Most products are just a click away, sure, but there’s no replacement for the in-person shopping experience, especially when you’re shopping for your home and need to see colors and textures in person. Winnetka and Northfield’s house and home boutiques offer an engaging and tactile shopping experience, personalized customer service and one-of-a-kind products at all price points.
“You don’t have to go all the way to the Merchandise Mart for inspiration,” says interior designer Cindy Bardes Galvin, who opened her downtown Winnetka shop in 2009. “This is a charming area with so much to offer.”
Bedside Manor Ltd.
920 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
With locations in Lincoln Park, Lake Forest and Winnetka’s Hubbard Woods Design District, Bedside Manor is one of the area’s premier providers of posh furnishings for all things bed and bath. Staffed with a design-savvy team ready to help customers realize their vision, the Winnetka location’s beautifully appointed showroom offers hundreds of fabrics, including rugs, towels and bed linens by brands like Missoni and John Robshaw, as well as furniture by trend-forward firms such as Bungalow 5, Hickory Chair and Made Goods.
“Our new spring assortment is so fresh, and this year we are very happy to see a lot of color and pattern,” says president Meg Carroll. “The world needs some brightening up right now, and we are happy to help.”
Peachtree Place and Little Peach
303 Happ Road, Northfield
Open in downtown Northfield for nearly four decades, Peachtree Place’s beautifully curated 7,000-square-foot store features an array of products, including artwork, accent furniture, crystal, tabletop, linens, jewelry and personal accessories. Across the hall, sister shop, Little Peach, carries kid-friendly wall art, accent décor and unexpected sure-to-please finds, for example, a line of luxury toy cars. The independently owned business also offers a popular wedding and baby registry.
“We have an extremely loyal and savvy customer base and a wonderful caring staff, many of whom have been here for years,” says owner Lucy Callahan. “It’s a perfect mix.”
Material Possessions, Inc.
954 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
Material Possessions opened its doors in 1977, quickly establishing itself an innovative destination for one-of-a-kind home accents and décor. The airy 2,000-square-foot showroom offers tableware, furniture, lighting and other home accessories, as well as bespoke jewelry, hand-crafted pieces and artwork.
Interior designers are welcome, or for those going it alone, the knowledgeable staff is happy to assist. “Hand-crafted pieces and functional art are accented by old artifacts, adding the type of texture and interest we all strive for in our homes,” says co-owner, Jessica McDermott. “We aim to inspire and delight not only visually, but with an enjoyable and effortless shopping experience for all who walk through the door.”
Maze Home
735 Elm Street, Winnetka
Founded by nationally recognized interior designer Cindy Bardes Galvin, this loftlike boutique is stocked with a panoply of high-low home décor items, including furniture, lamps, mirrors, picture frames, candles, trays, tabletop, decorative boxes, colorful pillows and throws, fashionable clothing, couture Parisian linens by D Porthault and a variety of paper goods, games, puzzles, books and jewelry.
Maze recently rolled out foil stamping and monogramming services, and the shop has long offered complimentary gift wrapping. “My amazing team provides such a high level of personal service,” Galvin said. “I want people to wander in, meditate and get lost in our beautiful maze of décor and gifts.”
The Shade Store
908 Green Bay Road, Winnetka
Like each of its 95 nationwide showrooms, The Shade Store’s Winnetka location offers custom shades, blinds and drapery by noteworthy celeb designers such as Jonathan Adler, Victoria Hagan, Nate Berkus and Sheila Bridges, who recently collaborated with the company to design a stylish, eclectic new collection of light-filtering and blackout materials for roller shades. Motors that seamlessly integrate with home automation systems are available for most window treatments.
“The Shade Store makes custom window treatments simple, and our goal is to be our customers’ partner in design,” says Adam Skalman, VP of Sales at The Shade Store. “Our Design Consultants can assist customers in the showroom (or by phone or virtual appointment), helping with everything throughout the process from inspiration to installation, and making sure that a customer’s window treatments are as beautiful as they are functional for their everyday needs.”
Content produced by Make It Better Media Group in partnership with the Winnetka-Northfield Chamber of Commerce.
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Tate Gunnerson is a Chicago-based freelance journalist with an equal appreciation for natural beauty and good design. He is a passionate supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the National Kidney Foundation.
