MATERIAL PURSUITS

This weekend’s curated luxury trends

BIRKIE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the American Birkebeiner (“Birkie”) is the largest cross-country ski race in North America. The two premier Birkie events are the 31-mile skate and the 34-mile classic races from Cable to Hayward, Wisconsin. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, the U.S. Ski Team’s Jesse Diggins—the greatest American cross-country skier of all time with three Olympic medals—joins as a special guest racer. The Birkie is patterned after the Norwegian Birkebeiner Rennet that dates back to 1932. The race recreates a historic Norwegian event when in 1206, two warrior soldiers, called “Birkebeiners” because of the birch-bark leggings they wore, skied infant Prince Haakon to safety during the Norwegian Civil War. Prince Haakon subsequently became the King of Norway, and the Birkebeiner soldiers became a Norwegian symbol of courage, perseverance, and character in the face of adversity. The first American race took place in northern Wisconsin in 1973. Today, the Birkie provides year-round, active lifestyle events for thousands of adventurous spirits of all ages and abilities. Celebrate the warrior within and sign up for a race in February 2024. For more information, visit birkie.com.

NATALIE KONSTANT X ARCH COLLECTION

Chicago and Florida-based interior designer Natalie Konstant of Konstant Home has collaborated with Winnetka interiors store ARCH to launch a high-end collection of customizable furniture pieces. The Natalie Konstant x ARCH collection brings new life to works by some of the most influential French designers of the 20th century. The pieces include the Settee Nouvelle—a sleek mohair and wood bench inspired by Jean Prouvé’s Banc Marcoule; the Beau Bench—a new take on Jean Royère’s X-shaped bench; and the Le Lin Trunk—a stylish interpretation of Pierre Jeanneret’s “Dirty Linen Basket.” The locally made pieces are offered in a variety of fabrics with various wood and metal finishes and are available exclusively at ARCH in Winnetka. For more information, visit archglow.com.

PRE-FABULOUS

Established in January of 2022 and partnering with the Latvian brand My Cabin, PrefabPads LLC brings its vision to North America. The company builds prefabricated, sleek, Scandinavianstyle cabins in four different sizes ranging from 132 square feet to 520 square feet. The cabins are suited for year-round use as in-law suites, artist’s studios, backyard offices, an Airbnb in the wilderness, or just your primary or secondary residence. The factory is located in Waukegan, where the cabins are built in a controlled environment and can be delivered nationwide and to Canada. PrefabPads LLC is a family business founded by Managing Member Hemang Mehta, his wife, his son-in-law, COO Peter Seltenright, and his daughter, CMO Anisha Seltenright. For more information, visit mycabin.us or contact the company at info@prefabpads.co to place your order.