Dreamy Courtyard and a Graduation Party with Southern Charm

It's been a while since I've made a post for Room 363 because I'm just getting back from an amazing extended family vacation in beautiful Hawaii.  It was a welcome escape from the unpredictable Chicago weather this Spring.  I was welcomed back to Naperville by Mark's stunning courtyard that looks like the set for a magazine cover shoot.  Dreamy, right?

With Summer comes a flurry of high school graduation parties and one lucky University of Kentucky bound lady had Mark loading up his truck to look like the Beverly Hillbillies in order to assist in creating the southern themed party of her dreams.   

Mark is also helping me with decorating my work-in-progress master bedroom.  I live in an old home in the Historic District of Naperville, so we're short on closet space.  One of my requests was that I had a nightstand that would serve as more than an alarm clock and book of the week holder, but would potentially provide more clothing storage space.  During a trip to the mall, I made a panic purchase at Restoration Hardware placing an order for a nightstand.  After getting the stink eye and a stern lecture from Mark on frivolous purchases, I decided to cancel the order and trust the nightstand decision to him and his promise to find me something just as great at a third of the cost.

Not long after, I received this text from him, reminding me to trust him and the cost was under $100.  

Oh boy, we are NOT in Restoration anymore, Toto.  I must admit, I was a little scared.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, when he showed up on my doorstep with this beauty a few days later.  

It gives me the extra storage space I need while being a unique piece that gives my room character.  I'll share more pictures from my room when it's completely put together.  

The sun is actually shining now, so I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day.  I hope you're doing the same!

-Maria

Wedding Walk Pics, Mommy and Me Sessions and Mothers Day

The last post I made, Room 363's basement was flooded along with the rest of Naperville.  We're all dried up and those few very wet days feel like an eternity ago because so much has happened at the store since that week.  

The weekend after the flood, Downtown Naperville hosted their second annual Wedding Walk, where brides stroll through the stores getting ideas for their upcoming weddings.  Mark partners with Traci from Whimsy to style the most amazing weddings, so he turned his courtyard into a vintage-inspired wedding backdrop.  (Do yourself a favor and visit Traci's blog and look at the wedding pictures. The girl has some major magazine worthy talent.)

Andrew from Andrew's Garden in Naperville put together this beautiful flower arrangement. Where were all these talented people when I got married?

Immediately after the wedding walk, Mark transitioned his courtyard into a set for Alicia's Photography to shoot Mother's Day mini sessions.  Here's what the courtyard looks like now.

Isn't it stunning?  (I call dibs on the amazing pergola made from recyled vintage posts.  Mark probably won't let me have it because he'll be all like, "Where you going to put that" and I'll tell him and he'll say, "That's dumb, you can't have it."  I'll pout and he'll be unaffected.  Damn it.)  

The courtyard is so cozy now, Mark has to shoo away groups of teenagers congregating in the "living room" daily.  There was even a mysterious stiletto left behind.  Not sure we want to know how that got under the couch. 

Check out this amazing shot Alicia took in one of her Mommy and Me sessions. 

Mark also worked on a client's house last week.  I'm loving this trend of bringing the outside in with the outdoor bench.  It's perfect in this space. 

Because Mark doesn't have enough to keep him busy, he's also been making religious inspired jewelry for the store.  There are lots of great jewelry pieces in the store right now that would make great Mother's Day gifts.  

Just in time for Summer, more tops came in also.  Make sure you stock up for those upcoming beach vacations.

Mark's also been helping me with some small projects around my house.  Not because he has the time, but because my way of doing things annoys the crap out of him and he'd rather just do it himself, I think.  Works for me!  Yesterday I texted him that I was wrestling with my hanging baskets.  Next thing I know, as I'm sitting crisscross applesauce in a pile of dirt and ferns trying to pry apart metal chain with pliers and hoping I have some untapped kinetic ability to bend metal, he drives up shaking his head and completes the job for me.  

My sad, sad limp fern is pictured on the left while his happy, perky fern is displayed in the picture on the right.

When I pull up to my house, it's like I'm walking into a volumizing hair shampoo commercial.  My fern is the before example when the plant had sad, lifeless hair and Mark's is what you get after using the miracle shampoo that gives you big, sexy hair that smells good and is incredibly soft and manageable.  I think my fern needs a hat.

Make sure you stop in this weekend for Mother's Day.  From now until Sunday, if you show the e-mail Room 363 sent with a coupon, you'll get $10 off a $30 or more purchase.  If you didn't receive the e-mail, send Mark a note at mark.room363@gmail.com and he'll add you.  

Enjoy your weekend!  

-Maria

When it Rains, it Pours: Flooding, Sandbagging and Wedding Walk Excitement

The last post I made a couple weeks ago I wrote about chirping birds, shining sun and the joys of the impending Spring.  It was all rainbows and butterflies with extra sugar and a cherry on top.  I'm here to tell you, we've had none of that this week in Naperville.  We've had rain, a lot of rain, intense thunderstorms, snow, sleet, hail, and floods.  

Room 363 had 5 inches of water in the basement . . . which has dirt floors.  Maybe this flood and the mess in the basement will cure Mark of his habit of just opening the door and tossing things down the stairs?  Maybe?  Yes, Mark, I've seen you do that.  

Mark is currently waiting for the mud to turn back to dirt, but the store is still open!  He's like the post office, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night . . .

Although . . . he will shut down to help his fellow business owners.  Mark and a crew of volunteers worked to sandbag shops and restaurants along the river for several hours last night.  As the city trucks dropped loads of sand in front of Sullivan's Steakhouse and Centennial Beach, volunteers grabbed shovels and began to fill sandbags. 

Those sandbags were then placed in front of businesses in danger of taking on water from the rising DuPage River, like these in front of Alicia's Photography.

It was backbreaking, intense work for hours.  Filling bags, loading dollies or the backs of pick-up trucks and delivering the bags to the doors of businesses as the water rose in front of our eyes.  It was scary, oddly fun and sometimes emotional for those in danger of losing even a small part of what they've worked so hard to create.  

It's funny because I hear sometimes how Naperville is too commercialized, there's not enough "mom and pop" shops, but at times like these you realize there are still lot of small business owners downtown who aren't part of massive corporations that can easily foot the bill in case of an emergency.  Business owners without flood insurance who would feel this hit to their bottom line.  

The volunteers were an eclectic group of management and staff from the larger businesses like Apple and Sullivan's Steak House, mixed in with small business owners like Alicia (Alicia's Photography), Mark (Room 363), Oriana (Casa by Charleston) and Neda (Sugar Monkey Cupcakes), Anne and Joe (Bows and Babes), North Central College students, friends and passerby's just jumping in to help - all working together to cover any area that had even a remote possibility of taking on water. 

Earlier this week I had read about a South African philosophy called Unbuntu.  I'm sure I'm going to butcher the translation, but it roughly means:  I am because we are.  Watching these people work together made me think about this philosophy and how it applies to our special downtown.  The businesses are successful because of the individual roles each one plays in their collective environment, one no more important than the other.   I remember at one point thinking, these are the types of business owners we want in our downtown.  People who see downtown as a whole, who are caring and conscientious of their neighbors, who finish sandbagging their shop, but continue to work to help the others.  This is what community is all about and it was eye-opening and comforting to witness the strength in ours.  The sunshine may not have been in the sky yesterday, but I definitely went home with it in my heart.

I stole this next picture from a friend, and Alicia will probably strangle me.  This photo was taken at the end of the night when the work was completed.  Even after a full day of worry, keeping tabs on water levels and weather conditions, moving things to high ground and hard work, they still ended the night with giant smiles and laughter.  

Thank you, as a person who loves my downtown, to all the Marks and Alicias out there for your passion and willingness to roll up your sleeves and work hard.  

So, flood waters behind us, tomorrow is an exciting day at Room 363.  I can hardly wait to see what Mark has planned for Naperville's Wedding Walk tomorrow, Saturday, April 20 from 10-5pm.  A list of all the businesses who are participating and the deals or displays they'll have can be found here. No, not there. HERE.  

When I left the store today, Mark was still working on the wedding display in his courtyard and I don't want to give anything away, BUT it involved some really cool vintage pillars and piping.  I'll make sure to share some pictures of the final product in the next blog for those of you who don't live close enough to visit.

If you're a bride-to-be, stop in to see the beauty Mark creates when he partners with his friend Traci from Whimsy.

These are some of the things you'll see in the shop tomorrow.

The vanity in the picture on the right is stunning in person. 

Here's a few more snapshots from around Room 363.  Notice the new vintage fireplace, belt bracelets, lots of birds and nests, cows and other fun accessories to keep your space light-hearted and cheery. 

I must also draw your attention to the water fountain, which brings a nice ambiance to the store with it's loud trickle.  When Mark first posted the fountain on his Facebook page, it looked like this:

I walked into the store Wednesday and noticed the fountain cozied in next to the sofa and nesting tables.  Upon closer inspection, I realized it now has fish in it.  I'm starting to suspect that Mark is on a mission to own at least one of every animal.  My money is on his next purchase being a goat.  I will not be shocked if I walk in to find he's set up a goat milking area using some cool vintage goat cage (is that thing?) he's tracked down set up in some dark corner of the shop.  He may want to consider buying farmland soon.  

By the way, for those brides stopping in during the wedding walk, your fiance told us he'd really like a cool t-shirt from the men's room.  They're a nice breathable cotton that will work well no matter what resort town you jet off to for your honeymoon.   (That was actually false marketing, I have no idea what the fabric is - I'm sure they are extremely breathable -they're cool though and that's all that really matters, right?.)

Stay dry, safe and even if your wedding has long since past, like me, please still visit this weekend to join in on the fun!

-Maria

Master Bedroom Project Pics and Upcoming Changes

What a beautiful day in Naperville today.  The sun is shining, birds are chirping and people are out enjoying our amazing downtown and most importantly, they're shopping!  It's good to see people coming out of hibernation after a long stretch of cold and snow.  

Because the store is getting busier with the warmer temperatures and Spring's arrival, Mark is going to take a break from working on client homes.  He's going to finish current projects and then refocus his attention on being present at the store.  He loves being at the store to help customers with design ideas - and we love seeing him there - so feel free to come loaded with questions or even pictures of your design quandaries. 

I have pictures to share of a master bedroom project Mark recently completed.  We'll start with the BEFORE shots.  Great space with lots of architectural detail and natural light.

This vintage headboard made a great starting point for the French garden inspiration of the room.  The detail and curves are so romantic and elegant.  It just needing a little sprucing up with new upholstery.

Carla Bryant, who works at Room 363 on Wednesdays, painted this stunning focal wall, which made a perfect backdrop for the newly upholstered and painted headboard.  The chandeliers next to the bed were originally ceiling chandeliers that Mark converted to plug-ins and hung from shepherd hooks.  The bedding is from Restoration Hardware.

You may remember this vintage sofa if you participated in the Naperville's Girls Weekend girlfriend's photo shoot with Alicia's Photography. 

It's almost unrecognizable now with new velvet upholstery and painted wood trim. The painted trim makes the details in the wood pop and the tufting adds a level of sophistication it was lacking.

The fireplace gate is a repurposed vintage garden gate.  Don't be afraid to search your garden or garage for items that will add a uniqueness to your space!

With Mark freeing up his time by not taking on new clients, he's going to start making industrial furniture pieces you'll soon see in Room 363.  We'll keep you posted on when those start appearing in the store.

If you're out and about in Naperville this weekend, be sure to stop in and say hello!

- Maria

St. Patty's Day and Project Pics

The luck of the Irish is upon you at Room 363, where you'll enjoy 20% off anything GREEN, all weekend - and there's enough green in the shop to excite even the grumpiest of leprechauns!  Take a peak at some of the shop's emerald treasures:

Most people have no trouble recognizing a cool piece - interesting chairs, sofas and tables or unique accessories - but sometimes it's hard to envision those items in your own space. The way Room 363 is arranged helps customers get ideas on how to put these items to use, sometimes in nontraditional ways.  How cool is the concrete bench repurposed as a coffee table?  It's the perfect answer for a small space where you'd still like a spot to prop up your feet or set down your hot toddy.  The layering of trunks at the end of the bed could help with any shortage of storage, giving you space to store blankets or extra bedding. 

Although it may seem as though Mark spends his every waking hour at the shop, he does get out to beautify the homes of his customers.  He recently worked on this playroom for two lucky princesses.  He provided them a cork board to add their own touches to the room, as well as spaces to study and host their friends in style.  

Mother Nature, and her delivery of a steady March snowfall, provided Mark the perfect opportunity to close up shop and focus on his new-ish digs in Naperville.  His snow day was spent cozying up his guest room.  Although, it looks like Ella has already staked her claim on the space - guests may find themselves on the sofa.

Or, maybe she was just there to get ideas for the renovations she's started in Mark's house. 

I'm no inspector, but that electric does NOT look up to code, Ella.  

Enjoy your Saint Patrick's Day weekend with friends, family and maybe just a little bit of green beer! 

-Maria

Girls Weekend (Part 2)

Today is the second day of Naperville's Girls weekend and fun, Spring shopping is in the air!  The energy in town is back after a long cold stretch that (finally!) brought us the main ingredient for snowman making, snowball fights, and sledding - SNOW!   Napervillians are coming out of hibernation and downtown is ready for them.  Here's a link to all the happenings in Downtown Naperville this weekend:  Click Me!

Come in Saturday, March 9 or Sunday, March 10 and receive 10% off the entire store!  Pick up a new charm for your Room 363 charm necklace.  Don't have one yet?  This is the perfect time to make one!  For purchases over $20, receive a FREE infinity scarf - perfect to keep you warm while you shop your way through Naperville. 

Enter today's drawing and 2 lucky winners will receive a $50 gift certificate good for the remainder of 2013 (no purchase necessary).  

Make a Room 363 date with your girlfriends on Sunday!  Alicia from Alicia's Photography will be waiting with camera in hand to take a photo of you with your besties, FREE of charge.  Come dressed for the occasion or be creative with it!  Try on a fun new outfit, accessorize with a scarf or necklace and SMILE!  New Facebook profile picture - done!

While you're here, say hi to the newest members of the 363 family.  (Go to Alicia's Facebook page for unbelievably adorable shots of these fellas.)

Have a fabulous Girls Weekend - wherever you are!

-Maria 

Exciting New Arrivals and Projects

I'm very excited to show you the newest addition to Room 363.  Drapes!  The colors and textures are fabulous and the quality of fabric is excellent.  You must check these out next time you're in the store.

Beautiful reconditioned love seat, Bulldog pillows, vintage-inspired man bags and cool animal heads are just a few new items you'll see when visiting the store.  Let me tell you, the picture does not do this love seat justice.  It is a fantastic piece.  It would be so cool at the end of a bed as place to sit down to put on shoes or cozy up with a fantastic book.

I had to zoom in on the "Nourish Your Soul" pillow for you, too.  Isn't it great?  The colors are so vivid and pretty.

Mark has also brought in some new really talented local jewelry designers to showcase.  The pieces are so unique, no worries about showing up wearing the same thing as your girlfriends. 

Not only is Mark constantly stocking his shop with unique furniture, jewelry, clothes and accessories, he's also working on set designs with Alicia's Photography.  He recently designed a set for her Valentine's Day mini sessions that he also used to shoot pictures for Room 363 marketing materials. Here's a quick peek from the shoot.

Things got a little dirty on set when Alicia brought out a HUGE cupcake for sweet little Elsa.  The adorable pink jumper and CAKE banner is from Room 363.  I could probably lose weight a little faster if I'd be willing to sit on my cupcakes instead of eating them.  You might be on to something here, Elsa!

Mark and Alicia have another collaboration coming up very soon that I can't wait to share with you - one that you can be a part of.  Look for another post soon with details!

Have a great week!

-Maria