Chicago Part 2
My time in Chicago was really amazing. In addition to visiting Holland & Sherry and meeting some of Chicago's best designers, I had the pleasure of seeing my friend Alessandra Branca. She invited me for drinks at her magical townhouse. It was bliss. While I was there she mentioned her store that I hadn’t seen yet and the sale she was going to have. I was already planning on visiting Branca it, but the word sale sealed it. The store is beyond stylish and has something for every budget. I highly recommend making a beeline to it the next time anyone is in town.
The next day I went to visit my family for the weekend in Peoria. It had been a two years since the last visit, so I was long overdue. Happily, we decided in the future it made more sense to start meeting in Chicago and spend time there instead of schlepping down state, which is vastly different from northern Illinois where we grew up.
The biggest treat waiting for me was my little two year old nephew Robert Michael. He is just too cute for words. I have now become a doting uncle through and through!
The store front of Branca.
The biggest treat waiting for me was my little two year old nephew Robert Michael. He is just too cute for words. I have now become a doting uncle through and through!
That smile!
Too adorable.
The Chicago Trip
I just returned from a wonderful trip to my homeland, Illinois. I spent two days in Chicago at the Holland & Sherry showroom and then the weekend with family. It has been about six years since I last visited the Windy City. What a difference.
The design and plantings throughout the city are spectacular. The piece de la resistance for me was The Lurie Garden in Millennium Park. It is a marvel. It is like stepping into the open prairie from Chicago.
It was designed by Piet Oudolf and Robert Isreal with 250 varieties of perennials native to midwestern prairies in the planting scheme of the space. What a relief it is from the very urban environment of the city. In the background is the new Modern Wing designed by Renzo Piano which just opened May 16th, 2009 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Since it is not a botanical garden, there are no signs indicating what the plants are. I found this to be a drawback because I wanted to be certain what the plants were instead of guessing.
Then there were the white peonies. Huge waves of them. Spectacular.
I didn’t try this because I was racing to Branca to go shopping, but there is even a respite for the weary.
Thank you Veranda and Traditional Magazines
I just wanted thank Traditional Home and Veranda for the big surprises of recently running two of my fabrics. It was a treat to find Orangerie Lettuce and Gramercy Lemon on their pages. 
Designer Suzanne Kasler used Gramercy Lemon in one of her projects for a headboard and a blind, the lemon print works so well with her wall color. Wish I could see the room in person!
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