Design District Party - Leslie Taylor Throws Open Doors

To kick off the holiday party season, the Leslie Taylor showroom on Slocum St. in the Design District is first in line and will be hosting their Holiday Party this Thursday for designers and invited customer's, showing off their new goods from Tara Shaw (they are THE rep for our area! - no more trips to Houston and Louisiana to see these great French antiques and reproductions.) I will be posting the full invite on my Dallas Decorum facebook page so look there for more info and to RSVP- there will be a full invite up manana :) See ya there! ;)

DALLAS DECORUM FACEBOOK PAGE

Design on Dragon-Thursday Night

The annual Design on Dragon happens tomorrow night where the design streets duke it out over who can have the best block party. Come out to see if they can outdo the Slocum event a couple of weeks ago! Shops and galleries are throwing open the doors, complete with vino, music and food enticing you to invest in a new piece of art you've been eyeing...see you there!

Dallas Design Showroom NEST Hosts Blogger Social

For all of my fellow Dallas bloggers you are invited to "POST" - A blogger's social hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, interior designer Beth Dotolo who pens the oh, so fab - hello, splendor and Kelly of the fabulous k blog will be opening the doors of the new NEST digs on McKinney Ave. offering up cocktails and cupcakes - what can be better than that! So RSVP tonite to get a sneak peak before the grand opening bash and the first 30 who show will snag a great swag bag full of goodies!

Ghoulishly Glam Interiors

In honor of Halloween I am posting some not-so-Martha-Stewart-Halloween shots of LA based interior designers Carole Katleman's and Daniel Cuevas design who tricked out a London based town home that was formerly the 18th century pad for a British prime minister. I love the minimalist approach of incorporating some ghoulishly glam accessories while still maintaining that "this house wasn't hit over the head with a witch's broomstick look."

Love the blood red conversation area against the cool monochromatic gray, and of course Mr. Skull Bones....

Dallas Local Ceylon et Cie Showroom on One Kings Lane Sale!

One of Dallas' own prime time designers, Michelle Nussbaumer will be taking her Ceylon et Cie showroom merchandise to one of the fastest growing online retailers, One Kings Lane, this Saturday. She will be joining the ranks of Michael S. Smith - some know him as THE designer of the Obama's new digs, and also another Dallas showroom, Allan Knight & Associates. The retailer specializes in hosting private sales to members at unheard of bargains - but only for a limited time, with very limited amounts of merchandise. So set your coffee maker and be first in line to nab the hottest goods before they are Kaput!

Daily Dose - B u r n

"The only people for me are the MAD ones, the ones who are mad to LIVE, mad to TALK, mad to be SAVED, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who NEVER yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles EXPLODING like spiders across the s t a r s...

- Jack Kerouac

Cinematic Prose - My Weekend in Movies

You know when you "know" your going to remember something, so you don't write it down...like a new restaurant to try, a band to catch in town...and then it is forgotten by the time your thought reaches the end of the sentence. I do that ALL the time, especially with music and movies. Thankfully with Shazam my eardrums are getting ample amounts of new music, or new to me.

I have been wanting to see "A Single Man" since I saw the still of Julianne Moore in mascara streaked raccoon eyes perching on the fabulous curved sofa, a very similar one sits in the Allan Knight showroom in the International on Turtle Creek. Well and the fact that it was produced by Tom Ford, Gucci's main designing man since 1990 so I knew the fashion would be spot on, as well as the interiors. The men were groomed to absolute perfection of course (why can't straight men dress like this too?!) and I loved the Mid-Century time period, the cars, the clothes, the architecture...the interiors. Here are some stills to share with you...just rent it, but be prepared for a dark tale of loss and desperation.

And then this...it was a Mid-Century weekend I guess. I stopped in at Antiques Moderne on Friday evening to scope out some chairs and that may have done me in.

"Factory Girl" tells the tale of socialite and heiress Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) who was introduced to Andy Warhol during his Factory days where he was beginning his next exploration using film as his medium for his creative outlet. Sedgwick was the star in many of the movies, fast becoming Andy's muse, his IT girl - she even went so far as to mimic his iconic hairstyle.

Sedgwick soon met and seemed to fall in love with, Bob Dylan - however Warhol while openly gay (but some think a virgin) became somewhat obsessive and controlling of their relationship and Sedgwick ended it to appease Warhol, later to spiral into drugs and alcohol when finding out Dylan had married and partly burying her childhood terrors as well. Her father was abusive and distant while her mother turned a blind eye, and most of the children were institutionalized when growing up. She was able to escape New York and went back to California, but her nightmares still followed her.

She died of an overdose at the age of 28.

A still - in The Factory

A promo for the movie, Sienna Miller and Hayden Christensen who plays Bob Dylan

Edie Sedgwick

April 20, 1943 – November 16, 1971

To Do List: Slocum Street Style

Did I fall off the side of Earth, you asked? Well...yes, actually...I will post the pictures soon! So I am starting up sloooww with a post of our Design District's very own Slocum Street Style happening next October! The Design District opens its doors for a night of strolling showrooms, good food, good music and good friends. Also designers can earn CEU credits at the INSPIRE! event happening in conjunction with Slocum Street Style. Be sure to register early for the events as space is limited! Hope to see you there!

Dallas Design District Spotlight: Antiques Moderne

ANTIQUES MODERNE

I have been enamored with this showroom for months since I stumbled upon it as it is only a block down from my offices in the Dallas Design District. Antiques Moderne has taken Mid-Century modern design and made it accessible to Dallasites...and it is one trend that is just heating up in Dallas along with the heat this summer. They can barely keep the items on the floor, many selling within an hour of a post or email newsletter....I already have my eye on a couple of pieces, and was sure not to post those for you to see....yes, I am greedy.

Don't worry I have a post chock full of goodies for your sun and chlorine damaged eyes below. Take heed...

Straight from their website they offer the following autobiography...

"For over 20 years John Bacile has been in love with interesting and unusual antiques and vintage Mid Century things that make you laugh, appreciate them or shake your head in wonder and admiration. He loves anything different, peculiar or uncommon so long as it draws at your heart and your eye.

From the moment you enter MODERNE, you instantly become aware that this is not a typical vintage Mid Century store. What greets you is a profoundly uncommon mix of Traditional, Mid Century, and Art Deco designed styles from circa 1930 through 1979 - the great years of the vintage period known as Art Moderne.

Each item is specifically chosen for it's uniqueness, quality or design, and no item whether in mint condition or in need of reconditioning is overlooked. Packed into a huge 12,000 sqft space on Industrial Blvd, there are hundreds of items to browse through and choose from. Additionally, MODERNE offers a wide range of refinishing, painting, lacquering and reupholstering. Most upholstery jobs can be accomplished in less than 7 days; other repairs in less than 14.

Also, MODERNE has a professional photography studio and can present you with quality images of any vintage item in the store to share with your clients, associates or relatives."

This piece is amazing...I see this in a young baccalaureate pad, great for entertaining for dinner parties with a glam mirror above.

In love with these...I want in my room. Think refinished, the pop up details could even be a contrasting color.

Way too fun. Again, in love.

I think Kelly Wearstler used these in either her guest bedroom or her beach house if I remember correctly, of course upholstered in her licensed Lee Jofa fabric. They rocked.

I am on an endless search for the perfect sofa. This was getting really close. It is sold.

Murphy's Law.

Ah...sleek style, tufted cognac leather. A winner.

I picture this glammed up with sleek thick Thai silk...think Jan Showers, 1940's French, neutral letting the curves speak for themselves.

Perfect to interject into a rocker style interior or even in a corporate office for water cooler banter

And EAMES of course.

And HERMAN MILLER of course.

SOLD of course. They have a waiting list. Get on it.

What a piece of art. And sure to be a conversation piece.

This baby needs a little TLC, but shellac'd and sheened up she's sure to shine.

I like the juxtaposition of dark square legs supporting the light colored round top.

This bed is so Studio 54 to me...I know you guys agree. I am just the one who said it.

Where's Warhol when you need him?

And of course, how could the shop be complete without a WILDER BEAST thrown in for good measure...I guess I have to google this wilder beast, is this an imaginary animal like jackaloupes? It just sounds so fairy tale like...

I haven't even begun to touch what is available, and like I said what is available goes fast. Run.

Antiques Moderne
1208 N Industrial Blvd
Dallas, Texas 75207
Phone: 214.215.9600
Hours: 10-6 daily 12-5 Sun

Semiprecious is Super Fabulous

YES. This is where I want my morning espresso to sit upon. A M A Z I N G . Tiger's Eye semiprecious counter tops by Caesarstone.

Caesarstone has released their new Concetto series. Yes, I know, you think of Caesarstone the words faux, inexpensive, ho hum come to mind. Well, you are now allowed to expand you vocabulary. This stuff is fabulous.

"CaesarStone’s inspirational new masterpiece collection, the unique Concetto range, is an unmatchable collection of extraordinary surfaces hand-made from individually cut and bound semi-precious stones. A harmonious blend of art, nature and technology Concetto is created by fusing nature’s hues and designs with individually cut semi-precious stones to form the ultimate luxury stone surface - a dream for designers and architects alike."

Semiprecious stone has come a long way from the vintage pieces below...however they are still beautiful in their own right.

1st Dibs

1st Dibs

So technically, yes. This stuff is jewelry for your home.

1st Dibs

And you can apply it just about as far as your imagination will allow.

This is what started my quest, an editorial in the new DHome magazine on agate napkin rings that can be had at Haven in Dallas, aren't these beautiful? The blue is just insanely blue. I do have agate coasters that I can't bear to sit anything on because I hate covering them up. Yes, a contradiction in function...but with women form always wins. Just ask Christian Louboutin.

These are just like said coasters...I love the larger pieces for serving. So earthy but elegant.

From Viva Terra

OK. I would K I L L myself on these stairs. Y E S. They are gorgeous...but that is the issue, they are too gorgeous. I would trip over myself faster than a construction working checking out a girl in a skirt on a windy day....

Back to the Caesarstone....ultimate eye candy. Mesmerizing.