Nordstrom is setting a place for you at dinner. Getting out of bed at Bedside Manor is getting harder. And Imperial Wallcoverings is introducing a line that incorporates the vibrant soul of Mexico.
Touch of Mexico
Stroll into any one of the nine paint and wallcovering stores that carry Imperial Wallcoverings and your eyes will stop on colorful prints and designs that remind you of Mexico.
The new collection is called Casa Hermosa (Beautiful Home) and is the creation of San Bernardino, Calif., painter Nancy Glenn Nieto and textile designer Marcie Vesel Bronkar of Los Angeles. The two artists have pooled their talents to come up with a soulful accent in wallcovering that brightens interiors in vibrant oranges, sunny yellows and sunrise pinks seen in papayas and watermelons, as well as other native Mexican fruits.
But the colors and patterns don’t stop there.
Drawing on her Mexican heritage, Nieto offers interpretations of Aztec images that show the forces of nature–Quetzalcoatl (the plumed serpent); Tlaloc, the rain god; and the calla lily, a favorite subject of Mexican painter Diego Rivera.
The colors and patterns of the designs are based on legends, artifacts, artisans and the fruits and flowers that create the cultural mystique of Mexico, says Nieto.
“The Casa Hermosa collection enables Hispanic consumers to decorate with a sense of ethnic identity and native lifestyle,” she says.
Prices in this collection range from $19.99 to $23.99 for a 36-square-foot roll; $27.99 to $28.99 for 36-square-foot rolls of string-embossed wallpaper. Five-yard-long borders sell for $21.99. Fabrics (54 inches wide) sell for $27.99 a yard.
The collection will be available in the following stores in September: Thybony Paint stores; Paulson’s Paint Co., 5514 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-763-7337; Wright’s Paint & Wallpaper, 5301 N. Harlem Ave., 312-763-4100; Sandy’s Wallpaper & Fabric, 939 W. Armitage Ave., 312-935-5350; Designer Paint & Wallcoverings, 132 S. Cass Ave., Westmont, 708-434-9891; Northbrook Paint & Glass, 1340 Meadow Rd., Northbrook, 708-272-2600; Drapery Connection, 1728 York Rd., Hinsdale, 708-323-4845; The J.C. Licht Co., 22 N. 3rd St., Geneva, 708-232-7838; and Village Wallpaper Shoppe, 1957 Cherry Lane, Northbrook, 708-272-8633.
Private label
After your cultural appetite has been whet by the colors and food of Mexico, it’s time to take dining more seriously.
You can do that at Nordstrom, which is showing off its first private-label dinnerware collection, Al Fresco. This white-on-white, swirl-trimmed pattern is designed for casual and formal entertaining.
Laura Hubbard, Nordstrom`s corporate gifts merchandise manager, says the Seattle-based store came out with its dinnerware collection to reach customers who are “seeking a tasteful, elegant tabletop design to build upon over time.”
A complete place setting is $65. If you prefer “a la carte” shopping, then you can buy a dinner plate for $18, dessert/salad plate, $14; rimmed soup/pasta plate, $15; teacup and saucer, $18; and mug, $12.
Nordstrom stores are at Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, 708-571-2121; Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie, 708-677-2121; and Woodfield Shopping Center, Schaumburg, 708-605-2121.
Hours are: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Beautiful bedding
Once the plates are cleared away, it’s time to call it a night.
Bedside Manor, 2056 N. Halsted St., has introduced several new collections this month to make getting in bed easier.
There’s a lot packed into this small, narrow one-room store–on the iron and brass beds, in corners, on shelves and in the window. But take your time and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll find.
– Look for Palais Royal’s newest addition called Hibiscus, a delicate floral print named for the namesake flower. A flat queen sheet (about 220-thread count cotton) sells for about $130; duvet, $195; a standard pair of shams, $105.
– For those ready to make the seasonal shift to autumn, there is a new line by the New York-based Kaplantext Co., which makes natural sheeting (no dyes) with photos of autumn leaves lightly printed on it.
This fabric is 100 percent cotton; a queen set (includes a flat and fitted sheet and two pillow cases) sells for about $220; king, $260
– In pillows, designs by Martin and Barnett Co. are made of buckwheat, muslin and damask with Roman letters or cupid figures adorning them. They come in neutral shades and deep jewel tones and start at $42 for an 8-by-12-inch pillow and go up to $62 for a neck roll.
Bedside Manor’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 312-404-2020.
A new shade
Stop by one of the new A Shade Better stores in the Chicago area and try a new shade on for size–and mood.
“Sometimes the best thing to do is to bring in one of your old lamps and see what works best with it,” says Howard Rasch, manager of A Shade Better, which opened in June in Schaumburg.
“We have shades to go with almost any style of lamp,” says Walter Laechel, manager of the store that opened 10 days ago in Wilmette, “We can dress them up or down in fitting contemporary or traditional themes.”
“Part of the stores’ success is due to the fact that we are offering customers a way to improve on what they already have and/or to find another lamp that will help give new life to a room,” says Rasch.
There are four A Shade Better stores in the Chicago area: 1199 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, 708-251-4499; Woodfield Commons West Center, 1037 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, 708-413-9333; River Run Shopping Center, 20562 Milwaukee Ave., Deerfield, 708-465-1985; and St. James Crossing shopping center, 814 Ogden Ave., Westmont, 708-887-7140.
All about 2,000 square feet, the stores showcase quantity. But the real attraction is the guidance the staff provides in matching the right shade with the right base.
Besides shades and lamps, there are decorative finials and other lamp adornments to make the lamp you have or the one you choose more unique.
The only thing you won’t find are silk lamp shades, says Rasch.
“There are silk blends but there are no all-silk shades,” he says. “Silk is too fragile to withstand the wear and tear of normal use. There are many beautiful fabrics to choose from for customers who want custom-made shades. Customers also can bring in their own fabrics to design the shade they want.”
Prices range from $9 for a small, clip-on shade to $100 for a large shade. Average prices are $40 to $60.
Lamps range from $30 to $600.
Store hours are: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
