These Are a Few of My Favorite Things, Part II

Hello again, and welcome to the latest installment of the ReDo Blog. Thanks for stopping by! This Macy’s staging project is keeping me super busy – I can’t get from behind this eight-ball and catch up on other other things in life, like posting my lead blog in a timely manner! I promise that once this project is over and I’m firmly ensconced back home in St. Louis, I will strive to bring order to the chaos of my time schedule, and bring to you a decent blog to start your Monday work week with! So, in the essence of said timeliness, I bring to you the next part of “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” – sally forth, and enjoy!

If you recall from my blog post this last February, I mentioned I was going to write a few blogs about some of my favorite design retailers in the hope that you may feel inspired to visit them, support them, or get ideas from their decorative aesthetics and style. This week’s blog is the second in a series of such posts, this one highlighting one of my favorite online, and newly realized brick-and-mortar stores, West Elm.

As before, let me say that this is not an advertisement, or a paid (or unpaid) endorsement by the company for which I am about to write. This is about design; beautiful, gorgeous, streamlined design by one of my favorites furniture and accessories stores, and I’m here to sing their praises and give them kudos for great design ideas, decor, color stories, and prices that are hard to beat for quality items.

I’ve been shopping at West Elm online for years, when the only actual physical store they had was in New York City. As their popularity grows, so does their store count, and they continue to raise the walls and roofs of their shopping havens in more and more cities across the country. It just so happens that I came across one of their newer stores right in the heart of Chicago, and I can tell you I was thrilled to find them there! Just a stone’s throw from the busy intersection of North and Clybourn, or Home Design and Style, and up the street from Crate and Barrel, CB2, and The Container Store, West Elm has opened a fantastic new, and large, store at 1000 W North Avenue. And like all West Elm stores, the interior aesthetic is soothing, monochromatic (based on color blocking), and chock full of inspirational design ideas, affordable furniture and decor, and helpful people to make your shopping experience even more enjoyable.

West Elm uses a lot of wood in their designs: espresso brown, mid-tones or caramel and maple, white painted pieces – so many wonderful earthy natural feelings. They tell great color stories with seasonal and fashionable color trends, while invoking a casual comfort, and often a zen-like approach to decorating. I’ve used their pieces in my own home and continue to enjoy them still. If you haven’t stopped by their website and seen their offerings, do yourself a favor and go there now. You won’t be sorry! And, if you’re ever in a city where there is a brick-and-mortar location, speed your way there to check out for yourself all their cool, fashionable, and decorative furnishings. And with their prices, you’re bound to walk away with a few accessories and trinkets for your home!