JoEllen Kerwin is a painter and skilled miniaturist whose work serves both artistic and historicalpurposes. Each of her structures creates a sense of place for those who visit her tiny worlds. Read more about JoEllen’s fascinating creations in the HOME issue of our magazine.
“All we wanted was to be stewards of this house,” Laura Luce says, looking out to the sunken back yard of her historic David Adler home in Lake Forest, Illinois. A careful restoration that respects the famed architect’s vision while at the same time creating a welcoming place to call …
We’ve spent these past long winter months inside HOME. For me, the best part has been learning about all these women who have taken the idea of home and shaped, played, invented, taught, restored, miniaturized and rocked the heck out of it. I’ve been told it’s officially spring. (I’m skeptical) …
As someone who works from home, I spend quite a bit of time inside the same four walls my family and I have lived in for almost 20 years. I like our house, which is good because by now I know it inside and out — which stairs creak; the …
Chicago is home (like how we did that?) to the American Writers Museum, the country’s first and only museum that celebrates the words, work and cultural contributions of American writers. Now, before you start yawning, you should know that the museum is actually a pretty fascinating place. And with March …
As with most of life’s defining moments, I remember exactly where I was the first time I saw HGTV. It was in early spring of 1995, and I was at my soon-to-be husband’s apartment. He was eyeballs deep in tax forms (It was tax season and he was an accountant …
It was in the window of an antique shop in Rome where inspiration for the Thorne Rooms, one of Chicago’s most beloved treasures, struck. During a trip in 1930, Mrs. James Ward Thorne spotted two miniature chandeliers made of bronze and semi-precious stones. An avid collector of miniatures since she …
Imagine the bright-orange powder stuck to your fingers after eating a handful of Flaming Hot Cheetos. Now, imagine painting your house that color. A bit much, perhaps? That’s the point of “Colo(red) Theory,” an award-winning exhibition by artist and architect Amanda Williams that explores the relationship between color, the Black …
British actress Olivia Colman won an Oscar Sunday night, and in her acceptance speech (which is quite charming, by the way) said something lovely: “I used to work as a cleaner and I loved that job,” she said. “And I did spend quite a lot of my time imagining this.” …
Researching Barbie inventor Ruth Handler for Home’s Mothers of Invention brought up memories of my first Barbie, gifted by Santa when I was in elementary school. Santa, being male, wasn’t aware that Barbie needed more than one swimsuit and one off-brand picnic dress to live her fabulous life. Enter our …