WE CAN’T HELP YOU FIND SOMEONE TO ADD ROMANCE TO YOUR LIFE, but the following sources offer furnishings and accessories that help create the right ambience once you take care of the tougher part. Just as romance comes in different shapes and sizes-tall, lean, petite, big and huggable-so do romantic furnishings. Set the stage with a gilt-edged sofa, textiles woven in a Tuscan village or a sleek round dining table with a bold “X” at its base. (Think XO for love.) But don’t forget the finishing touches–some candles, music, flowers and dreamy martinis.
JUICY & CO.
1528 W. Adams St., 312-850-3831, and 610 Moffett Rd., Lake Bluff, 847-482-1466.
Eighteen months ago, Jessie Davidson, an interior designer, opened a loft-style showroom to the public in the West Loop to display European antiques, Italian textiles woven by the Busatti/Sassolini family and classic upholstered furniture. All evoke an old-fashioned warmth, harmony and, yes, romance.
Davidson also carries accessories such as antique and new mirrors, table and floor lamps, cast-iron sculptures and faience from France, and Italian crystal. Her bestsellers are French “one-of-a-kind” antiques, she says. Because she consults on design projects and custom designs furnishings, she maintains limited showroom hours on Thursdays and Fridays: Noon to 5 p.m., or by appointment. For information, visit www.juicyandco.com.
KHAMIS COLLECTION
On view at Champagne Furniture Gallery, 65 W. Illinois St., 312-923-9800.
Jacqueline McKissack, who recruits students for a Chicago medical school, and Samir Khamis, an Egyptian who represents the fourth generation in a Cairo-based custom furniture business, met through friends and family. They soon decided to become partners in a business that imports his furniture and takes custom orders.
But don’t think of pieces with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Think Regency and Empire styles, Louis XV and Louis XVI, hand-carved woods from Yugoslavia and Romania, and gold leaf and gilt. “All designs are historically accurate, but also intimate, comfortable and well made,” says McKissack.
Will they last as long as the pyramids? McKissack won’t commit to that length of time, but says, “We hope to give them a good run.” Hours are Mon-Fri., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HOME ELEMENT
700 N. Michigan Ave., Level 5,
312-587-8752.
In a space once occupied by Room & Board, husband-and-wife team Mike Cao and Xin Yang opened a showroom this past June to display modern furniture with a romantic spareness. The couple already operated two showrooms in the same building that focus on antique furniture and accessories-Eastern Deco Home Studio and Eastern Deco.
“We always liked the idea of mixing Chinese antiques and modern pieces,” says Cao, a former computer consultant with an MBA. His wife is a graphic designer.
After viewing dozens of contemporary lines in this country and abroad, they decided to import contemporary Italian furniture that wasn’t extreme-not all “metal, metal, metal, but not conservative or transitional either,” Cao says.
The spare, interesting designs are made from classic materials like chrome, glass-preferably frosted-and lean rather than heavy woods. Fabrics are soft and inviting; colors rich and sexy. Hours are Mon. to Fri., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m; Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun., Noon to 5 p.m.
