Celebrating in Chicago Condos: St. Patrick’s Day

If you’re planning on having a few people over on Wednesday the 17th to celebrate the actual St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to decorate with something other than green beer, four leaf clovers and leprechauns. Here are some of our ideas for upscale Irish decor.

Green Accents: You can sneak a little green into your luxury Chicago condo in all kinds of ways.

• Throw some green pillows or a blanket on the couch.
• Buy some green coasters for holiday-themed drinks.
• Incorporate a little green through other home accessories that can be redistributed or put away after the holiday.

Your guests will notice and appreciate hints of green without being overwhelmed by the St. Patty’s spirit.

Real Greenery: Bring the green into your home in the best way– real, live greenery. While you would normally go out and buy flowers for a centerpiece, buy strictly the greens this time. A florist can make you an equally beautiful piece with just greenery, or if you’re ambitious, you can buy or plant a few potted plants for the occasion.

Green Linens: Finally, incorporate a little green in your table settings. Green napkins could be either paper or cloth, depending on the formality of your St. Patty’s get-together. Green tablecloths, napkin rings, or candles on your table can bring some green without screaming St. Patrick’s Day, too. You can reuse the pieces you buy individually, adding a green accent to spring decor after your St. Patrick’s Day spread is over.

Chicago Bars to Visit on St. Patty’s

Finally, after you do a little in home celebrating, you might want to head out. What are the best bars in downtown to continue a St. Patrick’s celebration? We’d recommend:

Butch McGuire’s – Butch’s has been around since the ’70s and is always a reliable go-to bar in the downtown area. With a crowd that ranges from recent graduates to regulars, you’ll definitely be among peers. On Rush and Division, it’s right in the middle of the downtown nightlife scene and you can bar-hop the Gold Coast with ease.

The Galway Arms – AOL City Search designated this as the best Irish bar in Chicago in 2007, 2008 and 2009. A little Ireland in the heart of Lincoln Park, you can always catch great traditional Irish music there, and it’s sure to be a festive setting any time around St. Patrick’s Day. Plus, should it be warm enough in Chicago in March, it has a great patio!

Fado – On the Near North Side you’ll find Fado, a slightly pricier but still welcoming Irish pub and restaurant. With huge wooden bars and two floors of seating, there will definitely be room for you and your friends to order a last St. Patty’s Day brew. A Yelp reviewer even claimed, “I will be here on St. Pat’s regardless of what comes, sleet, hail, snow, rain, hurricane, earthquake!”

So inside your luxury Chicago condo and out, you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day right. Be festive, because don’t forget, if you live in Chicago you might not be Irish but you’re definitely Chi-rish!