Elements

This is one of the best home/​gift boutiques in Chicago — it has a lot of items that you can’t get anywhere else. I most impressed with the welcoming warm service I received today.
Bottom Line:
Great selection of eclectic jewelry at ALL price points
Gorgeous tabletop/​gift items/​art books
Warm, knowledgeable, accessible staff
I ran in here this afternoon for two birthday gifts (one for $ 25 and one for $ 60) and the gentleman who helped me was absolutely wonderful. I let him know my budget and he toured me around, showing me his favorites, pointing out sale items, and asking questions about the people I was buying for.
(There were also two scruffy teens who came in to spend about $ 15 and they received equally friendly service.)
Yes, many of the items in here are very expensive — beautiful china and tablewares, shagreen boxes, Molton Brown, Ted Muehling candlesticks, linen napkins, cashmere throws — but they are mostly handmade, beautiful, and made of the finest materials. I don’t understand low reviews for high prices, when the items aren’t marked up insanely. You have to pay for the selection, curation, and for items to be in your neighborhood. There’s nothing wrong with expensive things existing and being made — you don’t have to buy them!
Trendier than Material Possessions, more modern (and kinder service) than Tabula Tua
Shop Local!
(side note: they don’t have food anymore — café is long gone)

Buyer Beware…
I have a personal adage regarding money; I don’t mind spending it, but refuse to throw it away. Ouch, I should have done my homework before shopping at Elements.
They do have a wide variety of interesting items in the store, but grossly over-​priced.
My experience is my example. We paid $ 475 for a Vanessa Mitrani vase. With little effort, I found it online… at prices of $ 380 and $ 314.
Worse still, Elements does not provide cash or credit card refunds… only exchanges or in-​store merchandise credit. It’s no wonder why the big box retailers are pushing the boutiques into oblivion.
Both pricing and return practices seem more predatory than customer friendly.

Beautiful ridiculously expensive stuff.
Find $$$$ unique items for yourself (the likes of intricate fancy jewelery, $ 500 scarves, $ 20+ bars of soap) and your home ($ 400 pillows, $ 300 bowls).

STAY AWAY.
They have a café inside here. It’s so so, nothing special, but its near my office so I go there occasionally. Would have never thought to review it until today.
I’ve been here a few times. Today, a friend and I just sat down there because we needed some privacy to chat. I stuck my head in to tell someone that we just needed to sit for a minute so they wouldn’t end up making a trip outside for no reason.
Shortly after, one of the staff, a middle aged lady, decided to come out later to basically shoo us away.
There are NEVER guests here, nobody else was sitting outside, so it wasn’t an issue of taking seats away from guests.
No interest in ever coming back here. Super rude lady, stuck up, shooing away two people who have been guests previously even when there were no other customers, all for the 2 bucks it would have cost us for a cup of tea (yep, a cup of tea runs less than 2 bucks here).
That’s brutal and embarrassing.

This was my first time visiting this store. The price ranges for items varies wildly, from reasonable to quite expensive. I purchased an incredibly elaborate silver necklace for $ 75. The Mexican Fine Arts Museum has exquisite but VERY expensive silver jewelry. My new purchase rivals the quality but was nearly ½ off in terms of price. Unsure about some of the more negative reviews regarding customer service; I was assisted by the nicest, very helpful young lady!

The best selection of unique gifts anywhere. There are some things that are massively expensive, but I found some super things when I went in. even gift wrapped for free. Loved it!

If you’re in the market for an $ 800 coffee table centerpiece, this is your place.
Come on, now — there’s no way 99% of the population could ever afford anything in here (unless you want to get an espresso drink from the incredibly randomly-​placed coffee bar in the back corner of the store).
But I give it three stars because the customer service was actually ridiculously friendly, despite the fact that the guy undoubtedly took one look and me and my roomie and wondered why we weren’t shopping at Water Tower Place instead.
When I first walked into this store, I saw a Gucci diaper bag slung over a stroller, a three-​year-​old tottering around in a designer wool coat, and a woman handing over a credit card to a salesman as he explained that he would charge her «…$ 700 now and the rest later.» That should tell you pretty much all you need to know.

beautiful, expensive, unique… this shop has it all. AND the WORST, RUDEST, LAZIEST sales staff one can imagine. it is a shame because a person can easily spend a lot of money in this place. the arrogance and downright, mean sales staff will be their downfall. as we left the store, an older affluent woman was right behind me and we both couldn’t contain ourselves once we got outside. I made a new friend in this lady that day, so I guess it wasn’t a total waste of time to enter this place afterall. misery loves company and this store was full of unhappy shoppers the day i was there.

Although some of the items in the store are worth looking at, most of the sales associates are not worth working with. Shop at a store that appreciates your business.
The good news is, if you want to look at Bottega leather, there is a store on Michigan Ave where the service is much better!

I’ve been past Elements a (few) hundred times and finally went in. They carry a rubber coated side chair that I love, I saw it in the window but didn’t make it in until they put their tables outside and starting serving excellent sandwiches and light lunch.
Small menu, but well done, panini grilled sandwiches, fresh and good salad. Reasonably priced, too. Best deal on San Pelegrino Limonata you’ll find in town (cheaper than retail?), and great coffee. Much nicer to sit outside here than at sbux around the corner under the tracks, better espresso too.
I had a quick run through the store and they carry a good selection of home accessories, furniture, jewelry, and a basic assortment of designer things and stuff. I’m a little bit of a fetishist in some of these categories and should add (just cause I’m so fair) that many items in the store are known entities and are similarly priced to the competition.

This boutique has moved locations. It is now in River North at 741 N. Wells. Now, if you are a multi-​millionaire, have fun in this store. Some of the items here are Seriously Overpriced. Yikes!
The store a weird mis-​mash of items. They have goofy gifts and games, tableware, pet clothes, ornaments, coffee table books, and specialty food items. Pricey stuff includes — Jewelry, Handbags, Scarves, Dinnerware, Siverware.
Apparently they have a bar area where they sell pre-​made sandwiches, coffees, teas, and desserts all throughout the day. Again, if you are looking for money to throw around, this is your all-​in-​one spot!