Yamini Designs Wins First Place, Best Vignette at River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk

Jill Maremont of the River North Design District (far left) visits ‘Wig Out’ with Yamini Hingorani and Mary Henderson.

Julian Wasser, center right, enjoys the vignette created in his honor by Yamini Designs. With him are Arica Hilton, owner of Hilton/Asmus Contemporary (far left) and Yamini Hingorani and Mary Henderson of Yamini Designs.

‘Wig Out,’ an homage to ‘60s Hollywood curated by Yamini Designs, won the first-place award for best vignette at the River North Design District (RNDD) 2019 Fall Gallery Walk. The event held Sept. 6 & 7 attracted nearly 1,000 guests to the district and 20 vignettes created by Chicago interior designers.

Yamini Designs was paired with Italian luxury furnishings showroom Casa Spazio and Hilton/Asmus Contemporary art gallery for the Gallery Walk.

“We were immediately inspired by the iconic black & whites Julian Wasser and the vibrant silkscreen prints of Andy Warhol’s personal effects created by artist David Gamble,” she said. “We wanted to create a hip and swanky LA lounge where Julian would have entertained the celebrities he photographed.”

The Yamini Designs team selected a white-on-white Maya Romanoff wallcovering and a sheepskin rug from Oscar Isberian, which provided a lux canvas for boldly colored Italian furnishings and patterned pillows.

“The chartreuse green bench and hot pink poufs were the perfect foil for black and white accessories and oversized prints of Hollywood celebrities,” Yamini said. “We chose a mirrored coffee table and animal print rugs to add dimension and palm leaves to evoke the California vibe.”

Opening night at Wig Out featured a bespoke martini, retro appetizers and Bossa Nova tunes. To top it off, Julian Wasser himself, now 90 years old and still taking photos, visited the vignette and talked with Gallery Walk patrons.

"Nearly everyone who walked into the space told us they wanted to move in,” she added. “That was so satisfying to hear. We couldn't be more pleased with how our vignette turned out."

Hilton/Asmus Contemporary

After the RNDD Fall Art Walk closed on October 6, part of the ‘Wig Out’ vignette went on the road, stopping first at the Hilton/Asmus Contemporary art gallery (above) and then becoming part of Andy Warhol’s House at the fall Sculpture Objects Functional Art Design (SOFA) fair at Navy Pier (below). Artist David Gamble, sporting a fedora, made appearances at both.

SOFA Fair, Navy Pier