Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

With every new year, comes a re-cap of the last.  For the past two years, I’ve carried on the tradition of doing a post right before the new year, entitled “Flashback (insert year here) Trends”.

Last year, my post, Flashback 2008 Trends highlighted the year’s fashion crazes and how they ultimately influenced the world of interiors.  The year before?  Same concept- how fashion paralleled with interiors in 2007.

2009- what a year!  Here’s a look back on the year’s most popular prints, colors, and materials in fashion and some examples we found of how they can be used in the home.  (thanks to all the celebs who participated!)

1) Hot pink

{House Beautiful}

{Traditional Home}

2) Leather

{Metropolitan Home}

3) Neon

{Domino- via Coco Kelley}

{Jonathon Adler- via La Dolce Vita}

4) Pastel

{Domino}

{Domino}

5) Fringe

{Domino}

6) Futuristic

{Metropolitan Home}

{Metropolitan Home}

7) Sequins

{Nate Berkus for HSN}

8- Boho Chic

{Domino- via Coco Kelley}

9) Plaid

{Domino}

{House Beautiful}

10) Neutrals

{Veranda Magazine}

{House Beautiful}

House Beautiful came in the mail yesterday and what a pleasant surprise!  Our friend and fellow blogger Julia (Chicago) was asked to participate in the monthly “Send Us a Picture Of…” article.  Be sure to check it out!  Julia was asked “what change in her house has made the most difference?”

Oh the Tanners!  How could we ever forget you?  Jesse’s mullet, Michelle’s baby voice, Danny’s obsessive cleaning disorder?  I’m still wondering why and how this show ever left the TGIF lineup!

But what was even more memorable was their San Francisco based home.  In the opening credits, a row of Victorian houses are shown to the memorable tune “Everywhere You Look”.  Remember these?  They are located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Fran and some even date back to the 1800′s.

Most people think that one of these houses must be the Tanner’s.  But in actuality, the red doored home that they claim to be the Tanner residence, is really located on another street named Broderick.

Some unforgettable interior shots of the Full House house.

Notice the plaid sofa-

And that overdone window treatment!

Can we say 80′s wallpaper? (and I spy…a mullet!)

This kitchen needs a renovation!

Luckily Full House was just a make believe set and we can now fast forward to the decor of 2009.

Ahh much better!

I know you won’t believe me just by looking at it, but this home (owned by Courtnay Daniels Hayden) actually has a lot in common with the Full House set…and that is, they were both featured on the show!  Well, to get more specific, the exterior of the Hayden residence was.

Courtnay’s San Francisco home is often surrounded by bunches of tourists taking photos of the home’s exterior.  Such a unique conversation starter when guests come over- “I live in one of the Full House houses!”  But this house is certainly a far cry from the outdated set of the 80′s sitcom.

So you want to see photos? You got it dude!

{Elle Decor- January Issue}

That’s the end of the tour. Chity chi bob botta!

Every year Apartment Therapy hosts “The Homies”- an award given to the best new home design blog.  There are so many wonderful blogs nominated this year that it will surely be a close competition!

Be sure to CLICK HERE and vote for your favorite design blogs before Tuesday, December 29th!!

Material Girls is also on the ballot, so if you feel so inclined to, you can vote for MG here!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We can’t say enough how much we appreciate each and every one of you- the support, friendship and the fact that you keep coming back after two years (a fact, that still amazes me)!

I really can’t imagine life without shelter blogs- there are so many talented writers and designers out there and so little time to read them all!  Be sure to check out all the blogs nominated (some I’ve been a loyal reader of for some time now and other fantastic ones that I’ve just been introduced to!)

May the best Homie win!

When I think of year round “holiday-looking” homes, the Manhattan apartment designed by Miles Redd immediately comes to mind.

Who could forget this beautiful living room from the cover of December’s Elle Decor?

.

These photos are such great inspiration for the next two days- puts me in the holiday spirit just by looking at them!

{Images via Elle Decor issue- December 09}

The Material Girls want to wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday!  Looking forward to what 2010 brings!

Need some last minute gifts from a group of talented artists? Then visit Third Space (next door to Neimans) on Main Street in Dallas.

For one week only, nine local artists will be displaying their work priced to sell as a special holiday treat.

So go take a gander- you may end up finding the piece of your dreams!

I can’t believe Christmas is almost a week away!  And you know what that means?  Procrastination in wrapping the gifts I’ve bought usually starts around this time!  But this year I’ve started thinking about gift wrap early.  Ever since I saw a graphic and stylish wrapping paper in a local magazine (sold at the Container Store), I’ve had gift wrap on the brain!

I did a search and found some of the most chic wrapping paper on the web and had to share these great looking prints! When did gift wrap get so striking? I think it’s time I re-vamped my gift wrapping approach and went for something a little more attractive than my usual!

{The Container Store- Graphic Snowflake}

{Olive Paper- Interlock}

{Radiant Ideas- Chilly Dogs}

{The Container Store- Tree Pattern}

{The Paper Studio- Winter Trees}

{The Container Store- Red Berry Branch}

{Heidi- Veranda}

{Erin Ruth-Hannah}

{Paperie & Co- Ornaments}

{The Paper Studio- Reindeer Games}

{Luxe Paperie- Gumdrops}

{Green with Glamour- Pointsettia Recycled}

{Olive Paper- Clover and Clover Again}

{Luxe Paperie- Lucky Vespa Girl}

And don’t forget to top off your wrapped box with a fabulous Fancy Girl Gift Tag by Brooke Hagel!

Lauren Haskett this one’s for you…

You see, my co-blogger Lauren has always had a thing for JBJ (Jon Bon Jovi if you want to get technical).  I remember her going on about JBJ during studio classes back at O.U., on her 18th birthday when everyone else was asking for makeup and clothes, Lauren was begging for JBJ concert tickets, and her first dance with her husband at her wedding was to what else? A Bon Jovi song.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this poster was hanging from her ceiling right now…

So now I’ve combined her two favorite loves in one post-JBJ and Elle Decor.  Today must be her lucky day!  I think I deserve some kind of gold star for merging the two together for Lauren.

We recently were sent these photos from the December 8th event introducing Newark’s HELP Genesis JBJ Soul Homes, a new groundbreaking “green” housing project which was developed as a result of a public-private partnership between HELP USA and Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Foundation.

{Exterior}

Fifty one new units of affordable housing with support services for special-needs individuals living with HIV/AIDS and low-income families were unveiled.

{Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief Margaret Russell, and Jon Bon Jovi in the model apartment}

Elle Decor supported and donated to the project as well as MG favorite, Home Goods.  The model apartment was completed using stylish and affordable accessories from the retailer and was created by talented designer (and one of our favorite people) Elaine Griffin.

{Elle Decor’s Model Unit (designed by Elaine)}

All of the items in the model home will be given to its residents through a lottery so everyone in the building will benefit from the donations.

{Designer Kenneth Cole, Margaret Russell, Elaine Griffin}

What a wonderful outcome- it’s so great to see such talented and successful people give their time, talent and resources to a project such as this.  On a related topic, let’s keep the spirit of giving going…only two more hours left of Pencils of Promise Blog Day!

A few weeks ago, Paloma of La Dolce Vita blog contacted MG about Pencils of Promise, a wonderful 501 (c) (3) New York based organization that partners with local communities and organizations to build schools of early-stage education in developing nations for some of the world’s most impoverished and under-educated children.  (There are more than 75 million children in this terrible situation worldwide).

Having been inspired by Pencils of Promise, Paloma’s idea was to have December 14th (today) be Pencils of Promise Blog Campaign Day where the goal would be to raise money for a new dormitory and library for an all girls’ highschool in Champhet, Laos (one of the most impoverished nations abroad).  The dorm would fit about two hundred Loation girls and would provide further accessibility to education.

{Pencils of Promise students}

Every little bit helps.  Just imagine the impact that we could make on the lives of these children- even from each of us donating a single dollar!

{existing dorms at POP}

We have the power to make a big difference and to help education become more accessible to these children.

I know it’s getting close to the holidays and we are all incredibly busy, so we want to thank you in advance for helping to spread the word about Pencils of Promise Blog Day and for donating to a wonderful cause!

Click HERE to donate

One of my clients needed some art (and quickly) for her guest bedroom that we’ve been working on.  Her mother will be here visiting for Christmas in a mere nine days!  So needless to say, we’ve been scrambling around trying to put together the finishing touches on the room that she will be staying in.  We wanted to give off a hotel feel in this space.  White, deep magenta and beige are the predominant colors in here (while brushed nickel accents add some sparkle to the room)

So on my Sunday Funday, I am making two coordinating pieces of art for her out of wallpaper by Osborne and Little, that she can place above her small dresser.

.

It really has turned out to be such an easy and inexpensive project (and in no way, am I very crafty!)

All you need is a pretty frame (I purchased two at Aaron Brothers for $36 each), a 2″ mat (I got two espresso brown ones cut at Hobby Lobby for $10 each), and some fabulous wallpaper scraps.

Pick the part of the wallpaper that you like the best, cut to fit, insert into frame and voila! Instant art.

And if my clients ever gets tired of this color scheme or pattern, then no worries, because this project only cost $92!

It’s too bad I don’t have more wallpaper, I’d love to make a “series” for myself or some wallpaper art as a gift for someone for Christmas.  Oh well, there’s always next year!