Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

About a month ago we hosted a contest with Home Goods where one of our Dallas readers won a $100 gift card to use at the new Home Goods at Park Lane.  She wrote a lil guest blog for us on her shopping experience at the store and we wanted to share with all of you! This gal Meghan is hilar- I’d shop with her any day of the week! Read about the interesting pieces she stumbled upon the other day at their new store….

Walking into the new Home Goods at Park Lane Place is like getting slapped in the face by a thrifty designer. There is so much cool stuff to look at, there’s no safe place to rest your eyes. The most difficult part of my trip was limiting myself to around $100 – I could have filled up my car, plus strapped some stuff to the top and still not grabbed everything I wanted to…love this place!

I know what you’re thinking…yeah, yeah, you love it because they gave you a gift card. But, it’s not true. I almost (accidentally, sort of) broke into Home Goods before it was even open. I stalked Park Lane Place every day to watch the progress. I almost set up a tent outside. Yes, I love it that much and yes, I need more hobbies.

On to the goods for your home. There are deals and steals and awesomeness as far as the eye can see…

Even though there is SO MUCH to check out (seriously, take your ADD medicine before you walk through the doors) it doesn’t seem that crowded. Sort of like going through your crazy, but hip aunt’s attic.

They think of everything there, too – check out the little hanging rulers. Perfect if you always forget a tape measure (like me) and have to use your fingers and forearm to measure stuff…that’s how I know my chest of drawers is three forearms plus three fingers and a thumb wide by one forearm plus one hand deep.

You can literally get anything for your home here. Need a giant stuffed dog larger than a three year old? They’ve got it.

Planning a party and want only pink accessories and serving dishes? Yep, you’re covered.

I was looking for a few specific things – a large-ish art piece for my living room wall, a bathroom shelving thingy (technical design term, of course) and a bedside table for my guest room. But, I got majorly distracted in the garden section. They had some crazy business up in there. Mosaic snail…shiny turtle…statue of raccoons helping eachother drink water out of a bowl. The possibilities for your garden are literally endless.

Now for the money shot. I really needed a bedside table for my guest room so my guests wouldn’t have to put their water glass on the floor or sleep with their book in the bed with them. My guest room has grey walls, all white ruched bedding and a green desk. So, I was looking for something with green in it. I had so much trouble deciding between the two on the top, but finally decided to go with the one on the left.

Moral of the story: You are wasting money and being dumb if you don’t love shopping at Home Goods.

Thanks to Home Goods and Material Girls for this shopping adventure!!

What to design for a creative and energetic eight year old who wants her bedroom a little bit more funky and mod?

{Accent pillow inspiration}

{Chandelier- incorporate new white shades}

{Desk Lamp}

{Roman Shades}

{Table Lamp}

{Desk Chair with new seat cushion fabric- blue and white geometric}

{Existing rug}

Here’s how-

Duvet cover and shams- Multi colored Duralee printed fabric

Custom bed pillow- 20″ square; turquoise monogram centered on Pindler and Pindler white solid fabric with Schumacher black and white greek key tape trim on face of pillow (surrounded by small Pindler and Pindler black cording and small white solid flange)

Bedskirt- Pindler and Pindler pink mini stripe with solid black banding at bottom edge

Walls- Sherwin Williams 6710 Melange Green (50% lighter)

Rug- existing

Window Treatments- flat roman shade; Overall: white Pindler and Pindler solid fabric with 2″ black Pindler and Pindler solid fabric as tape trim accent

Desk chair- White “tulip” chair;  Seat cushion- blue and white Pindler and Pindler geometric print

Chandelier- PB Teen Delite Chandelier with new white shades

Desk Lamp- Worlds Away- Venus Pink Lamp

Nightstand Lamp- Arteriors- Elise Beaded Polished Nickel Lamp

The winner of our Material Girls/Home Goods “Tweet Your Find” contest is….

Meghan from Dallas!  Check out what she found-

“Found the perfect girly but beachy vase at Park Lane Place!”

Looking forward to posting Meghan’s shopping experience with her $100 HG gift card in the upcoming weeks! Stay tuned!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the opening of the Park Lane Home Goods in Dallas.  Well, in celebration of the store opening, MG has teamed up with Home Goods for a contest called “Tweet Your Find!”

Here’s the low down…all you have to do is take a trip to the Home Goods store at The Shops at Park Lane in Dallas (8188 Park Lane, Suite 160, Dallas, 75231) and SHOP!  Select your favorite find from the store and tweet us a photo of it via Twitter!  In the tweet, make sure you call out @materialgirls and @homegoods so we can mark you down as a contest entrant.  A winner will be chosen at random and will receive a $100 gift card to Home Goods!  Also, the winner will get to guest blog on our site, after shopping with the gift card, and show us what he/she found for $100 at Home Goods!

Contest starts NOW and runs until Home Goods at Park Lane closes on Sunday, April 17th at 8 pm.  Winner will be announced Monday night on The Material Girls blog!

I actually went to Home Goods for their “soft opening” last Friday afternoon and I purchased an amazing lamp. It’s too bad I can’t enter the contest , but if I could, here would be my tweet-

@materialgirls, @homegoods- Loving the acrylic lamp I found for $150 at Home Goods! Will look perfect on the chest in my entryway.

(insert pic of fab find here…)

Entering the contest is as easy as that.

Happy shopping! Can’t wait to see what you find!

Last weekend was the bi-annual Roundtop Antiques Fair, in Roundtop, Texas.  You might remember my trip out to Roundtop last September, which I blogged about here.

Anyone who has been to Texas in September, knows how unbearably hot it can be, so after my last trip down there in the Fall, I promised myself that I would go back for better weather (85 to 90 degrees) the next March.

Well, the weather cooled off and March 2011  rolled around.  I couldn’t wait for my adventure to Roundtop to begin!  I had my room measurements and fabric swatches ready to go; however, there was just one small detail that had to be ironed out before the show- I had to bribe my sister into going with me!  Now let me just tell you about my sister, Catherine. She has always had an amazing eye for fashion, but has never really been much into interior design (which is the complete opposite of me).  I could care less about saving up for the “it” bag or switching out my winter wardrobe for new Spring clothes.  I instead, look forward to the new “it” fabric and switching out my pillows for Spring.

I never thought in a million years that Cath would come to Roundtop with me, so was extremely surprised when she said “I will come with you, if you promise a beer, a bathroom, and some unhealthy food”.   Substitute bathroom for “porta-potty” and she had herself a deal!

{No trip to Roundtop is complete without a visit to Royers! Above, picture of Bud Royer}

When we got to Roundtop, I told her my list of things that I was trying to score on this trip.  Here is how the conversation went-

E- “I am looking for an animal head for my wall”

C- “A what?”

E- “An animal head!  Don’t be silly, I don’t want one with a face!  Just one that’s cast in resin.”

C- “Who would want that?”

E-  <Sigh> “People like me.  I also want a bust.”

C- “Excuse me?”

E- “You know, a bust.  But only a woman bust, not a man bust, or Ben might get creeped out.”

C- (shakes her head in confusion)

So thus began our trip to Roundtop!

It dawned on me that the things I constantly see in magazines, on blogs, and in showrooms (things that most of us bloggers/designers are already tired of), were all new concepts to a design newbie like Cath.  I decided to make it my mission to get Cath out of her retail, mass produced, interior design bubble and show her the things that (whether you hate ‘em or love ‘em) people are putting in their houses….

#1- Ginormous Foo Dog- Ok, I can’t say that this would be the first thing I’d choose to put on my doorstep to greet visitors, but it was fun to see the look on her face when she saw this enormous red Chinese guardian lion.

#2- Elegant Bust (pearls included?)- Cath had to get a pic with her new lady friend….

#3- Oversized Crown- Cath admired a crown accessory fit for the Jolly Queen Giant (he he)

#4- Animal Head- I think this was the thing that shocked her the most (and she is still skeptical to this day…)   I promised her that she will think it’s normal once it reaches Pottery Barn next summer.

#5- Cowhide- Cath got “Cowhide 101″ and literally had to “pet” the rug

#6- Suzani- Cath enjoyed taking her time checking out this Suzani (I got excited thinking that she and the suzani might have connected, but I think it more had to do with the fact that this was the only booth with A/C)

#7- Clam Shell- If there was a cartoon bubble above her head, Cath would be thinking “You don’t see these mammoth clam shells lying on the beach every day in Cabo…”

#8- Mystery Glass- Here Cath is, weighing in on the mystery glass (literally).  I actually bought one of these for myself to put on my entry chest and am so in love with it.   Granted it’s not Kryptonite like the booth owners originally told us, but it comes in close, as colored glass from a glass plant overseas.

#9- Nude Figure Drawing- Another piece Cath had a hard time understanding.  I think at this point, she’s not liking this blog post game anymore and is begging for me to stop thumbing through original art sketches brought over by an adorable French couple at this booth here.

Now she’s thinking…”We’re finally done!  Take me somewhere in Roundtop that I really want to see.”  So off we went to the worlds’ smallest Catholic church!

{Thanks for coming with me Cath and for being a great shopping buddy! I’m putting you down for next year’s tour.. }

As I’m perusing the internet for design inspiration, I came across this beauty from the Elle Decor Showhouse 2010 by Jay Jeffers design.  It’s hard to put into words how obsessed I am with the colors in this room.  From the taupe walls down to the pink, yellow, and turquoise artwork, I am totally smitten.  I’ve seen this photo before, but keep stumbling upon it by chance and have decided that the style and colors of this room are exactly what I want to incorporate into my work-in-progress living room! As they say, when you know, you know.  What great inspiration!  Thank you Elle Decor…

My friend, David, over at Again and Again, brought my attention to this fabulous article in The Dallas Morning News that spotlights the 1950′s Turtle Creek duplex of Again and Again owner, Leslie Pritchard.  With the help of designer Breck Woolsey, they glammed up the space with vintage pieces, bold fabrics, metallics, and animal print.

If you’ve been to Leslie’s shops before (Again and Again or Again Design Studio), then you probably aren’t surprised to find out that her duplex is equally as stylish.  Her two shops on Henderson Avenue in Dallas have become quite successful due to her knack for finding those one-of-a-kind pieces.

{Again and Again}

{Again Design Studio}

Ok now back to that gorgeous duplex…

I love how she combined icy gray, soft pinks, with pops of gold throughout.  Leslie definitely isn’t afraid to go out on a limb and combine pieces from different periods nor does she have any hesitation about mixing bold prints.  I identified a few Kelly Wearstler fabrics throughout her home and can’t help but notice how much Leslie herself looks like the LA designer! Don’t ya think?

{Leslie Pritchard and her designer, Brett Woolsey}

I have to say that I love her drapes!  The blush color combined with the silky sheen fabric is girly glam at its finest-

The iron gates below were custom-built and replaced a run of the mill door as well as brightened up a dark hall…

Her dining room is a mix of all different styles- love!

Huge artwork makes a statement next to a custom chair upholstered in Schumacher fabric and built by Again Design Studio…

A small but interesting gallery wall sits above a vintage Henredon bar…

Brett and Leslie’s variation of scale throughout (tall lamps paired with shorter headboard) is a great way to keep things interesting.

Do you love Leslie’s apartment as much as I do?

A huge congrats to Paloma of La Dolce Vita and the whole High Gloss team for preparing such a fabulous first issue!  I am friends with Paloma on Facebook and by the looks of her status updates, this lady has been really really hard at work on High Gloss.  What a huge accomplishment!  All of their hard work has definitely paid off and we couldn’t be happier about another incredible online mag.

I just love how High Gloss intertwines fashion and interiors in a bold, colorful format.  I can’t wait to see what the girls have up their sleeves next.

I do have to say that I was especially smitten with the spaces designed by Erin Gates, Sally Wheat, and David Jimenez.  I won’t spoil the entire issue for you, but here is a sneak peek (and be sure to click on over to see the full spreads)!

ERIN-

SALLY-

DAVID-

I always get so happy when this arrives in my mailbox…

{Jan/Feb cover of Veranda}

This month I was especially thrilled because there was a story in there that I particularly loved and it happens to be the house of someone you may have heard of before-

J Lo!

Her California home was designed by Michelle Workman and it is so incredibly dreamy! Just look how peaceful her living room is with all the gray-blues-

Lots of understated glamour!

What I loved most is how her home is a mix of high end pieces and affordable pieces (I hate saying high/low as it makes those low pieces come off as subordinate to the high!)  These affordable pieces are certainly anything but inferior. I noticed immediately that her end table was Global Views’ Directoire table in brass and white marble and it looks like she also has the Global Views round Directoire table in the far left corner.  Her accent table between the two chairs could quite very well be Arteriors (if not, it’s very similar to one they used to have).

Her custom klismos lounge chairs in the foreground of the photo are eerily similar to ones I’m getting custom-made for a client’s wine room as we speak.  J LO and I must be on the same wavelength!

I would love to know what blue-gray paint colors she used.  Anyone know?  They are incredibly serene and mix beautifully with the cream and gold accents.

Also notice that they mixed golds AND silvers in J Lo’s home (a great way to add interest and warmth to an overall gray room)

Also, the designer chose to add dark wood on furniture pieces to “ground the space” and so that the room wouldn’t just float away!

Look at this kitchen! Not only is J Lo the Queen of Pop, but she’s apparently also the “Queen of Nailheads” too!

(The light fixture is another affordable, “to the trade” piece by Arteriors)

Oh the bedroom..(sigh).  I’d love to rest my head at night here!  It reminds me a lot of the guest bedroom that Jan Showers designed for Kimberly Whitman.  Same elements- tufted lucite bench, peach wall color, white bedding, abstract art, drapes with valance that match the wall color, and white accent chair.  The only thing that’s missing is the funky light fixture that J Lo added!

For more photos of her stunning entry, informal living room and dining room, pick up a copy of Veranda!

My client, who is a close friend of Laura Day, sent this video to me via YouTube called “A New Spin”, which features Laura getting crafty with markers and paper plates.

Make sure you watch until the VERY end to see what Laura does with this paper plate-

Is she not the cutest?

Click below to see what fabulous piece of room decor Laura makes from this bold paper plate!

For step by step instructions, the video shows exactly how Laura came up with this colorful creation! Loves!