The 1950s Never Looked So Good

Take a photo tour of this perfectly-preserved 1950s ranch house in Ladue, Mo. 

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Vintage Mayhem

Get ready to shop Halston, Balenciaga, Patrick Kelly and Chanel alongside Chicago’s leading indie designers May 2-4 at the Modern Vintage Chicago sale. 

Source: Modern Vintage Chicago

St. Louis VIP

Kelli Hynes tells you how to get into those impossible-to-nab-a-table restaurants and bars in St. Louis such as Thaxton Speakeasy’s, The Back Room at the Cheshire and Blood & Sand.

Source: Sauce magazine

Time To Explode

No harm in standing too close to Christian Weber's explosions. A show featuring the artist's photographs, along with work from S. Gayle Stevens, will open Friday, March 7 at the Schneider Gallery in Chicago.

Source: Chicago Artists Resource

Get Creative, Chicago

The Creative Chicago Expo is coming March 14-15, and it's bringing some notable headliners with it. Here's the list of this year's keynote speakers. The talks are free, but it's first come first serve so get there early. Doors open 30 minutes before each talk begins.

• Theaster Gates: One of the most recognized contemporary artists
• Carrie Nahabedian: One of only 10 female chefs in the U.S. to garner a Michelin star
• Maria Pinto: She's dressed the likes of Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey
• Robert Teitel: The producer behind some of the most successful urban studio and independent films and television series in motion picture history

Source: City of Chicago

Burst of Style

Ceiling medallions are a great way to add a subtle pop of style to a hanging light fixture in any space. Plus, they're an easy weekend DIY project. This particular one from "A Beautiful Mess" is reminiscent of those ever-popular mid-century Modern starburst clocks.

Source: A Beautiful Mess

Round Three for Prelude at Public Functionary

For the third event in its Prelude series, Public Functionary in Minneapolis invites another group of non-traditional artists to create a site-specific installation in its space. Get ready to "immerse yourself in an ultra-sensory world of panoramic film and media screenings, pop-up musical and movement interludes, curated food, crafted cocktails, fashions, furniture, and more." RSVP to bfreshproductions@gmail.com by Feb. 28 to nab your spot at the March 1 event.

Source: Public Functionary

Paper Play

Minneapolis artist Sonja Peterson and Danish-Norwegian artist Karen Bit Vejle transform paper into mesmerizing works of art with intricate cuts, an eye for detail and a whole lot of patience. See work from both artists at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis through spring. 

Source: American Swedish Institute 

What Looms Ahead

From an adorable studio in southwestern Wisconsin, Avalanche Looms produces gorgeous, handwoven textiles. Susan Johnson keeps lovely notebooks of the designs and sketches that precede her lovely creations. Learn more at Drift Journal.

Source: Drift Journal

No-Bake, No Problem

This no-bake recipe is a no-brainer. Get straight to the deliciousness here.

Source: A Beautiful Mess

Alice in Fringeland

St. Louis Fringe artists interpret Lewis Carroll's magical tale of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in this five-part production on March 21. See the classic story through the eyes of performers such as Ashleyliane Dance Company, First Time Puppet Theater, slam poets and mime/performance artists Sabina England and Loren D, burlesque troupe The Kiss ‘N Tells and theater company The Players Project.

Source: STL Fringe

Feeling Blue?

Blue: It's the hue most universally preferred by people around the world, and takes on various meanings in different cultures (from mourning to immortality). Picasso and Yves Klein both dedicated significant amounts time in their careers to the color. Now four abstract painters from Minneapolis are doing the same. BLUE opens March 14 at the Traffic Zone gallery in Minneapolis.

Source: Traffic Zone Gallery

Modern Corner in Minneapolis

The geometric forms of this modern home by Julie Snow in Minneapolis are balanced out by this adorable enclosed garden.

Source: Arch Daily

A Modern Mausoleum

Minneapolis' Lakewood Cemetery serves as the final resting place for members of some of Minnesota's most distinguished families (Humphrey, Wellstone, Pillsbury and Walker, to name a few). These hallowed grounds are now also home to a modern mausoleum designed by HGA Architects. See it here.

Get Aligned with Local Minnesota Fashion

The University of Minnesota College of Design seniors sent their collections down the runway last week. In its review, l’étoile magazine deemed the collections thoughtful and accomplished across the board. If you missed the show, check out the designers' work at the HGA Gallery in Rapson Hall (University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus), where it will be on display through May 4. 

Source: l’étoile magazine/ University of Minnesota College of Design/ Rod Hasse Photography

Twin Cities Black Hearts Ball Reviewed

Get a recap of the five local designers (Tim Navarro, Thom Navarro, Sarah M. Holm, Rachel Roff of deLange Designs and Carly Schoen) and two local fashion titans (Laura Fulk and Project Runway alum Danielle Everine) who took to the runway this weekend.

Source: l’étoile magazine

The Modern Cubicle

Detroit Lives! nabbed the 28th floor of the David Stott Building and with the help of Patrick Thompson Design transformed the bland office space, infusing it with a little bit of humor and a whole lot of style. See it now.

Source: Curbed Detroit

A Wild Tale

Take a look inside Melinda Roth's newest book, "Mestengo." It's a read full of serious undertones detailing the fate of America's wild mustangs, tempered by humorous tales of Roth's new life living with a mustang and menagerie of barn animals she inherited when her neighbor's farm burned down.

Source: St. Louis Magazine

See The Light

East meets west in this upcoming show at Form + Content Gallery from former MCAD faculty member, Elizabeth Erickson. Her paintings and mixed media work are inspired by monastic chant, Minnesota prairie light and words of wisdom from East Indian avatar Meher Baba.

Source: Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Modern Living on the Lake

A group of designers and architects took over this previously empty lakefront lot and filled it with a modern wood frame structure woven around a steel tube lattice. Gorgeous.

Source: American Institute of Architects Iowa