Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

We are extremely excited to announce that Material Girls will be doing a giveaway with Peacock Alley this month! Peacock Alley is known for their luxurious bedding and towels and their comfy, classic style. Now one lucky MG reader will have the chance to win a Queen set of Peacock Alley’s “Soprano” sheets for themselves! They are 420-thread count, 100% Egyptian Cotton, and valued at $495!! (And you thought getting out of bed in the morning was hard now…)

To enter the giveaway click HERE! The contest will end October 2nd at 12 pm ET and will be announced on our blog Tuesday, October 4th.

We also took a little trip down to their Dallas showroom to see all of their fabulous products for ourselves!

How about these gorgeous, classic neutrals?

Check out the fun fur!! Love the orange pillow with the bit of detail too!

Beautiful, subtle geometric pattern on the Giovanni Matelasse shams and coverlet-

Tons of coverlet patterns to choose from-

Luxurious towel selection-

Sheets! (One of these could be yours!)

Fun geometric accent pillows-

I seriously wanted to curl up in one of these displays and take a little break from work…

Dog Beds…Zoey needs one of these!

The mix of pattern and textures make this bedding combo so interesting-

And finally, my favorite vignette in the whole showroom! I’m really digging the orange and grey combo here.

Again, be sure to enter for your chance to win a fab set of sheets from Peacock Alley!

I’m currently working on a project where we are using some incredibly fun Quadrille fabrics.  I had never taken the time to visit their website before and let me just tell you, it is one site FULL of eye candy!!  When I clicked on their “Editorial Portfolio”, every single room that I’ve ever loved was on there!

{Meg Braff}

Truly, their site had some of the best photos for inspiration that I’ve ever seen and of so much variety!

You’ve probably seen a lot of these photos from the big shelter magazines before, but like I always say, they are oldies but goodies!

{Chloe Warner}

{House Beautiful}

{Elle Decor}

{House Beautiful}

{Traditional Home}

{House Beautiful}

{House Beautiful}

{Domino}

{House Beautiful}

{Domino}

[The Devil Wears Prada}

{House Beautiful}

{House Beautiful}

{Meg Braff}

{Traditional Home}

{House Beautiful}

{Ruthie Summers}

{Architectural Digest}

Are you loving the sound of this collaboration as much as I am- Allegra Hicks + West Elm?

Mmmm…I think yes!

When I got an email that Allegra Hicks had teamed up with the modern retailer, it had to be the most exciting thing since…sliced bread? (or to put it in designer terms, the best thing since Suzanne and Ballard)!

This totally made our day knowing that someone with such great taste has whipped up some fabulous designs for one of our favorite retailers (and one that’s just half a mile away to boot!) I can’t wait to see these in person, but for now, feast your eyes on Allegra’s newest designs for WE-

And to top it off, if you are an Elle Decor reader, you get an exclusive opportunity to shop the new collection before it hits stores and the online shopping world.

Click here for the sneak preview- now through July 12!

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

I was reading an interview with Kelly Wearstler on Design*Sponge and took notice of how adorable her outfit was- particularly her skirt.  It took me a second to realize that she is wearing….one of her own fabrics!  I pass by this fabric every time I am at Lee Jofa and have checked out a sample of it on multiple occasions. Who would have thought that it would make such an adorable outfit!

As we bid adieu to 2010, I can’t help but reflect on the past year.  I’m so grateful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to work on some amazing projects with such wonderful clients.  And through these projects, I have gotten to specify the things that makes me most happy in design: FABRICS!

I usually start out each client’s project by initially selecting one patterned fabric that catapults the entire room’s design scheme into motion.  These fabrics are far from muted or subtle.  They are usually dramatic, graphic, or full of color.  These fabrics are statement makers and can take a room from drab to fab pretty quickly.

I thought I’d share my top ten patterned fabrics that I used in 2010 on client projects and why I loved them!

#10- Duralee- Metropolitan Contemporary Prints- Kelly

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one!  This fabric is at an amazing pricepoint, so when you’re having to purchase eight yards of fabric per chair, it’s a lot easier to swallow with this inexpensive cotton duck print.  The best part is- it comes in a few different colourways.  I used the blue version for my own desk chair and the bold geometric print makes a nice graphic statement in the room.

#9- Kravet- Pelagos- Archipelagos- Lime (Windsor Smith collection)

Windsor Smith currently has a bunch of great linen fabrics at Kravet, that it’s really hard to choose just one to spotlight here!  I have probably written down “Pelagos” on my sample form at Kravet, more times than I can count.  I think I just need to keep a sample around in every colourway.  When I think of her fabrics, “light and airy” come to mind- which is probably why they make such great slipcovers and drapes.  Windsor offers this fabric in a few different colors.  I particularly love Clove (not pictured) because it’s really hard to find a more grayed out brown fabric and she seems to merges the two wonderfully!

#8- Lee Jofa- Groundworks- Hexagon Tile- Gray

Can you tell that I love geometric prints yet?  This 100% linen fabric was the perfect solution for a client’s wine room.  She had a lot of existing elements that we had to take into account when planning out her new paint, fabrics, furniture and artwork.  Her flooring, backsplash and fireplace weren’t going anywhere (and they included a lot of natural stone) so when the client told me she wanted to incorporate grays into her new scheme, I had to find something to tie it all in together.  Enter: Groundworks- Hexagon Tile.  What a perfect answer to our warm/cool predicament.  (and it didn’t hurt that there was a pop of black in the fabric either- it ended up tying in nicely to the black tile in her existing backsplash.)  I love this fabric because it’s a really interesting neutral fabric (one that you won’t tire of) and it will go with just about any accent color.

#7- Schumacher- Peacock Print- Punch (Trina Turk collection)

Trina Turk’s outdoor fabric collection had me at hello.  I knew that I wanted to use one of these textiles SOMEWHERE.  A sunroom turned out to be the perfect place to experiment with Trina’s ikat-inspired print.  Made of 100% acrylic twill, this fabric can withstand all sorts of outdoor elements  (but don’t be afraid to use this fabric indoors too!)

#6- Schumacher- Hot House- Flowers (Celerie Kimble collection)

This linen, tree of life pattern from Celerie Kimble was the jumping off point for the color scheme of four rooms- (living, dining, breakfast, and kitchen) in an open floor plan at a client’s house that I recently worked on.  The beauty of this fabric is that it is a modern take on a traditional floral print.  It took a little bit of convincing to get my client to agree to this fabric (as I promised her that it would not look overly-traditional or cottagey), but once her chairs arrived, surprisingly enough, it ended up being her favorite print in the whole house!

#5- Highland Court- Marakesh Collection- Tangerine

This fabric was absolutely perfect for a young, stylish girl living in Dallas’ Uptown area.  There were many reasons why I was totally and utterly attracted to this fabric.  Not only were the citrus colors in it fresh and exciting, but the little bit of shimmer in the fabric was something that I noticed immediately.  This touch of glam coupled with the chartreuse, lipstick pink, tangerine and cream colors made me want to buy a few yards of it for myself!

#4- Kravet- Old World- Seaglass (Barbara Barry collection)

This 100% silk fabric is incredibly gorgeous in person.   The pattern really captivated me as it felt like a cross between a modern floral and modern damask.  Of course, we all know that Barbara never disappoints with her textile designs so how could we expect any less?  I based a guest bedroom around this fabric and cannot wait to see the final results and how this luxurious, soothing colored fabric transforms the room!

#3- Lee Jofa- Bengal Bazaar- Magenta (Kelly Wearstler collection)

Now this has been a fun fabric to plan a room around!  With an icy blue background and a magenta foreground, this unique color combination is not one that you would normally see.  But when is Kelly ever designing “the norm”?  This amazing fabric is composed of 100% linen and looks great made into a pair of accent pillows for a sofa or a queen bed.

#2- Lee Jofa- Chevron Ribbon- Navy-Slate (Oscar de la Renta collection)

You might remember my blog post a few months ago, where I was raving about the newest Oscar de la Renta fabric collection at Lee Jofa.  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of this fabric for a client’s roman shade.  It’s been on backorder for a few months (which doesn’t surprise me- as I’m sure it’s a sought-after fabric). Mr. de la Renta did a fantastic job with his fabric collection and the fabrics remind me of one of Oscar’s beautifully-made gowns.

#1- Schumacher- Blades- Lush Summer Lawn (Jamie Drake collection)

I have never gotten so many compliments on a fabric when I’m out and about.  I have taken this fabric to other showrooms to match with coordinating fabrics and I get stopped mid-search by other designers asking “where in the world did you get that fabric?”  Unfortunately, I can’t take all the credit and have to direct them to Schumacher.  This fabric is one of those that you must see in person in order to completely understand its greatness.  It’s made of Viscose and Cotton, and is one of the most dramatic fabrics that I’ve used to date.  The colors and scale of the Blades fabric are pretty incredible and explains why it’s #1 on my list of favorite textiles I’ve used in 2010.

Here’s to more new and exciting fabric collections in 2011!

A few days ago I went to a presentation on Lizzo fabrics at the Dallas Kravet showroom.  I was unfamiliar with Lizzo prior to the presentation but after Susana Pulido, Export Manager at Lizzo, presented their collections, I soon came to find out about the rich history of Lizzo and all of their fabulous fabrics.

The Lizzo brand was started in 2001 by Jose Angel Climent and their head offices are now in Alicante, Spain.  Susana, who works in Spain, has been traveling to each Kravet showroom in the states to spread the word about Lizzo and show interior designers around the country how special and unique the Lizzo fabrics are.   You can tell just by touching them, that these are not your average fabrics.  They are very high quality and extremely luxurious.

The Suzani fabric below says it all- so gorgeous!

I especially loved their Mimic Collection- which involves “recreating the fictitious nature by imitating animal skins”.

Kravet has all of their fabrics up on display, available to the trade. Each of their fabrics is so unlike the next. If you are a designer looking for something “different” for a client, you should stop by Kravet and take a peek at these incredible textiles (and make sure you feel them too- their silk velvet will blow you away!)

Calico Corners has just debuted a new fabric collection, Iman Home, designed by the supermodel herself.

I must say that I’ve always REALLY liked Iman.  She has such a calming presence about her.   She doesn’t bring the drama like some other supermodels do (ahem, Naomi C) and she has always come across as very classy and sophisticated.  Don’t you agree?  Other models should take lessons from her on how to behave!

Her colorful collection for Calico reflects her world travels and unique personal style.  The patterns are rich, exotic and textural.  With all of the rage over animal prints and ikat fabrics, I have no doubt that her collection will do well!

My favorite might be this peacock print.  Anything peacock is very hot right now (I think I saw about five people who were dressed as peacocks for Halloween!)

She has tons of other interesting and bold fabrics to choose from too….this is only the beginning!

Great job Iman on taking your love for fashion and beautiful clothing and turning it into something good!  Other supermodels should be more like you!

A few months ago I started working on my client Stacey’s home office.  From the get-go, she really wanted to incorporate navy in her scheme and sent me this photo below of Carrie’s apartment in SATC 2 for inspiration.  She loved how the warm yellow and golds were mixed with cooler colors such as grays and silvers (with a splash of navy as an accent).  Of course, we both were completely infatuated with Carrie’s slipper sofa too so wanted to try to incorporate that into our planning.

Stacey’s wall color was currently light gray and I went over and over in my mind about how we were going to tie in golds, navy, white, and gray.  I needed a fabric that pulled EVERYTHING together- one that would help it all make sense in there.

Enter: Lee Jofa

One sunny afternoon in Dallas, I was perusing the fabrics at Lee Jofa and stumbled upon the most incredible fabric I had ever seen!  I sent Stacey an email as soon as I saw it with the message- “this would be perfect for your office”.  It was one of the 25 fabrics from their new Oscar de la Renta line.  The fabric I chose in particular was a gorgeous linen-silk made of grosgrain ribbon, designed in a chevron pattern (appropriately dubbed Chevron Ribbon).  To make the fabric sighting even more rewarding, Lee Jofa had all of Oscar’s fabrics displayed in long pieces so you could really see the patterns and colors in them. I was really wowed by it all!

For Stacey’s office, I started with the Gray/Cream/Black colorway (trying to convince myself the black was just a really really dark navy but the cream in it didn’t fly with her bright white trim so I went out on a limb and proposed something else to Stacey.

Chevron Ribbon- Gray/Black/White colorway

I proposed that we paint the entire room navy and go with the Navy/Slate colorway instead.  The bright white background of it would look amazing with her white trim and wall paint from connecting rooms, and she would get the navy color that she’s been wanting, with a very graphic look. Luckily her and her husband were all for it, so we’ve started working on the scheme-

{Sources- Lee Industries, Lee Jofa, Global Views, Amanda Talley, 1st Dibs, Benjamin Moore}

Stacey’s color scheme reminds me of a post on Kravet’s Inspired Talk, that featured de la Renta’s clothing in navy, white and orange-

His fabrics are so stunning, you could honestly get out your sewing kit and make a skirt out of them, but of course Oscar has already thought of that!

Online Auction for Charity- Custom skirts designed by Oscar de la Renta

I took photos of some of the other Oscar fabric swatches that I got at Lee Jofa to give you an up close and personal look at all of his colorways (apologies in advance for the awful photography and background, but I do have to say that sisal looks great with his fabrics!)

Would have to be Barry Dixon’s Ishtar in Turquoise sold through Vervain.

I saw a woman carrying it around in Robert Allen the other day (trying to match it with some of their fabrics) and I just about followed the woman to her car, trying to get a glimpse of its tag stating where this stylish fabric was from.  I learned this much- that it’s from the S.Harris/Fabricut/Vervain showroom which was only a few doors down from Robert Allen! Yippee!  I proceeded to run into their showroom only to discover that all of the samples were checked out and I was going home empty handed.

I’m still waiting on my sample in the mail and hopefully it will get here soon so I can continue to drool over this gorgeous fabric.

It would look amazing on big pillows in any of their colourways (Brown, Cinnabar, Grey & Lemon, or Yellows)

But I have to say that after seeing it as upholstery on the Vervain website, I’m all for putting it on a chair too!

Ahhh pure bliss! Love it!