Our Favorite Things of 2014

Readers have told us they look forward to our annual Favorite Things blog post – thanks for the feedback! This year we have some really special products and services to share.

Ready to get the scoop on our 7 favorite things? Let’s dive in!

1. Old World Craftsmanship makes a splashy comeback with Acme Construction Metals iron and glass canopy over the entrance of Mickey Finns Pub in Libertyville (our hometown) IL.

2. Pizza is one of our favorite foods, but it is even tastier when baked to a tender crispiness in an Italian Mugnaini wood-fired brick oven. 90 seconds at 800 degree heat does the trick!

3. And speaking of pizza, have you tried the MAAAA Pie at Pizzeria DeVille? Only a dangerous half block from our office, Pizzeria DeVille’s “Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Spicy Fig Jam, Baby Spinach, Pistachios, EVOO, Pecorino, Fontina” creation is hard to resist.

4. We wouldn’t be architects if we didn’t feel compelled to sketch once in a while. And the top quality heavy paper Moleskine sketchbook provides an ideal sketching surface. Their thread bound volume with bookmark and elastic closure is the perfect companion for your next road-trip.

5. Old school lighting meets modern technology in Restoration Hardware Edison-style filament bare bulb fixture. Evoking early 20th-century industrial lighting, the vintage single pendant reproduction fixtures maintain the classic lines and exposed hardware of the originals.

6. Let them eat … steak! A gift of Pfaelzer Brother steaks introduced us to prime beef like none we have ever enjoyed. Mmm!

7. Resource efficient. Long lasting. Nontoxic. Cambia by NFP makes thermally modified wood siding using high heat in a controlled atmosphere to improve the dimensional stability and decay resistance of wood. Sweet.