This is what Dallas designer Ike Isenhour has been doing for the past five years: Going to Florence and working on former Dallasite Brenda Schoenfeld's villa. Every time I ran into him in town, I'd ask him what he was doing. He'd always say, "going to Florence." Times are tough. People do what they have to do.
The villa, which Brenda named Joya (Spanish for jewel -- a double entendre given what she does for a living), is finally finished. It's actually a limonia (building for storing Lemon trees in the winter) that was converted into a home. It's located in the beautiful, ancient, Pian di Guillari residential area of Florence. Brenda is living in Miami while her son is in school, so the property is available for rentals. Ike tells me it's becoming well known in the fashion world as a place to rent while working in Florence.
To view more photos of the villa go here and click on "Joya".
After more than 20 years on Lovers Lane, Antèks Home Furnishings has moved to an 8,000 square ft. space on Dragon Street, in the Dallas Design District, into what they call "a fresh, eco-friendly space with loads of character," sporting a cleaner look, concrete floors, antique and salvaged wood and Thybony wallpaper. Of note: Antèks will remain retail based and is open to the public, with special consideration to the design trade.
Believe it or not, these amazing French style gardens are in Dallas. They are on the grounds of Marie Gabrielle restaurant near downtown, which is hosting a Fall cooking class at 6p.m. on October 22. Take a look at the delicious menu and information below. Contact general manager Edward Searle at (214) 871-2098 or just call the restaurant.
Builders Sharif and Munir, who have given Dallas much of its signature Big Look, are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a book chronicling many of their projects. You can buy it for $20 (including shipping) by calling their offices. Here's a preview of some of the French and Tuscan inspired houses:
These next two stories belong in "Refugees from the bad economy" category:
Paris-based passementerie maker Remy Lemoine Passementerie d'Art, which was until recently sold at David Sutherland showroom, is now hunting for a Dallas home. I've known about Remy's unusual tie-backs and tassels for almost a decade, and besides, he's a nice guy.
Kim Coe of Queen Bea Studio in Del Ray Beach, Florda used to sell her wonderfully preppy totes through Dallas based Room Service Home, which has recently gone out of business. Because Dallas was such a big customer of hers, she designed this longhorn bag just for us!Says Kim: "I created a Cole bag just for Dallas. It has a longhorn on it! The longhorn is embroidered on the bag (not stamped) and can be stitched in any color and a monogram or word can be added. I left it plain and black for the simple clean lines. I also attached a photo of myself in front of my bags and a few baskets. The bags are made here in Delray Beach. The Cole is an unlined rather urban bag (raw/fringed top edge and big stitches on sides, no seams) and black seatbelt handles; 26"wide x 18" tall x 6" deep.
Contact Kim directly if you're interested in any of her bags including the Dallas longhorn.
