New Cambium Condo Line

Our client, Cambium Furniture and Kitchens, has launched Cambium Condo, an all new line of condo/apartment sized furniture.

The mid-priced Cambium Condo line includes sofas, chairs, chaises, love seats and sectionals, specifically scaled to meet the space constraints of condo and apartment living, without sacrificing style and expert quality. Each piece is created with extreme comfort in mind, yet designed in size to not overpower a room.

The Cambium Condo line offers immense versatility, allowing clients to select their choice of:

- Basic Configuration (2-cushion, 3-cushion, loose cushion, sectional piece, etc.)
- Arm style (ranging from a sleek, narrow 2.5" to a more ample 8")
- Over 40 different fabric selections

All pieces are available exclusively through Cambium Furniture and Kitchens, 113 West Hubbard Street, Chicago, Illinois at Cambium Home.

Read more about it at:
-- Chicago Home + Garden
-- Daily Herald

Allergen-Free Dinner March 7 at CHIC

As the ever-growing number of Americans living with food allergies now tops the 12 million mark, doctors, food manufactures, restaurants, grocers, and consumers are scrambling for solutions and alternatives to improve the lifestyle of food allergen sufferers.

However for many, the task of researching, navigating and keeping up-to-date on emerging new information and available resources proves daunting. That's why our client, Chicagoan Lisa Williams -- a food allergen sufferer herself -- has established Lisa Cooks Allergen Free, acting as a clearinghouse and information resource for cooking, dining, and shopping with food allergies.

On Saturday, March 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. Lisa Cooks Allergen Free hosts the first of a series of events with a FOOD ALLERGEN Q & A DINNER at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC), 361 West Chestnut Street. The evening includes a panel of speakers, a complete allergen-free dinner prepared by chefs of the top-ranked C.H.I.C. using Lisa Cooks Allergen Free recipes, along with a deluxe goodie bag filled with allergen-free products, recipes and tips.

Tickets are $50 per person and advance reservations are required and can be made by visiting Lisa's website.

Sawbridge Studios Hosts CEDLP Benefit

Mike Foran Public Relations client Sawbridge Studios hosted a special fund-raising evening for the Community Economic Development Law Project (CEDLP) at Sawbridge's Studios River North location at 153 West Ohio Street, Chicago.

Over 150 guests and members of Chicago's legal community previewed the latest hand-crafted furniture and accessory arrivals at Sawbridge, while enjoying a private, after-hours evening of shopping, cocktails and horsd'eouvres. Sawbridge also donated 15% of all sales to CEDLP.

CEDLP was launched in 1985 to respond to an unmet need in the delivery of legal services. The rationale was simple: initiatives undertaken by low-income communities require the same legal expertise, including tax, corporate, real estate and finance counsel, as any other enterprise in order to be successful. However, the cost of these services is beyond the budgets of most of the non-profit organizations serving low-income communities. Today, Project continues to be the only public interest legal organization dedicated to assisting non-profit groups with their neighborhood revitalization efforts.

Too many Chicagoans, and the organizations that serve them, have insufficient resources to meet the challenges posed by job loss, lack of affordable housing and poor schools. The Project remains a nationally recognized model for coordinated and effective legal support for community development programs and small businesses, marshaling an annual average of $2 million in pro bono legal services.

Photos by Angela Garbot.

Chicago Media Celebs Shake It Up For Charity

Mike Foran Public Relations teamed our client, Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, with the March of Dimes to present "Dance for Babies," a red-hot fund-raising event to aid the March of Dimes efforts to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Local media celebrities were paired with Fred Astaire Dance Studios pro instructors. For more than 6-weeks, each celeb trained and rehearsed intensely with their instructor at local Fred Astaire Studios, culminating in a high-energy, Dancing With the Stars-style competition staged at Chicago's Galleria Marchetti. Celeb participants included:

Zoraida Sambolin, NBC-5 Morning News Anchor

Jen Schefft, of ABC-TV's The Bachelor

Marcus Leshock, Host of CLTV's Metromix

Amy Freeze, FOX-32 Chief Meteorologist

Amy Freeze Can Dance!

NBC-5's Zoraida Sambolin Tangos and Cha Chas

Fox-32's Good Day Chicago

FOX-32's Amy Freeze Gets Ready To Bust a Move

Chicago Furniture District at Museum of Science and Industry

Key players from Mike Foran Public Relations client Chicago Furniture District showcased a series of green, sustainable options for the home in the main rotunda of the Museum of Science and Industry.

From a club chair featuring cushioning made with soybean and corn husk products, and a bed constructed of reclaimed barn siding, to kitchen and bath tiles made from curbside glass recycling programs, and benches made from salvaged, 100-year-old rail road ties, earth-friendly solutions took center stage.

The display was part of the Museum of Science and Industry’s Home for All Seasons fall event, one of four seasonal events supporting the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit. The event also included a farmers' market, appearances by cast members from Broadway in Chicago's Wicked, trick or treating at the Smart Home, cooking demonstrations using solar-powered ovens, an eco-friendly Halloween costume competition, fall gardening tips, and more.

Our client, the Chicago Furniture District, is comprised of dozens of one-of-a-kind home furnishing and accessory shops and galleries all centrally located in Chicago’s River North community.

Chicago Furniture District participants exhibiting at the Museuem included:

Hydrology
435 North LaSalle Street

Mig and Tig
540 North Wells Street

Sawbridge Studios
153 West Ohio Street

Mobili Mobel
549 North Wells Street

P.A. Larkin
118 West Kinzie Street

The Golden Triangle
330 North Clark Street

Lightology
215 West Chicago Avenue

The Tile Gallery
225 West Ohio Street

Cambium Furniture and Kitchens
113 West Hubbard Street

Dancing With the Stars' Maks in Chicago

Fans of Dancing With the Stars’ MAKS CHMERKOVSKIY had a rare chance to learn the secrets, steps and techniques Maks has taught celebrities during his four seasons on the top-rated ABC-TV hit show.

He has appeared on Seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Dancing With the Stars, where he’s been teamed with celebrity dance partners including Tia Carrere, Willa Ford, Laila Ali, and Spice Girl Melanie Brown.

We recently arranged for Max to visit Chicago and conduct a series of open-to-the public ballroom dance workshops for our client, Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, and we invited NBC-5's 24/7 Chicago host Catie Keogh to take to the dance floor.

Watch it now - the clip is provided below.

Dancing With the Stars’ Maks Chmerkovskiy and 24/7 Chicago

Music of the Golden Triangle

Musician and documentary filmmaker VICTORIA VORREITER, whose work is best described at creating a “cultural Noah’s Ark,” offered a peek at her latest cultural preservation project, "The Music of the Golden Triangle and the Cycles of Life," during a multi-media event at our client The Golden Triangle, a 23,000-square-foot, not-to-be-missed powerhouse of Asian antiquities, artifacts, and all things rare located 330 North Clark Street, Chicago.

Following the success of her previous documentary project “The Music of Morocco and the Cycles of Life,” with screenings by the Smithsonian Institute and the National Geographic Society, Victoria established Resonance Productions, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving ancestral songs and ceremonies of traditional peoples.

Since 2004, Victoria -- a native Chicagoan -- has lived in Chiang Mai , Thailand , trekking through the remote villages of the Golden Triangle region, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas where Laos , Myanmar , China , and Thailand once knew no boundaries. Her mission has been to document the ancestral songs and ceremonial rites that mark the passages of life – from infancy, adolescence, and adulthood to old age -- among the indigenous tribes that still inhabit the region.

Through breathtaking photography, digital music recordings and video, Victoria has captured a remarkable spectrum of over 60 ancestral songs and rites for such ceremonies as healing, baby naming, blessing for the hunt, thanksgiving of harvest, courting, wedding, the New Year, soul calling, ancestor worship, fertility festival, and funeral. "Indigenous peoples in these inaccessible hills have depended for millennia on oral tradition to transmit knowledge, history, and beliefs. How long these time-honored customs can continue, with the encroachment of 21st century technology, is in doubt. My work documents the majesty of these tribal rituals before they disappear," said Ms. Vorreiter.

As leaders of Chicago's arts, culture, and business scene packed the The Golden Triangle, Vorreiter unveiled an exhibit featuring video footage, photography and digital recordings from her documentary, slated to debut in March 2009 at the Jim Thompson Museum in Bangkok . That same evening, The Golden Triangle launched a limited-time-only collection of rare, handmade artifacts from the Golden Triangle region, including tribal paintings, jewelry, clothing and costumes, basketry, and jewelry.

Top Chef Cooking Demos

Mike Foran Public Relations arranged for some of Chicago ’s top restaurant chefs to step out of their own kitchens and into our client Cambium's kitchens, to share their insights and secrets during an afternoon series of cooking demonstrations open to the public at Cambium Furniture and Kitchens, 113 West Hubbard Street, Chicago.

Our stellar line-up of chefs included:

Patrick Quakenbush, (left) Chef/Partner,
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, 25 East Ohio Street

Chris Curren, Executive Chef/Partner, Blue 13 Restaurant, 416 West Ontario Street

Rick DeLeon, Executive Chef, Fulton’s on the River, 315 North LaSalle Street.

“We’re honored to bring these talented chefs to Cambium Furniture and Kitchens to share their culinary wizardry with the public,” says Brian Hudok, proprietor of Cambium, Chicago ’s preeminent sources for top-quality custom kitchen design. In addition to a series of fully functioning kitchens, Cambium’s 7,000-square-foot showroom also features a range of fabulous handcrafted furniture, with many pieces designed by Hudok himself, along with lighting, linens and home accessories.

Dancer Explains Matlin's Ability

There are no limitations when it comes to dancing. ABC's Dancing with the Stars shows anyone can learn to dance, including those who are hearing impaired.

Chicago native Marlee Matlin's ability to wow the audiences with her movements has people wondering how she is able to do it as she is not able to hear the beat.

ABC-7's Disability Reporter Karen Meyer visits with our client, Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, to discover that anything is possible.

See the full ABC-7 News segment here.

Prairie Loft Opens New Gallery

Inspired by the masterful designs of the Prairie Style and Arts & Crafts movements, Mike Foran Public Relations client Prairie Loft launched an all-new gallery location in Naperville, Illinois.

Founded in 2001 as an on-line business by furniture designer LL Lee and his wife Deborah, Prairie Loft quickly gained a strong following among those looking for quality design and craftsmanship at an approachable, moderate price level. Eventually the couple opened a small gallery space in suburban St. Charles to showcase their furniture, and began expanding Prairie Loft’s collection to include Prairie and Arts & Crafts style rugs, mirrors, lighting and accessories. The popularity of the tiny gallery space caused the Lees to relocate the gallery to its new, larger space in Naperville.

“We’ve seen a tremendous revival and resurgence of interest in Prairie Style and Arts & Crafts design, particularly now as we’re in the approximate centennial period of the introduction of the Prairie Style and Arts & Crafts movements. People are rediscovering its dramatic simplicity, use of natural materials, and how these styles bring an evocative but warm, simple elegance to a home,” explains Prairie Loft’s Deborah Lee.

In addition to the new gallery, Prairie Loft has launched a greatly expanded website, adding dozens of new items. Prairie Loft's complete collection of more than 250 furniture pieces and accessories can be viewed and purchased by visiting Prairie Loft.

Prairie Loft is located at 1320 North Route 59, Naperville in Design Pointe Center. Call (630) 762-3000 for full details and information.

Read more about Prairie Loft in the Daily Herald:

Back to the prairie

Santa shops

See more Prairie Loft media coverage in the attachment below.

Prairie Loft Featured in Arts & Crafts Homes, American Bungalow

The Golden Triangle Offers Unmatched Treasure Experience

Inside a historic Chicago landmark, spanning 23,000-square-feet of prime space alongside the Chicago River , the eyes of ancient Asian statuary keep watch over a 200-year-old medicine cabinet from a remote Chinese village. A pair of 1920's Art Deco club chairs from Vienna are juxtaposed with a primitive 1800's monk’s bed from Burma, all showcased in an entire room which was once part of a century-old home of a wealthy merchant in Thailand .

Amid a series of individual room settings that more resemble Hollywood movie sets then booming retail space, you've entered the world of Doug Van Tress and Chauwarin Tuntisak, the innovative, globe-trotting force behind The Golden Triangle, a Mike Foran Public Relations client located in Chicago’s River North community.

Since 1989, the duo have been wowing an ever-expanding list of clients with an unmatched collection of rare and unique artifacts, furnishing, antiques and accessories collected on treasure-hunting missions throughout Asia and points beyond. From Van Tress and Tuntisak’s original tiny shop on Chicago Avenue, launched shortly after college, to their steady rise at the corner Clark and Hubbard Streets -- growing from 2,500 to eventually 11,000-square-feet -- they’ve struck a chord among a discerning clientele who simply won’t settle for average.

The Golden Triangle recently completed its move to a sprawling new home, on the main floor of the renovated Reid Murdoch Center, constructed in 1914 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once again, Van Tress and Tuntisak continue to impress, combining an unparalleled and ever-changing inventory of all things rare, with jaw-dropping authentic room settings and facades transported piece by piece from around the world. This not-to-be missed retail experience now also includes a central indoor courtyard, which has fast become a top venue for private, after-hours receptions, dinners and events.

The Golden Triangle is located at 330 North Clark Street in Chicago . For additional information, call 312-755-1266, or visit The Golden Triangle .

Read more about The Golden Triangle in Chicago Home + Garden:

We're Golden

Golden Touch

Cambium Cooks-up Inspired Kitchen Solutions

How often do you enjoy a good glass of wine? Are you left-handed or right? How frequently do you e-mail? Where do your children do their homework? Do you enjoy baking? What’s your height?

Brian Hudok makes it his mission to observe and keep track of just these types of things…and more. No, Hudok is not with the FBI, nor is he the nosy neighbor type immortalized in countless TV sitcoms.

Rather, Mike Foran Public Relations client Brian Hudok is proprietor of Cambium, Chicago ’s preeminent sources for inspired, top-quality custom kitchen design. In his over 20-years of working closely alongside clients, Hudok has become the authoritative resource on efficient, stylish kitchens.

“Just as it has for centuries, today’s kitchen remains the heart of the home, the center of activity, and the gathering spot for families. Yet, as home entertaining becomes more relaxed, intimate and casual, once-showy living room and dining room spaces now go empty, as guests gravitate to the kitchen, where the food, the drink, and most likely to host can all be found. That’s why it’s important to have a kitchen designed to work and function specifically for your needs and your lifestyle,” says Hudok.

From Cambium’s impressive 7,000-square-foot showroom and gallery in the Chicago Furniture District of River North, Hudok cooks-up and serves an array of innovative options and solutions. Beautiful hardwood cabinetry, gleaming steel, and sleek marble and granite combine with the most efficient line of appliances from quality names like AGA and more, becoming the launch pad for Hudok and his clients. “Everything is designed and based exclusively around my clients.”

In addition to astonishing kitchen solutions, Cambium also showcases a range of fabulous handcrafted furniture, with many pieces designed by Hudok himself, along with lighting, linens and home accessories.
Cambium is located at 113 West Hubbard Street in Chicago. For additional information call 312-832-9920 or visit Cambium Home.

Everybody Dance Now!

Our client, Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, continues to Waltz, Quickstep and Rumba their way through Chicagoland, growing from just two locations to a current total of eight in under 3-years time.

The explosive interest and popularity of ballroom dancing now finds more than 2000 people a week flocking to their local Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studio to learn the steps and techniques pioneered by dance icon Fred Astaire, when he launched his first studio location on New York’s Park Avenue in 1947.

From captains of industry to college students, and from singles to couples, it seems everyone’s now taking to the dance floor. Fueled by the popularity of the ABC series "Dancing With the Stars," which features celebrities and their dance partners competing for votes from judges and viewers, and movies from the hit "Shall We Dance" (2004) to "Mad Hot Ballroom" (2005) and “Take the Lead” (2006), ballroom dancing is hotter than ever — especially among baby boomers.

“What we offer is a complete escape and oasis from the rat race of hectic everyday life, with a dose of fantasy and glamour along the way,” says Rae Josephs, who together with her husband Joe, head-up the Chicagoland Fred Astaire franchise. “Many of our students say they view us as almost a Disneyland for adults. We have soccer moms who slip in for 90-minutes of gliding, twisting, and twirling across the dance floor before heading off to that day’s carpool assignments.

There are the harried business executives who opt to trade in their pumps and wingtips for dance shoes, spend 60-minutes Mamboing to pulsating Latin beats, and then scurry off to 4 p.m. business meeting.” Surprisingly, we notice an inordinate number of doctors, who are not only drawn by the escape from stress benefits, but by the fitness and workout aspects dancing offers,” said Josephs.

Read all about it in:

Crain's Chicago Business

Northwest Indiana Times

Sawbridge Studios Generates Buzz

Located in the heart of the red-hot Chicago Furniture District, our client Sawbridge Studios

continues to generate plenty of buzz.

With its “made by hand, not by a factory” mantra, and a cadre of some of the finest craftsmen and artisans in America, Sawbridge Studios has grown to become one of the country’s largest sources for original, handcrafted furniture and accessories. Along the way, they've developed a loyal clientele, including Michelle and Barack Obama...who purchased their bed at Sawbridge Studios!

From an individual craftsman’s own take on American Shaker, Arts & Crafts, or 18th Century English-style, to sleek contemporary pieces made from metal, glass, and even intricately woven leather, furniture evolves to the level of one-of-a-kind art.

Taking a cue from the world of art galleries “we’ve assembled and embraced what we feel are some of the finest individual designers, craftsmen, and artisans of today. At Sawbridge, we are able to bring this talent together and showcase their unique and incredible works all under one roof,” says Paul Zurowski, who together with partner Bill Hiscott, owns and heads-up Sawbridge Studios. “These are all pieces created one-at-a-time by hand, with painstaking care and enormous pride. They use the highest quality materials and pay attention to even the smallest finishing details.”

Sawbridge Studios is located at 153 West Ohio Street, in Chicago, Illinois. Phone 312-828-0055. A second location is at 1015 Tower Court, in Winnetka, Illinois. Phone 847-441-2441. For more information visit Sawbridge Studios.

See more about Sawbridge Studios at:

Chicago Home + Garden

Yanko Design

Apartment Therapy

ABC-7 Chicago

National Examiner

Trend Hunter

Chicago Home + Garden

Modern Home Design
Haute Living

Daily Herald

Week-Long Dance Competition on ABC-7 Morning News

Tapping into the explosive popularity of ABC-TV's red-hot Dancing With the Stars, we worked with our client, Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, to coordinate a week-long ballroom dance competition broadcast live on Chicago's top-rated ABC-7 Morning News. For four consecutive days, Fred Astaire Dance Studio students were teamed with their instructors, to Rhumba, ChaCha, and Tango their way to the top while hundreds of thousands of Morning News viewers watched and voted from home. When the tabulations of viewer votes were combined with that of ABC-7 Morning News team judges Tracy Butler, Hosea Sanders, Judy Tsu, and Roz Varon, the final winner was announced and revealed on day number five of the week-long "Last Dance" competition.

Click to see more ABC-7 "Last Dance" details.

Sustainable Furniture...Chicago Designers Respond

Our client, The Chicago Furniture Designers Association (CFDA), proved to be well ahead of the curve when we worked with them on a cutting-edge exhibit of sustainable furniture solutions designed by CFDA members. The three-month-long exhibit was a combination of breaking creativity and style, held at the Chicago Cultural Center and drawing thousands, while attracting extensive coverage in media outlets including WTTW-TV's Chicago Tonight, Chicago Tribune Magazine, Metropolitan Home, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times, Interior Design Magazine, and more than 2 dozens other media sources.