the photography is from the brochure we were given, done by Dave Burk Photography. Because there were so many people in each room for the event, it was difficult to get many of our own pictures … some rooms were very crowded with admirers!)

Gorgeous, right?

We swooned over the thick slab marble countertops, the crisp and clean custom cabinetry from Plain & Fancy, the glass-front cabinets painted black inside …

We loved the cozy butcher block table that was an extension of the island, perfect for a cozy dinner for two, breakfast for the kids or homework area.

The adjacent wall housed inset glass-front cabinets and a whole row of beverage refrigeration!

Here is my little snapshot … I cropped out some of the people …

I want this refrigerator!

And how’s this for a cute idea? Instead of the traditional chalkboards you see in a kitchen, they used pretty antique mirrors.

(We are trying to figure out what kind of marker you can write on a mirror with that will erase? Does anyone know? Maybe just a Crayola Washable?)

We also loved the dining room for its flexibility in functioning just as easily for large scale entertaining as for intimate gatherings.

The large reclaimed wood and iron table pushed up to a banquette sofa by Henredon serves as a place to dine or lounge. One of the designers suggested using the table to serve food buffet-style while your guests sit at the glass “Bubbles” table. It’s a great way to turn a “used-for-special-occasions” dining room into an every day living space.

We especially loved the huge sea urchin from Holly Hunt hanging on the back wall!

And check out this outdoor patio … the pergola is draped in rectractable sunbrella fabric for a waterfall effect. With that fantastic chandelier, lamps and upholstered chairs the idea was to create a space that felt as comfortable and stylish as indoors.

Dream Home opens to the public today, April 13.

Cheers!

Adventures at the Mart

April 11, 2012

Ok … this is me and the lovely Kristy Sweeney during our trip to the Merchandise Mart today. Stay tuned for a more complete introduction to this fabulous lady, designer, Mom, singer and friend. She is the newest addition to Swoon Interiors, Inc. and I am anxious to show you pictures of the amazing transformation she has made to her own home and for her to share with you a little bit about herself. A whole post all about her is in the works …

In the meantime, I will share with you a few snapshots of some of the dazzling eye candy we were enticed by today at the Mart.

One of our first stops was the Duralee showroom. We got caught up ooogling all of their lovely, colorful fabrics. They are really trying to take more traditional prints and bring them out in new, more modern colorways …

These would be charming in a young girl’s room.

I was excited to get a glimpse of John Robshaw’s new swoonworthy collection designed especially for Duralee. It is so new, in fact, that they still only have the swatch books.

We may have stayed a little too long in this next showroom, but we couldn’t help ourselves … everything just sparkled with sophistication and glamour. I seriously want to replace all of my light fixtures with ones from this showroom …