That Damn Boat Again

Dallas writer David Feld, who's been living and working in New York and Connecticut for the past year, read Allan Knight's comment on my blog about the Z Gallerie crystal galleon chandelier. Here's what David had to say (again, thanks to everyone who voices opinions on my blog, I love it!)

Rebecca:

I always thought the first "galleon" chandelier was created by Bagues in the 1920s. So Allan Knight's meeting the creator of the "original" meant she must be very very old or that it was a very very long time ago.

Then I doubted my own freakish "decor" recall-ability and hit Google. Crystal "ship"chandeliers in the search bar produced a number of hits on the subject, including this early 20th Century Italian number:



And, here's another one from the 1920s, found in the home of Jennifer Nicholson.

So without a definitive study, I presume that these chandeliers have existed in one form or another since the design of the Galleon itself which sets it sometime prior to Columbus. It's fair to agree that the contention that the chandelier has an "originator" is lost to the depths of design history (pardon the aquatic pun).

What makes Z Gallery so awful in comparison to say, Target, except marketing? It's hard to rail against "big box" retailers when they've done so much to uplift our collective national taste. The past 40 years or so since Laura Ashley first made "English country charm" affordable to the masses has been a golden age of taste. People at all income levels are now both interested and able to have good design in almost every aspect of their lives -- from towels to toilet bowl brushes.

Aren't our aspirational natures part of the beauty of this country? Every little girl or boy can grow up to be president and have de Gournay on their walls.

Best,
David

P.S. That Z Gallerie galleon chandelier is hideous, by the way. Here's someone who's sick of galleons, too.

Allan Knight Sounds Off

AllanKnight took me to task about my blog yesterday on Z Gallerie's crystal galleon chandelier, which looks like a French one found in Nanette Lepore's living room. I love it when people talk back. I'm wondering what you think.

Rebecca
Well, it wasn’t just like it, and this is the kind of Knocking Off that I hate. These big box retailers take great product, and copy the idea, without license, then everyone sees the cheap version and think that the real one looks that bad. Very few people actually see the great original. I had the pleasure of meeting the French gal that made the one in the Lepore townhouse, and she is truly gifted. I guess imitation could be considered flattery, it has happened to us a lot, but somehow I never feel that way. I just feel cheated. But this is what Highpoint is all about, and Big Box retailing. Z Gallery is one of the worst offenders. Just an FYI as to how people who manufacture and create feel about the knock offs. -- Allan Knight

You Won't Believe it's Z Gallerie!

If you saw fashion designer Nanette Lepore's Victorian townhouse in Elle Decor last month, you probably went nuts over this fantasic ship chandelier in her living room like I did.




Did you know that Z Gallerie just came out with one almost just like it for $799?

Fort Worth's Charity Showhouse!

Builder Brent Hull of Hull Historical sent me these fantastic photos he shot of the house he built for Historic Fort Worth. He also did the mill work found throughout the house.

Designer Justin Seitz did this lovely dining room with its blue and white plates.



The entry hall is being handled by Winterthur Museum and Country Estate is which helping to sponsor the charity house. The walls in the entry are hand painted Stark papers that mimic the entry hall at Winterthur, says Hull.


Joseph Minton did the family room.

Another view of the family room.

Architectural detail in the family room.


The mantle in Joe Minton's family room, before the furniture was moved in.



More outstanding mill work and blue and white pieces.




Mark Clay did this bedroom. Don't you love the zebra hide bench with all the florals? I was told that Mark is a former creative director for Ralph Lauren, and you can definitely see the influence.


Back view of the Fort Worth showhouse.

The house's design is classically Georgian, and based on a famous 1730 house in Centreville, Maryland, called Readbourne. It's available for public tours November 1-16. Buy your tickets online through Historic Fort Worth, which benefits from their sale.

Dallas' Fab Edward Durrell Stone House

Architect Russell Buchanan's magnificent restoration of Edward Durrell Stone's most famous house has just won the prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The announcement was made today.

It's been a great month so far for Buchanan. The house is also featured in October's Architecture Digest, and he's profiled in Modern Luxury's Dallas Interiors edition, which you can read on line. (I'm going to post something tomorrow from an interview I did with Buchanan about the Durrell Stone house, which did not appear in the Modern Luxury story.)

Co-recipients of the award are homeowners John and Jennifer Eagle, designer David Cadwallader, Mesa Design Group and Sebastian and Associates.

From the press release issued by Buchanan Architects:

Oak Court represents one of modernist architect Edward Durrell Stone’s most significant residential projects. Designed in the mid-1950s, the house incorporated the interior courtyards, sunscreens and lavish materials that were hallmarks of its architect. Over the years, a number of alterations destroyed many of the most fundamental design characteristics of Stone’s plan. Thanks to new owners, a meticulous restoration has returned this modernist masterpiece to its original grandeur.

Modeled after the architect’s design for the U.S. Embassy in New Dehli, the house featured white brick grillework, an iconic dining room that floated on a body of water and the finest of materials including floors of polished white marble, wood accents in Italian walnut and columns wrapped in gold anodized aluminum.

Myrl Talkington's Spicy Zucchini Soup

When it starts to get cool out, designer Myrl Talkington cooks up big batches of spicy zucchini soup. Because I live just around the corner, I'm often the recipient of a big jar full, like yesterday. (Myrl said she accidentally left out the curry, but it was delicious anyway). It's so good, especially with hot cornbread or a crunchy baguette, and a crisp glass of white wine.

Zucchini Soup from Myrl's Kitchen

2 lbs zucchini {cut up with skin}
1 large onion {cut up and browned in butter and olive oil}
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
5 or 6 tsp Better Than Bouillon
6 cups water
8 oz low fat cream cheese
1 or 2 tsp. curry
1 12 oz. jar of Herdez Tomatillo Sauce
Saute' onions in butter and olive oil until brown.
Disolve bouillon in water and add to onions.
Add cut up zucchini.
Cook until tender.
Add cream cheese and tomatillo sauce. Stir until melted.
Add curry.
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

This soup is good hot or cold.

Julie Cohn and Dave Rolston

For this month's Modern Luxury (you can now view the magazine online!) I wrote about the newly renovated house owned by textile designer Julie Cohn and husband, garden designer Dave Rolston. The story wasn't so much about the house as it was how Julie and Dave designed it, and live in it, together. Julie and Dave are candid, which makes for great quotes and fun reading.

Photographer Nathan Schroeder got Dave to stand in his reflecting pool, soaking wet, for this shot.

Allan Knight's Favorite Books

As a part of my series on favorite design books, I asked showroom owner Allan Knight to tell me about his (I learned something: actress Diane Keaton is an architectural preservationist and has written many books on architecture).



California Romantica by Diane Keaton. "Fabulous point of view, very fresh but with the preservationist viewpoint on Southern California mission style architecture. She is amazing in her ability to translate architecture into light and space."

Gardens Around the World: 365 Days, by Mick Hales. "As an avid gardener, this one is my all time favorites. There are people of vision represented in this book from the historical base, such as Thomas Jefferson, to young modern landscape aficionados…… It has incredible range, and you can pick it up and put it down as you have time."

Tully Weiss: Best Lighting Designer in Dallas

One of a pair of Weiss' light sculptures for Kalita Beck's house. This is the view from the first floor. (Photos by Charles Davis Smith, AIA Photographer)


View from the second level.

I profiled several outstanding people for Modern Luxury Dallas' new interiors magazine, which just hit stands this week. One of them is lighting designer Tully Weiss, an under-the-radar cult figure among art collectors and modern architects in Dallas. He's done the lighting for Raymond Nasher's house, as well as Howard Rachofsky's house (pre-Tadao Ando), among other great modern houses in the area.

He did the lighting for his own house, naturally, which was designed by architect Dan Shipley.
Here's part of the living area in Tully and Kalynn Weiss' beautifully-lit house near White Rock lake. Shipley helped them turn a small ranch into a cozy modern enclave that feels wonderful to be in. In this shot, you can see one of only a handful of lighting fixtures that Tully used, but most of the glow in the space comes from the newest generation of LED lights and fluorescents hidden in wall coves, under benches, etc.

Tully's rule of thumb: If you have art, leave some pieces unlit, because if you do it right, light will bounce off walls and subtly illuminate the art. It's hard to do when you have a great collection and want to show it off. Even Ray Nasher, who at first agreed he didn't want all his multi-million dollar canvasses lit up individually, chickened out at the last minute and asked for more light than what Tully had originally proposed. It all worked out in the end (probably because Nasher ultimately listened). Although the dining area in Tully and Kalynn's house is without art in these photos, you can see how light bounces beautifully around the rooms without much effort. The light you see looks natural and clean, but most of it doesn't come from the sun, it comes from strategically placed new-generation fluorescents.

Tully and Kalynn spent some time talking to me about fluorescents, because I, like many people, still harbored negative ideas about the ugly light and buzzing noises they used to emit. Technology has changed so much that some of the most beautiful light now comes from fluorescents.

These benches are lit underneath with small strands of LED lights that are similar to Christmas tree lights. Illuminated, these simple benches look like sculpture, don't they? You can turn the lights way up or way down, depending on your mood. Go see LED and fluorescent lighting options at Lights Fantastic, which recently installed rooms upstairs to showcase all the new technology.

Contact Tully at 214-718-9596, or t.weiss@sbcglobal.net

Jim Williamson's Favorite Book

I love design books, as you can tell from my posts (and the new "widget" I just installed at top left of my blog, a slideshow of some of my favorites, sold through Amazon. It's so much fun!).

I'm asking showroom owners and designers in Dallas to tell me about their favorite books. Here's what I D Collection's creative director and partner, Jim Williamson had to say:

'I would dare to guess that most people don't even read the text in design books, but I read all mine from cover to cover. Design is more than making a room pretty, it is also about the nuts and bolts that go into making a room beautiful, functional, and livable. You also get a glimpse at what inspired the designer to create a particular look for a room, or why they choose a particular color.

My new old favorite ( it came out last year ) is Nina Campbell's Elements of Design. Even though my personal taste, at the moment, tends to run more contemporary, Nina gives sound advise on design and design solutions. She is also able to update her own style to a more modern traditional look without losing that sense of style that has made her famous. I also personally like Nina. She has a wicked sense of humor and is lighting fast with her retorts."

Tomorrow....Allan Knight.

Forth Worth Charity Showhouse

Look at this beautiful millwork done by Fort Worth builder Brent Hull, who is building a charity showhouse to benefit Historic Fort Worth. They're teaming up with Winterthur Museum & Country Estate in Delaware to help pull off the house, which is inspired by the architecture of Readbourne (1733) in Centreville, Maryland.

Some of the Dallas and Fort Worth designers participating in the house are John Bobbitt, Sandra Brown (of Winterthur), Mark Clay, Tyler Cobb, Greg Connally, Max Cox, Kim Johnson, Kenneth Jorns, Mary Elizabeth Levy, Suzanne Levy, Paula Lowes, Holly Lydick, Jeffrey McAllister, Joseph Minton, John Mitchell, Zoe Powell- Moreau, Michelle Nussbaumer, Deborah Reed, Justin Seitz, Troy Steakley Leigh Taylor, Lisa Teakell and Barry Williams.

The newly constructed 6,000 square foot house, sited on a half acre, will be designed by architect John Milner of John Milner Architects, Inc. of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, who specializes in historic design.

It's open to the public for tours from November 1-16.

William Haines' New Sofa

"Design is an opinion, not a profession." -- William Haines


William Haines, former movie star turned interior decorator, must have been joking when he said that.

Haines' new Bel Air sofa will be available at Allan Knight in Dallas on November 1st. Originally made in 1953 for Betsy Bloomingdale's private home, it embodies the glam Hollywood Regency era that Haines was a part of. The back supports are leather (you choose the leather) while the upholstery is biscuit tufted in classic William Haines style. Available in 8, 9, or 10 ft. versions or custom.

Decorating With Books

In a recent post by Cote de Texas, (I love this blogsite by the way, because it's just fun to look at all the sumptuous pictures) Houston based designer Randy Powers addresses the problem of books clashing with a room's color scheme. He just turns their spines to the back, so only the paper edges show. This keeps everything monochromatic and really gorgeous, but I have to wonder how the hell you find your books that way?(Image courtesy of Elle Decor)


I know a Dallas designer who covers all his books in white paper, but then you've pretty much got the same problem -- how to tell which book is which. (And, he threw a hissy fit when the homeowner took a pencil and wrote the titles on the outside.) For those who really want to read their books and not just admire their shapes on the shelf, the answer is actually a compromise. Here's my take:
Red covers sell books, but they don't look so great in a subtle room. I have a lot of red books like these that shout off the shelves.



Instead of covering up all your books, think about just removing the worst offenders' book jackets. Some, like these red books, look even brighter underneath. I remedied that by buying some pretty papers from Paper and Chocolate and covering them just like in elementary school. (Do they still do that?) The top book below is covered in handmade, hand-blocked paper from Japan. The Japanese papers are generally larger, so they fit larger books easier. Plan to spend about $3-$6 per sheet.


I use paper book plates to write the name of the books on the outside so I can identify them easier. You can find book plates at most stationery shops and bookstores.


I chose pretty patterns in blues, greens, browns and golds to play off the colors in my apartment.


See how nice they look on the shelf? They're quiet, not loud now. Red just wrecks the zen thing I've got going on in my apartment.



I can't live without my bird identification books, including this one, a gift from a friend who first introduced me to the sport of birding. But the cover is hideous, don't you agree?

So, I swathed it in chocolate brown paper with green ferns and charming gold leaf birds on it. It makes me smile every time I look at it because I know exactly what's inside: birds.

Functional Sculpture

Dessin Founir's new Portage side table is hand-forged iron, with an antiqued silver leaf finish. A work of art. At David Sutherland Showroom.




This 1950s era platter by French potter Grandjean-Jourdan Vallauris is ceramic, not wood, can you believe it? It's a part of Sally Rosen's smashing collection of 20th century pieces. $950.

New from J.Robert Scott, the highly polished zebra wood and glass Adelphi tea table. I want two of them.

Wow! Porta Romana at Walter Lee Culp

Cammie at Walter Lee Culp showroom told me yesterday that they just picked up a line by the fabulous Porta Romana out of England. I think Culp is the first showroom to carry its line in the U.S. All handcrafted in their Porta Romana studios, these are some of their newest pieces. This hand blown glass wall sconce looks just like an icicle, doesn't it?


I love these big chunks of amethyst glass. This lamp comes in chocolate, olive, gold and other sumptuous colors.



This one is an almost edible confection of spun sugar



This one is my favorite because of its sophisticated, blue-gray coloring. It comes in other colors, too, which you can view on their site. Porta Romana's silk shades are famous for their special colors, and I read that you can now buy their silks by the meter!



Brancusi would have approved.


This duck feet lamp is completely silly and completely chic at the same time. How do they do it?