BUY IT: SushiSamba is serving up more than sushi these days. The company behind River North hot spot SushiSamba Rio, Miami’s SushiSamba Dromo and New York’s SushiSamba Park and SushiSamba 7, is adding lifestyle products to its menu, including pottery, cookbooks and jewelry. Of particular note to H&Gers are the colorful ceramic platters, sushi plates and trays custom-designed by New York artist Louis Mendez to reflect the restaurant’s vibrant Asian/Latin cuisine and unique style. Mendez is known for incorporating bold human and animal forms into his work, which includes large-scale sculptures, graphic images, masks and traditional ceramics. Cost: $19 to $250, plus shipping, at www.sushisamba.com.
— Tran Ha
ENTER IT: Do you think your kitchen is the most beautiful in all America? Chicagoland homeowners and chefs are invited to see how their kitchens stack up against those of other house-proud owners. Gurnee-based Weiman Home Care Products invites Chicagoans to participate in the nationwide search for America’s Most Beautiful Kitchen, whether yours is new, recently renovated or a cherished longstanding heart of the home. To participate in the contest, submit up to three 5-by-7-inch photos of your kitchen — along with a 300-word essay on how your kitchen design fits your family’s lifestyle and personality. Send them to Weiman’s “Most Beautiful Kitchen” Contest, P.O. Box 6509, Villa Park, IL 60181. Entries also can be submitted on the Weiman Web site at www.weiman.com. Entries must be in by July 31. Additional details can be found at the site. The grand prize winner and a guest will receive a six-night, seven-day stay at Il Falconiere, a 15th Century residence in Tuscany. They will receive round-trip airfare for two, accommodations for six nights, cooking lessons, wine tastings and daily excursions to the countryside. The second-place winner gets a $3,500 American Express gift card, third-place winner gets a $1,500 American Express gift card. Winners will be announced Aug. 31.
800-837-8140.
— Mary Daniels
VISIT IT: Better late than never. For those who have yet to check out the Marimekko exhibit at Illinois Institute of Technology, this is your 2 1/2-week warning. The exhibit explores the creation and rise of Finland’s Marimekko brand and includes more than 150 examples of Marimekko fabrics, fashion clothing, accessories and architecture. Founded in 1951, Marimekko is best known for its bold-patterned textiles and clothing. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis famously wore Marimekko dresses and the fabrics are incorporated in some of the most important interior-designed homes in the world.
Northbrook-based Crate and Barrel, one of the best sources for Marimekko in the U.S., also is a sponsor of the exhibit.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturday. Through July 28. S. R. Crown Hall, 3360 S. State St. Free. 312-567-5014. .
–T.H.
WATCH IT: You’ve heard of the Salvage Sisters; now meet the Junk Brothers, Jim and Steve. Garbage day is a goldmine for the stars of HGTV’s new show, “The Junk Brothers,” premiering Wednesday, who set out in search of tossed goods they can transform into funky, functional furniture and appliances. They then return the new and improved piece(s) to the family that trashed it — to their surprise. In the debut episode a dresser is given new life as a kitchen island, and an old stove becomes a hot barbecue on wheels. Watch and learn — perhaps the show will inspire you to do something with that old coffee table.
10 p.m. Wednesday, HGTV
–T.H.
SURF IT: Weeks Ringle, a contemporary quiltmaker and a Home&Garden reader in Oak Park who is remodeling her kitchen, clued us in to this great find — ceramic tile from Heath Ceramics at slashed prices. Go to www.heathceramics.com. Click on Heath Tile and scroll down the page to the Overstock Tiles link. Up comes a long list of overstock items — some first-quality, some seconds, but it’s important to note that the company only ships the first-quality stuff. (Seconds must be picked up in person.) Overstock prices can be as much as 60 percent off the regular retail price; Heath tiles normally sell for $28 a square foot and up. Ringle and husband, Bill Kerr, purchased a great brown-colored tile for their backsplash for $9 a square foot, normally $25 and up. Heath Ceramics is one of the few remaining midcentury potteries in this country. It’s based in California and still produces its line of modern tableware and tiles from the factory in Sausalito.
— Karen Klages
SURF IT: Make your Web surfing work for you. Through the end of August, visitors to www.simonpearce.com can enter to win a 72-inch cherry dining table complete with place settings for six designed by the New England-based designer and manufacturer of glass and pottery. The spread includes stemware, flatware, dinnerware, linens, serving bowls and candle pedestals. The prize is estimated to be worth $6,500. For contest rules and a look at the goodies, visit www.simonpearce.com/table.
–T.H.
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kklages@tribune.com, ebotts@tribune.com, tha@tribune.com
