Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

For as long as we can remember, my partner and I have always wanted a family. After many discussions and looking into several options, we decided to go with a surrogacy program located in New Delhi, India. In August of this past year, things started to get serious, and we are now well on our way to fatherhood! We are very excited, and we hope and pray for the best! Along with planning for a baby, we also have to plan for two trips to India. The closer we get to our travel dates, the more I’ve found myself looking at Indian design, cuisine, and culture. It’s so very different from the mainstream western world, and almost immediately identifiable.

How exotic is this?!  The clean, crisp white walls and decorative tiled floor make the perfect backdrop for bold Indian color and pattern.

This room is full of so much life and excitement!  All that pink is enough to make Lisa Vanderpump proud!  Ever since I was little, I’ve always been a fan of bold colors.  Rich hues are in no shortage when it comes to Indian design aesthetic.  It’s almost as if the rule is this: The more color you can put in a room the better!  It’s amazing how these spaces can look so energizing, and yet so calm and restful at the same time. Classic Indian interiors are known for their extremely intricate, ornate, and busy patterns.  Over the past month or so, I’ve ran across a few fabrics that I might use somehow in our new nursery.  We’re working to create a fun space, that has touches of some of our future child’s heritage.  Here are a few of my favorites so far.  The colors and patters are so exciting and playful!

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.

 

 

A few weeks ago, a colleague of mine from the DMC invited me to be on the Host Committee for the Sneak Peek blog gathering here in Dallas!  It’s during the January Total Home & Gift Market.  I can’t wait!  The event is focused on helping bloggers gain great content for blogs, and will also be great for networking. The even gets kicked off on Friday January 18th at 5:30 with a champagne meet and greet with HGTV’s John Gidding!  Saturday’s agenda is packed full of excitement with showroom visits with the latest and greatest in home furnishings, as well as a few seminars.  Those who attend will also be offered a discounted ticket to the 24th Annual ARTS Awards on Saturday evening!  This is a black-tie gala event that I won’t want to miss!

 

If you’re interested in attending the Sneak Peek weekend, please click here for more information and registration info as well!  If you want to go to this exciting fun filled weekend, don’t drag your heels!  It’s only open to the first 50 bloggers who can attend!

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!

 

Recently, Beverly Hills House Wife Lisa Vanderpump, her husband Ken Todd, and their dog Jiggy, moved into their newly remodeled Beverly Hills home…. well, mansion.  At 8,000 square feet, it’s a downsize from their 15,500 square footer they just moved out of.  Lisa’s reported net worth is valued at $65 million.  So, with that being said, it’s no wonder she lives a life of lavishness!  With pink as her trademark hue, she’s tricked out her new princess digs in the pretty color.  Take a look at some of these “Before & After” shots of this glammed out Real House Wife of Beverly Hills super sumptuous pad.

Here’s the entry before:

And after:

 

 

 

Definitely a massive change!  The mirrored walls, and lighter wall colors with Lisa’s touches of pink, totally brighten this baby up!

The formal living room also “had a little work done”!

Lisa’s new Formal Living Room:

Darker hardwood flooring, lighter upholstered furniture, painted trim work, chandelier and mirrored furniture transformed this once dark living area into a room fit for even Marie Antoinette to receive callers.

 

Next on the list is the dining room.  Here’s what it looked like before:

And after:

 

The next area that got a major face lift was the outdoor living areas.  Check out the before and after’s of this part of the estate:

 

 

 

 

Talk about a night and day difference! Love how you can lounge outside, yet still be under a fabulous chandelier at the same time! And, I’m totally obsessing over that infinity pool with it’s view of the famous ‘Hills’!

Check out the master bedroom. Major pink transformation!

Even Ken’s closet got a make over!  I love how all the white and mirrors can still be made to feel masculine.

And here’s his closet after shot.  I guess the love of pink is a mutual thing! Looks like he has more pink shirts than I do!

And now, without further ado, I give you the piece de resistance….. Lisa’s closet! (although, I feel like “closet” isn’t the correct terminology for this palatial dressing room).  I don’t know whether I should stand and stare, or go shopping!  This thing is so big, it needs not one, but TWO chandeliers!

OMG, am I in Hermes? Oh, no, wait, it’s  just Lisa Vanderpump’s private closet! Check out all those Birkins! My mouth is watering!

And here’s just a little sampling of some of her bling:

Clutches, purses and bags, Oh My!

Well folks, there you have it.  The life of the the rich and famous!

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.

The holidays are coming up soon and you know what that means..time to start shopping for Christmas gifts!

The Dallas Sample Sale at Market Hall is a great place to get a head start. Here, they have anything from apparel and jewelry, to furniture and lighting!

This event is taking place from November 8-11 at Market Hall at Dallas Market Center.  Tonight was the preview night that kicked off the big event!

I actually purchased some amazing finds last year from manufacturer’s such as The Phillips Collection- it was definitely worth the trip!

Pics from last year-

Hope to see you there!

After telling my father in law that I was on the hunt for a vintage sputnik fixture, it wasn’t more than two weeks before he texted me with a photo saying “Sputnik complete. Buy of the day.”  He found it at the Goodwill Auction in Athens, Texas for…..drumroll….$40!

In the past, he’s bought me a pair of bamboo chairs for $10, a glass top for my bamboo patio set for $15- all from either the local auction or garage sales.  The moral of this story is that you never know what you’ll find at these types of places.  One man’s trash could be another woman’s treasure (ie: me!) and I’ve never felt apprehension about parking my car on the side of the road and venturing into an unknown thrift store, consignment shop, garage sale, estate sale, or the like.

Last night I thought it might be helpful if I sent my father in law a list of the vintage pieces that I’m always on the lookout for (since apparently he is my good luck charm)..a vintage dictionary of sorts.  As I start typing out a LONG list of 25+ things with descriptions on each, (and wanting to send the list to everyone I know so they could be on the lookout too) I realize that there might even be people out there stumbling upon these pieces at garage sales, without even knowing their worth.

{image via Again and Again}

So without further ado, here’s my list of “trendy” vintage items that are hot hot hot right now! If you see one of these for $10 at a garage sale, it would be wise to throw it in the back of your truck bed and never look back..seriously….I guarantee that there are a bunch of people out there who will be glad to take it off your hands!

{All image examples via Circa Who, Again and Again and Gypsy Soul Interiors- just a few of my favorite go-to vintage sources. Circa Who- please move to Dallas!}

1) Faux bamboo- I’ve never met a piece of bamboo furniture that I didn’t like.  I often call myself the “bamboo” lady.  I love bamboo pieces because they are easily paintable and look awesome in bright colors.  Dressers, nightstands, armoires, dining and patio sets- you name it. Faux bamboo is everywhere now! Especially in my house.  I would say out of everything on this list, faux bamboo detailing is probably the easiest to find.

 

 I have this same style of patio set (and painted it glossy blue gray)- best find ever. Thanks Christian!

Circa Who has a set in this style as we speak!

2) Lucite/acrylic- This clear material can go by either name but I find that it’s most commonly referred to as lucite.  Lucite can be found in both furniture and lighting.  Finding acrylic is like finding GOLD! Snatch. It. Up.   Whether the whole thing is acrylic or just the legs/base, I’ve discovered that people are okay with even the slightest bit of acrylic heaven!  Post something on Craigs List with lucite in the name and it is gone in a flash! The ghost chairs of course are some of the most widely known acrylic pieces but as much as I love them, I’m partial to unique vintage lucite pieces.

Oftentimes, you will see people selling just the lucite base of a coffee table or dining table on Ebay or what not.  It’s so easy and affordable to get a glass top cut for one so definitely don’t overlook those pieces that solely include the base!

3) Rattan- It has a similar look to bamboo and is made up of stems of a palm.  I’m actually looking for a rattan hall tree at the moment with very specific dimensions which has been hard to find.  I saw one in Canton a while back and my husband convinced me not to buy it- the one time I listened to him, it definitely backfired on me! Rattan also makes great patio chairs like these below.

4) Elephant Garden Seats- People love these little whimsical garden stools and planters. I’ve always been a little on the fence about these. I think they are fun but I know if I brought one home Ben would give me the “why” look times a thousand..

5) Black lacquer ming chairs or ming style of furniture- People die over the black lacquered ming chairs! A pair will often go for $800-900.  I wish I had somewhere to put these in our house….still trying to make room!

6) Dorothy Draper chest- I’d sell my first born for one of these.  You will come across the Dorothy Draper impostors and the true Dorothy Draper’s. The impostors can go for $750 and the real ones in the thousands. A pair of these can be hard to find! Not too long ago I saw a pair on Dallas’ 24-7 estate sales website and so I raced to get to the estate sale right when it opened and the lady there told me that they were gone…someone had camped out in front of the sale since 2:30 AM waiting for them!! Although I pine for a pair of these chests, my beauty sleep is a little more important.

7) Pagoda- anything “pagoda”- esque goes- light fixtures, mirrors etc. Gold, white or a bright color is always nice!

8) Fretwork- Snatch up anything with fretwork on it!  You usually see this interlaced detailing on cabinets, armoires, and dining tables.  I saw a big white rectangular fretwork dining table at a warehouse sale a while back for pennies and was so sad that it wouldn’t fit in the EJ Interiors office.  Maybe it was a sign I didn’t need another vintage piece!

9) Caning- I personally love anything with caning. My dining chairs have cane backs and I love them, but you do have to be careful that you don’t lean too far back into them (I have stretched a cane back or two). My favorite are cane back benches…

Bamboo AND Caning combo?  Cha ching!

10) Wicker or fiberglass fan chairs- I have a pair of these in my backyard (courtesy of Gypsy Soul).  They have such a great shape to them. My fiberglass ones survived the legendary Dallas hailstorm in June so I’d say they are pretty sturdy little things!

11) Blue and white porcelain- Timeless. Enough said.

12) French Louis chairs- These have caning which I love, but the most sought after ones have an upholstered back with either a round or square shape.  The square ones can be especially hard to find!

13) X benches- A pair of these is definitely worth picking up! Most of the time they are all upholstered, but sometimes only the top is upholstered and the base is metal or wood.

14) Shell back chairs- ever since I saw one of these chairs in Leslie Pritchard’s home (of Again and Again), I have daydreams about these!  When I saw six of them on Circa Who’s website, I was like a kid in a candy shop.

15) Brass- It seems most of my clients either lean one way or the other- silver or gold.  I tend to gravitate towards gold.  Anything with brass is a must in my book!

 
16) Mirrored- I always say that every space needs a touch of mirror. I have a hard time finding vintage mirrored pieces (I find more new mirrored pieces) so it’s extremely exciting to stumble upon something like this every now and then-

 

17) Bar carts- Finding my $40 brass bar cart was the highlight of my year!  People LOVE the brass bamboo ones, but lucite bar carts and chrome bar carts are also other bar cart must haves.

 

18) Greek key- I know it’s something we see everywhere, but greek key still seems to be going strong!  I especially heart a pair of greek key wooden nightstands like so-

19) Elephant desks or elephant consoles- People go nutty for these consoles and desks with elephants on the legs!  I must say…I’ve always wanted one! My favorite is when they lacquer them a bright orange.

 

20)  Tassel or rope detailing- on furniture/mirrors is very popular right now!  We’ve blogged about this before but this motif seems to be here to stay!

21) Animals- are the perfect home accessory!  Elephants, greyhounds, foo dogs, owls, lions, horses, zebras- you name it! These adorable creatures are definitely man’s best home decor friend-

22) Garden stools- it can be hard to find a good vintage garden stool (especially a pair of them!) You often see them in ceramic or metallic form.

23) Campaign furniture- How to identify these?  From the brass hardware.  The burl wood is more desirable than the oak but both make pretty statement pieces and can always be lacquered up in a heartbeat!

24) Fiberglass outdoor dining set- These are so adorable and are a great space saver (with their small chairs and round table) for small backyards/patios.

25) Quatrefoil- This motif (aka the four leaf clover) can turn an otherwise basic furniture piece into a true gem!  Gypsy Soul had this super cute wooden chair with quatrefoil accents.

26) Faux bois- Love a good faux bois detail! It always looks great on a dining chair or arm chair.  Look at these with cane- perfection!

In recent years, there’s been a resurgence of all things mid-century modern.  And I love it!  One of my favorite mid-century modern classics is the Sputnik light fixture.  Its starburst shape with arms of irregular length make this chandelier a seriously one of a kind light fixture.  I am DYING to get a brass sputnik for my guest bedroom and I’ve been searching Ebay like crazy. The right Sputnik (perfect size) can be hard to find!

 

 

Above is a brushed brass fixture, that was modeled after an original.  This particular fixture is quite large, and has 36 lights!

 

What is “Sputnik” anyways?  Sputnik was actually the worlds’ first artificial Earth satellite.  It was launched on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union.  Sputnik started the Space Age, which introduced an influx of all new modernized technology, furniture, and motifs in the world of interiors.  Above is an artist’s rendition of the original Sputnik satellite in orbit around Earth.

Sputnik pendants come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are installed closer to the ceiling, like a flush mount, while others have several suspension wires that connect at the top.  Below is another version of the chandelier, but with a modern day touch.

 

 

In a recent project we’re working on, I found a fantastic vintage Sputnik inspired chandelier at White Elephant Antiques.  We’re using it in our client’s master bedroom.  Its black arms with silver ends really make this piece stand out.  It’s truly a fabulous spin-off of the original version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I really adore this particular fixture.  I just love how its shape is more flatt, and not as spherical.  It fans out over the table, and acts as a great visual focus point in this dining-

 

 This kitchen has integrated a Sputnik chandelier over the petite grand piano to help define it as a more elegant area, separate from the working areas in the kitchen.