KITCHEN QUEEN
AS DIY NETWORK DARLING ALISON VICTORIA DEBUTS HER LATEST SHOW, THE CHICAGOAN SHARES HER FINDS FOR FOOD, FASHION, AND MORE—BOTH AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD.
As DIY Network darling Alison Victoria debuts her latest show, the Chicagoan shares her finds for food, fashion, and more—both at home and around the world.
“The architecture of Chicago inspired me to become a designer at a young age,” says Alison Victoria, who grew up in the
John Hancock building and is now host of the HGTV and DIY Network hit show “Kitchen Crashers.” Now, as Victoria tees up her latest project, “Windy City Rehab,”—a docu-series set to debut in April that reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of flipping homes—the designer shares some of her favorite travel destinations and design sources, from the City of Lights to right here in Chicago.
Vintage love: Store B on Milwaukee (1472 N. Milwaukee Ave.; storebvintage.com)—“i traded in a Dolce and Gabbana jacket for vintage ’70s pendant lights that now hang in my kitchen”— and and Redefined Decor (1819 W. Grand Ave.; redefineddecor.com). Southern comfort food: Dixie (1952 N. Damen Ave.; dixiechicago .com). “I love everything from the brass accents to that little bar in the back. The biscuits are delicious.” Neighborhood hangout:
Club Lucky (1824 W. Wabansia Ave.; clubluckychicago.com), where once a week she indulges in a dirty martini.
Beauty fix: The Lash Lift for perfectly curled eyelashes from Gabby at Glam’d (351 W. Chicago Ave.; bglamd.com).
“I never have to wear mascara.” Sweating it out: “Seven days a week I wear athletic wear,” says Alison, and Studio Lagree (1123 W. Armitage Ave.; studiolagree.com) has a mega reformer that is “[like] Pilates on crack. It completely changed my body.”
Dinner and a show: Rose. Rabbit. Lie. inside the Cosmopolitan. “I go there every time I’m in Las Vegas. It’s a throwback to the perfect supper club. The interiors are beautiful—candlelit and sexy. It offers live entertainment and the best people watching.” Out-of-the-way eats: I Love Sushi, in a strip mall in Henderson, Nevada. “The best sushi I’ve ever had. It used to be a local hidden gem, but now everyone knows about it.”
Hotel of choice: Park Hyatt Parisvendôme. “I always stay there. I bring back their room spray or diffuser to my house in Chicago so it smells like Paris.” Sugar fix: Vanilla bean macarons from Ladurée in Paris. “No one does it like they do.”
Downtime: “I collect books and each book has a story that I’m drawn to, whether it’s the fabric or the contents. My favorite thing is to stroll along the Seine [in Paris] and just go shopping for books.” Favorite getaway: Greece. “I’m 100 percent Greek and I try to go every summer. In Mykonos, I love the beauty, the energy, the restaurants, the shopping, the nightlife.”
Ultimate indulgence: Ruinart champagne. “[And] I love caviar.”
“MY FAVORITE THING IS TO STROLL ALONG THE SEINE AND JUST GO SHOPPING FOR BOOKS.”
—ALISON VICTORIA