Luxury Chicago Condos Are Your Oasis

Since our urban lives, especially due to the current state of the economy, can sometimes feel a little insane, your Chicago condo’s decor should be completely personalized to you. Especially during the winter, when you are spending a lot of time in your home, your immediate surroundings should make you feel happy, calm, energized, at peace– whatever makes you comfortable in your own home.

Along with being comforting to you, your condo decor should also be efficient and uncomplicated. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean completely clutter-free or minimalist. It just means that the surroundings in your Chicago condo should efficiently make you feel the way you want to. If you want a vintage setting, comfy couches and a homey feel, then style your condo in shabby chic decor. If clean lines, open spaces and organization make you breathe easy when you walk in the door, then go for something modern.

The most overwhelming trend in decor now is to create a place that expresses your style, interests and individuality while also creating a space that makes you instantaneously at ease.

Chicago Condo Interior Design Trends

Chicago condo owners can take inspiration from this colorful condo, via Apartment Therapy.

While everyone can probably think of something they want in their Chicago condo, if you need a little direction to find an overarching design style for your home, check in with these other trends that the Sun-Times article suggests for a modern look. Even though they are “trends”, most design suggestions for the coming decade are about value and a lasting aesthetic, so your look doesn’t need constant maintenance and updating.

Colors: There is generational divide in the preferred color palettes of 2010. For the younger set, the bright and robust colors characterized by the Web are used for an energized and escapist feel in home decor. A splash of bright (we mean really bright!) color can help you escape your work day in the cubicle and the gray skies of Chicago’s winter. The older generation, however, is embracing modern style with cool grays and taupe-browns. Creating a natural and still relaxed feel, the neutral palette is great for sophisticated and slightly more formal Chicago condos.

Investment Pieces: Gone are the days of buying something cheap and tossing it when you move. Furniture purchases in the next decade will be investments– hand-tooled, sturdy and timeless. They might be more expensive, but you’ll get a lifetime of use out of them. A piece of furniture that sticks around gains a story and sees you through different condos and different phases of life. In an economy where nothing is stable, create stability at home by investing in pieces of furniture that you love now and will be able to keep for years.

Chicago condo decor inspiration from a slightly more homey design aesthetic, via Apartment Therapy.

Modern Lighting: The dawn of LED lights has updated Christmas decorating, TV screens, and now, your Chicago condo decor. It’s not just track lights vs. recessed lighting any more– you can incorporate modern lighting in a million subtle ways with LED features.

Aging in Place: As the baby boomer generation ages, Chicago condo decor should focus on ease of use as well as aesthetics. Whether you plan to spend many years in your condo, or you plan to one day sell it, keeping usability in mind while you pick features is important. Things like a shower seat, wide hallways and non-slip floors are stylish and functional and worth implementing in a new design.

Green Features: It’s no shock to us that green features in new condos are hot. We’ve been putting them in our new developments! But if your Chicago condo doesn’t have green features built in, you can always find ways to be more eco-friendly. Everything from the light bulbs you use to the appliances you put in your kitchen can affect your energy consumption. Green features are hot now and will continue to be! When renewing your home decor, definitely think green.

Whether your luxury Chicago condo is brand new and needs to be decorated or is just due for a 2010 update, these are some good decor developments to keep in mind for the future!

Events

Chicago Blues Tour pub crawl goes to eight different blues lounges this Saturday starting at 8:30pm. $45 tickets include live music at each lounge and transportation.

Prefer a brewery tour to a pub crawl?Head to the Goose Island Brewery for their famous tour. You’ll see the entire process, sample six types of beer, and take home a Goose Island glass. The tour is only $5, and you might want to make reservations.

In honor of National Pizza Week, learn how to make stretch artisan dough at La Madia while enjoy wine pairings and receiving a pizza making kit. Impress your friends next time you entertain at your Chicago condo. RSVP to the class here.

Restaurants

Osteria Via Stato in River North is celebrating National Pizza Week with half-price of select pizzas. They will be offering pizza deals through Jan 29^th every day from 2:30 to 4:30pm.

Mmm, it's Pizza Week in Chicago!

Since it is National Pizza Week, why not celebrate even more by enjoying some delicious pizza at State Street Pizza Company? The new restaurant opened its doors this week and is located at State and Kenzie.

Movies

The Book of Eli, starring the amazing Denzel Washington, tells the story of a man hoping to bring the human race redemption, 30 years after a war made the world to a ruined wasteland. If you like post-apocalyptic thrillers, check it out!

Independent film Broken Embraces starring Penélope Cruz takes you on a journey of a woman in love, but in a difficult marriage, in the 50’s.

Well folks, if Pizza Week deals, pub crawls, and blockbusters aren’t enough to get you out of your Chicago condos this weekend, we don’t know what is! But we hope to seeing you out and about in our beautiful city before the snow returns!

Events

You might have lights on the balcony of your Chicago condo, but have you seen the Licoln Park Zoo’s lights? Take your friends and family, and go see over 200 million lights! Zoolights details here.

A new, musical adaptation of George Seaton’s classic film The Miracle on 34^th Street is now playing at Theatre Building Chicago in Lakeview, and you can stay after the show for a chance to meet Santa. Tickets are $40.

Have you been to Navy Pier lately? The holidays have turned the pier into a Winter Wonderfest with indoor ice staking, rides, holiday characters, fireworks and visits with Santa through Dec. 24.

Looking for that perfect dress for New Years Eve? How about borrow a couture dress for the holidays? If you reserve by December 23^rd, you will get a great discount. Want to learn more? Click here.

Restaurants

Love Italian food with local fare and seasonal menu? Local hotspot Ceres’ Table in Ravenswood serves favorite dishes such as country-style pate and gnocchi with rabbit confit, arugula pesto and pecorino. It sounds delicious!

Order some great pastries for the holidays at Oak Mill Bakery. which just opened in Bucktown. Choose from European-style cakes, cookies, and other goodies to feast on.

Movies

Avatar by director James Cameron starts playing this weekend. It is getting fabulous reviews and it said to be one of the best movies of the year.

Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon star in the true story,  Invictus, which follows the events of the newly elected President Nelson Mandela in South America in 1994.

Guests

Since your condo is going to be filled with festive party-goers, make sure your furniture is arranged in a way that won’t inhibit movement. You want your guests to be able to drift from room to room and mingle without getting stuck in a bottle neck of traffic. Place food and beverages in a very open space where getting to and from them won’t be an issue.

Gimmicks

Maybe you used to love a good Ugly Holiday Sweater party, but more guests are going to be willing to come and enjoy themselves if they don’t have to find a ridiculous outfit. And since a holiday party is all about seeing the people you love, forgo the theme this year. If you manifest a holiday theme anywhere in your party, it should be in the food and beverages you serve. Your favorite warm holiday hors d’oeuvres, a nice wassail, or some Kahlua-eggnog will keep everyone feeling more excited for the holidays than any red and green garb ever would!

Setting the Festive Mood

You know what reminds you of the holidays best– it’s not giant, inflatable decorations or flashing lights. Rather, it’s the soft, warm colors and lighting of winter at night. To keep your holiday party stylish and luxe, opt for similar soft lighting. Dim or turn off the overhead lighting, and light faces of your guests with candles and white twinkle lights. Use reflective, metallic trimmings to prettily reflect and enhance the light.

Similarly, what sets the mood in your Chicago condo better than gaudy red and green seasonal knick-knacks? Festive music. Your favorite holiday and winter songs will fill people with the spirit; just make sure the tunes you choose match the style and attitude of your party. Plus, if you do a really good job with the music, you might just get people on their feet and dancing– just make sure there’s a place for them to cut a rug!

With the beautiful setting your Chicago condo already offers, the most important factor to throwing a great holiday party is, simply, simplicity. Focus on the friendships and family this year, instead of the glitz. Let your home and your hospitality shine, and people will refer to your holiday party like this– as the highlight of their season!