Me, My Shelf and I: Brandi Steck
Avid reader and Wicker Park resident Brandi Steck knows firsthand how books equip us for life. "I read 'The Year of Magical Thinking' around the time my father passed away,"...
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Silk-screened wallpaper melds different design traditions
A certain wunderkammer — or "cabinet of curiosities" — aesthetic defines the hand-printed wallpaper, fabric and tile of Grow House Grow. The Brooklyn-based design studio, helmed by Katie Deedy, specializes...
Alma cruets from Unison are perfect way to store oil, vinegar
There's a war being quietly waged in my kitchen: Where to store the olive oil? I say the counter, next to the stove (easily accessible for cooking) — a privilege...
A slow juicer from Hurom yields more juice
You've heard the claims about juicing: Its ability to "cleanse" and "detoxify"; the superiority of cold-pressed juicing (versus centrifugal) for nutrient absorption; et cetera. The "cold-pressed is best" claim in...
What one couple loves about living in West Logan Square
Many Chicagoans associate Logan Square with things like bars, Lula Cafe, parklike boulevards and the Illinois Centennial Monument — the eagle-topped Doric column around which swirls chaotic traffic. But the...
Me, My Shelf and I: Vu Tran
In Vu Tran's Hyde Park home, the writing is on the wall — or, more precisely, the writers: neat rows of black-and-white photos featuring literary heavyweights. There's Gabriel Garcia Marquez,...
New book on upcycling highlights creativity, not quirk
"Upcycling" is not a new concept, with roots in folk art; the ready-made work of Marcel Duchamp; the lavish interiors of Tony Duquette and much, much more. The term itself...
Independent Spirits in Edgewater champions small distilleries, wineries
A framed poster, "The Periodic Table of Scotch Whisky," sits behind the counter at Independent Spirits in Edgewater. For proprietor Scott Crestodina, the squares of pseudo-chemical data — malt, grain...
Me, My Shelf and I: Parneshia Jones
In Parneshia Jones' home office in Rogers Park is a poster inscribed by Gwendolyn Brooks: "Hold on." "When I was a student at Chicago State University, she chose me to...
Not-so-basic black: A new refrigerator boasts a surprisingly cool interior
The Obsidian sounds more like a boutique hotel than a household appliance, but that's what Jenn-Air is calling its new, built-in refrigerator — and the name is rather apropos. The...