Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

Last week we had the honor of being invited to High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina!  We were more than thrilled when we were contacted to host a tour of new vendors at the Suites at Market Square building.

Our first evening there really set the tone for the entire trip.  Material Girl Lauren, Material Guy Nathan, our friend Meg of LeSueur Interiors, and I made our first stop at the CR Laine showroom for a little get together with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.  While we were there, we met up with Material Girl Jill, and our fabulous friend Christian, of Maison21.  It was a great first night in High Point!  What could be more fun than having a blast with friends in a gorgeous showroom, while meeting other fellow designers and design bloggers?!

 The Material Guy and I at CR Laine!

Material Girls Lauren and Emily with Meg Lonegran! Check out that awesome Schumacher fabric on the wing chair and accent pillow!  It’s perfect with that sofa!

Emily, Rachel and Meg with design blogger Nicole of So Haute!

Our first full day was just that…. a FULL day of shopping, checking out all the vendors we could possibly squeeze into one day, and spotting all the new stuff we could see!  We found a ton of new and exciting vendors that we can’t wait to start using in our designs!  There is so much to see at High Point Market, we feel like we barely scratched the surface!

Amazing new lamps at Visual Comfort-

We brought home lots of great new vendor sources to use on our client projects!

The Bungalow 5 showroom was amazing in person!

We’ve always been a fan of glass knots as accessories.  These beauties are from Sklo.

We met Tara Shaw of New Orleans, who couldn’t have beem more nice!  It was incredible that she gave us a one on one tour of her booth while we were there.

We loved these guys too!  Their look is fresh and exciting, with great use of color and materials.

On day #2, we hosted our Material Girl tour through the Suites at Market Square.  It was really special to be able to meet and connect with some of our devoted readers!  The vendors I targeted on the tour Nathan and I hosted were Festoni, The Detroit Wallpaper Co., CHC Art, Louise Gaskill Lighting, Tamarian Carpets, Saddleman’s of Sata Fe, and Tara Shaw.  We had a really good group, and we think they enjoyed their tour!  We know we sure did!

Tamarian Carpets

CHC Art

The Detroit Wallpaper Co.

Louise Gaskill Lighting

Saddleman’s of Santa Fe

Our tour group at Tara Shaw!

After our tour….. you guessed it!  More shopping and scouting for new vendors to add to our list!  We found some good ones!

Of course Aerin Lauder (and her new collection at Visual Comfort) was s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g!

Regina Andrew had some great new lighting and accent furniture pieces that are to die for also!

Loving this wheel bookcase from Noir!

The agate series from Wendover are so colorful and each one is really unique.  We will be specifying these asap for a client.

After another full day of shopping, checking out vendors, showrooms, and hosting tours, it was time for the famed Halo party!  What a great way to spend our last night in High Point!  We were finally able to get all the Material Girls that were at market all together in the same place, at the same time!  It was a blast getting to hang out at the fab Halo showroom and share a glass of champagne with our fellow Material Girls!

From left to right: Nathan (Dallas), Emily (Dallas), Julia (Chicago), Jill (LA), and Lauren (Houston). We missed you Rebecca (New York)!

Our last day in High Point was short, but we were still able to squeeze in a few more places to see! Our first stop was Oly Studio’s showroom.  It was beautiful with it’s clean and crisp white color scheme.  Have always wanted to see their pieces all in one space and they certainly did not disappoint!

The biggest highlight of the day we found at the Vanguard showroom.  As we were walking through, we turned the corner, and low and behold, there was Thom Felicia!  How adorable is he and his greek key belt? Love!

Before we headed back to our hotels to pack up and head to the airport, we were able to have a fantastic roof top lunch over looking High Point.  A perfect way to end a spectacular trip to market that we’ll never forget!

We’d like to give a big thank you to the High Point Market staff and vendors who all helped make 2013 Spring Market memorable and successful! See you next year! 

Tonight I had another wonderful shopping experience at Target (much less to my husband’s chagrin).  Ben and I have always had opposing views on Tarjay (so much that it’s become a running joke around here) and I always get “the look” when I announce my departure for the red bullseye building of amazingness.

Ben thinks it’s out of the ordinary that I go to Target so often and not to mention, spend hours upon hours there (is it so bad that Target is one of my hobbies?) He doesn’t understand why I can’t go to Walmart (it’s that darn lighting) or The Dollar Store (just not enough options) and price compare every single one of my toiletries…or better yet he wonders- “why do you even need all those toiletries?  You need contact disinfectant AND solution??”

But alas, I admit, Target for me is the experience.  It’s the fact that I can toiletry shop, clothes shop, accessory shop and home shop (while picking up my groceries).  Target is probably one of my top ten favorite places in the world (it’s a close tie with Paris) and it’s become a family outing for my sisters, mom and I to “go to Target” on the weekend.  I mean come on, who doesn’t need stuff that they really don’t need?

So on each Target visit, I manage to discover SOMETHING new that I can take home with me and prove to Ben why Target is so great- whether it’s Nate Berkus’ new home line, a nifty pet lint brush, or disposable hand towels, Target is my place!

Tonight I discovered Threshold.  Maybe it’s an old brand there, maybe it’s brand spanking new, all I know is that this home brand never jumped out at me before like it did tonight.  I LOVED the concept of each one of their items.  They are the perfect pieces for an apartment or a smaller first home. My only complaint would be that I wish I could enlarge their pillows and end tables two or three sizes. They were quite small and really short, but the designs were so fun, I had to share!

I loved the design of the white mirror below.  Also, the navy and white throw pillow with the greek key tape trim pattern was so chic!  Like I said though, I like my pillows BIG and if this pillow was a 22″ or a 24″ square instead, I would have scooped it up in a heartbeat.  But really who am I to complain, custom pillows with tape trim in this design can be a pretty penny in general, so I was really impressed that they offered this design at such a low price (no matter what size it was)!

The colors and patterns that they use are so fun.  I loved the little white bird canisters and chevron storage bins.

One of my favorite Christmas past times is driving around looking at all the Christmas lights this time of year.  When I was little, my parents would take my brothers and I out for a drive to look at all the holiday decorations and lights in neighbors’ front yards.  I’ve managed to keep the tradition each year, even if it’s just me driving around by myself, or with my partner Tim, or with a car load of family and friends!  I always bring along hot chocolate, and tune in to the best Christmas radio station I can find!  Here’s a few houses in my neighborhood of the Kessler Park area in Dallas this year that went all out for Christmas!

 Holy mistletoe Santa! What have you been feeding those reindeer this year?!  Prancer is as big as a house!

I love how this homeowner mixed blue and white LED lights to create a frosty look!  Well done!

Nice pose Frosty!

This is one of my favorite homes during the holidays.  I’m a sucker for traditional Christmas decor.  I just love the green lights with a few sprinkles of red, and that big gorgeous tree in the bay window is dynamite!  I’m in love with the use of their garlands and wreaths!

If you’re unable to string lights around your house and roof line, do what this person did!  They created a great little Christmas scene right on their fence!

There’s no need to explain this one… it’s already spelled out for me!

This house I found to be a little original.  Instead of stringing lights along their steep pitched roof with the complicated numerous lines of their eaves, they hung lit ornaments in their trees instead! Genius!

You just can’t help but love the simple elegance of the homes that are trimmed in clean white lights.  If you’re concerned about taking away from any architectural embellishments or features of your house, this is a great solution to accentuate them!

Check out these cozy little cottages!  Don’t they just look warm and inviting?! It’s like a ginger bread house come to life!

And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The piece de resistance, the cherry on the cake, the STAR atop the tree! In Emily’s neighborhood each year, a true lover of all holidays, Liz Simmons, decorates her home to the max! Just take a look at this beauty!

Now when I say Liz is a true lover of the holidays, you can see what I mean!  This awesome display is made up of over 100,000 lights!  Liz powers so many lights, that she had to hire an electrician to install a separate 200-amp electrical panel just to handle the load from all those lights!  If it weren’t for the additional electrical panel, her lights would cause an electrical surge and it would black out Emily’s whole neighborhood! All that extra power comes with a price tag too.  Liz reports that her monthly electrical bill is three times larger than her normal billing.  Sporting an entire brigade of Santas, snowmen, penguins, and other holiday creatures, Liz’s house just can’t be missed!

Here’s a picture of Liz herself dressed as an elf at the annual Christmas block party! To read more about Liz and her awesomely extreme holiday exterior decor, click here!

A few weeks ago, I met with Jane Waggoner, a Dallas interior designer and creator of the most beautiful hand-knotted Tibetan wool carpets.  Having obtained a degree in art history, a tenure with both the MOMA and the DMA, and a passport full of stamped adventures worldwide, there’s no question where Jane’s inspiration comes from!

I absolutely LOVED her style and can’t wait to use her rugs in a project someday soon!  All of her rugs can be customized to any size or any color- there’s a ton of flexibility with these!

Here are just a few samples of some of her work:

Chinoiserie-Feng and Shue

Island-Leaf Cay

V.C. Barcelona-Mies

V.C. Barcelona-Daniela

Tribal-Orani (a personal fave)

Island-Voodood

Petit Chou-Little Chinoiserie

Petit Chou-Wild Thing

Stripe

Tribal Rug-Beni

Are you loving the bold patterns and gorgeous colors as much as I am?

And not only are her rugs incredibly chic, they are also of the highest quality and comfort!

On a side note, the rugs themselves are GoodWeave certified, which ensures that no child labor is used.  Jane takes 10% of the net profit from the collection and donates it to GoodWeave, hoping to better the lives and education of children in Nepal, India and Afghanistan.

To sum it up, Jane is amazing!  She really has a wonderful thing on going on here…you can visit her gorgeous rugs at retail store, Forty Five Ten in Dallas and if you are a designer, they are also available “to the trade” at Interior Resources.

The holiday season is by far my most favorite time of year.  As soon as Halloween is over, I start planing Fall gatherings with family and friends, autumn decorations for the house, and of course, the Thanksgiving menu!  But, before I begin even thinking about the food, I start daydreaming about the tablescape for the big meal!

There are so many directions and options to choose from when it comes to creating your holiday table.  The possibilities are truly endless!  Maybe it’s my Southern roots, but, I’m a big fan of dining etiquette when it comes to meals like these.(especially when it comes to sitting down at a large dining table in a separate dining room- as opposed to the “eat in front of the TV while watching football” type meal which my family has been known to do a time or two)

The best part about a big dining table is that you can create an amazing tablescape!  A great tablescape just seems to make for a more dramatic production.  I also love to mix in some elements that help make it not quite so formal, and more relaxed.  Above all, you want your guests to feel welcome and comfortable.

As you put together your place settings, there are two layouts that I like to use as guides. You can use variations of each, depending on the type of meal, and your menu.

Here are a few more place setting layouts for different meals.  Just as there are different meals throughout the day, there are also appropriate place settings for each meal.  I also like like to mix and match these depending on what I’m serving!

 

Here are some great examples of fun Fall place settings.  I love how they mix and match a bunch of different patterns, textures and materials.  That is the best way to do a table so not everything is so matchy and stuffy!

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite types of centerpiece for holiday tables are ones that are relatively low in height.  I’ve found that it’s much more conducive for your guests to be able to converse with each other if the table center piece doesn’t impede their view of the people sitting across the table from them.  I also like to use up as much of the “dead space” left on the table as possible, so I like to make my center pieces run the length of the table.

Every woman’s home should reflect her style and attitude, right?

Sara Sugarman launched Lulu & Georgia on October 1st, the perfect line for young, sophisticated, trendy women. Sara, herself, is the granddaughter of Louis Sugarman, the founder of Decorative Carpets. With experience and know-how from the family business (and not to mention, Sara’s amazing style), Lulu & Georgia was born!

Inspired by the modern woman,  Lulu & Georgia has everything the modern day Material Girl would want.

What I absolutely loved about the site are the different ways to search.  You can search by type, style, and color, which makes it so user friendly and easy to find exactly what you’re looking for!

For the Bohemian woman:

Such a great design!

 

If you like Bold color…

For the Romantics…

Gives such a light feeling, but is absolutely beautiful!

If you like Vintage Eclectic…

Such a great way to add pattern!

For you Glamour Girls…

So much sparkle!!

If you like Coastal…

Gives such a clean, crisp look!

For those that like organic…

Absolutely love these candle holders!

If you like Regency style…

So chic!

 

And if you’re on a budget…

You can never go wrong with a Chevron pattern!

Grab some furniture along the way and art while you’re there!

This timeless cafe chair would look great in a breakfast room!

Perfect simple storage for you wine lovers!

Rouse and Jones

 Kent Youngstrom

For a better look at how everything can fit together, here’s a pdf of Style Tear Sheets for examples.

And for all you Material Girls who love what you see, we have a little gift for you! With the promo code MATERIALGIRLS20, you can save 20% off your Lulu & Georgia purchase until October 9! Definitely take advantage of this special sale!

Sexy, sultry, soft…   . It’s Fabulous with a capital F…… it’s FUR!

Fur has long been a part of our homes.  Weather it’s part of our apparel, or a rug, or a throw blanket, a little bit of fur will go a long way.  Take a look at these great pictures.  Just one simple piece can make all the difference.

Jan Showers

 

West Elm- Mongolian Lamb Pillow Covers

In full vogue, West Elm’s Mongolian Lamb pillow covers definitely make a statement.  They’re fun and casual, yet are glamorous and chic at the same time.

Horchow Adrienne Landau Fur Pillows and Throw

Sally Wheat’s home featured in Cote de Texas’ “Stalking the Wheats- Part III”

Restoration Hardware- Faux Fur Throw

I just love my Restoration Hardware faux fur throw.   Sinking into its luxurious folds is the best way to spend a cold dark evening next to the fireplace with a good book and a glass of wine.

Target- Home Fur Toss Pillow

Check out these awesome fur toss pillows from Target!  Totally trendy, and affordable for any budget!

Lately, I’ve been decorating a lot of clients’ stairways in funky, eclectic patterns that will make the entryways of their homes pop! If you want to snaz up your stairs and create a bold look, a runner in any pattern can do the job.

I prefer to use a natural material (like sisal) when the client wants something textural, muted, inexpensive and versatile for the future.  Alternatively, if the client wants something with a unique pattern, durability, softness, and doesn’t mind spending more, a long lasting wool is nice.

Looking for a runner yourself? Take a look at these options- hopefully they will help you decide what look is best for your home!

Geometrics-

You can never go wrong with a bold geometric print.  Using a geometric for your stair runner is most desirable in neutrals (black and white, etc) because a bright color paired with a bold pattern, might be a leetle too crazy for something so permanent.

 

Chevron-

This trendy print would look great as a runner but I have yet to find a source for it! Anyone out there know where to find something like this?

Stripes-

Stripes are always classic and never go out of style.  I prefer wide stripes myself, but of course you don’t want to go too wide with your stripes, as your stairs are only so wide.

Animal prints-

Zebra, leopard, cheetah, antelope, you name it.  I LOVE a good animal print as a stair runner..and by good, I mean “not a nylon”.  Recently I went looking for an animal print stair runner and the nylons looked really cheesy to me, but the wool versions were heavenly! Jan Showers always makes the animal printed stair runner look super classy.

Natural

I adore a good natural runner…more specifically, Stark’s diamond sisal.

If you don’t want the pattern (or want something less pricey), a regular sisal will work just fine too (with or without the thick binding on the edges)

Solid with Banding

I love this clean, graphic look.  This is a great look for someone who wants to avoid getting too trendy.  Also, the darker background will wear really well for high traffic areas.

Washable/Uber Durable

Dash and Albert makes super durable rugs that can be made into runners.  They even have a diamond pattern that resembles the diamond sisal.

Just Plain Funky

Peacock! Enough said.

The opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics, was indeed quite a show.  We certainly enjoyed watching all the festivities, especially the Queen’s awesome entrance into the stadium! Another great highlight was watching the parade of champions.  This year’s summer games ushered in some fantastic inspiration from fashion.  Fashion can be a marvelous muse for creating an unforgettable interior space.  Here are some of our favorite inspirations from this year’s Summer Games:

Cobalt, Orange & White: Holland

 

 

This year, Holland totally rocked their bold color pallet of cobalt, orange, navy, and white.  Each athlete was exquisitely tailored in these designer outfits.  A wonderful touch and homage to their homeland’s national flower, can be seen here with a tulip pinned to each athlete’s lapel.  These colors are a fresh and trendy way to spice up any interior.  The contrast that these colors make next to each other creates a statement that is sure to impress.

Mixing patterns with these exciting  colors works well, and adds even more look to this stimulating mix of hues.

These deep navy walls with accents of orange is striking and at the same time, elegant and fun.

This luxurious cashmere blanket by Hermes is a definite must have statement maker.  The unmistakable, classic Hermes orange and white will not go unnoticed!  Also, these orange and cobalt painted vases would be fabulous on any mantle.

Aqua, Sunshine Yellow, & White: Sweden

Sweden’s athletes were definitely noticed at this year’s opening ceremonies.  Their bright yellow and aqua stripes with white pants were definitely “spot on” for summer fashion.  Even their sneakers made a statement, blue with yellow laces. Great attention to detail.

This delicious dining room makes great use of yet another bold color pallet.  Beautiful,bright bamboo chairs in a cheery lemon yellow are definitely a focal point.  The black accents of the doors and the chevron pattern rug help add a touch of chic to this fun dining space.

Add some colorful light and sparkle to your space with this amazing yellow chandelier from Cyan.  This piece brings fun antique whimsy with its classic shape that is sure to liven up any space.

Check out this brightly colored room! The yellow sofas and bright blue pillows are festively summer, and help give this room its own signature look.

Kelly Green & White: Nigeria

Take a look at these fabulous white and green outfits worn by Nigerian Olympic competitors.  Kelly green makes a luscious color statement against bright white.

This gorgeous green upholstered head board transforms this bedroom into a tropical retreat.  The simple bedding with a classic green stripe is simple and refined, making a calm compliment to the statement making headboard.  The bedside lamps with a clear glass base add interest to the room, without taking away from the clean, crisp feel of the space.

Another clean color pallet of green and white makes this living room feel swank.  The modern floor lamp and glass top cocktail table make this space feel expensive, without going over-the-top.

The metallic accent pillows and chrome side table really adds some glamour and flash to this tropical living room.  The palm tree is also a great touch of natural color.  We also like the white cow-hide rug turned on an angle under the cocktail table.  Definitively chic and modern!

Red, White & Blue: U.S.A

Who better than to dress our American Athletes than Ralph Lauren? This classic American preppy look was a fantastic representation of fashion directly from the USA.  Navy blazers, white trousers and knee length skirts with berets and ties definitely has an Ivy League spin.  Feel like standing up straight and saluting the flag?  With and outfit like this, I sure do!

Using red judiciously is key in this bedroom.  Red is a powerful color, and helps define the headboard, bedding and bench.  The gold pendant fixture definitely adds a designer touch to the room.

Adding adventurous patterns makes these living rooms come alive.

This patriotic painted chest with gold accents demands attention.  Finding unique furniture such as this, really adds a great deal of character to any room, and is sure to serve as a conversation piece!

This year at the Dallas Home and Gift Market there were so many amazing finds it was hard to pick just ten! Keeping up with current and upcoming design trends is vital to the design process to ensure that we can make your home lovely and something no one will forget. Here are a few of my favorite design trends at market that are sure to knock your socks off!

#1- Bright colored lacquered furniture-

Pops of color are on the cutting edge of design this season. Reviving a traditional style chest by adding blue lacquered paint gives new life to this piece at the Ambari showroom-

#2- Tassels and ropes!  (see our post on this topic from the other day)-

This iron style knotted chair and demilune table are so unique and charming! Drinking your morning coffee in this lil chair will definetly start your day off great. Both are from Currey and Co- 

 

#3- Dramatic screens-

Screens are great for so many things. They can act as a room divider, a piece of art or sculpture (behind chairs or a sofa), or fill an awkward corner or long wall. My favorite screens are mirrored or metallic ones with lots of visual interest (like this stunning one from Design Directions)

#4- Colored glass-

Looking for something unique? We have the right pieces for you.  These beauties are displayed at one of our most favorite showrooms, Taylors on Ten.  They have a whole “glass” section that will make your heart race! Don’t even get me started on their glass knot pendant light!

#5- Natural lamps-

I love a good natural lamp.  At market, we noticed tons of lamps made out of natural materials such as marble, granite, driftwood, and shells.  This white marble lamp by Ralph Lauren was also at the TOT showroom.

#6- Graphic patterns mixed with bold colors-

Graphic motifs such as chevron patterns paired with vivid colors are THE it factor (found in the Imax Showroom). Using one of these ideas in any space will definitely keep you on trend.

#7- Color combination- orange and gray-

I am using this color combo in Ben’s mancave as we speak and I have to say that I keep seeing this palette more and more lately (especially at market)! Global Views always has the best vignettes at the show and their use of this color combo was truly stunning.

#8- Metallics-

Metallics, Metallics, Metallics!! I can’t say it enough! These gold side tables/benches with wooden details (found at Design Directions) are the perfect accent for any space. The great thing about metallics is that they can go with anything and add that extra bit of sparkle that most rooms need.

A gorgeous round mirror from Ambari-

A bling worthy vignette from Global Views-

#9- Embroidered Pillows-

We love the use of color on these dramatic embroidered pillows.  This extra layer of texture really helps take the pillows to another level!

#10- Framed textiles-

This amazing Indian styled scarf in a frame can be a great starting point for a room. LOVE the orange and pink combo here.  This particular one was found at Taylors on Ten.

#11- Faux fur

Last but not least.. OHHH the uniqueness! Being different and standing out is right up this chaise lounge’s alley. It’s purrrfectly pettable with its fuzzy upholstery. You most definitely won’t have to worry about your neighbor having this! Spotted at Cyan Design.