Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

The problem: you coordinated your dream room and finally selected the perfect lamp to compliment the look- but there’s no outlet in sight… OR the only thing in sight is the lamp’s bulky cord. A tripping hazard and just plain ugly. We’ve all been there.

The solution: (we wouldn’t leave you without one!) Cordless lighting solutions from Modern Lantern! This husband and wife team was tired of searching for outlets and decided to do something about it. With over 15 years of product development and interior design experience between the two of them, they are now combining their talents to create a product that has never been seen before.

Cordless and sleek, these lamps operate off a lithium ion battery and LED bulb duo and can last 15 hours when fully charged. Their convenient concept allow you to move them from room to room on a styling whim and are offered in 6 different styles to best suit your space!

Talk about a bright idea!

 

 

Not only are these lamps functional, but they go with just about every decor – from modern to girly glam! Say goodbye to ugly cords and hello to Modern Lantern! We think we’ll be seeing a lot more from this innovative duo!

Although it’s fun to keep up-to-date with the latest and greatest in design trends, it sometimes pays off to look into the past for a little inspiration.

Campaign furniture as we know it has been in use since the traveling armies of Julius Caesar, but is most commonly associated with the British Armed Forces. Why the war-time trend? Because that’s where the ‘campaign’ name comes from.

 

 

Considered to be any type of furniture made to be easily broken down or folded for easy transportation, campaign furniture was initially designed for armies to pack up and carry with them on their marches. Demand for these portable pieces increased in 18th and 19th century England but now you’ll find them all over the globe (including in Dallas, on Craig’s List)!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon an extremely affordable and chic campaign desk on Craig’s List that just needed a little bit of extra TLC. I had been wanting a piece of campaign furniture for a long time, but hadn’t come across “the one” yet.  Since we are moving into a new office and need another unique desk (I’m not one to buy office furniture from IKEA), I snatched this up from sweet Bonnie and immediately started searching for painted campaign inspiration.

{Desk looks very similar to this one here}

While the most common item of campaign furniture is actually not the desk but the traditional chest of drawers (also referred to as a military chest or campaign chest). These campaign cuties come in so many different shapes and sizes, the options are endless. Campaign furniture is most often made of mahogany or teak, and can be easy to distinguish because of their recognizable folding places, but others only have their standard brass corners and strap work (originally used for travel protection).

We love their worldly feel, and even though you may not be packing up your entire set of drawers for your next road trip, these pictures of inspiration show that you can still have lots of fun with them.

This kelly green painted campaign dresser quickly became an internet sensation-

 

Are these nightstands brown or black? I can’t tell…either way, I’m in love!

 

This deep blue color is stunning!

 

Other kelly green beauties…

 

Classic white paint always looks good and boy does it make the gold hardware pop!

Ok I don’t know if it’s the gold chair with the zebra print or what, but I’m completely obsessed with this set up here-

Va va voom coral!

This turquoise color is nice and fresh! Notice the black top for contrast…

And the best of every world- multi-colored campaign!

There are so many color options out there! Now I ask you dear readers, what color do you think I should paint mine? Leave a comment if you have a favorite bright furniture paint..would love to get your opinions!

In honor of tonight’s Oscars, I wanted to share a very exciting and personal interview that I was fortunate to have with the designer of the Oscars Greenroom!! For this year’s 84th Academy Awards, Architectural Digest selected Waldo Fernandez, designer to the stars, to design their backstage greenroom! We were given the chance to have a private phone interview with Waldo, and Emily generously passed along the opportunity to to me (her assistant, Taylor) and I was so thrilled to do so! I could not wait to talk to Waldo about his glamorous design for the Oscars greenroom, but little did I know he would share amazing, personal stories about his relationships with some of Hollywood’s biggest names (including Elizabeth Taylor and Brad Pitt!!)

Here is a little background information on Waldo - Waldo Fernandez is one of Hollywood’s legendary interior designers. He came to the United States from Cuba to explore his passion for design and love of the arts. Waldo’s career began as a set designer for 20th century Fox, and his involvement in the entertainment industry led to his very successful career and large list of celebrity clientele. Fernandez’s impressive portfolio, spanning more than three decades, not only includes homes for an incredible roster of clients—Elizabeth Taylor, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, and Darren Star among them—but also a number of commercial projects, such as the Beverly Hills Hilton and the West Hollywood Soho House club. So you can imagine how excited I was to talk him!!

Waldo was just as friendly and humble as he looks in the picture above!

Take a look at his fabulous design for the Architectural Digest greenroom, inspired by 1930′s and 40′s Hollywood glamour. Oscar greets you as you enter the gorgeous space! -

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Waldo has a passion for furniture and said that for this space he wanted to start with only good quality furniture – no reproductions. To achieve the 1930′s and 1940′s Hollywood look of the greenroom he went back to his sources and selected only the highest quality furniture from the 20th century. He carefully selected Schumacher fabrics for the upholstery and told me that, “if you select beautiful fabric and good quality furniture, the whole room comes together.”

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Architectural Digest partnered with Caesarstone, California Classics Reserve Collection Flooring, Circa Lighting, Feizy Rugs, Giati Designs, HP, Questroyal Fine Art, Samsung, and Schumacher Fabrics to furnish this beautiful space and provide it with the latest technology!

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The color palette of the greenroom was inspired by his love of gray – specifically a cool gray wall finish from Donald Kaufman Color. From there, Waldo layered the color throughout the room in different tones and then added in the cream color with Schumacher upholstery fabrics. In all of Waldo’s designs he uses a neutral color palette because he believes that the art, furniture and fabric are what give life to the room. He believes the walls should be a soft color because it goes with anything and “walls without art are dead.” – We couldn’t agree with him more!

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Waldo used rugs from Feizy to soften the space.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

In a smaller sitting area, Waldo centered a Ruhlmann-style dining table beneath a simple chandelier from Circa Lighting. This is a perfect example of Waldo’s refined, glamourous style and his appreciation of quality furniture.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The custom bar features a CaesarStone countertop.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The outdoor space is furnished with Giati Designs “Castillo” metal furniture.

Here is Waldo lounging in the Oscars Greenroom with the amazing HP ENVY Spectre laptop. HP provided ENVY Spectre laptops for the greenroom so the celebs could keep track of the action online during the show!

Be sure to check out this video tour of the greenroom provided by HP!

Waldo was one of the nicest and most inspiring people I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with, so I am very excited to share this interview with you all! Here are more highlights from my amazing chat with Waldo -

Of course I had to start the interview with MG’s favorite quesiton: “What is your favorite material?”

Waldo replied that his favorite material would have to be fabric. He loves textural fabrics that are woven with beautiful materials – he does not like plain fabrics with prints. For the upholstery in the greenroom he selected an ivory Schumacher fabric that was a mix of cotton, rayon, wool, and silk – VERY luxurious! Of course Waldo could only select the best for the Oscars!

My next question for Waldo was whether or not he was going to attend the Oscars this year. Waldo replied that he was not attending, and that he preferred to spend the night at a friend’s house watching the show with a cocktail in the comfort of their living room. He said the bar was way too crowded at the Oscars! In past years, he spent the evening at his dear friend, Elizabeth Taylor’s home, just the two of them, watching the show. Then we talked about his history and friendship with Elizabeth Taylor – I was so star struck I could barely speak!! Here is Elizabeth Taylor in her home designed by Waldo Fernandez -

Firooz Zahedi for Architectural Digest

Waldo told me that the most memorable experience of his design career was his opportunity to work for Elizabeth Taylor and the close friendship that developed between the two of them over the years. He met her for the first time many years ago when he was “fresh out of Cuba,” he said he was shaking at their first meeting because he couldn’t believe he was talking to THE Elizabeth Taylor – I couldn’t even imagine! He recalled that, “She was sitting by the pool in a bathing suit with a reflector on her chest” – so glamorous! She told him that she was leaving for the Cannes Film Festival and needed her house finished in two weeks!! Like any designer would say, Waldo said, “That is impossible.” (Here was one of my favorite moments from the whole interview…) Elizabeth Taylor replied, “Nothing is impossible, my love.” – And amazingly Waldo finished her entire home in two weeks!

See the tour of Elizabeth Taylor’s home in Architectural Digest HERE!

My next question for Waldo was, “If you were going to the Oscars who would you be most excited to see?”

Waldo told me that he would love to see his clients Angie and Brad!! (As a huge fan of both, I could not contain my excitement!) He told me that “Brad was fantastic and a pleasure to work with.” He said that he and Brad were a perfect match because, “Brad has a passion for architecture, good furniture, and art” just like himself! He said that Brad reads about design and architecture and really gets into it. – So from what Waldo told me, Brad really is perfect!!

I asked Waldo what his favorite room to design for Brad was and he simply said “the whole house.” I can imagine it would be hard to pick just one!!

Waldo also just finished a project for the writer of the Sex and the City movies, Darren Star! This project was featured in the February issue of Architectural Digest! Here is Darren’s living room -

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

You can see the full tour of Darren’s Bel Air home HERE.

To wrap up the interview, I asked Waldo, “What is one piece of advice you would give young, aspiring designers like myself?” He told me, “Never be scared talking to your clients, but still listen to them, and stick to what you believe is right.” Such wise words! He also told me that the most important aspect of interior design and being a designer is knowing scale – Once you understand scale you know how everything in a room works together! Thank you so much Waldo!

It really was a dream come true talking to Waldo and getting a behind the scenes look at the design of the Oscars greenroom! Thank you HP for this amazing opportunity! Be sure to watch the Oscars tonight and be on the lookout for the greenroom and Waldo’s beautiful design!

We’ve always been charmed by the beautiful, hand-painted Chinoiserie, Japanese, and Korean wallpaper created by de Gournay but, as impressive as these designs are, don’t think of this NYC company as a one trick pony.

In addition to admiring their knobbly slub silk, hand woven silk damask, Indian tea paper, and striking metallic wallpapers, we’ve recently been intrigued by de Gournay’s extensive fabric collection.

The talent behind these romantic designs can paint any of their looks onto fabrics of different qualities and weights. Upholstery, bedspreads, curtains, blinds- whatever your need- the designers at de Gournay will help you complete your room in the best possible taste. Even porcelain can be used as a canvas to create the harmonious interior of your dreams!

Take a look at just a sample of their hand-painted work!

For those of you in NYC, look out for the re-opening of their showroom on 59^th and 2^nd avenue in the design district before the summer months!

We are thrilled to announce our latest giveaway is with the fabulous I.O. Metro!! For those who don’t know, I.O. Metro is a chic (yet affordable) furniture, art, and accessories store that offers cutting-edge looks at a fraction of the retail cost! Jay Howard founded the company in 2005 at the age of 23! Which is pretty impressive considering they have now expanded to 18 stores across the United States AND they have partnered with the famed designer, Vern Yip!

Now one lucky MG reader has the chance to win not one, but TWO gray and white kilim poufs from I.O. Metro that retail for $199.95 each! These are the company’s most popular poufs! They measure 18x18x18 and consist of wool and cotton. These poufs are as functional as they are fashionable – use them to prop up your feet, as an extra side table, or even as an extra seat. Go HERE now for your chance to win!

Seriously, how cute are these?! They would make a great accent in any room.

Take a look at some of I.O. Metro’s other great pieces, and be sure to check out their website for more fab finds!

Geo Gold Mirrored Cabinet – Only $250!!

Armitage 47″ Round Dining Table – $599.95

21″ Diameter Aluminum Side Table – $199.95

Fun accessories like the Bronze Iron Strip Ball would look great grouped together! – $24.95

34″ Diameter Flower Leaf Mirror – $99.95

And finally, one of our personal favorites – The Zebra Cowhide Rug. $499.95 for this gorgeous statement maker!

Go here to enter our I.O. Metro giveaway now, trust us you don’t want to miss out on this one! Entries will be accepted until 12 a.m. Sunday, March 11 (ET). Our lucky winner will be announced here on Material Girls on Monday, March 12th. Good luck to you all!

Every now and then two powerful and talented forces come together in collaboration and make us wonder- why didn’t this happen sooner?

Combining FABRICUT’s  dependable name in residential fabrics with the luxurious visions of Southern-born Charlotte Moss, couldn’t be more brilliant.

Charlotte Moss’ philosophy to “live passionately, decorate luxuriously and entertain beautifully” shines through in her recent partnership, resulting in some beautiful designs. Check them out!

Thank you Merida for blogging about our Frisco client’s dining room!

We used one of Merida Meridian’s gorgeous sisals on this project- (Luxe Silver Topaz with a Soft Cotton Twill binding to be exact) and we loved how it turned out.  The textured sisal was an amazing juxtaposition to the shiny metallics, smooth blown glass and sleek mirrored finishes.

It can be challenging to source a grayed out sisal.  Since sisal is a natural material, it’s much more common to find them with warm gold tones.  When we stumbled across this one from Merida, we knew it would coincide perfectly with everything else in the room.

The lighter rug ended up making such a huge difference in a room that started off as a sea of dark brown.

{Luxe Silver Topaz Sisal}

When the client and I first met, she said that everything in the room could go except for the trim and wall colors.  We both agreed that since we were leaving the dark brown paint, a wallpapered accent wall on the back wall would give this room the pizzazz it needed to set it apart from the extremely traditional neighboring Frisco homes. (Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’m not a fan of the painted accent wall, but wallpaper is a totally different story)

As they say..out with the old, in with the new!

Before-

After-

For more about the Frisco dining room renovation, visit Merida’s blog!

For the past two years I’ve been living in a 1,000 square foot house in East Dallas with no disposal, a dishwasher that you have to hook up manually to the faucet, one bathroom and a vintage O’Keefe and Merit oven (which is adorable until you want to make cookies and have to buy a special tiny cookie sheet for the oven and THEN have to light a match to even start the baking process).  At times, I forget that I’m living in the 21st century

Don’t get me wrong, we love our quirky little 1930′s house.  It has lots of charm (original doorknobs, warm wood floors, scalloped built-ins, and french doors.) It’s also fun living near White Rock lake, Mockingbird Station, Greenville and Lakewood.

This house has been a great first house for my husband and I..but let’s be honest…one bathroom, closets that only fit half a season’s worth of clothes, and a living room that doesn’t fit anything larger than an apartment sized sofa, are things that are wearing on us just a tad.

{an example of our oven}

With our lease expiration in May fast approaching, the clock has started to tick on finding a larger place.  We’re toying with the idea of buying something and I have to admit that I’ve been doing what must be typical of every interior designer (right???)- something I like to call obsessing.  I check the MLS for new listings every single day trying to find the “perfect” house in our price range. My realtor has dubbed me the “picky” client as I always seem to point out what is wrong with every single house (“oh I need a separate formal living and separate formal dining”, “is that carpet in the kitchen?”, “does this backsplash give you the heebie jeebies?”, “does the orange undertone in these wood floors bother anyone else here?”, “Zoey can’t live in a house with a detached backyard”)

Okay, okay she’s right- maybe I am picky…but I think the main problem is that I improve spaces for a living and so I am out there every single day seeing the latest and greatest so when I see the not so great, I immediately have to comment on it. Of course no house will be perfect and really, what fun would it be if it was? My husband has been dying for us to get a fixer-upper so we can work on it together these next few years.

Until then, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming of the perfect house, is there?

There are so many images on MLS that make up “my dream house” but since that 12 million dollar house on Strait Lane is a little bit of a reach for me , I thought I’d compile my favorite images of realistic houses that we’ve actually been looking at into a virtual “dream home” for ya’ll to see- enjoy!

Hollywood Heights, Santa Monica, M Streets or Lakewood? I’d be overjoyed to live in any of these East Dallas neighborhoods. You don’t get a lot of space for your money, but because I die over those Tudor exteriors, I’d gladly give up square footage for curbside appeal with one of these cottage cuties-

An updated kitchen can be hard to come by for the right price in this neighborhood, but I managed to find a few white kitchens that I’d be happy to bake my cookies in (and I look forward to joining the rest of the world with a modern oven and dishwasher- woo hoo!)

I love a formal living room.  I know it’s not really practical this day and age, but I think I’ll always want to have one.  It’s the one room where you don’t have to feel guilty about purchasing unique vintage chairs that are on the smaller side, delicate mirrored coffee tables and clean lined, dainty tight back skirted sofas. This room can be all about PRETTY.  If your husband is anything like mine, he doesn’t care what goes in this room, as long as he has a “man cave” or a comfortable den, so this room truly becomes whatever you want it to be- bliss!

Of course, a family room is important too, but unfortunately most of these smaller houses in East Dallas only have one living area, so in this case, I’m loving how these homeowners mixed the formal with the informal to satisfy both parties in the family.

Arched doorways, painted wood fireplaces, and crown moulding give these houses architectural interest and extra detail.

My husband came across this listing the other day and said that he wants this exact room as his “man cave”- I can deal with that!

In general, I love me some dark wood floors, white trim and gray (or off white) walls!

I’m a nut for a clean and updated looking bathroom.  You can see that this homeowner was on top of the ball when he chose to use white marble in this guest bath.  I always say that every space needs a touch of black- he must have thought so too!

White subway tile is a very affordable way to give a bathroom an instant makeover.  Normally you see white cabinets with white subway, but I like how this homeowner went against the norm and stained his cabinets a deep brown. It warms up the small space nicely-

This room was done by the homeowner, who is an interior designer (can’t you tell)?  Most bedrooms I stumble across on the MLS in our price range aren’t this put together.  Notice the custom cut sisal around the perimeter of the room, custom window treatments and upholstered headboard. You can tell that this homeowner is with it.  Perhaps if we buy this one, he’d consider throwing in the sunburst mirror for free?

And I almost forgot about storage!  Since our house is bursting at the seams currently because of no storage space, I’d add some extra built-ins to our make believe house like the below-

Since this is a dream, I suppose I’ll add on this indoor side porch too.  It makes such a cute sitting area-

Of course, the backyard is very important too.  Even though our house is tiny, we have a great backyard with a deck (it’s probably larger than our house) so I know that is one of the things that we will miss. Here are some other views from the back porch of my pretend East Dallas home, that I wouldn’t mind waking up to every day-

And while we are at it, let’s throw in a guest-house for EJ Interiors to office out of-

Well I suppose it’s time for me to wake up from my house dream and get back to reality. Until next time!

The inspired designers at  Made Goods, known for using natural elements to create unique products, have officially launched their latest collection online today.

The beautiful, handmade pieces in their new collection reflect the company’s passion for quality design, and we couldn’t be more impressed! Boasting 60 brand-new styles, the collection continues to focus on fanciful mirrors yet also includes their first headboard and nightstand designs. Whether you’re looking to re-vamp an entire room or find that one unusual piece to complete a space, the looks at Made Goods are sure to stand out and make a statement!

Some of our favorites: (it was hard to choose!)

Celeste Mirror

Catherine Drum Chandelier

Benjamin Table

Florence Mirrors

Gavin Headboard

For those of you in NYC, stop by Made Good’s new collection launch from January 28- February 1 at Pier 94 Booth 45020-23.

Congratulations to MG reader Aliza from Lakewood, New Jersey! Aliza has won both the “Dr. Mary Side Sleeper” and “Jetsetter” pillows from the wonderful folks at The Pillow Bar!

Developed by noted sports chiropractor Dr. Mary Collings, the luxurious “Dr. Mary Side Sleeper” is designed to relieve shoulder and neck tension, and the “Jetsetter” pillow is perfect for comfort on the go.

Aliza told MG that she’ll catch some zzz’s with her new pillows in her favorite room of her new home- the master bedroom! The sleek pillows- recently featured in the Wall Street Journal- will fit perfectly in her white and grey bedroom, which mixes traditional elegance with hotel contemporary. Enjoy, Aliza!

Dr. Mary Side Sleeper Pillow

Jetsetter Pillow