Step Back in Time at the Vintage Bazaar

Oh hello!

The Ballroom in the Aragon.

My adventure back in time began with walking into the grand foyer of the  Aragon Entertainment Center http://aragon.com in the Chicago neighborhood of Uptown. The Aragon was originally built in 1926 with a Spanish palace courtyard style.  This building is amazing!  Every surface is painted and adorned.  In the midst of the building lays a beautiful ballroom were an approximate 50 million people have danced through the years spanning the 20s to the 40s! Now-a-days the space is used for special events, dances and concerts.

The pleasant and cordial Rose.

On the day I visited it was hosting the Vintage Bazaar http://www.thevintagebazaar.com. The Vintage Bazaar is a blog as well as a Pop-Up market focusing on vintage decor, fashion, and accessories. June's event was no exception to amazing finds and interesting characters. It was inspiring to see folks so excited about decor, fashion and relics of the past and giving them a new homes.  The event was so large, in addition to the dozen venders inside, there was 90 more outside! This was a great event.  Folks were buying, negotiating and bargaining.  While leaving I saw several cars packed full to the point of stuff hanging out of the windows and trunk!

Visiting the Vintage Bazaar was great!  I got to see a great space, visit with folks and get inspired!  The next Vintage Bazaar will be July 8th!  Will I see you there?    

A great little vignette setup by Karen Cooper.

Vintage Edison...Jim Ligon creates amazing lighting units using
recycled wine & liquor boxes and bottles!
Check him out at  www.vintageedison.com 

Chair and Pillow by our friend Nara!

Good Day

--D. Charles

NeoCon...Think Big...and they did!

Oh hello!

What do you get when you put hundreds of furniture venders, thousands of designers and decor enthusiasts together  under one roof? NeoCon 2012  (www.neocon.com)  of course!

This year's theme was "Think Big." This was my first year to attend and I was drained after leaving!  This is a three day event packed full of venders, presentations and seminars.

NeoCon is a mecca, a destination - the largest exposition and conference for commercial interiors in North America.

 So what did I get from this year's NeoCon?  A few things...

Trending

• Bright colors (not excluding White)  bright Green and/or Orange seem to be most popular
• Sleek, clean design focusing on functionality and ergonomics.
• Customization of work-spaces
• Floor covering panels
• High-back chairs
• Oh yes...and men's bow ties!

Couple Points of Interest


--Moving Murals www.movingmurals.com
These amazing LED murals move in "True Definition."  I was blown away with the detail and realism of these murals.  You need to check this out! Oh...and there is audio as well!


--Miliken Floor Covering www.millikencarpet.com
As mentioned above floor covering is a "happening" product to have.  Miliken takes it to another level by incorporating Design and Color through their new Color Wash.  

Color Wash is the latest collection that highlights Milliken’s contemporary and advanced methods of reimagining the floor plane, while illustrating large scale, continuous and seamless gradation with nuanced color change.


Good day!
--D. Charles

Downtown Chicago...at Dusk...Breathtaking!

Oh Hello!

I was walking through Downtown Chicago along the river at dusk this evening.  The reflective buildings, dark blue sky and vibrant street lights caught my attention.  It's always inspiring to me to see beautiful sky scrappers reaching for the clouds.  Some are very tall, others shorter, some are new, some are very old, however they all thrust from the sidewalks like pillars of man's accomplishments (okay was that too cheesy?). Chicago is rich in both new construction and old construction, especially downtown.  Somehow the two seem to balance each other out...almost creating a rhythm.

This concept is practiced in many homes today.  People have older items in their decor, or antiques, yet go Crate and Barrel and by a contemporary modern piece. The old and new create an energy or balance when they are in a room together.

Enjoy the few photos I took this evening.  Think about how the new and old work together...complimenting each other.

Newly Constructed Trump Tower...it almost perfectly blends into the sky!

Marina City (1964) with it's two corncob towers and Trump Tower in the back ground. 

Base of Trump Tower with the Wrigley Building (1920) in Center of photo.

Wrigley Building with the Tribune Tower (1925) behind it (technically it's across the street on Michigan Ave). 

 
Good day!
--D. Charles