Best Places To Shop For Your Bathroom In Chicago
The restroom, water closet, loo, powder room, lavatory -- it's a guy's shrine, a gal's sanctuary and a visitor's point of relief. Pick up some kitschy, colorful and cool items for your bathroom at these Chicago spots and your friends and relatives will be so dazzled, they won't be tempted to rifle through the medicine cabinet.
Valentia
2042 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 698-8857
www.facebook.com/ValentiaStudioBoutique
Jane E. Pakis, an ASID interior designer, has set up shop in an old Bucktown home with the rooms selling items for that particular room: the kitchen sells kitchen stuff, the bedroom offers accessories for that room and in the living room, there's women's apparel, some of which Pakis designs and makes in Chicago. In/for the bathroom, you'll find shower curtains, soaps, makeup bags, towels and more. Pakis says, "My goal is that everything is moderately priced." She focuses on local artists and fair trade in limited amounts, so stop in often for a look at the continual influx of new items.
Careful Peach Boutique
1024 North Blvd.
Oak Park, IL 60301
(708) 383-3066
www.carefulpeach.com
Of course you could collect lovely European accessories throughout your world travels, but airline baggage fees limit your take. A quick trip to Oak Park and Careful Peach Boutique and you're flush with French milled soaps, mouth-blown glass votive holders made in the Czech Republic, bleached cotton European-style honeycomb weave towels from Le Jacquard Francais, unique pillboxes and handmade, one-of-a-kind signs and wall art.
Material Possessions
704 N. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-4885
www.materialpossessions.com
The Gold Coast shop has been offering knick-knacks, curios and baubles as well as contemporary, decorative and antique furnishings for over 30 years. Linger over the Capiz Bathroom Collection, pearl oyster soap dispensers, tissue boxes, tumblers and waste baskets. Perhaps you'll just have to have that Italian pewter canister collection for your q-tips, cotton balls and bath salts. Handsome leather or hammered iron bath accessories appeal to the masculine toilette, greenies go for eco-friendly wood items made from reforestation plantations and be sure to pick up candles, soap sets and luxurious bath bars.
Related: Best Places For Do-It-Yourself Spa Supplies In Chicago
Komoda
2559 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 276-8229
www.shopkomoda.com
Komoda is that kind of shop people get lost in with nooks and crannies filled with eclectic ephemera and design ideas. You'll find a full line of Tokyo Milk items like a Gin & Rosewater classic collection of candle, scent and lotion. Browse shaving products for men and women, nail brushes in the shape of hedgehogs, soap dishes along with soaps, bubble baths and salts. Owner Sherri De Young especially likes the shower curtains that are PVC free, mold and mildew resistant and come with a permanent marker so you can draw your own custom design. Decorate bathroom walls with art such as a vintage map of North America and don't forget to leave the the incense matches out so guests don't have awkward, fragrant moments.
Community Home Supply
3924 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 281-7010
www.communityhomesupply.com
Before you even think about candles and shell-covered tissue boxes, get to Community Home Supply for bathroom basics: faucets, sinks, toilets, paper holders, towel bars, shelves, vanities, mirrors, bidet seats, towel warmers and bathroom accessories. Want a rain-action shower head? An exhaust fan for when the potpourri diminishes? Wall-mounted make-up mirror, cool lighting or a sink just like the one in your favorite restaurant? It's all here in countless styles and sizes and at many price points.
Related: Tips For Adding Local Flair To Your Home From A Chicago Designer
Jacky Runice has been a columnist with the Daily Herald Chicago since grunge music and flannel was the new black. Her fingers and gray matter have been busy as travel editor of Reunions Magazine; penning a column that was syndicated around the nation via Tribune Media Services. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
