Replacing a vanity with an antique chest

Earlier this year, one of our long standing Chicago clients came to us with a challenge... replace this boring builder grade vanity with something special, something that added character and personality to this small powder room. But there was a catch. Don't mess with the wallpaper. The homeowner had added it years ago and still loved it, so no cutting open the walls for plumbing or electrical, and no mill work that would mess with the walls in any way.

Oh, and also, can you do it ASAP?

Instead of building custom cabinetry (too time consuming and would likely damage the walls) or plopping in a new vanity (too bland, too expected), we took our cues from the homeowner's style and the rooms we had worked on together in the past, which have a pronounced Asian influence, as well as extensive use of antiques.

The solution was found at one of our favorite retailers Golden Triangle, a Chicago-based boutique specializing in Asian artifacts, antiques and architectural salvage.

This early 1800's carved Yang wood chest from the Shanxi Province of China had the look we wanted but, at 47 inches wide, was just too big for the space.  However with a few careful cuts eliminating the overhang of the top, we were able to get it down to the perfect width and slide it right in.

Swap the glass vessel sink with this brass piece with a rich finish that will age over time, a great match for the antique finish of the vanity, and this bathroom is a true beauty.

From run-of the mill to one of a kind! Stay tuned for updates on this awesome space. Our next challenge...the top to bottom re-design of the media room incorporating a huge (and already installed) wall-mounted TV and audio system. We have our thinking caps on for this one.

The Design Team at the Circa Lighting Opening in Chicago

Our Design team was able to attend the opening for the new Circa Lighting showroom. Located at 444 North Wells Street, right in the heart of Chicago’s Merchandise District, this showroom was filled to the top with unique handcrafted top of the line fixtures. Some of the Designers pieces we were able to "awe" over were legends such as Sandy Chapman, Thomas O’Brien, Alexa Hampton, Barbara Barry, Suzanne Kasler, Eric Cohler, Clodagh, J. Randall Powers, and an extensive studio line.

Along with Circa's stunning fixtures in their showroom, it  also featured a number of unique characteristics. Clients will find innovative merchandising displayed and meeting spaces to help keep the designers creative juices flowing.

Circa Lighting - David Easton, Snow Mass Double Sconce

Circa Lighting -Sandy Chapman Spherical Cube Pendant

Most all of these gorgeous pieces can be offered in a variety of finishes. This is great for meeting our clients needs, I know I hate when I fall in love with a piece for a client and cant get the right finish. We also found out they can have some pieces made to be customizable so you can get the proper length, height etc... how unique!

Brooke Hubbuch, CS Interiors; Gale Singer, Principal of Circa Lighting; Allison Cooke, CS Interiors

Look at this beautiful display they have in the back of the showroom. What a great place to bring clients as well see one of Circa Lighting's chandeliers in use.

Overall, we are so excited for this new location and cant wait to find new exciting trends through this showroom. Congrats on a successful event.

Metal kitchen countertops, a great granite alternative

While most designers would agree that you can never go wrong with a gorgeous granite countertop, it is always refreshing to see unique alternatives for counters and tabletops. I recently came across a great resource for zinc and copper countertops, which aside from looking cool, offer some great properties like a natural anti-microbial property which makes them easy to keep sanitary.  The suggested cleaning method for these counters is just a simple soap and water wash.  This malleable metal also can be done with extremely unique and special edge details, different from their stone counterparts.  This adds another level of customization and another cool textural element to a space.

These countertops will not perform like a granite or other hard stone.  They are metal and are therefore reactive to everything from air, water, lemon juice, cleaning agents and wine, but that is part of the appeal!  The beautiful patina they create brings in a very special old world charm- perfect for the Tuscan inspired kitchen.  Other great applications would be in a bar area of the home, or even in a library for a desk top.

Check out some gorgeous applications for this cool product.

Trash to Treasure: Home Goods Made From Recycled Materials

With our world rapidly depleting our natural resources, a new emphasis is being placed on green building products.  While many of these products use processes that are lower in chemicals and pollutants, many still use a large percentage of new products.  Some innovative companies have come out with products made entirely of previously used materials (i.e. trash). One amazing example is graypants, a remarkable lighting and furniture company based out of Seattle.  The brain child of architects Seth Grizzle, Jonathan Junker and Jon Gentry, graypants was founded in 2008, when the guys realized they missed designing and building useful things.  In their spare time, they started collecting various discarded materials and experimenting to see what they could come up with.  Soon after, their scrap lights were born- unique shapes made from stacked corrugated cardboard.  After several years, they have expanded their line to include many different shapes and sizes of lights as well as unique furniture.

Check out some pictures of their amazing lights!

The Closet Re-Imagined

If you look back at the architecture of the past, you will notice that there was often less concealed storage (much to the chagrin of modern home buyers) and more room for display pieces.  Today's modern real estate developers try to get the most storage they can possibly squeeze into a space because closets help sell homes.  However, too often we see odd, small closets cluttering up otherwise lovely walls.  These tiny closets are hardly helping solve storage solutions and can be really distracting from the aesthetic of a room.  The solution?  Built ins! I love to create built in display and storage nooks from small, somewhat useless closets.  By removing the doors and frames and simply adding in some cabinetry and shelving, the boring becomes beautiful!

Check out some great examples....