SHOP IT: It’s not news that furniture makers are getting into the retail business. Ethan Allen, Drexel Heritage, Thomasville and Ashley Furniture have had stores for years. What’s more newsy is the entree of high-end furniture makers into the retail arena. And one of the biggest players is Baker furniture, which opened its 12th retail store last week, Baker Chicago, located in the burgeoning West Town neighborhood.
At 12,500 square feet, it is Baker’s second largest retail store (behind Baker Georgetown), spread out over two full floors — traditional and casual pieces on the first floor along with a lighting gallery; contemporary items (including a stunning shadowbox-like display of chairs from McGuire Furniture, known for its luxury rattan) on the second, skylit floor.
Walls in the store are blanketed in light cream. Ceilings are black. Floors are black. The view out the front windows is enfilade of concrete towers (filled with cement, gravel and sand), a monument of sorts in this gritty section west of the Chicago River.
About one-quarter of Baker’s selection of furniture, lamps and accessories are shown here, which outdoes the selections shown in the Baker departments of other furniture/retail stores that carry the line locally (and will continue to do so), including Macy’s. The trade-only Baker showroom in The Merchandise Mart also will remain unchanged and open to designers and their clients.
825 W. Chicago Ave., 312-733-0353
— Karen Klages
EXPERIENCE IT:
Can visiting a furniture store be an adventure in travel and culture?
We stand convinced.
Golden Triangle, a long-time River North shop specializing in furniture from China and Southeast Asia, opens its new-and-improved self on Friday [Oct. 26], a couple blocks south of its former location at the corner of Hubbard and Clark Streets.
At 23,000 square feet, the new store (located on the ground floor of the historic Reid-Murdoch Center on the Chicago River) is twice the size of the old Golden Triangle, which prompted the move to this new location in the first place.
But that’s not half the story.
Inside the new store, owners Doug Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak have whipped up an Asian wonderland: They have built two (nearly) authentic Asian houses and are showcasing their furniture inside these structures.
There is a stoic 18th Century Northern Chinese house, complete with an open, tiled courtyard. And there is a breezier Colonial house with a gracious veranda that references the European-influenced tropical style found in Thailand and Laos in the 1800s.
“In this cyber world of ours, we wanted to create an extraordinary traditional furniture store that let’s you see — up close — virtual Asia. But it’s real. We moved bricks and mortar here,” says Van Tress, who likens the store to theater.
And we couldn’t agree more. The new Golden Triangle is a must-stop for anyone looking for Asian furniture — or for anyone looking for a fast trip to the East.
330 N. Clark St., 312-755-1266
— K.K.
ATTEND IT: “Eco-Friendly Landscaping” and “Kitchen Design for Historic Homes” are among the workshops planned for the Historic Chicago Bungalow and Green Home Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday [Oct. 27] at The Merchandise Mart. Though it’s presented by a program to encourage preservation and restoration of Chicago’s architecturally unique bungalows, the expo is a boon to anybody with an older home. More than 140 exhibitors are expected; speakers include “Mr. Fixit” Lou Manfredini and “Handyma’am” Beverly DeJulio.
Kinzie and Wells Streets. Call 312-642-9900 or see www.chicago bungalow.org. Free.
— Beth Botts
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kklages@tribune.com
swunderlich@tribune.com
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