Designer Steven Haulenbeek’s ice capades
For many Midwesterners, the Polar Vortex of 2013-14 provided incentive to stay indoors and stream a lot of Netflix. Not so for Steven Haulenbeek, a Chicago designer who saw the...
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Fall promises bounty of great new books
Writing a fall books preview on a limited word budget is a futile exercise. So many great titles hit the shelves in the peak publishing season that kicks off in...
Farrow & Ball offers creative color schemes for kids’ rooms
There's a lot to consider when choosing a color scheme for a child's bedroom. How does your kid feel about it? How do you feel about it? Are both of...
Peace and quiet is attainable in Chicago — if you know where to look
Words that describe summer in the Midwest in general, and Chicago in particular: magical, memorable, anticipated, revered. And let's not forget: frenzied, overstimulating, overwhelming, fleeting."Come September, you push down the...
Seattle studio strikes a refined note with lovely, modern wind chimes
Wind chimes can be a pleasant addition to a yard, garden or porch. They're not typically associated with cutting-edge design, though. I associate them with a nature store near where...
DIY furniture guide nails fresh design
"DIY furniture" has some bad connotations: Light fixtures fashioned from egg cartons, wine racks made of mailing tubes, et cetera. There's nothing wrong with creatively recycling and re-purposing materials, of...
Clay nation: Signe Yberg talks about ceramics craze
The first-known ceramics were ceremonial figurines fashioned 24,000 years ago. So it's safe to call ceramic art an ancient industry. Yet it's also an evolving and of-the-moment one. A spate...
Review: ‘Nobody Is Ever Missing’ by Catherine Lacey
Catherine Lacey's debut novel explores that deeply human question — for many, a passing thought; for others, more nagging: "What if I were to suddenly change the course of my...
Review: ‘Nobody Is Ever Missing’ by Catherine Lacey
Catherine Lacey's debut novel explores that deeply human question — for many, a passing thought; for others, more nagging: "What if I were to suddenly change the course of my...
Okum adds a zap of style to the common power cord
Hiding unsightly cords in your home or office can be a challenge. We've stuffed tangles of them behind bookcases and under beds. Adhered them to baseboards. Collected a "bouquet" of...