After having a successful career in marketing big names like DKNY, CoverGirl, Miller and Coke, Jill Stalowicz took her passion for building brands, combined it with her love of modern design and a desire to shift toward greener living, and started the Chicago-based online retail site FeelMoreHuman.com.

The result is a compelling and clean-lined Web site with a unique split design that features one side to “Shop,” and another to “Explore.”

“I recognized the need to give people access to good design, smart concepts and easy ways to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Stalowicz. “And it was important that [the site] didn't look like an average Web retailer or blog.”

The two sides of the site live in a sort of symbiotic relationship, with in-depth articles on a variety of modern, green topics, like Chicago's Organic School Project, container architecture, or the new electric Enertia motorcycle bringing Web-searching consumers to the site, while shoppers looking for the perfect modern chair find themselves clicking over to the articles to expand their knowledge. The Explore side also features Resources for Modern Green Living; a Do Good list that includes links to various charities; and a classifieds section for selling modern products.

FeelMoreHuman's articles are more like magazine pieces than blogs, said Stalowicz, and might take a couple of weeks to put together. But this is one of the things that makes FeelMoreHuman feel different than other Web sites.

“I wanted it to be personal, honest and open — more human,” said Stalowicz.

The Shop side of the site is divided into different sections — “Eco-Friendly,” “Home,” and “Life” — and then further subdivided under each of those headings into things like “Kids & Baby,” “Lighting,” “Seating,” “Cats & Dogs,” and “Health & Beauty.” Customers can also shop the site by brand.

“It's just as easy to Shop [on FeelMoreHuman.com] as it is to get inspiration (i.e. Explore),” said Stalowicz. “…There is one common theme that bridges the two sides.”

FeelMoreHuman's tagline is “Meaningful. Modern. Living.” Stalowicz defines that as a harmony between modern comforts and being a good global citizen. To that end, she seeks out products that are designed well and companies that use business practices grounded in responsibility.

“We know you can't live a 100 percent sustainable lifestyle,” Stalowicz says on the site, “but you can make small changes that when echoed across a large group of people make a drastic difference. It's that blend of reality and responsibility. It's what makes us feel more human.”