House Porn

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Design Classes at Dr. Delphinium

Summer Design Classes at Dr. Delphinium!

Learn floral design principles and elements; the use of color; proper care and handling of flowers; the history of Ikebana; floral identification; and floral mechanics. How Much: $99 a class or a discounted rate of $375 for 4 classes or $549 for all 6 classes. And those completing classes are entitled to 15 percent discount off of special event floral services. Discount valid for events taking place before December 31, 2007.

When: Every Thursday starting August 2th to September 6 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Renters Like Air Conditioning

From the Department of No Duh, just got a press release with this as the headline: “Renters say air conditioning is the one amenity they cannot live without; Apartments.com survey reveals renter amenity preferences.”

Wow. I would’ve never guessed.

Neiman Marcus Lighting

Check out Neiman Marcus’ Carnivale Pendant lamp, which would be cool in a small powder room or in a mod baby’s room, for only $149. Not the price I expected from good ol’ NM.

Nothing To Rent

Here’s yet another danger of an overheated real estate market: nothing to rent.

Get Your Garden On

Lambert’s president Paul Fields will be giving a presentation on creating your own lovely outdoor environment next Wednesday, Aug 8, at 10:30 a.m. at the new Robb & Stucky store in NorthPark. Fields will also be signing his book Leading Residential Landscape Professionals for all you landscaping groupies out there. RSVP to 972-403-3063.

California Real Estate Makes Us Look Good

I will no longer tolerate any gripes about our real estate market after visiting the northern peninsula of California where I am helping my son get settled before he starts his first post-college job. Every clerk he encounters (Whole Foods, Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond) cannot figure out why he is moving here from Texas, and the chief complaint is the cost of housing. After having just read Richistan, I am seeing with my own eyes how a whole new breed of uber-wealthy individuals live: my son’s landlord has a Lamborgini and there is an Aston Martin dealership three blocks from his new home. The homes are stunningly beautiful, the small towns like Saratoga and Palo Alto just picture-perfect havens of easy living with Starbucks, Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table on every corner. What we are hearing, though, is that so many people are priced out they are looking elsewhere, and now I finally have proof that California investors are plunking money in Dallas because trust me, we are the bargain basement of real estate compared to this part of the Golden State!

Who Needs the Food Network?

I blogged last week about Whole Foods‘ new online cooking video blog called The Secret Ingredient. It’s really great, and apparently, cooking vlogs are the new big thing, according to the New York Daily News.

Design Book Preview

If you’ve heard Peggy and other D Home staff members bragging around town about this year’s D Design Book, then you know what’s in store for you. One of our features includes what looks good to designers and what they never want to see again. Summer being summer, not all designers were able to respond by the deadline. Here’s what James McInroe said: (more…)

Culinary Connection “Taste of Texas”

Since it’s summer and there’s nothing good on television (except maybe this), you have no excuse for not attending Culinary Connection’s “Taste of Texas,” Saturday, August 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will feature recipes from The Texas Experience and Texas Blossoms, Richardson Woman’s Club’s award-winning cookbooks, and proceeds benefit the club’s service projects. They’ll be serving up Tex-Mex favorites from the cookbooks, such as the cocktail cleverly disguised as salad in the jump, wine, music, and door prizes to the happy attendees. RSVP by August 1 to  pam@culinaryconnectiongifts.com. 5700 Legacy Dr., #A3, Plano. (more…)

California Here We Come

And just in time to discover there are some home bargains here after all.

Nasher Store Expansion at NorthPark

The expanded Nasher Sculpture Center Store across from Barneys at NorthPark Center is my new favorite gift shop in Dallas. The oh-so-mod selection includes more tabletop, home furnishings, coffee table books, and the coolest kids’ toys in town. Affordable, too. This post-modern piggy bank by designer Scott Henderson for Mint is charming, slick, and a hoot for only $36. Guess where everyone’s Christmas gifts are coming from this year?

Gold Crest–The Mix

George Nash and I ran into two of his future neighbors, Judy Wasserman and Jim Ragsdale, today at Sangria. The ongoing conversation seems to be about upsetting the mix at the Gold Crest. According to Judy’s husband Irwin, “Now, there are going to be more gays than Jews,” and Rags’ response was, “And the problem is…….?” At least they’ve decided that if there is another big Nazi movement, they will all have to hunker down together and the gays will get to have pink stars. What fun neighbors, huh? There are going to be some really good stories.

One More Reason Not to Bother with Bottled Water

Pure tap.

Mary Kate Erwin Sale

Mary Kate Erwin, just recently open in the Dallas Design Center, is already having a sale. They have brought in all the overstock of cashmere and cashmere blend throws from Muse and are discounting them and selling from the floor. The good ones will go first–like that cool cheetah that Christine and I saw.

Anichini–Found

We were so sad to see Anichini’s empty space in Preston Center East. So, we were thrilled to see this familiar bed in the window at Casa di Lino on Oak Lawn. And, we understand Sharon Thompson came with the package. What a deal. Doesn’t Casa de Lino just keep getting better?

Mid-Century Furniture For Sale

Pete Peabody, a board member with Preservation Dallas, is offering some amazing mid-century furniture for terrific prices. I’m a little sad to post the daybed (pictured) because I want it so badly, but someone out there will give a good home, I know. See the jump for more information.

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Preppy Living on YouTube

I’d like to think that our July/August D Home inspired this YouTube video, but I think we know we were documenting a trend, not starting one. Enjoy this video, and listen carefully to the lyrics. (”Where my WASPs at?”… “Straight out of Cape Cod, we’re keepin’ it real…”)

Amazing Craigslist Find: Bozart Kaleidoscope Dollhouse

This is the coolest dollhouse ever and it’s for sale right here in Big D. Background: The Kaleidoscope House is an interactive creative play environment for 6 year olds and above. This 1:12 scale modernist architectural house, with sliding transparent color walls, invites children and adults alike to fill it with an exciting accessory line of modern furniture from respected contemporary furniture designers including Dakota Jackson, Karim Rashid, Ron Arad, and Keiser/ Newman, paintings, photographs and sculpture by Peter Halley, Carroll Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Cindy Sherman, Mel Kendrick and realistic “action figures” of the artist, architect and family. As the interchangeable exterior walls of the dollhouse slide open and overlap one another, their colors change in hue and value.

Re: Casablanca Lanterns

Paige, those are the same lanterns I’ve been coveting for months on the Gumps website, but Ann Fox has them for less.

Re: Neighbor vs. Neighbor

I hate HOAs. Just talked to D.W. Skelton who told me that HOAs reduce the value of your property because they reduce your control over it. The less freedom you have with land, the less value it holds. Said D.W. Now, I just found out that our little home in San Antonio (which I need to sell) has been designated historical, which I love because it saves me ten percent in property taxes. Know why, asked D.W.? Because you can’t touch that house now without permission from a whole committee of people. You want to see design by committee in action, go look at Northaven Church on Preston at Northaven.

I rest my case. 

Neighbor vs. Neighbor

Just talked to a gardener who told me an anecdote about one of his clients. Apparently the ChemLawn people showed up to his client’s house while she was away and sprayed her whole yard. But they had gotten the houses mixed up, and this woman is 100 percent organic–or was. Of course she was furious. ChemLawn came back out, aerated the garden and hosed it all down. This got me thinking about HOAs…could a homeowners’ association ban chemicals in gardens? Would that be a good thing?
You’ll want to read on. A court in New Jersey has ruled that by belonging to a HOA, you’ve “forfeited some of your freedoms of speech” and must abide by their rules.

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Home Sales Down?

Still not here. Have my ear to the ground on a very nasty battle right down the street over a one-acre lot. I swear, anyone with a lot these days in Dallas can just about write their own check. Then here are some fab open houses for this very weekend.

Re: George Nash Is Selling His House

Welcome to my world.

Greening of Home Depot

Go Home Depot! Check out their new Eco-Options website. All kinds of cool stuff on this site, including ways to calculate your personal emissions (that’s CO₂, friends).