Sharon Stangenes

As Chicagoans were deciding whether to store away or pitch their patio furniture, retailers from across the country gathered at the Merchandise Mart for a glimpse of new styles for...

Alex Jordan and Ken Smart are not household names in Chicago-yet. Both men were identified as rising stars in the city`s interiors scene last week when two local women influential...

Have an idea for a sofa but don`t know where to get it? Check out The Furniture People, a commercial reupholstery operation which has branched into manufacturing custom-upholstered furniture. ''We...

While the advertising blitz by Home in Lombard has grabbed the attention of many consumers recently, two other retail newcomers have slipped into town with far less fanfare. Dial-A-Mattress, a...

When Marcia Karlin learned quilting seven years ago, she was looking for a relaxing hobby, but she had no idea that it would become so consuming. The Lincolnshire quiltmaker`s work...

Visitors to the 20th annual Showcase House for the Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society, which opens today, may be forgiven for weeping after seeing what $16,500 bought 80 years...

`I deal in contradictions,'' says blacksmith Roberta Elliott about her graceful metalwork. ''The look is soft and supple, but you know the material is cold and unyielding.'' The contradictions, however,...

Impatient about waiting around for delivery of home furnishings or under pressure to decorate quickly and affordably? Home Ltd., a large self-service, everything-stocked-to-take-home-today store, which will open Wednesday in Lombard,...

After Architectural Digest virtually ignored Chicago last year by including only Bruce Gregga in a listing of the world`s top 100 interior designers, the Los Angeles-based magazine finds more to...

If you`re furniture executive Nat Shapiro, you don`t have time to look at models of villas, because you`re too busy getting ready to move into the real thing. Shapiro, with...