Humboldt House

After a couple of visits, I totally have Humboldt House on my radar for future gifts. Other than the bigger home décor options like rugs and furniture and wall art, HH is also a great place to find locally made products by local artisans.
The jewelry and ceramics I had my eye are very simple yet have a nice clean aesthetic to them. The soap stones look like large jewels and would make a really lovely presentation on any bathroom counter. The candles – now those are my favorites. I had never heard of Tatine until I saw them on HH’s instagram feed and now are a new fave of mine. The scents are really clean and their names are quite cute and irresistible «Love that Burns» «Swarm of Bees», etc.
My eye caught a selection of cute cards/​stationery. I make my own cards so it has to be a really creative/​eclectic design for me to even consider purchasing it, and the cards here are also also one of a kind.
The owner Claire is super sweet and has done a great job putting together a store full of lovely finds and hand crafted objects. I love this little corridor of California Avenue. HH is a great stop.

Definitely my favorite home goods store, and a welcome addition to the blossoming California/​Augusta retail enclave. There’s a dearth of truly excellent shopping in Chicago, I wish we had more places like this.
The space itself is very cozy and has a pleasant «domestic» feel to it, despite being on the ground floor of a recently constructed building. In addition to really unique vintage furniture, they stock a ton of locally-​made jewelry, candles, soaps, etc… if there’s something or someone in my household that smells good, you have Humboldt House to thank. Claire (the owner) and Chelsea are always very helpful, and have great taste; sometimes I have trouble making these crucial shopping decisions, and these two have never steered me wrong.
I just moved into a larger apartment recently, and can’t wait to pick up some décor (maybe some textiles?) for the new space. Humboldt House is an inspiration, and will surely influence my decorating decisions in the future.

So many great things to see in this quaint little shop in Humboldt Park! Perfectly curated and lots of attention to detail. Maybe one of a kind items to be had.

As newlyweds, my husband and I happened to pass by The Humboldt House while walking my dog. Prior to that, we had been working closely with an interior decorator and other vendors, feeling quite confident in our vision of our home.
My husband looked through the window of The Humboldt House and was immediately impressed. Claire, the owner, welcomed us in (dog and all) to see the store.
To say the least, Claire’s taste is excellent. She retrieves gorgeous vintage items and re-​purposes them into beautiful statement pieces. On a personal level, she listened to us carefully while we described our dream décor, subsequently offering to let us explore at our own pace.
We found a gorgeous vinyl couch (which was one of the pieces that had immediately caught my husband’s eye) and were instantly enamored. Claire encouraged us to sit in on the couch in order to make an informed decision. (She even served us beverages, alcoholic and non-​, to ensure that we would be replicating our «real lives» on the couch). We ultimately ended up buying a complete living room set with the entirety of our wedding money.
The twist in the story is that my husband and I shipped the vinyl couch home only to discover that there was a spot that was damaged beyond repair (due to a cleaning liquid spill that had preceded Claire’s purchase). Claire generously referred us to a leather/​vinyl expert, who provided us with thorough information about our couch and the material. When my husband and I learned that our couch would not endure a lifetime, Claire immediately offered to exchange the piece ($ 2400 store credit) with one that would meet our needs. Claire was extraordinarily accommodating, professional, and honest — making it clear that her interest was in our satisfaction — not in her financial gain
BOTTOM LINE: The reason I am writing this review is because, if you are thinking of going to Restoration Hardware — THINK AGAIN! You will never receive the kind of personal, caring, and responsive customer service that you will get from Claire and her staff at The Humboldt House. It is clear that she is passionate about her craft, and eager to share beautiful pieces with those of us who would have succumbed to Ethan Allen, otherwise. Thank you, Claire, for making our dream home come true.

When I lived in DC, I used to date a guy who was obsessed with midcentury modern and was close friends with a guy who owned two stores specializing in MCM, so I learned a thing or two from their bro sessions.
I know Claire sells the good stuff for a lot cheaper than other midcentury modern shops. The same names in great condition, just a different neighborhood. People who compare HH’s furniture to what’s in a Brown Elephant don’t know what they’re talking about. I got a Poul Hundevad storage unit (teak, made in Denmark) and a patchwork P. S. Heggen desk (teak, made in Norway, dude designed wastebaskets that now cost a fortune) on sale and delivered later that day at a reasonable price. Claire rules.

Nice eclectic mix of jewelry from local artisans and vintage goods. Owner is a sweetheart and very knowledgeable about her merchandise and the local vintage scene.

Wow, wow, wow! What a great lil’ neighborhood shop!
Items priced from just $ 5.00 (Laura Berger cards — so cute!) to super swanky Turkish Kilim rugs — there’s definitely a little somethin’ somethin’ for everyone.
I have my eye on a couple of awesome mid century pieces as well as jewelry/​wall hangings. Did I mention a majority of the goods are made by local artisans? Pretty nifty if ya ask me!
HH is forever dynamic and forever cute. Do yourself a favor and visit ASAP.

I found this place last year while riding my bike and knew I had to visit. I am always on the hunt for mid century modern furniture and have collected quite a bit because of this store. The owner (Hi Claire!) is super friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable, and is full of great ideas. The shop is always so well put together and there’s a constant influx of new items every time I go in! It’s also next to a great pierogi shop and is pet friendly.

Humboldt House is such a wonderful addition to California Avenue. The products, big and small, or unique and beautifully presented. One of my favorite things about HH is all the goods created by local makers and artisans.
Humboldt House is a great place to shop for yourself or others.

The vintage glasses were interesting and some of them were reasonably priced. I enjoyed seeing the mid century furniture– it seemed to be in good shape. And was fun to recall when stereoes lived on the wall, not in your pocket.
The store can be difficult to move around in with narrow aisles.
This was made all the more difficult by some sort of hipster dog photo shoot happening in the store while I was there.
I know that sounds odd but no other description fits the goings on. I think because of bearded skinny jean photo nuts, we were not acknowledged by the staff at all during our 15 minute visit.

What a gem! Beautiful vintage furniture, gorgeous textiles, thoughtfully selected housewares and treasures, all at extremely reasonable prices. Owner Claire is warm and friendly and shopdog Archie is just the cutest. Don’t miss this lovely little shop if you’re near Humboldt Park!

I had really high hopes for Humboldt House. I follow them on Instagram, and I regularly check out their site. I purchase mid-​century furniture from several other retailers in Chicago, and I’ve been on the look out for tapestries, rugs, trinkets, and side tables.
I didn’t buy anything? Why the quality did not match the price? Some of pieces you could easily fine at the Brown Elephant for 80% off of what Humboldt House charges. The past two reviewers rave about the price, but as a frequent buyer, I’m not going to sacrifice quality for price. Other places in Chicago offer the same price for items that are 200x better quality. The place has a musty smell, which leads me to believe that the owner is not treating and taking care of the linens/​tapestries that she’s bringing in. The place also could use a merchandising refresh… lots of holes in the wall, no order or reason to presentation. It looked like the owner just threw some things around.
On top of the quality and presentation, I was very disappointed with the customer service. I drove Humboldt House on a Sunday, when I walked in the woman did not greet us or say anything. I was there for about 15 minutes, going back and forth looking at merchandise. Not once did she offer to help us or even suggest that maybe she had something that wasn’t shown.

Adorable! They have really great, well-​priced items here. Its a great location — as before mentioned by Adams & Sons.
Very nice people, cool stuff, totally worth checking out!

What an awesome design and home goods spot– a great addition to the neighborhood, and it’s right next to the best gardening shop and nursery ever, Adam & Son. You can fill your space with that many more beautiful and affordable treats at once :)
Claire and her dog are just lovely– I really appreciate that the ambiance and the items are so chic and upscale, while the prices are extremely reasonable– most other home design places with similar-​looking things are easily triple the price.
When I mentioned to Claire I had recently broken a new picture frame, she gave me a picture frame, some books and some other items she was planning to recycle– really sweet and generous of her. I definitely plan on coming back and adding some of her beautiful designs to my home.