EDIBLE DECOR

What to do with all those pumpkins after Halloween? If I leave them on my doorstep, they’ll just rot and attract nasty fruit flies. Read on for a healthy solution just in from Dr. Weil…
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PEDINI

The other night, I was at Scott & Cooner, always a treat, and I caught a glimpse of their new Pedini kitchens. Oh my God, you’ve got to see these beauties…

ZIPPING UP ZILLOW

I am happy someone is doing this: Look up your home at Zillow and see if you get as mad at them as I did…

THE MANSION’S FACELIFT

I reported this on our sister blog earlier but thought I’d share it with our D Home fanatics. I went to The Mansion for dinner last weekend to try out executive chef John Tesar’s new menu. Impressed? Yes. The food wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was certainly a breath of fresh air after years of Fearing’s Southwestern cuisine (not that it was ever bad, just getting a little tired). Tesar’s menu was delicious: shaved fennel salad, toro tartare, duck confit risotto, and–my fave–peppercorn-crusted venison with huckleberry. Service was–as always–a delight, and the wine service was peerless. Now, lets get some of Dallas’ interior design talent over to The Mansion stat. The old girl needs a makeover (which I hear is in the works).

EURWAY GOES TO FRISCO

The affordable modern furniture store, Eurway (currently located just west of the Galleria), is opening a new 14,800-square-foot facility just east of Ikea in Frisco. The store, which features new and classic furniture designs, is scheduled to open in February.

Question: Does family friendly Frisco crave the bright colors, frosted glass, and chrome-finished Eurway offerings?

RE: IMMUNE?

Actually, a good number of suburbs are posting price gains, but new construction is way down. And while the Park Cities do boost the overall average, they’re not alone in posting gains (even of the double digit variety).

More ponderings after the jump.
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CONDO WARS: PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ

If you couldn’t snag a limo in town last night, well, blame it on the new Ritz-Carlton! The Ritz Residences put on a party to end all parties. Undoubtedly a taste of the glittering life to come if you purchase a condo at the Ritz. On the guest list: 250 buyers and would-be buyers (I met five) and all the architects, marketers, and builders of the Residences and Tower. We were plied with a wonderful invitation for the “Dean’s List”–food by Dean Fearing who was at the party with precious wife, Lynae. After being whisked away from the job site in more limos than I counted at the Bush inauguration, we were treated to a concert by a surprise “Grammy-award winning” artist who turned out to be…
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GARDENS OF THE U.S. UNITE

So just got this link that claims to be an interactive map of all the garden centers and nuseries across the Unites States. Take a look. If you see something amiss, you can add missing info or wrong entries by going here.

IMMUNE?

Roger, Preston Hollow and Park Cities always defy the odds. It’s when you average out the mega-appreciation in those areas and the depreciation in outlying areas, you get today’s report in the WSJ. Or so I’m told…and that article is NOT one to take to the DCAD.

MORE BAD REAL ESTATE NEWS, MAYBE…

Realtors are not going to like this report in the Wall Street Journal (you may need a subscription to read) that says Dallas home prices are headed down. I saw Phyllis Glover last night at the exclusive Ritz bash (that report coming later, warming up my fingers…) who said she’s sold three units there. Note that Houston was given an arrow up plus (like us), a strong job market–which means the only thing bringing us down is our massive supply of unsold new home inventory and all those foreclosures.

Dallas Central Appraisal District, are you listening?

DALLAS STILL IMMUNE TO HOUSING BUBBLE?

Home sales and prices continue to rise in the area (DMN’s full story is here), but they’re slowing down. Unless, of course, you live in the Park Cities, where prices are up 15 percent from nine months ago (East Dallas saw a 10 percent jump). Still, a modest 3 to 4 percent average increase is nothing to cry about as prices and sales plummet on the coasts and in the upper Midwest.

MUSINGS ON THE LOVE OF OLD

Tonight inveterate collector, author, and senior vice president for Ralph Lauren Mary Randolph Carter (or Carter, as she introduces herself) will be at Vintage Living. If you miss the celebrated author of the “Junk” series (American Junk, Big City Junk, Kitchen Junk, etc.) tonight, her new book, “For The Love of Old,” will be at the Snider Plaza store. You can even get a signed copy of this beautiful book (she took all 200 colored photographs herself). I met her at the store today, and she shared some musings…
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ANTIQUE STOP OWNERS HANG WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY

Rose and Mark Lafferty, owners of Plano’s Antique Stop mall, hung with some of the British Royals earlier this month, as a part of a fund-raising event sponsored by the Duke of Edinburgh. They played a little golf, ate a little caviar at the castle….

TAKING ISSUE WITH CNN MONEY

Yeah, so, I started clicking around CNN Money’s real estate page and I found a few things to take issue with.

One: Banker Glenn Gantt also pointed out that this is the same site that said Fort Collins was the best place in the US to live, which made his Ft. Collins friend very excited– “until he saw that the list had Richardson, TX at #15, at which point he called BS.”

And two: this description of Bakersfield. Hey, I know we’ve got hot summers here! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

DALLAS MAKES TOP 10 IN HOUSING MARKET

But not in a good way.

Hey man, at least we’re not number one.

(thanks to Glenn Gantt at Signature Bank for the uplifting link)

INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

Is South Dallas going to be the next hot design district area? As rents go up in the DD, maybe people will be moving to cheaper digs. Someone is sure moving there:

“South Dallas was the clear third quarter frontrunner” in industrial real estate absorbtion “contributing 1.3 million square feet of black ink” to the overall Dallas market “which stands at 5.5 million year-to-date.” - Grubbs & Ellis Research, Industrial Market Trends, 3rd Q 2006

MORE CLIFF WELCH

If you’re loving the house for sale by Doug Newby, don’t forget you can build your own Cliff Welch masterpiece with developer Marc Kleinmann at ConstruKt Group.

RE: GREEN LIVING

Oh Loyd, I know what you mean. It’s scary what’s happening! Want to know where the world’s supply of trees is going?

Here you go.

RE: GOING GREEN

Peggy, yes, thankfully there is some “eco-friendly movement” among manufacturers. However, don’t get too excited, it’s going to take a lot more than natural bookshelves and cork flooring to fix this problem.

CITY CODE CRAZY

More from Bob Curry, down at City Hall’s code compliance department.

In October 2004, there were 85,000 overdue requests. The current total is 200.

Put that on your sign and post it (not illegally, okay?)

COONER’S COLLECTIONS

Just one of the small treasures you’ll see at Joel Cooner’s gallery on Dragon Street. This is the first known image of a diety, discovered in India, and probably from 2000 B.C.–it’s only $200,000. When Joel moves next door, to a very gallery-exque space, his extraordinary collection will be exhibited more like the museum quality it is. Stay tuned…

RE-KOHLER

Loyd, I’m still looking for the central vac system that attaches to the shower head and actually performs liposuction. I know it’s just around the corner.

ECO ROCHE BOBOIS

Yes, it really is meant to look like this and was not built by Pa Kettle. The Legend bookcase by Delcourt from Roche Bobois is part of an eco-friendly collection created from sustainable woods, cut within the grain, and without the use of any hardware, glue, or stains. Everyone’s going green, and the shades are just getting better.

RE: ANTHROPOLOGIE SALE

Christine, Is the sale online or in the stores?

Editor’s Update: The sale is only in the stores, ladies.

KOHLER GETS PERSONAL IN THE BATHROOM

In a category that is brimming with new products, Kohler has taken the stance that not everyone wants the same kind of “bath experience.” So, to help their customers decide whether they are the healing spa type–or a morning rejuvenation junky, the company has created an online personality test designed to align the right products with the desired experience. Check it out. (I missed the mystical age-reducing waters option.)