Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

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}

Have you ever accumulated a stack of about six magazines that you are just dying to read, but know you need to save them for a time when you can really sit down and concentrate on them?  Well that has been me for the past few months…saving my favorite magazines for the appropriate time and place..finally, that time was this weekend.

Out of all the articles I read and all the photos I perused, I must say that the 2010 Hampton Designer Showhouse that was featured in Traditional Home this month was completely and utterly stunning! I definitely ended up having some favorite rooms that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since my eyes first met the page.

Here are my top rooms- which ones are yours?

Room- Master bedroom sitting area

Designer- Skye Kirby and Diane Karmen for Lillian August

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The glam silver-leaf ceiling, elegant tufted slipcovered settees, and the soothing lilac palette.

**Now I don’t like picking favorites, but if I had to, this room would definitely be it!!**

Room- Master bedroom

Designer- Skye Kirby and Diane Karmen for Lilliam August

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The va va voom mirrored furniture, the sophisticated art series and the lucite bench legs.

Room- Master Bathroom

Designer- Susanne Kelley Design

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The gorgeous glass floor tile, the luxurious silk roman shade, and the freestanding furniture that creates a cozy atmosphere.

Room- Entry and Living Room

Designer- Patricia Healing and Dan Barsanti of HB Home

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The textured grasscloth wallcovering and sisal rug, the mix of natural and glam pieces (i.e.: lucite and stone), and the deep navy accents.

Room- Butler’s Pantry

Designer- Judy Hadlock, Old Town Crossing, Southampton, New York

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The Phillip Jeffries wallcovering on the walls and ceiling, the antique French crystal chandelier, and the dramatic/moody monochromatic color scheme.

Room- Guest Bedroom

Designer- Arden Interior Architecture and Design

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The bright happy color palette (including the lacquered yellow walls), the layering of pattern, and the quirky artichoke lamps.

Room- Kitchen Porch

Designer- Nancy Pearson

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The abundance of Quadrille pillow fabrics, the organic looking teak coffee table, and the classic Suzanne Kasler Visual Comfort lanterns.

Room- Den Porch

Designer- Christina Murphy Interiors

What’s so swoon-worthy?

The subtle gray tones mixed with bright pops of yellow, the graphic greek key area rug, and the totally unique mirror.

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…

MG, among other interior design bloggers, are featured in an article entitled “Home Spun Advice”, in The Boca Raton Observer this month.  We are so flattered to have been included. Bloggers from Desire to Inspire, Design*Sponge, Casa Sugar, and Made by Girl were also interviewed. These are blogs that MG has always admired and respected so were honored to be in such great company.

Click here to read the article and learn what other design bloggers have to say on how they got started, where they get their design inspiration, and their take on 2011 design trends!

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?

Thank you Elle Decor for including Material Girls in the feature, Design Insiders’ Weekly Finds!

MG along with Elements of Style, La Maison Boheme, Style Redux, and Design Darling shared their favorite blog post and article links for the week!

This month, Traditional Home’s cover story spotlighted the gorgeous Atlanta residence of Amy Bergman.  Amy enlisted the help of top architect,  Linda MacArthur, a fellow mom, to make her home beautiful, but also kid-friendly.

It was love at first sight when I saw this home, and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are the reasons why I absolutely LOVE each of the Bergman’s rooms-

Living Room-

I heart…the fact that this room consists mostly of soft neutral upholstery fabrics (with rare pops of color) which makes it easy to change out the color scheme in the future, if needed.

Dining Room-

I heart…the totally funky, unexpected chandelier by Niermann Weeks and how it contrasts nicely with the dark sleek table.

Keeping Room-

I heart…how the scalloped stair wall echoes the curves of the banquette.

I heart…the fact that she even has a banquette at the bottom of her stairs!  What an efficient use of space and such a genius idea!

Home Office-

I heart….how cozy this room feels with the dark dramatic walls and trim painted in Sherwin Williams, Library Pewter.

I also heart…orange (in general) so this room struck a definite cord with me.

Kitchen-

I heart…the fact that their cabinets are painted in a color other than white. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful white kitchen, but it’s not every day that you see darker painted cabinets, particularly in this gray-blue.

I also heart…the Anne Sacks glass tile backsplash over the range which makes for a very interesting focal point.

Master Bedroom-

I heart…how they didn’t ignore the height of the room when planning out this space.  A large chandelier, tall swooping bed curtains, and a detailed ceiling, all draw your eye upward and help break up the large expanse of white wall (painted Benjamin Moore’s, Frappe)

Master Bathroom-

I heart…how unique the bathtub is.  With a marble backsplash and a paneled tub surround, this whirlpool tub is nothing short of luxurious.

Closet-

I heart…the huge walk-in closet. Enough said- the picture explains it all!

What’s not to love here?

Happy Valentine’s!

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!

While the delivery of shelter mags to my front doorstep, continue to be few and far between, it was refreshing to hear of another new online magazine, Adore Home.   My friend BK sent me this link, a forward from a friend of hers, who felt that it had some “Domino-like” qualities. I couldn’t agree more.  With bright, fun interiors lining its pages, it did feel that for a second, Domino re-surfaced.

Online magazines are quickly popping up everywhere.  So many, that you begin to wonder if they will eventually replace the traditional shelter mag?  I definitely think there is a place for both in the design world, as each bring such different, wonderful qualities to the table.

Adore is an Australian home and lifestyle magazine so I did a double take when I saw that the Dec/Jan issue of theirs was their “summer issue” and I thought that this had to be a mis-print.  Well, luckily it’s not! Australia’s summer started December 1st and as summer is my favorite season, I was overjoyed to see that Adore’s newest issue is filled with bright color palettes and tropical weather.  A nice break from the dreary, cold days of winter here.

Read their newest issue, here!