Introducing Kat Burki

Kat Burki, known for her brilliance in interior design in Connecticut, has turned her eye for design into a new line of home furnishings and furniture. Although she is based out of Connecticut, Dallasites are well aware of her talents. She was recently commissioned by Dallas entrepreneur and owner of ViB Beverages, Johnny De La Valdene, to decorate and furnish his 10,000 square-foot Dallas estate. 

As of July 1, you too can furnish your home with Burki’s elegant furniture and luxe accessories. In fact, the majority of inquiries and requests about Kat’s new line have poured in from Dallas, which is not surprising at all. Kat Burki associates her line with the Dallas market, saying, “Dallas consumers are sophisticated with a strong sense of style. I think my new signature line translates perfectly into their lifestyle.” We think so too, Kat.

The website is up and running and ready for business. Catalogs will arrive in mailboxes nationwide on August 4th. 

Icon Makes Dallas Stop

Icon, is an overused moniker.  There are very few professionals who refine, define, and change their chosen professions.  Frederic Fekkai is an icon.  And, he loves Dallas.

Fekkai made a rare public appearance yesterday at Neiman Marcus, Northpark.  Along with Fekkai’s entourage, an adorable tweeny/teeny young man with his father’s eyes stood near Fekkai.  I thought it was poignant and befitting, this week after Father’s Day.  We can post all sorts of gifts, ideas, and silly banter, but seeing this boy look so admirably at his father, melted my heart. 

The Spawn was thrilled with a little afternoon pampering, and delighted in her new tortoise shell hairbrush (autographed in gold by Fekkai). I’m quite certain we were the only attendees schlepping their stylist with them to the event. 

I heard a fabulously funny story from a D Home insider, jump to get that, and some juicy scoop from Fekkai insiders. (more…)

Local Talent at Scott + Cooner

Check out the handmade pillows by Claire Minella at Scott + Cooner. I think the crinkled, painted silk pillows from the “I Love New York” collection are a perfect addition to the sleek and sophisticated sofas. Pretty good company to be nesting on the likes of brands like Cassina, FlexForm, and de Sede. Italian high style - meet Dallas.

Pure Genius. Duh.

Greetings, once again from the sugar sand beaches of the Florida/Alabama coast. 

Every once in a while, I find a treasure.  Duh is just such a place.

The brainchild of Quinn Stinson (Baylor University ‘88) and Jim Rigsby (who has no known ties to DFW, but is just as cute as a button), Duh is haven for the usually design starved greater Pensacola metropolitan area.  Duh has had its finger on the pulse of every design trend to roll out…  I’ve been a Duh fanatic for at least 9 years.

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2008 Design Ovation Award Winners

Here’s a list of the most recent Design Ovation Award Winners: (more…)

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.

Have You Eaten Lunch Yet?

Head to Lights Fantastic now for great lighting, lunch from Empire Baking Co. (best chicken salad ever, in my opinion), and one-on-one time with D Home editors. Designers, bring your portfolios, if you’d like. Plus, Kartell will be showing off the new Mr. Impossible chair, shown at left in all its lollipop colors. (Did that make you hungrier?) Now until 3 p.m.

Attention Designers, Architects

If you would like for D Home to consider your project for publication, please bring your portfolio or casual snapshots to tomorrow’s Portfolio Day at Lights Fantastic. It’s from 11 am to 3pm.

We would love to see your work!

RSVP to brooke.moskovitz@dmagazine.com

More from Ben Spaisman

I asked Ben Spaisman, president of the new online site Bond & Bowery, to show me the object he’s been most coveting on his site….readers, what’s yours?

Also, I asked him what trends he’s seeing (Hint: it’s all about the web now), and for more details on the Dallas, Houston and Austin acquisitions this summer.

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Get Published!

Are you ready for your close up, Norma Desmond? The editors of DHome will be at Lights Fantastic on Wednesday, 11 - 3 to look at design portfolios for possible publishing. We have featured three of the designers we previewed last, so it’s not an empty promise. Also, you get to have lunch (free) in the cool new design studio DS2, and meet Mr. Impossible. Here he is, Kartell’s latest Philippe Starck invention (again?), made of two pieces of molded plastic that wowed the hard to impress Salone di Mobili crowd in Milan. The three-dimensional sculptural chair is sure to become another icon.

Bond & Bowery Comes To Texas

I just got this email from Ben Spaisman, President of Bond & Bowery.com

Hi Rebecca,

I read your recent post regarding 1stDibs with great interest. While I agree they are a fine site, I’d also like to suggest that you take a look at Bond and Bowery, a rapidly growing new site that many decorators and designers have already taken note of. Given our planned expansion into Texas during the next few months I would very much be interested in your comments and feedback.

Best

Ben Spaisman

Design Ovation Awards

The ASID Design Ovation Awards dinner was at Victory Tavern last night, a really cool place for a cool event. I chatted with 1st place award winner Sherry Hayslip for a bit, and she explained to me just how incognito these awards really are chosen. Photographs are submitted to a committee that then choses an undisclosed ASID chapter to judge them, there are no names or identification. This year it was Orange County, last year North Carolina, so the entrants don’t even know where the photos are going. Pretty amazing, and the entrys were extraordinary. Among the happy winners were Kathy Adcock-Smith, Mary Ann Smiley, Lynn Sears, Marilyn Rolnick, Richard Trimble, and Stephanie Moore.

Small World

While I was out this afternoon scouting Josy Cooner’s amazing new house in Forrest Hills (just a splash away from White Rock Lake), Peggy was back at the office, furiously working the phones with George Nash, trying to schedule a shoot this month of his east Texas farm. Turns out Nash was lunching at that very moment with Gonzalo Bueno in somewhere in Mexico. And, probably at that very moment, Josy Cooner was showing me the beautiful brushed stainless steel doors and other muy bueno details that Gonzalo had built for her house, which we are shooting later this summer. I just love that about Dallas.

Kelly Wearstler Used My Chair!

I was flipping through the new issue of Domino, and saw this photo of Kelly Wearstler’s chic redesign of The Tides Hotel in Miami, with a dramatic phalanx of man-made tortoise shells on the wall (see page 32 in the May issue). Upon closer examination, I saw that she’s used the same stylish 1980s era “rope” chairs that Julio Quinones found for me several years ago! Same color, but without arms. Take a look.

Sabina Braxton Models at Allan Knight

Sorry if you missed the Sabina Fay Braxton trunk show at Allan Knight. Not only did we see some of the most splendid fabrics I’ve ever seen, she very quickly found exquisite coordinating shawls for some of us, here I am hamming it up with Mary Ann Smiley and Harriet Adams - Charlotte Comer and Myrl Talkington were probably laughing at us. We perused volumes of haute couture runways featuring her fabrics used by Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, and other names you might recognize. Too bad she couldn’t whip something up for me for the Art Ball on Saturday, rather than the LBD that I wore.

Looking For Young Design Talent?

Are you an interior decorator looking for someone young and eager to work with you? Check out the open house tomorrow night at El Centro College’s department of interior design — you might see the next Julio Quinones or Myrl Talkington there, both alumni.

It’s from 6-8:30 pm Tuesday, April 29 in “C” Building at the corner of Lamar and Main Streets, 3rd floor.

Design Divas in Dallas

We’ve got a full week of events at showrooms with very talented women. In order of appearance….. the grand dame of Los Angeles design Sally Sirkin Lewis will be at the J. Robert Scott showroom Wednesday, April 23, 11 - 3 presenting The Golden Collection - 60 fabrics in the warm, golden tones of the Golden State of California. From this understated world of shimmery textures, go to Allan Knight on Thursday, April 24, at 4 for High Tea with Sabina Fay Braxton. Her couture line of hand-painted velvets are so beautiful they will make you cry. Then, head over to William & Wesley at 5:30 to meet author Betty Lou Phillips and one of her fabric inspirations, Seth Pariser of Christopher Hyland. There you will see new textiles from one of the greatest collections of antique French and Italian document fabrics. If this doesn’t fulfill all your fabric needs, I can’t help you.

Fresh Air

Ronda Carman turned me onto Houston decorator Katie Stassi, whose rooms I love.

Very James McInroe

Dave Waisman, a fine minerals dealer out of Spokane, WA., expects a number of Dallas decorators to turn up at the Dallas Fine Mineral Show May 2-4. I wonder if James McInroe and Michelle Nussbaumer hit these shows to find mineral bases for those amazing lamps they sell. At any rate, I know McInroe would love this color of orange. Why, you ask?

Hit the jump if you want details about the show.

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Interview with Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck seems to be sending mixed messages these days. D Magazine Frontburner reviewed this interview where the French designer proclaimed “design is dead”. Last week at West Week in LA, Starck and David Sutherland unveiled a new collection “RobinWood”, which is the first collaboration between the two furniture giants. Read below for the interview - I think Starck had a great time designing this extraordinary collection, and talks about it in his usual mischievous, irreverant way. But, maybe he just had a great time working with David Sutherland. Wait one month for the May DHome to see more. (more…)

Capital Distributing Kitchen Re-dos

I just received the latest newsletter from Capital Distributing - always at the forefront of all things kitchen. Check out this kitchen re-do by Kathy Adcock-Smith, of course, I highly recommend her because she helped me with my kitchen remodel. Which is fabulous, by the way. I’ve been cooking up a storm.

Art in Bloom

I imagine all the showrooms were empty yesterday, because every decorator I know was at the Art in Bloom luncheon at the DMA to hear New York designer Bunny Williams. On Sunday, she had a flower arranging demonstration for about 40 people - down and dirty with piles and piles of fresh blossoms. My friend Tesa Turner said they all really turned out pretty great. She talked about containers at the luncheon - she collects all shapes and sizes and that determines the flowers she uses. A tall metal cylinder calls for baby’s breath (sans roses, I hope), a rustic pitcher needs sunflowers and a fat green raku vases will have different kinds of greenery. In other words, she makes it look impossibly easy. And, get this - she uses fake boxwood on her mantle when she’s not entertaining. As she said, “No one would ever expect me to use fake flowers, so I can get away with it.” We all came away with some good ideas.

Correction

In my column on page 60 in our March issue, I talked about Farrow and Ball at the B. Berger showroom. Cathy Kincaid was there to sign books on February 19 instead of April 19. Sorry, but you should go to the showroom anyway to see what’s new.

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.