Obsession of the Day

This aluminum side table from Dallas-based Wisteria looks like sculpture to me. At $219 it’s a really stylish bargain, no? Use it in a room with rich woods for maximum impact.

Fabulous Estate Sale Today and Saturday

I got to preview this estate sale for a story I’m working on. Believe me it’s worth all of the trouble it’ll take to get into…

Thanks, Grandma

The Trophy Husband and I moved out to Fairview in 2000, and lived there for about 7 years before acquiring the Dream House. My neighbor, John Offerle (a bearded and bespectacled hippie type) would sometimes wander across the street to watch me do Martha Stewart imitations. I think he got a kick out of seeing me try, at least try, what girls aren’t supposed to do… But, then again, I am fearless in the area of home improvement. Nothing scares me, not even this.

John was always banging around in his garage. I’ll say. As it turns out, my super low-key former neighbor is a renowned antiques restoration guy, I mean the guy. The go-to for the best of the best. Through John, I met Loyd Paxton, and, well, the rest is history. Decorators, designers, and dealers all over Dallas know John as The American Craftsman.

I was so amazed at his skills, I began dragging my furniture piece by piece into his little restoration haven.

John moseyed over to the Dream House just this morning and picked up about 10 different pieces I inherited from my grandmother last year. Veneer lifting? Broken legs? Surface damage? Drawers won’t budge? Not anymore…John Offerle is on the job.

As a devotee of Antiques Roadshow, I’ve learned when you repair, and when you restore, and exactly what that means to the value. I don’t have anything extraordinary, just precious family history. John can be contacted at 972-467-7705.

The Liaigre Legacy

Pam Sommers at Rizzoli sent me the cover of a new book on French designer Christian Liaigre, due out in September, available now for pre-order. My first reaction was, another book on Liaigre? But that got me to thinking, and remembering. For better or worse, Liaigre’s luxuriously spare, Asian-inspired design has been the single most important and enduring design trend of the past two decades and it’s still going strong. So the fact that there are only two books out on his genius is rather shameful.
In Dallas, George Cameron Nash carries Liaigre’s designs for Holly Hunt.