Photo: Sarah Derer
While midcentury furniture is often associated with California, Chicago is a midcentury-loving town in its own right. With a 50,000 square-foot showroom, Modern Hill in McCook, a suburb only 20 minutes from downtown, is the largest purveyor of vintage furnishings from the mid-20th century in the country. The warehouse, which moved to its current location in 2022, stocks more than 2,500 furnishings from designers such as Milo Baughman, George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edward Wormley. Co-owner Mike Solan noted that many of the pieces he sells today are by companies that had showrooms at The Mart during the ’60s and ’70s and were manufactured in the Midwest. Luxe chatted with Solan to learn more about the shop.
What’s unique about Modern Hill? We do restoration of the furniture, sanding it down to take out any chips, dents or scratches and get our clients a like-new vintage piece that is ready for 60 more years of use. We also offer reupholstery in any of our 1,500 fabrics.
From where do you source? We source our goods from all over. Part of doing our own shipping means that we can pick up from sellers anywhere in the country.
Tell us about the coolest piece in the showroom right now. A pair of Brazilian rosewood Jean Gillon lounge chairs. The rosewood frame and netting are really unique on this set of chairs, and they are in mint condition.
What are shoppers mostly buying? Our bestseller is the Broyhill Brasilia line. These pieces were produced in the 1960s and ’70s and feature lines that mimic the architecture of Brasilia, Brazil. Our clients love them for their warm walnut tones and brass accents. Adrian Pearsall is another favorite. The lines of his pieces are just phenomenal and add a lot of fun to any space.
