Restoration Hardware Chicago - The Gallery at Three Arts Club

I can't believe it's already been a week since we've returned from our Chicago visit.  Our friends there always make our stay with them lots of fun.  Knowing that we're food lovers, it's almost a sure thing that they would introduce us to yet another delicious venue.  This time around, on the first afternoon of our visit, they brought our family to enjoy a scrumptious snack...  and a feast for the eyes!

I'm talking about the Restoration Hardware's Chicago flagship store - The Gallery at Three Arts Club.  It's a historical building that has been renovated, and of course, outfitted by RH's furniture.

I couldn't contain myself when I saw the Café!  I don't think I was able to close my mouth from the oohs and ahs that were coming out.  I heard it's usually a never-ending lineup into the cafe, so we were very lucky to arrive at tea time and got seated at a table right away! 

This latte was nothing short of perfection! We also ordered a truffle grilled cheese sandwich, which was equally out of this world.

It was late afternoon and this gigantic chandelier lit up.  It brought a fairytale ambiance to the whole courtyard café.

Our visit didn't end there...  be prepared for an overload of images!

The Gallery has five floors, each floor houses a department as such:

Our friends suggested we start our tour of the gallery from the top floor of Outdoor and Garden, and continue down the floors.  It was such a good idea...  if we had gone from bottom to top, it would've been dark (and rainy) outside when we got to the Outdoor part!

Let me take you on a mini tour of the Gallery.  It has too many beautiful rooms and I can't possibly fit them all in one post, so I've picked my favourites to showcase.

Outdoor & Garden

RH read my mind...  rattan furniture, dining area under a curtained gazebo, gray patio stone slabs...  my backyard goals are screaming at me.

Then we went down this beautiful staircase from the outdoor area, lit by these gorgeous large chandeliers, with their light reflected by the gilded mirrors:

Modern Furniture Line

The 4th floor houses RH's relatively new modern line.  I'm not much of a modern gal, but when it's glammed up with tufting and gold accents...  I think I can live with that!

This Porthole bar curio with pipework base looks stunning.  It's a statement piece that can fit any style of space.

How glam is this modern powder room?  That gold chair with fur cushions takes an ordinary-looking vanity up a notch!

Child & Teen

I guess it's no surprise that I was inspired by all things RH when I was brainstorming the playroom for little man.  I love the industrial style and rugged feel of the boys' rooms:

This is such a cool work (and gathering) space for the boys!  Wonder if they'll get any work done just chit chatting away in those furry chairs :-)

And here are the rooms fit for princesses!  It's so much lighter in textures and brighter, a stark contrast to the boys' rooms.

I can see a slumber party going on here!

How dreamy is this bed?  Love the chandelier emerging through the canopy.

This is my favourite room of the girls space.  A daybed, a beautiful beaded chandelier, and even a space to host an Alice in Wonderland tea party!

Plus a mirror vanity table, and...

... a mirror dresser!  All the glamorous touches!!  Lucky girl!

Bed & Bath

I'm not sure how I whizzed through this floor without taking much photos!  But I love this bathroom vanity, with a luxury hotel feel. 

Notice how they showcase the different faucet styles at each sink:

Living & Dining

And here we are back on the first floor.  Every space featured is stunningly gorgeous!!  You get the sense of grandeur that's the essence of Restoration Hardware in each setting.

I love this dining room's intricate fireplace.  Makes me want to have a fireplace in ours too!

Such an intimate setting for a dining room.  My photo doesn't do justice to this beautiful stone top dining table.

Hallways

RH didn't leave any space unturned; even the hallways are beautifully decorated.  Need some inspirations for your long hallways?  Adorn them with mirrors/ artwork, chandeliers, and exquisite sconces.  Here are a couple of my favourites:

Pantry

The Café's pantry is off to the side but it's not just a regular butler pantry.  Those gray cabinets feature a marble countertop, supporting a brass and glass shelving unit.  This is exactly what I dream of for our basement family room's bar area.

It shouldn't be too hard for the Mr. to DIY, ya think? 😁

How many times have you dreamed of being in a room of an RH catalogue?  For a Restoration Hardware fan like the Mr. and I, this visit to the Gallery was a magical experience.  Each floor and each space within is like a live catalogue right in front of you.  And we're ever so grateful for our friends to know us so well, both food- and style-wise, that they brought us there!

Speaking of food...  I'm undergoing vacation detox from our stuff-athon (as in stuffing ourselves with the yummy good food in Chicago!).  Can't wait to go back again!!

DIY Art Display Frame

Summer is almost over (and already over for some kiddos)!  Have you had a chance to clear out the previous school year's work?  No judging here...  I haven't!  Are you prepared for another year's inflow of arts and crafts from school?

Little man never seems to slow down his art production, so I had to come up with a way to have an in and out system.  Shhhh...  Yes I toss out his art work in the end, but not until I've taken a photo of the piece for a photobook of his masterpieces.  I only keep the ones for special occasions 😊

Now that this art display frame is in place, we can actually display his work before I take a photo and then...  shhhh....

So without further ado, let me share with you this DIY project's step by step details in this video.  It's so simple that I attempted this DIY without the Mr.'s assistance!  I think this is my first DIY project for the blog!

Recap of materials:

• IKEA's Gunnabo frame (50x70cm used in this project)
• Hanging wire
• Screw eyes (6 for this project)
• Glue gun
• Burlap
• Optional:  pliers, wire cutter, shears

I hope I've given you some inspirations on handling the flood of art work coming your way this new school year.  With this art display frame, we can decorate the wall with little man's art while having a systematic approach about his art storage. 

Just wanted to remind you that I've partnered with Canvas N Decor for a free canvas art giveaway of your choice.  Have you tagged yourself and friends for a chance to win?  For details, check out my Instagram post here.

You can find the rest of his playroom revealed here.

Little Man's Playroom Reveal!

***THE WORKBENCH IS COMPLETED!!!  CHECK OUT THE FINAL REVIEW HERE!!***

Did you see my silly attempt to take over little man's work space in his playroom?  We originally had a home office planned for that room, but The Mr. thought it would be a better use of space as a playroom instead.  I totally agreed and went with it, and had lots of fun designing it.  Here's my design board for this playroom (source list at bottom):

Bit by bit, we had added pieces to the playroom to achieve the design I had in mind.  I've shared on Instagram the gallery wall that the Mr. so painstakingly put up.  When I posted the photo, what I had planned under the frames has not been built.  

Much like any other rooms in our house, little man's playroom is still a work in progress.  But The Mr. has made some major improvements a little while ago that has made this playroom a little more enjoyable for little man.  

Toys have been scattered on the floor of the playroom, and it was just driving me nuts.  Not that I'm a particular person, but the playroom isn't large in the first place!  With toys on the floor, we can hardly walk in.  Not to mention the hazards of stepping on his Lego pieces.

Naturally, toy storage became a priority after The Mr. has completed our DIY closet/ dressing room.  The Mr. took a short break after finishing our closet and quickly whipped up a storage unit/ work bench for the little man. 

This work bench is actually part of a storage unit that I designed, and the Mr. still needs to find time to complete it.  Until then, little man has been quite happy to have a building bench to build and display his Lego collections.  That pouf is actually at a perfect height for him to sit at the bench!

I wanted to draw attention to the height of this room, and the best way is with a gallery wall.  I've previously talked about how I approached the designing of a gallery wall here.  Taking those essential elements into consideration, I came up with this simple design.  I didn't want to hang too many items in a tiny room, but just enough to create a visual interest.  

I found all of the art prints' jpeg and pdf files on Etsy for several dollars, and sent them to print at a local print shop on light card stock.  I don't see a point in spending too much on gallery wall prints, as I expect little man to change his preference of characters quite often.  Kids...!!

I chose these IKEA frames for a monochromatic look and also for their acrylic fronts.  I can't risk to have shattered glass in the playroom, you know, in case a toy bullet/ missile hits its target!

We got this railway ticket print during our Disney World vacation several years ago, and never hung it up.  What's a better place than the playroom for it!  The giraffe taxidermy and the marquee letter add a touch of whimsy to this gallery wall.

Knowing there can never be enough storage in the playroom, I included this acrylic box shelf from CB2 as part of the gallery wall.  It's something unexpected and yet so useful for his smaller collections.  I had it installed at a height where little man can change out his display as frequent as his highness wishes. 

I ended up not going with the open geometric light fixture from RH Baby & Child.  But I think this light from Structube is more suitable and even more fun!  It goes quite well with this modern industrial playroom, and can't beat the price since it was on sale!

On the right side of the wall, there's a set of corner windows that we had previously left uncovered.  To give little man some privacy while he's working at the desk, I made some tissue garland to also add some accent colors to this set of additional windows.

The most recent additions to the playroom were the chalkboard art and the display frame on the right wall of the room.

I designed the chalk board art several years ago and printed it as a poster, which was wrinkled during our move.  I guess something's just not meant to be!  Well, it turned out this custom printed canvas in matte finish gave me the exact look I was hoping for!!!  It's from Canvas N' Decor and I couldn't be more happy with the quality!!  It looks just like a chalkboard until you walk up close to it!

*** I've partnered with Canvas N' Decor for a lucky winner to win a canvas of your choice!  See details on bottom of this post!

The art display frame was something I had always wanted to DIY but never had time for.  I finally had the chance to get around to it, and it was such an easy project!  I'll post the tutorial soon!

The fun part in designing this playroom was to incorporate this modern/ industrial style that's totally different from the rest of the house.  I love a fun casual space for a kid to just be a kid.  In this space, he basically has no restrictions and is free to dream up any creations, be it with buildings blocks or on paper.  

So, are those all the toys in the playroom?  NO.  Is the playroom done?  NO.  Because...  we still need to make the storage units for these:

Once the storage is built, then these toys will be inside...  and out of sight!  ...  and I'll provide an update when that's done!

Be sure to check in again for the DIY art display frame tutorial!  Better yet, just subscribe to the newsletter!

Canvas giveaway details:

I've teamed up with Canvas N' Decor to give one lucky winner a free canvas art print of your choice. (A wide range of sizes will be available to choose from.)
It's very simple to enter:
1. Follow me @classyglamliving and @canvasndecor on Instagram
2. In the comment section of this photo, tag one friend (or as many as you like)

Each name you enter gives yourself an entry into this contest.
You have until Friday, August 19th @ 9pm to post. The 2 winners will be announced on Sunday August 21st. 

Contest is open to USA and Canada residents (where UPS ground service is available).
Contest is not affiliated with Instagram in anyway.

Source List:

• Wall paint: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl @ 50% tint

• Stain on DIY work bench: Minwax Classic Gray

• Gallery wall frames: IKEA

• Gallery wall art prints: Etsy

• Giraffe taxidermy: Zulily

• Marquee letter: Joss & Main

• Acrylic frame shelf: CB2

• Pouf: Homesense

• Union Jack Rug: Lowes

• Ceiling light fixture: Structube

• Campaign desk: Target Threshold

• Acrylic ghost chair: Structube

• Desk lamp: IKEA

• Chalk board art canvas: Canvas n Decor

• Frame for art display: IKEA