BAD HOUSING MARKET NEWS

Of course, our Big Bro D Magazine has a great article this month on the real real estate market in Dallas, how we defy the national trends, how our values are actually going up. I am hearing a mixture of reports from agents–some say January was slow, some say it sizzled. Was talking to builder-developer Diane Cheatham the other day and she said anything inside the loop is hot, and her Urban Reserve is selling. So folks, hang in there. Do we really defy the national trend–lots of people moving here. Or are we, as Allison Di Martino formerly of the DMN used to say, the caboose on the national real estate train?

TIM LOVE AND HIS LOVE SHACK

How much do you love this? I had lunch with Tim Love (chef/owner of Lonesome Dove, Duce, and The White Elephant Saloon) today, and he told me about his latest concept. The Stockyards will be home to a new upscale, roadside burger joint, which will feature hand-cut fries, fresh onion rings, live music, eight beers, 13 wines by the glass, root beer, and a shake of the day. (It’s scheduled to open March 24!) Sounds like it will be worth the drive to Fort Worth; now how will I get back?

HOME, JAMES!

Dallas, you are in for a treat. We got a sneak peek today at the East Hampton’s import, Home, James! and the Travis Walk store has so many wonderful things, it’s hard to focus. Here are some highlights: Georgian and Regency style hand-cut crystal; classic movies playing on the flatscreen; hand-embroidered baby bedding in 12 designs; hand-painted pillows; linen runners, napkins, and placemats; cutout party invitations; and treats for Easter. Each item is well-chosen, and more than 85 percent of the merchandise is manufactured for or exclusive to Home, James! Soon, you’ll be telling your driver in Queen Victoria style, “Take me to ‘Home, James! and don’t spare the horses.’”

AROUND THE TABLE, AROUND THE LAKE

But not yet at Whole Foods Market. Thanks for posting, Paige. I am chairing this Home Tour… is chair a verb? (We’ll have to ask Rob Brinkley.) Tickets are still being created by the talented Ms. Jen Maki and will be out shortly. We have all been hard at work putting this tour together, just ask Peggy (and be prepared to cover your ears) who is coordinating all the homes. In case you’ve wondered why I’ve not been as much of a blog hog as usual, it’s because I’ve been out trolling for dollars: Like most home tours, this one benefits charities: The Stew Pot, The Wilkinson Center, The Museum of Nature and Science, North Dallas Shared Ministries, Edith Cavell Nursing Scholarships, and Historic Aldredge House. Aldredge House at 5500 Swiss Ave. is owned by the Dallas County Medical Alliance, which is the oldest Alliance in the nation–90 years next year. (Note: We workin’ the tour are not that old.) We do good things so y’all should support us. The best is raising money to immunize small children since Texas ranks pretty low in the nation when it comes to childhood immunizations. The good news: It’s getting better, partly because of the Medical Alliance.

(more…)

AND DORIS HAS HOW MANY PAIRS OF LOUBOUTINS?

Or Etro suits? Chanel jackets? Let’s talk Eleanor’s gorgeous leather jackets. And David Nichols’ cute partner Erin Mathews has a pretty extensive collection of designer duds herself. Face it, to be a power broker in this town you have to dress for success–$5,000 a month at Neimans minimum–and know that the G spot means Givenchy….

DAVID NICHOLS IS ALL TIED UP

Okay, so I just read DallasCEO’s profile on David Nichols, of Mathews-Nichols Real Estate Group and SVP of Briggs-Freeman. Apparently the guy has 250 neckties. 250 Hermes neckties.

If that isn’t the physical embodiment of a real estate metaphor, I don’t know what is.

AROUND THE TABLE, AROUND THE LAKE HOME TOUR

It’s official! I just received my press release to announce the upcoming Dallas County Medical Alliance Home Tour on Apr. 14. You’ll be hearing a lot about this tour as it just might turn out to be the tour of tours. Well, I may be biased:

“Each beautiful home offers something truly unique, from highly contemporary to charming classic design,” says Mary Candace Evans, 2007 Around the Table, Around the Lake Home Tour chair.

Insert obligatory ticket information here: Around the Table, Around the Lake home tour tickets are available at Whole Foods Markets’ Preston Forest, Highland Park, and Lower Greenville locations, or by contacting Susan Hughes at 972-473-4771. Prices are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

STILL STAR STRUCK?

Brit shop English Eccentrics has some lovely (or, at the very least, bright) art for those who can’t get enough H’wood in their lives. Prepare to gaze on a god of modernity here for about $8(ish) grand.

ZOE’S KITCHEN COOKS (SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO)

If you haven’t been, head to Zoe’s Kitchen, across from Nicholson-Hardie on Lovers Lane near the Tollway. Donned in bright shades of lime, aqua, and orange, the restaurant looks as refreshing as it tastes. This healthy lunch spot features a menu of salads, sandwiches, and sides of fruit; kid’s sandwiches (plus a slice of orange and chips) are only $2.95. And more good news: They have take-home tubs of chicken, potato, pasta, tuna, and egg salads, pimento cheese, and fruit.

DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART’S SATURDAY AFFAIR

Kodak Theater may have had the film stars this weekend, but intern Eugenie McCarthy reports that the DMA had its fair share of Dallas’ young and glamorous.

“Well, the Affair of the Art 2007 was quite the success this year, and we all celebrated in style. Many young things were at the Dallas Museum of Art on Saturday night to fete the annual fundraiser. Blue ice cubes in the spirit of the Bleu Ball floated in Perriers, as guests voted on the prize piece…”

Find out who was there and which acquisition the DMA got.

(more…)

CAN YOU FIND BETTY BLAKE IN THIS PHOTO?

This is the boudoir of Dallas modern art collector and bon vivant Betty Blake (who just turned 90). She’s actually taking a nap on the bed as we shot this photo (thank you, Danny Piassick), and we cleverly cropped her out by positioning the camera so that only part of the bed is shown in the mirror. Her astonishingly avant-garde apartment, with its original Syrie Maugham-designed sofa and chairs, appears in our March issue on the cover. They are unbelievable, and you won’t want to miss this issue.

YOUR REFRIGERATOR IS RUNNING TIMES TWO

We get the best stuff from my neighborhood patrol. I feel sorry for this family but gosh, goes to show you cheap wine is so bad even the crooks don’t want it…

(A refrigerator) was taken from my (currently being remodeled) house. Someone broke a lock in the back of the house (secluded yard) and rolled the fridge, which was in the garage, out the garage doors, which were locked from the inside, closed them again and went out through the back. They LEFT a boxed wine cooler, which was in a box next to the fridge.

It has happened again. I arrived this morning to find a glass window broken in the back of the house. Several people, I assume, came in, ripped the installed refrigerator from the water line and rolled it out through the garage. Both times, other appliances have been left, so this seems to be a “refrigerator” crime. I now have MAJOR locks on the inside of the garage doors and the security system is working.

AWARD-WINNING INTERIORS

It’s a bit late, but what the hey. Apartment Therapy had a terrific idea, posting their favorite film interiors in celebration of the Academy Awards.

I’d like to add to that the greatness seen in Laurel Canyon, North by Northwest, Diane Keaton’s house in Something’s Gotta Give, and LA Confidential.

HOME IS WHERE YOUR ART IS

Jennifer Culbertson, a Park Cities artist, has been working hard compiling a calendar/engagement book that features the fine art of PC artists, 90 in all. Now Leanne McKinley of Ellen Terry and Patrick McKinley of McKinley Built Homes, the sponsors of the engagement book, have devised a rather brilliant marketing scheme to tap into the book’s good buzz.

Artists that appear in Culbertson’s book will be shown at two of the McKinley’s homes currently on the market (one new, one a re-do), and each room will feature a different PC artist. To celebrate, there will be a combined viewing/artist party on Feb. 27 at the home on 4655 N. Versailles. Realtors and invited guests from 4-6:30 p.m. and artists from 6-8 p.m.

PIERRE FREY

Patrick Frey was at Walter Lee Culp’s to show the new Pierre Frey spring collection. This pattern, Ming, reminds me of Minton, a pattern from the ’90s that became a new and fresh icon of the superior printing being done in Europe at the time, and soon everyone was on the fabric train. You can find Pierre Frey linens at Yves DeLorme, and they are presently looking for distribution of their tabletop collection. Any ideas?

RE: TXU BUYOUT

I did read that, Loyd. It seems that the buyers are also promising reduced prices for consumers (a move directly tied to the threat of government action to break up TXU’s market share and high prices). Most of their environmentally sensitive moves were part of a settlement with environmental groups that had been hounding TXU for years. I guess three coal plants is better than 11. I guess. But isn’t that like saying three punches to the stomach are better than 11? Still hurts.

JAN SHOWERS SPRING SHIPMENT

There’s something really civilized and ladylike about the lunches Jan Showers hosts to show off her new Paris shipments each season. Her spring lunch is Wednesday, February 28 (11:30-1:30) at the showroom, 1308 Dragon St. If you’ve never been to one–or even to her place–spring is a good time to start since the colors will be soft and pretty: camels, palest greens and lavenders, whites, some pink, and ice blues. These are her mainstays–the colors of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s that are still glamorous and chic. I can’t wait to see if she’s mixing things up more–taking cues from other eras and styles. The era of decorating with one look, no matter what that is, is well on its way out. It’s more fun to mix it up anyway.

TXU BUYOUT IS A WIN-WIN

If you’ve seen the headlines, you probably know that TXU has agreed in principle to the largest buyout offer ever–a $45 billion offer, to be exact. (I was saving my pennies, but some more organized guys beat me to it…) The good news is that this buyout may save us from the creation of 8 of 11 new coal plants. Additionally, the potential buyers are saying they will invest in coal gasification technology, a process that removes carbon dioxide emissions before they are released into our air. Perhaps there is hope yet for Dallas air quality–and perhaps Governor Perry will be forced to look elsewhere for hefty campaign contributions.

NOTHING’S BETTER THAN KAREN FRY, OUR REAL ESTATE CHANTEUSE!

Karen Fry is going to be a hard act to follow tonight, even though her singing performance of Sweet Charity’s “There’s Got To Be Something Better Than This” will be followed by Michael Bolton–THE Michael Bolton, at Curtain Call 2007: An Intimate Evening With Michael Bolton–a benefit for Dallas Summer Musicals at The Hilton Anatole. (click here.)

Event starts at 7 p.m., tickets are $500, a charitable contribution to Dallas Summer Musicals, of which Karen is a new board member. So how long as she been a chanteuse? Turns out our Dallas real estate whiz was a student at the Dallas Summer Musicals School for the Performing Arts. And I think Karen once told me she sang at Sweetbriar College, (just a few years ago). Singing gives her a multi-dimensional life, she says, and she learned how empowering it is to conquer a challenge from Dallas businessman Dick Bass. He told her that after climbing mountains, he was never again intimidated when sitting in front of a banker asking for loans. (more…)

RE: DESIGN CENTER

In my recent post on happenings in the Design District, I mentioned the absence of the Design Center in the marketing organization. (Do all the Design/Decorative names confuse you?) Please skip below to read the very articulate response from George Nash–and I thought I had written the definitive history of the dec center. Another historical note–the prison next to the Design Center that used to be the hotel was where the Beatles stayed when they came to Dallas. (more…)

RE: RALPH LAUREN’S IN THE GARDEN

Actually, Christine, I like to wear my Speedo to do the gardening so I can suck up as many toxic rays as possible, but I’m open to a hip polo with a popped collar. 

But artificial flowers? Seriously? If you can’t decorate with them, you surely can’t have them anywhere near the garden. 

FLAVORS FROM AFAR ON THE MOVE

One of our favorite epicurean shops in Dallas is moving to a bigger and better space. But don’t worry: Flavors From Afar is staying put in Snider Plaza. The new spot will feature an expanded tasting area and more space for new product lines, in-store cooking demonstrations, and general tasty goodness. Owners Nancy and Gary Krabill’s new space should be ready in mid-March. We hungrily await the opening.

WINE-OH! FRIDAY

Here it is: the first official wine events listing on our new-and-improved blog. Are you excited? Does your pulse quicken? Good. Me too. Let’s begin.

The Wine Therapist features two events this upcoming week. At its Park Cities location, enjoy the grandaddy of all fine French wines at WT’s Bordeaux primer. The Lakewood Wine Therapist features a tasting of premium California Cabernets. Both events are Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Wine Squared’s previous class on famous wine blends was so popular they’re doing it again. Discover how different grapes create different flavor profiles and sip some choice Bordeaux, Champagne, and Chianti. Five tastes for $15 on Monday, Feb. 26.

Chateau Wine Market hosts a wine fair this Saturday, Feb. 24. Taste 20 wines for $25. No word on what the wines will be but knowing this tony Travis Walk shop, the bottles should be first rate.

MEALS ON WHEELS, KATHERINE BARONET, AND MACARONI GRILL

As you’ll learn when you read Rebecca’s column in the March issue, several D Home staffers are also Meals on Wheels volunteers. Now here’s a tie-in. Saturday, 6-9 p.m., there’s an artist reception at Shamrock Hotel Studios (4312 ½ Elm St.) for Dallas artist Katherine Baronet, and one of her beautiful pieces, “Beloved 16″X16,” will be offered as a silent auction with proceeds going to Meals on Wheels. One more tie-in, now until April 1, go to Macaroni Grill and order their Amaretto Apple Crispetti dessert, and they will donate $1 to the Meals on Wheels Association of America. You can help all over the place.

DALLAS ARTIST CHRIS JUDY

Eugenie is at it again. She found this emerging Dallas talent Chris Judy and wanted to share his work with you. Here’s the scoop:

“He cultivates paintings from a passionate side of himself. Originally in the corporate world not long ago (he was a financial adviser with UBS), Judy leapt into a creative realm and has never looked back. His artwork reflects a brighter side of a deeper realm. He accepts commissions for art for the home, office, and elsewhere…Dallas art scene—watch out! Going through his web site is best for getting in touch with him.”