The stunning contemporary office at 11 East Walton Street’s Unit 3801.

Building sky-high sales figures usually takes decades in residential real estate, but @properties broker Kathleen Malone (773-600-1551), 33, hit the $46 million mark in 2011—just seven years after shifting to the field from politics. In 2011, she was @properties's top seller, the third-ranked female broker in Chicago, and sixth highest in the city for both sexes. And she's no one-year wonder: In the first month of 2012, she already booked $12 million in sales.

What's your specialty?

I fell into luxury when I joined the sales team at Six North Michigan, then took over as sales director at the Elysian (now the Waldorf-Astoria Chicago) in November 2010. We sold the last 12 units by August 2011.

Kathleen Malone

What have you found luxury clients want most?

The biggest draw is exclusivity: For the Elysian, it was the fact that there are only 51 apartments. For a single family, it may be about being on a specific block or close to a certain school. If you wanted to invest in real estate, which neighborhood would you choose? Right now, everything in the Millennium Park area is a great value. It's particularly appealing to culture vultures, who like to go to concerts or museums. What kinds of properties hold their value the best? Single-family homes in desirable neighborhoods have always ruled in this area, but that's changing, especially for larger luxury residences in the most desirable buildings, such as the Elysian, The Palmolive, and Park Tower.

What's the most important question a buyer should ask a seller?

For houses, ask about the roof, mechanical systems, and recent structural improvements. In buildings, ask about capital improvements, management, and reserves to protect your investment.

Any advice for buyers?

A lot of buyers are totally overanalyzing things, and in the process, they're missing the big picture. This is the biggest investment you're going to make, and you have to love where you live.

Previous Next

159 East Walton Street

 

200 East Pearson Street, Unit 2W

 

643 West Arlington Plaza

 

1100 Nort Lakeshore Drive, Penthouse Unit

 

2466 N. Lakeview Avenue

 

previous

next

1. 159 E. Walton Street: Located within the historic Palmolive building, this corner unit, 2-bed, 2-full bath residence seamlessly blends the new, a state-of-the-art sound system and ultra sleek kitchen, with the old, a working fireplace and Tuscan-inspired decor. For listing information, contact Janice Corley, Re/Max; remaxpremierproperties.illinoisproperty.com

2. 200 E. Pearson Street, Unit 2W: This elegant co-op dates back to 1917 and only houses ten residential units, each as beautiful as the next. This 3-bed, 3-bath unit is not only fully renovated but also features soaring 10-foot-high ceilings. For listing information, contact Linda Shaughnessy, Baird & Warner Residential Brokerage; linshaughsoldonchicago.com/listings.cfm

3. 643 W. Arlington Plaza: East Lincoln Park’s modern home has it all, from a 3-car garage to an attached studio apartment and an indoor lap pool. An ample backyard and garden makes this a one-of-a-kind property. For listing information, contact Janet Owen, Prudential Rubloff Properties; rubloff.com/property/chicago/07918353.cfm

4. 1100 N. Lakeshore Drive, Penthouse Unit: This three-floor, 4-bedroom Gold Coast penthouse places you at the top of Chicago, overlooking the lake through more than 75 windows. For listing information, contact Melinda Jakovich, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 312-953-3425; coldwellbankeronline.com

5. 2466 N. Lakeview Avenue: One of Chicago’s most historic homes, the Theurer-Wrigley mansion, has a 9-bedroom, 6-full bath layout filled with vintage detailing and modern updates while also boasting a ballrooom for lavish parties. For listing information contact Caitlyn Terrell or Mary Bennett, Koenig & Strey Real Living; koenigstrey.com/Luxury.aspx

Oil Spill #12, by Daniel Beltrá.

Daniel Beltrá has always had an eye for the environment. Growing up in Madrid, he watched nature shows on TV and supported groups such as the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace. In college he took classes in forestry engineering and biology. But being a news junkie, too, he was just as likely to photograph the aftermath of an ETA bombing as he was a butterfly.

Over time, this Seattle-based artist and photographer melded his interests to become an award-winning chronicler of eco-disasters, issuing graphic alarms to a complacent world. Traveling the globe, he has captured such catastrophes as the decimation of the rain forest and the shrinking of the polar ice caps. In 2010, he covered the Deepwater Horizon calamity in the Gulf of Mexico for Greenpeace.

This month, he makes his Chicago debut with a show aptly titled "Spill," at the Catherine Edelman Gallery. Straddling the realms of documentary and art, Beltrá’s aerial shots, taken from aboard a tiny Cessna, are the most seductive.

“In-your-face photojournalism doesn’t usually have a long shelf life,” notes Beltrá, “but if you manage to show some beauty, people will stop and notice. There is no doubt that these are terrible things I shoot, but at the same time, I feel empowered by what I do. I have a chance to get the story out there. I joke sometimes that I feel as if I have been dropped in the middle of a lake. So I am swimming the best I can and hoping we can all find solutions to what is happening in the world.” Spill is on display March 2-April 28 at the Catherine Edelman Gallery, 300 W. Superior St., 312-266-2350

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CATHERINE EDELMAN GALLERY, CHICAGO

Sferra Giza bedding

For a regal night’s rest, Chicago Luxury Beds founder Mary Pat Wallace suggests the Hästens Luxuria king-size bed with a BJX luxury topper ($12,380). The mattress combines hand-stuffed horsehair and other natural materials with a patented spring system to create an extremely plush sleeping surface. Top with a set of Sferra Giza solid sateen sheets ($1,680) and a Dr. Mary side sleeper pillow from The Pillow Bar ($275) and you’re ready for slumber. 440 N. Wells St., Suite 100N, 312-985-0836

1. Backup Collision Intervention (BCI): The family-friendly Infiniti JX crossover’s first priority is safety. The new BCI system not only sounds an alert but can actually engage the brakes if the car is about to back into something. Ross Berman, Berman Infiniti of Chicago, 640 N. Lasalle St., 312-476-8000

2. Audi Connect: Audi’s multi-media interface brings the Internet to the car’s navigation screen, providing access to weather, travel information and even local gas prices. Plus, it can create a wi-fi hotspot so passengers can be online--perfect for business trips. Tony Kouretas, Athans Motors, 9040 N. Waukegan Rd., Morton Grove, 847-967-8700

3. Carbon MonoCell: For ultimate power, it’s necessary for sports cars to be very lightweight. The new McLaren MP4-12C replaces the normal, all-aluminum structure at the core of the car with the Carbon MonoCell. Carbon fibre was originally used in the aerospace industry and the 12C is the first car in its class to use it for the chassis. Cassie Carver, Lake Forest Sportscars, Ltd., 990 North Shore Dr., Lake Bluff, 847-295-6560

4. MyFord Touch: Available in almost all of Ford’s models, MyFord Touch is the result of a collaboration with Microsoft and integrates phone, navigation, entertainment (i.e. audio) and climate into one easy-to-use dashboard screen (some models even have steering wheel controls). And with updates to the system in 2013 models, it will only get better. Paul Brian, host of DriveChicago on WLS 890 AM Radio, 312-591-8900

5. Keyless Entry: The new 2012 Range Rover Evoque has the ability to ‘recognize’ its key, no matter how far it is buried in your purse or pocket. Simply touching the hand unlocks the car, and touching the ignition starts it; best of all, never forget to lock up again: walking away with the car key locks the doors. Joe Cotteleer, Land Rover Lake Bluff, 375 Skokie Valley Hwy., Lake Bluff, 847-604-8100; knauzlandrover.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN CHMIELINSKI

Untitled #12 (from the series III Form + Void Full), 2010, by Laura Letinsky

It’s no fun being misunderstood. Not that photographer Laura Letinsky is complaining. Often categorized as a great romanticist, the Canada-born, Chicago-based artist is admired for eye-arresting images that evoke the lusciousness of Dutch and Flemish still lifes and the crisp, color-rich delight of Irving Penn. And while her best-known shots—tablescapes that evoke a party’s morning-after disarray—do project a moody sense of loss, her work touches most deeply on the notion that things are not what they appear once they are photographed.

Her latest pictures, showcased in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Chicago Works series, represent a determined attempt to distance herself from any narrative of domesticity and decay. Comprising actual objects and existing images (her own or torn from the pages of magazines), these compositions refract the still-life format and tweak perspective to create an ambiguous sense of space.

“People were reading the photographs in a way that wasn’t necessarily the way I had hoped for them to be understood,” says Letinsky. “I wanted to expand the dialogue, to make clear that how we experience things perceptually and how we experience things photographically are really very, very different.” Chicago Works: Laura Letinsky is on display February 7–April 17 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., 312-280-2660

Reminiscent of an antique wingback, the Lola chair ($799) has simple lines that give the classic and familiar style a contemporary edge. With delicate arms, a comfy deep seat cushion, a warm, spicy color and textured finish, the neutral and stylish Lola makes for a timeless addition to any home. Room & Board, 55 E. Ohio St., 312-222-0970; roomandboard.com

The Gold Coast All Stars

Danny Chaimson loves weddings. “I love hearing the speeches and I’m interested in people; you get to know them through the whole [wedding] process. And on that one night, it’s like standing behind a window and watching a little slice of the most intimate part of the day in someone’s life.” As owner and manager of the Gold Coast All Stars, a two-year-old wedding band gaining steam in the Windy City, Chaimson (who plays the keyboard) has been privy to more than a few of these intimate moments.

It was while preparing for his own wedding a few years ago that Chaimson approached his father-in-law and asked permission to arrange the entertainment. “I picked every song from start to finish, and not the generic wedding songs.”

Both the wedding and the entertainment were a hit, and Chaimson’s friends soon began pushing him to start his own wedding band. “I felt ready to start this type of band because of the many lessons I had learned from playing in so many different bands and at different types of shows throughout my career,” Chaimson said. Thus the Gold Coast All Stars were born.

The musical mindset comes as a result of the successes Chaimson found on the West Coast and abroad before returning to his native Chicago in 2009 to settle down. But for the past near-decade, he played alongside artists such as Of A Revolution and George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic and in such well-known venues as The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Gorge Ampitheatre in Oregon and The O2 Arena in London. In the crowded wedding industry, the All Stars stand out because of their authenticity. “Every wedding band tries to play current music, but when it’s a group of 50-year-old guys playing, you can’t take them seriously. But when a rapper is actually performing a hip hop song, it feels authentic.” To boot, one of Chaimson’s eleven band members is a rapper and can convincingly cover everything from Sublime to Stevie Wonder to Jay-Z.

“I run the All Stars differently from many other bands,” Chaimson explains. “I want my guys to have original projects; I want them to still have hope. I think a lot of musicians end up in weddings bands not by choice but because it’s something they have to do. My band is there because they want to be there.”

With this mentality, the future of the All Stars look promising—they’re booked solid into next year—and Chaimson hopes to eventually start a second band in Chicago. 312-898-4073; thegoldcoastallstars@gmail.com

Next January, the Museum of Contemporary Art will shake up its MCA Stage with a contemporary dance festival featuring never-before-seen choreography. The danc(e)volve: New Works Festival (January 26–29) will spotlight emerging dance groups Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street 2. The festival will present nine new dance performances, including the highly anticipated “Never Was,” a routine that interprets the ornate Baroque music of George Frideric Handel and Henry Purcell. 220 E Chicago Ave.

	Art Effect in Lincoln Park stocks a varied mix of gifts for the home and for the special people in your life

Anthropologie
Eclectic and chic, Anthropologie carries gifts for any type of hostess, from funky kitchen tools for the home chef to artsy décor for the crafty mom. Around the holidays, its constantly rotating inventory even features a collection of gift boxes and trims. Block 37, 108 N. State St., 312-899-0969; 111 E. Chicago Ave., 312-255-1848; 3532 N. Southport Ave., 773-935-2693; anthropologie.com

Art Effect
This small, delightfully kitschy Lincoln Park shop offers everything from jewelry to baking accessories. Brands like Michael Aram and Jonathan Adler, as well as up-andcoming artists, are well represented, making this the perfect place to shop for the artsy hostess. 934 W. Armitage Ave., 773-929-3600; shoparteffect.com

Barneys New York
The sixth-floor home-goods department, much like the rest of the überchic department store, offers a veritable mecca of gifts from coasters to candles to rare coffee-table books. And in this case, what’s on the outside is just as important: receiving a Barneys box guarantees that something meaningful waits inside. 15 E. Oak St., 312-587-1700; barneys.com

Crosell & Co.
Owner Dianne Crosell applies her interior-designer’s eye when selecting the high-end items that stock the shelves, favoring unique gifts made by both local and international artisans. Last-minute gift givers can also take advantage of its new e-commerce site. 900 North Michigan Shops, 312-266-4500; crosellandco.com

Dilly Lily
While the store does carry a small selection of gifts, such as candles and soaps, its focus is floral: Here you’ll find beautiful hand-tied bouquets, elegant arrangements, and exotic potted plants. 742 W. Fullerton Pkwy., 773- 404-0602; dillylily.com

Ikram
The home-décor collection housed within the Big Red Box occupies a space larger than the entirety of Ikram’s first location. From vintage eyeglasses to fun leopard-print pillows, the collection is a uniquely curated grouping of treasures collected by owner Ikram Goldman and her team from around the globe. 15 E. Huron St., 312-587-1000; ikram.com

Papyrus
Despite the moniker, Papyrus is not just about paper—although its customized stationery and leather journals make excellent hostess gifts. The store also offers a collection of picture frames, holiday-themed gifts, jewelry, and an array of scented candles. The Shops at North Bridge, 312-329-0154; papyrusonline.com

Space519
Finding something unique in Space519 is guaranteed, thanks to an ever-rotating inventory of products curated for the chic Chicagoan, including books, furniture, clothing, and cosmetics. Our current favorite? Rolls of one-time-use cloth napkins and place mats by My Drap, which come in a variety of sizes and colors. 900 North Michigan Shops, 312-751-1519; space519.com

Sur La Table
You won’t find anything trinket-y at Sur La Table; its entire selection is practical for the at-home chef, but rather than needing to be tucked away, these gadgets are handsome enough to double as chic décor. Gift wrap is available for a small fee, but with the store’s vast selection of luxe linens, why not wrap your bottled gifts (like black truffle olive oil) in a rich cloth napkin instead? 755 W. North Ave., 312-787-5111; surlatable.com

Twosided/Foursided
Anagram tiles, plastic marquee letters, and customized flash cards are just a few of the items in this treasure trove. And just a block away at Foursided, the boutique’s sister store, old time-y maps of Chicago and custom picture frames make the perfect personalized gift. 2958 N. Clark St., 773-244-6431; 2939 N. Broadway St., 773-248- 1960; 5061 N. Clark St., 773-506-8300; foursided.com