The top 10 Chicago Parks (including the small hidden gems you never knew existed)

This might seem like an exaggeration, but according to the Chicago Park District’s website, there are more than 580 parks within the city limits of Chicago!  And I think anyone who has lived in, or even visited Chicago knows that the parks are one of the best parts of this …

Casual Market Chicago Review

This week at the Merchandise Mart, vendors from all over the world have come together to display their extensive appliance and furniture collections.  From Rugs to Hammocks, Dining Tables to Shade Cabanas, if you are looking for outdoor products, this is where you will find them. I stopped by this morning …

Material Madness

Ipe, Cedar, Granite and Stone.  We are guilty of it too.  As designers, we are all comfortable with what we are most familiar with.  But what if I told you there was an entire world of incredibly unique outdoor materials from which you could chose from when building your outdoor …

Urban Plants

Urban settings are rarely considered an ideal client for any plant.  Throw them up on a roof deck drenched in direct sunlight and surrounded by strong winds and you have yourself an even greater challenge.  Most plants simply can’t handle it.  It takes a special breed (literally).  And today, we …

Kalamazoo’s Chicago Showroom

This past week, our team had the privilege of being invited to Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet’s Showroom located in Chicago’s West Loop.  Their space, which they remodeled about a year ago, is all kinds of awesome!  They fired up the grills for us and cooked up some incredible recipes. The overall …

King of the Roof Deck – Big Apple vs. The Windy City

There has been an ongoing debate between New Yorkers and Chicagoans over the years concerning whose Pizza reins Supreme… Which is interesting and all, but pizza is pizza.  And the truth is, in either city, you have thousands of options with hundreds of different styles.  So it gets muddy. But …