Pearls Oooo La La

See why I have to hide my cc’s?

What Time Is It?

Time to go shopping at Ceylon and Cie today and tomorrow… Christine and Laura, I’m giving you my credit cards for a few days because I LOVE BAUBLES!

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Everything Herbs

Dill is one of my favorite herbs to use in salads or on sandwiches, and I’ve noticed the fresh supply at Central Market lately. Turns out, CM is prepping for its Herb Fest April 4-6. If you’re like me and love herbs but don’t know all of the ways to use them, there will be free afternoon workshops throughout the weekend on topics such as “Pairing Herbs and Foods,” and the “Health Benefits of Herbs.” Florists will even be using dried herbs in bouquets. All of this sounds like fun,  but I’ll be visiting the store for the delicious food samples—which will be in abundance. (Cheese and dill dip? Basil bread? Yum.) To reserve a workshop spot, call 214-361-5754.

Bunny Williams At The Home of Peggy and Carl Sewell

The breathtakingly beautiful home of Carl and Peggy Sewell, to benefit Art In Bloom last evening. I am still on a high from meeting Ms. Williams, a New Yorker who told me everything’s getting torn down in Manhattan, just like here. And I’m on a high from being in the Sewell home, its proximity to Prather Creek in the honeypot of Highland Park, terracing and gardens. Pink tulips and the white azaleas just make this the time of the year when living in Dallas is the bees knees. I digress: architect Wilson Fuqua was at the event last night, and he told me some interesting things about the Sewell’s circa 1915 Hal Thompson masterpiece:

Wilson helped Peggy and Carl when they bought the home 14 years ago– Peggy took New York designer Mario Buatta through — but get this — the home’s architect prior to Wilson and the Sewell’s was a very contemporary-loving high profile architect in town. If you can picture this, there was a white enamel Herman Miller table in the dining room among other mod and mid-century modern pieces in the home. Thankfully, no one touched the latticed sun porch which is among the finest sun-porches in the southern U.S.

The Crespis lived at 4726 Drexel Drive for awhile while their estate on Walnut Hill Lane was being built. The Crespi Estate is now, of course, the home of Tom and Cynda Hicks and family.

Hastens Helps You Sleep Tight

Guess what? I’m getting $36 back from the government. (This is in addition to the $600 free-money bonanza that is set for June.) I realize that people in different tax brackets—roughly 90 percent of the Dallas population—are a little less joyful about April 15. Maybe you’re even losing sleep about taxes this year. Hastens wants to help: they are offering to pay the sales tax on all beds sold through April 15th. As my lovely (and much wealthier) friend puts it: “That’s a huge savings when you are buying a $30k bed!” Indeed.

RE: House Porn

Oh Miss Christine, you are so clever, trying to up your page views by using one of my fave terms. House porn can be clean or dirty, depending on the eye of the beholder. (Like there’s something that turns all of us on, though what turns me on may not waggle your button — I’m totally talking Real estate here.) My my even the W carries JimmyJane products in their squeaky clean minimalistic gift shop. I have been asked where the term originated, my guess is out west, likely LA where all the sins of the world conceive, like unaffordable housing and adjustable rate mortgages, and that Mama at the RealEstalker has something to do with it but gosh, I hate to give her any more press lest she start pickin’ on our Texas hair again. (Don’t touch that link!)

Get Crafty at Central Market

As a serious D Home Craft fan, I feel the need to make a brief pitch endorsing chef de cuisine and Texas boy Kevin Maxey’s upcoming cooking class at Central Market. I remember the day Laura and I devoured the Texas farm chicken or diver scallops, and since then, I feel confident endorsing anything that man makes. Head to the Lovers Lane location on Monday, March 31, 6:30-9 p.m. for roasted mushrooms; wild mushroom & mozzarella fondue; wild mushroom risotto; and mushroom bisque. His kitchen philosophy: perfect ingredients, perfectly cooked.

Screen Door

Look for the opening of One Arts Plaza’s “down home” restaurant Screen Door next month. I don’t know about down home - I would say it will be more Southern mansion, since George Nash and Terry Sweeney are doing the interior design. And, luxury brand Cameron Collection is making it’s first big move into the contract furniture arena by making all the seating. I saw the dining chairs in the finishing stage, hand rubbed, by the way, no sprayed on finish here. This is truly a Dallas restaurant with a Dallas owner, Scott Jones, by Dallas designers, and with Dallas made furniture. Count those tax dollars.

Bunny Williams’ “Point of View”

Dallas is laying out the red carpet for famed interior designer Bunny Williams this weekend and Monday. First, a patron party on Saturday, then a talk and luncheon at “Art in Bloom” the annual floral symposium benefiting the DMA, and on to a book signing and fashion show at Forty Five Ten on McKinney. Her new book “Point of View” will be a must-see - she’s one of the most talented and experienced designers on the planet, her list of clients from the last 3 decades is a who’s who of influential people. And don’t forget her garden shop Treillage in Manhattan is the model for all the fresh garden shops that have sprung up in the last few years.

Word Usage: House “Porn”

I’ve heard that sex sells. I won’t deny the veracity of that statement. But how much porn can one site take without being put under probation by the FCC? Candy, I like this little abode on San Fernando Way, but there’s nothing dirty about it. Or at least nothing that a little Windex and Lysol couldn’t cure. So I’m going to put the kibosh on the term “house porn,” until I see something really sexy. Otherwise, it’s false advertising.

Rock ‘n Roll Rooms

Hip jeans designer Diesel just got into the home decor act. Newly launched during the recent Milan furniture show, Diesel’s Successful Living textiles include bed linens, towels, and throw pillows.

Charlotte Moss Loves the Mews

Famed designer Charlotte Moss had this to say in the latest edition of House Beautiful: “When I’m in Dallas I always make time to visit The Mews, two antiques collectives. I always find something unusual — a carved gilded chandelier, a chinoiserie box, Moroccan leather desk accessories, a tiny mirror — all sorts of surprises that will finish off a room perfectly.”

House Porn In The Air

I’ve been pushing to do a story on interior design of private jets for some time now… so what do you think of this?

Why Hire an Interior Designer

Local designer Dona Rosene sent me this link to a talk that Architectural Digest hosted at the Kravet showroom for the design community about the good reasons to hire a professional designer. I couldn’t agree more - with all the instant re-dos and easy decorating shows on television, it’s easy to think it’s easy. Sure, it’s a beauty business - but it doesn’t happen without effort and expertise. People used to say what a glamorous job a showroom would be. What they didn’t see was hours moving furniture and heavy fabric wings until my arms wouldn’t move. With all the design options out there now, I think that’s more the reason to hire a decorator.

Models at One Arts Plaza

Yesterday was busy. After the presentation at Walter Lee Culp, I went to One Arts Plaza to see the models that my friends at Scott+Cooner did. Of course, they are flawless. But, what can you expect with architecture by Lionel Morrison, furniture from Scott+Cooner, art from Marty Walker and Holly Johnson, and rugs from Odegard? Both models had grand terraces big enough for dining tables and seating areas - just one problem. The noise from 75 made it hard to carry on a conversation. Oh well, I guess you could always pretend it was the sound of the ocean, or, as Laura suggested, have cocktails at 4 am.

Re: Pierre Frey and French Toiles

The charming Patrick Frey enlightened about 100 designers yesterday - covering French fabrics from the 17th century to today is pretty ambitious. I’ve been to hundreds of fabric presentations, so I didn’t think there was a lot more to learn - wrong. I loved the idea of toiles as photography - going back through the Pierre Frey archives from the beginning of the 1700’s, you can see what was going on in the world at the time. Workers were drying fabrics in the sun and moon in1760 when the printing technique was moved to the town of Jouy, so as to be close to the French royalty. The American Revolution was celebrated with a toile design dated July 4, 1776. Marie Antoinette liked pearls and swallows, and Napoleon celebrated the Empire look with documents and Egyptian elements. And so it goes. Here is a modern toile designed for Pierre Frey by an artist from Hong Kong that wanted to celebrate his own city - and the printed history through fabrics just keeps going.

Eric Prokesh Writes from Phnom Penh

Eric Prokesh and David Astudillo snapped this picture of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Phnom Penh, housed inside a wonderful old French colonial building.

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Baccarat’s Dark Side

Baccarat is old school, like 1764, circa Louis XV. Although I typically think of them in this sort of clear crystal variety, they’ve been producing small quantities of black crystal for years. Lately there’s been a black splash; you’ve probably spotted a black chandelier or two, but with the recent enlistment of Philippe Starck who’s reinvented pieces in the modern context, black is back. (Or as the Dallas store’s manager said, “Black is way in.”) The stems shown are not Philippe’s; they are the handy work of design student Stephanie Balini of the Ecole Nationale Superieures des Arts Decoratif. Using black and clear crystal, Stephanie created two stemware collections, “day” and “night.” I prefer the night glasses, but you won’t know what’s floating in your glass. Four custom decorated glasses, $2,500.

Jimmy Carter Would Understand

I’m ashamed to admit two things: First, I hadn’t been to the DMA (aside from a luncheon or two, or a gala benefit or two) in at least 10 years. On Saturday afternoon when the weather was grand, I wandered around the sculpture garden and then mostly inside the galleries where the modern art was. It was all pretty much the same, except the Stake Hitch was gone. We still have two Pollacks, a Franz Klein, and a Motherwell or two, among the smattering.

Now, for the second thing I’m ashamed of: I lusted in my heart for one of the paintings by Mexican surrealist Leonora Carrington, whose work is on display inside the Rachofsky gallery. I thought about what I would do, and how far I might go, to steal it. I’d never before seen or heard of her work, and I hesitate to even attempt to show it here for you. The brushwork and the quality of the painting is so heartbreakingly beautiful that it gets lost in translation. The subject matter is so wonderfully unexpected. The painting I wanted to rip off the wall and run with depicted nuns. I couldn’t find it on the Internet to show you, so you’ll need to go see it yourself. Honestly, it’s one of the most quietly exciting shows I’ve experienced in Dallas. It closes in 5 days.

[Leonora Carrington]

Orion’s Closing Sale

Anyone who has driven through what will be called “Lower Oak Lawn” (I couldn’t agree with you more, Peggy—what an awful new name) has noticed the large “Retirement Sale” banner in front of Orion Antique Importers. It’s true: after 33 years in the business, owners David and Shelley Stevens have decided to retreat to retirement, and are offering their antiques at a discount to the masses. You’ll see bargain prices listed on bright orange tags—any leftovers will be shipped to auction. Art director Andrea Tomek and I spotted European crystal chandeliers (one with hand-blown Venetian glass), a set of four Italian armchairs with embroidered fabric ($16,000 for the set), and an impressive—and already sold—gold and china goddess sculpture ($12,500). I’d still have to sell my car for most pieces, but for antique collectors, there are deals to be had.

Lower Oak Lawn?

I just got back in town and read about this in Dallas Dirt. After all the efforts to have a cohesive design district, including arts and antiques, and showrooms, I can’t believe the choice of names would be Lower Oak Lawn. What happened to the Dallas Art and Design District? That kind of reinforces the area, and makes it the kind of shopping destination that it should be all over the Southwest. It’s great to have restaurants, we’ve wanted them forever, but what do you lose in the translation, if you don’t have the D word (decorative or design) anywhere? I agree with Martha Tiller, I think some store owners that have been in the area forever are going to be pretty unhappy.

D Home Determines Best Chocolate Ever

I won’t give it up yet. Jessica Elliott has sworn me to secrecy, but the answer will appear in our May/June Best of Everything issue. Until then, here’s a tip to take the chance out of choosing. No more “life is like a box of chocolates.” Caramel centers are often square; cream centers are usually round; liqueur centers are typically foil wrapped–avoid these–and truffle, toffee, and peanut butter are usually covered in milk chocolate. It’s not rocket science. Repeated taste tests, sugar highs, and weight gain will reveal these basic chocolate truths. The lengths I go for the readership.

Eric Prokesh in Hong Kong

[The port at Hong Kong]

Sorry, Eric, I was supposed to be keeping up with these and posted Cambodia before Hong Kong. I was never very good at geography. Anyway, it’s a gorgeous port, isn’t it?

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Eric Prokesh in Angkor, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, a Hindu monastery in Angkor, Cambodia.
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Patrick Frey at Walter Lee Culp

Patrick Frey will be speaking March 25 at 4 at Walter Lee Culp in the Dallas Design Center on the global influence of French Style. Of course, there is no style that is as widely reproduced, admired, and diverse than French style. And, who better to discuss it than Patrick Frey, owner of the French style house Pierre Frey. And, look for me to be getting very friendly with Monsieur Frey - he’s the one who hosted the grand affair at the Palace of Versailles that Kelly and Ginger Hardage got to attend. I’m working on my invitation for next time.