Bonus Bone: Tizi Melloul

A couple weeks ago, I attended a super swanky yet low-key wedding reception at Tizi Melloul in River North. It is definitely one of those over-the-top groovy mcswanky pants type places that you only find downtown, but it was fun, plush and they made a mean mojito!

Main dining room at Tizi Melloul

Bar at Tizi Melloul

Tizi Melloul opened in 1999 and was designed by English-born, Chicago-based designer Su Hail. As soon as you walk into the bar/lounge your eyes are drawn up to the pod-like lights hanging from the ceiling. The room is a mix of sleek modernism and Indian/Moroccan influences. The space transports you to another world and you quickly forget that it is chilly and raining outside. The main dining room is an explosion of red! Red cushions, chair covers, tapestries, window treatments, and pillows. It's a visual delight that gets the mouth watering and ready to stuff it full of tasty goodies.

Bring me another mojito!

For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

I'm in...Time Out!

For all you local design bodies, I have exciting news! One room in my house was featured in the current Time Out Chicago magazine! The photo shoot and interview took place a couple of weeks ago but the issue hits newsstands TODAY. Not only is my dining room in there, but they also used a detail shot of my hallway for the cover (see below) and another photo for the Table of Contents. Time Out Chicago photographed me & roommate in our natural habitat (having coffee in the dining room). Hurrah!

Time Out Chicago, Issue #83

But it's not all about me. The magazine features 5 local non-designers and their living spaces. I haven't had a chance to see it yet and I'm dying to run home and check it out. I heard a rumor about someone with a New Kids on the Block themed bathroom!

Time Out Chicago is a weekly periodical so, if you're interested in seeing how other people live, you don't have much time to grab a copy.

Bonus Bone: Cards by Nikki McClure

When the wind picks up and the leaves start falling, I start to think of staying home and writing letters. Nikki McClure, a paper artist out of Olympia, Washington, provides the perfect blank canvas for my fall correspondence. I love the basic beauty of her card designs. To me, they feel like elementary school textbook images cut from wood. McClure, however, cuts them from single sheets of paper with a simple x-acto knife.

Take Action, sold as part of the "Fields" set

Conserve, sold as part of a dozen mini gift cards

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

2nd Annual Full House Day

For whatever silly reason, last year, Porcelain & I declared September 21st Full House Day. Yes, the TV show. Why? Again, we simply can't answer that. So...

HAPPY FULL HOUSE DAY!*

To inspire your day, we found a portion of dramatic dialogue straight from the Full House archives.


Classic! Now get out there and show off your inner Uncle Jessetude!

photo credit: Full House Central

Bonus Bone: 2-in-1

I love 2-in-1 products. Not only do you get to get your money's worth, but you also save on space, which is much needed if you are a city dweller like Cardboard and myself.

In my kitchen, I have a tall wine rack that we do not use at all, except to place a little Hello Kitty boombox on. My husband is allergic to wine, therefore I don't buy wine in bulk because it takes me about a week to go through a bottle. So the rack just sits there taking up space and gathering dust, plus it is just not our style. It has got to go, but we need a spot for the boombox. We don't have a lot of counter space and need every last inch, so putting the it on the counter is out of the question. What we need is a short side table, that won't get in the way. The solution we've come up with is to buy the bent plywood Benjamin stool from IKEA. What sold me on getting this was that it is a nice side table AND you can sit on it. So when we have guests visiting or a dinner party, we only need to move the Hello Kitty boombox, et voila, we have an extra seat!

BENJAMIN Stool, at IKEA

For Cardboard's birthday earlier this year I bought her a cake stand, but not any ordinary cake stand. Flip the pedestal upside down, invert the cover, place it into the hollow recess, et voila, you now have a punch bowl!!

Glass Cake Pedestal with Cover, at Sur la Table

For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.

Making a statement without saying a word!

Icarus light by Tord Boontje

I love rooms that make a BIG bold statement. They can be painted orange, lit by a thousand flickering candles, or filled with amazing art. The Icarus light by Tord Boontje is a statement piece that would definitely make people stop and say WOW! I've been a fan of Tord Boontje's work for awhile. I love the whimsy with which his work is infused. I've admired his Midsummer lights and thought about buying one, but never did. The style wasn't exactly "Porcelain." A couple months ago, I was flipping through a design magazine and when I saw Boontje's Icarus light, I gasped and oooooo'ed. It's theatrical, sleek and delicate all at once. Now this light is definitely up my alley!

Gimage: Shout Out!

"Shout out"

You know how when you were little and your big sister (or brother or pal) seemed annoyed at you all the time and always yelled at you for bothering her friends.* And you just sucked it up because your older sister was actually cool (while you were loud and dorky and kept making penis jokes). She ignoring you was how it was supposed to be.

And then there was that one day that you did something completely random or said something totally off-the-wall and, instead of rolling her eyes, your big sister just laughed and looked at you and said, "You're, like, kinda cool, I guess." Do you remember how big your heart swelled up that day?

We do.

Heather from Apartment Therapy - Chicago gave us a shout out in a short but sweet interview with Centerstage last week. Thanks a million!

* Apartment Therapy has never yelled at us or told us that we bother their friends.
This was just for drama. But we do admit to sometimes feeling like their unguided, obnoxious, sweaty, ADD-havin' little blogsister.

Bonus Bone: Bamboo

I used to think bamboo could only be hokey. The word conjured up thoughts of notched flatware and stalked patio furniture that looked like it was cut from the forest that very morning. But bamboo has come a long way (baby) and no longer automatically falls into the novelty category. Bamboo can be as sleek and modern as any wood out there...except it's not a wood. Technically, bamboo is a tropical grass that can grow to maturity 6 times faster than any tree. It grows fast, tall, strong, and, most importantly, pretty.

Bamboo will always have the option of going kitsch (not that there's anything wrong with a little tiki-tiki) but as design technology advances, the chic possibilities of bamboo only multiply. We all know that bamboo can make great flooring but let's take a look at some other innovations.

Shangri La Embossed Wall Flat by Inhabit, made from 100% bamboo pulp

Bamboo 7-Piece Salad Set at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Logic Lounge Chair by Delano Collection

Large Green Bamboo & Stainless Steel Pendant by Blend Creations

Becca Stools by Adapt Design

Bamboo Comfort Towels by Mad Mod, made from 100% bamboo fiber

Slim Slant Coffee Table by Rhubarb Decor

For these reasons, I, Cardboard, declare this a Design Boner.

Bonus Bone: Comfy chair

Last night I attended the Eames Film Festival at DWR. Every chair and couch that they sold was set out for the audience. It was a great way to test out a chair you might be eyeing and see how comfy it is. I sat in the Globus Chair.

Globus Chair-Wood by Jesús Gasca

It was not comfortable AT ALL!!!! After about 20 minutes, I started to shift in my seat trying to find a more comfortable position. When no comfy position could be found, I slowly started to slowly slide down in the seat and then sit up straight. I probably drove the people behind me crazy with my constant up-down-up-down routine. The problem was the seat was way too hard for your tush. If I had sat in it for only 5 minutes, it probably would have been fine. If you want to sit on it and watch a film festival or during a long dinner, this would not be a good choice.

After the films ended, I tried out a couple of other chairs that I have lusted after. The chair that I wish I had snagged was the Paulistano armchair. It was perfect! The soft leather cradled you as if you were in the most comfortable hammock. The angle of the back and seat was ideal, it was neither too upright nor too deep. It is a chair that I could see myself sliding into and reading a good book for hours on end. This is a chair that is comfortable AND has style, which I discovered last night is a hard combo to find!

Paulistano Armchair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha

For these reasons, I, Porcelain, declare this a Design Boner.