There isn’t anything in your home that better represents resiliency than an antique or vintage find. Resiliency and more. These things also represent times gone by—maybe a time from your own past, maybe a time we’ve only heard or read about.
Whatever the case may be, they’re still here with us because of someone else’s care in designing it, building it and caring for it. And that adds to their specialness.
I saw a house full of this kind of specialness when I knocked on the door of Linda Summerfield Crispell’s Highland Park home one day last summer. Linda and her family are avid collectors of alabaster eggs, bride-and-groom cake toppers and all sorts of vintage finds. So, who better to ask for great sources of resilient treasures?
Following her leads, what I found was a whole lot of home heaven going on. Highlights from the antiques-rich strip on Waukegan Avenue in Highwood: Consignments, Etc. (259 Waukegan Ave., Highwood, 866-985-7732) My jaw dropped when a very Dale Chihuly-looking chandelier greeted me near the front door. Dazzling swirls of black-and-white blown glass danced from the ceiling. I also loved the small mid-19th Century corbels-architectural salvage that could be used as simple accents.
The Find (9 Highwood Ave., Highwood, 847-266-1700) was a short hop across the street—and it was a find. A real mix of silver, coral and seashells, furniture, chandeliers and my favorite: a glass-topped coffee table made of driftwood.
And then I wandered over to Bank Lane and Anna’s Mostly Mahogany (531 Bank Lane, Highwood, 847-432-9151). Here, room after room of delightful offerings from various dealers greeted me—from fine antiques to vintage surprises.
After refueling at Tacos El Norte (118 Washington Ave., Highwood, 847-432-1730), I headed toward Highland Park to snoop in on a few other eclectic home-furnishings stores: Las Puertas (2115 Green Bay Rd., Highland Park, 847-432-3667), Ellie Ruttstein’s treasure chest of a store. It’s filled with tooled leather mirrors, punched tin mirrors, imports from Indonesia, India, Guatemala and Mexico, spires from Thailand and, of course, the traffic-slowing, life-size metal sculptures of horses and other big game.
Scoot off Green Bay Road and stop at Warehouse No. 4 (1596 Old Skokie Rd., Highland Park, 847-831-2660). Gena Rogers and Jackie Chilow offer everything from shabby chic to French Country to Modern—and they take requests, too.
And finally, I stopped in at my friend Florence Shay’s rare books store, Titles, Inc., (1821 St. John’s Ave., Highland Park, 847-432-3690) in downtown Highland Park. Little Oriental rugs and brass knickknacks atop accent tables make Titles cozy and homey. Perfect for poring over the array of interesting titles Florence has gathered.
OK, you’re ready to snoop in on my fave vintage, antiques and home-furnishing spots in Highwood/Highland Park. Happy hunting!
