Hometown Inspiration: Geneva, Illinois

You don’t necessarily have to travel far to find inspiration. Most of the time, it’s right there in front of you. I live in Chicago and work in the Merchandise Mart, so I’m reminded of this every day. But what about the rest of you? I invited IIDA’s intern, Shannon Callarman, to kick off this new blog series devoted to hometown design inspiration.

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Until recently, I thought I had to travel far from home to find inspiration. I live in Geneva, Illinois, a town in the west suburbs of Chicago, and it took leaving the country for me to realize that great places were within walking distance of my home.

Upon returning to Geneva after spending time in Europe last year, home was suddenly like new to me and I became intrigued with downtown Geneva’s shopping district. I realized that I have been taking my hometown for granted. After all, Geneva is known for having over 100 specialty shops, including remarkable boutiques, wine cellars, and art galleries.

When it comes to design, this suburban town has two of the most creative and inspiring boutiques, and both are special treats for interior designers. Taking a day trip from the city to this classic suburban town, you may be surprised to find everything from vintage to modern pieces.

Two of the most popular boutiques are located within walking distance of the train station. The Little Traveler, a classic Victorian home converted into this all-in-one boutique has several rooms for home decorating inspiration, from bath to bedroom.

There is also a room that displays a variety lighting fixtures; so if you’re looking for a vintage style lamp or a modern chandelier, this is the place to go.  This boutique is perfect for finding classic styles and antique finds.

Since there are over 10 rooms to browse, you could spend a good amount of time in here, but when lunch strikes, take the time to visit the boutique’s Atrium Café, which is open for breakfast and lunch.

Another store in Geneva makes me dream big about my first small apartment after graduation. Cocoon is a modern, sophisticated store that specializes in home décor. If you’re looking to design a young, trendy living room space, Cocoon is your go-to boutique. Not only does the store make it possible to pick out the perfect couch and coffee table for smaller living room spaces, but picking out the matching wall decoration or finding the best candle scent to make your design come alive is no issue.

Letters Perspective, a popular trend based on personalized letter art, can be found here. Browse through the different selections of black and white photos of natural objects found in our everyday lives that look like letters and spell out whatever you like, then pick out your own frame. Cocoon also has a section devoted to children’s bedroom and bathroom décor.

If you want to find the perfect painting to go along with your design, Geneva features six art galleries with original pieces. Every first Friday of the month, Geneva sponsors a self-guided walking tour of the art galleries in which Galena Cellars features a different artist each month. At the end of the day, after you have succeeded in finding exactly what you wanted, head over to the Galena Cellars to enjoy a glass of wine.

I’m truly lucky to live in a town that is as creative and fun as neighboring Chicago. If you’re interested in more information about Geneva’s boutiques, here are links to the stores’ websites…

The Little Traveler Official Website

Cocoon’s Official Website

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If you’re interested in sharing what your town has in store for designers, send your guest blog to codonnell@iida.org. Please include “Hometown Guest Blog” in your email subject line.