Ellise Pierce Cooks in Paris

Writer Ellise Pierce moved to Paris a year ago to, well, write. Instead she's cooking....and blogging. Here's Ellise in her cowboy boots at the market.

Julie Cohn's Desk

Textile artist Julie Cohn's worktable, with swatches and sketches for client Angie Barrett's new apartment in One Arts.


These custom designed plates are prototypes for dinnerware that Julie is creating for Angie. Called Phases of the Moon, the plates are shaded subtly to have an ombré effect when stacked. Porcelain maker Daniel Levy is producing them.


Julie's favorite thing about her home office: the light and all her design books...


An architect designed Julie's cherry wood wraparound desk and computer station.


Pink mid-century mod chairs and daughter Mila's artwork create a whimsical nook in Julie's office.

W2-Studio to Redo Stanley Marcus House

I'm happy to learn that talented, but under-the-radar architectural firm W2-Studio has been hired to do an historic restoration of the former Stanley Marcus house. The house has been the center of controversy lately, because owners Mark and Patty Lovvorn, who've lived there since 1994, wanted to tear it down. Mid-September, the house was given historic status by the city, which prevents its demolition and also requires a carefully planned, sensitive restoration. The Lovvorns hired W2-Studio architect Ryan Williams within hours of the city's formal announcement of historic status. Ryan tells me he's excited about working on the house, an early International style design built in 1938 by Roscoe Dewitt. Stay posted for periodic updates on the house's progress, with snapshots.

You Know It's Fall

when big, potted chrysanthemums start appearing on sidewalks in front of grocery stores everywhere. I never have liked mums, but these were glowing in the sunshine today at Kroger on Cedar Springs, and I couldn't resist a snapshot.

Chef John Tesar's Kitchen Garden

Workers are laying pipes right in the middle of Chef John Tesar's kitchen garden at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, for two new patio fireplaces. I snapped this after taking a sneak peek of the Mansion's prototype guest room, which shows the new designs. Work will start on the top five floors later this fall and be finished early next year. I wasn' t allowed to take pictures, and I can't really tell you much about the newly designed rooms yet (but stay posted) except for Wow! I will say this -- the look might be described as Jan Showers meets Barbara Barry, with a dash of Michelle Nussbaumer. They're being done by San Francisco design firm BAMO.

Errata

I hadn't expected that I'd be making my first correction on my new blog so soon, but here you have it. Ashley Johnson, the PR for the Crescent politely let me know that indeed, there is mention that Philip Johnson designed the hotel on their site's media kit.

How I missed that I have no idea.

Also, I phoned Ashley about the Philip Johnson thing before I ran out for a meeting this afternoon, and didn't wait until she called me back before I hit "post". If I'd waited, I wouldn't have to be writing this correction. She's been a stellar PR person so far for my story on the Crescent hotel, and I made her look like she wasn't helping me out. Not at all the case.

I'll go back under that rock I've been hiding under since 1985.

Philip Johnson

So maybe I've been under a rock since 1985, but I just learned that one of the great innovators of International Style architecture, Philip Johnson


the man who designed the famous Glass House....
And collaborated with Mies van der Rohe on the 1958 Seagram building....

Also designed this:
You'll recognize Dallas' Hotel Crescent Court, recently renamed the Rosewood Crescent Hotel. I've been here all my life and covered the Crescent in one form or another since it was built, but never heard this detail.

This whole topic came up because I'm writing an article about the newly redone penthouse inside the Crescent hotel. I only managed to stumble on the fact by reading a piece in Interior Design that mentioned it. According to the article, Johnson thought the Crescent looked like Texas regionalism. Go figure.

In 1986 the New York Times wrote about Johnson's architecture, describing the Crescent as "a marvelous confection of French Second Empire construction that is so strongly composed, and so pleasantly detailed, that one easily forgives its basic silliness."

I've always been perplexed by its design, although I love seeing it when I drive along Cedar Springs, don't you? It reminds me of Paris.

Bummer: Restoration Hardware's Fresh spray discontinued.

This is the best smelling room spray I have ever found. It's called "Fresh" and is (or was) a part of Restoration Hardware's Fresh Cleaning Collection. The bottle I have says "room spray" but the online photos all claim "sheet spray". Anyway, the clerk at the Knox Henderson store swore they weren't discontinuing it, but they have. If I'd known, I'd have bought those last two bottles on the shelf. Since then, I've called every store in Texas and Oklahoma, and zip. Finally, I got an email from RH's customer service, after a week, who claims not to know that it ever existed.

So, I've switched back to L'Occitane's Green Tea room spray.As you can see, it's still half full, and I've been using this particular bottle for more than 3 years. It's got a clean, masculine scent with hints of pepper. I bought two more bottles of it here and stashed them away. At the rate of 1/2 bottle every 3 years, I should have enough to last the next 15 years.

Snapshot: Ashley Astleford

(Photo by Justin Clemons)

I first heard about Ashley Astleford in the New York Times. She had designed a stylish bathroom with a Kohler urinal in a bachelor's house in Plano. I have since discovered her fabulous kitchens. (Read more about her in Modern Luxury this month) That painted pantry door with the ornate heavy hinges makes this kitchen look tailored and elegant without being overdone.

I can see this kitchen looking great inside a Dilbeck cottage, can't you?

Snapshot: Emily Miller

Justin Clemons shot this wonderful portrait of designer Emily Miller, baby Vaughan, and husband Brandon in their 1926 Lakewood bungalow, which Miller redid as "vintage modern." I wrote more about her in the September issue of Modern Luxury.

Profile: Bonnee Sharp

( Photo by Justin Clemons)

Bonnee Sharp designs geometrically graphic textiles in modern, minimal color palettes, such as oranges, greens, indigo, and browns. She's got about 400 designs in archives at the moment. Everything is made to order by a crew in a former knitting mill in South Dallas and done by hand, from the initial pattern sketches to the printing. A silk screener reproduces her patterns onto woven cotton or cotton canvas, fabrics she says feel modern and crisp. Sharp spent 2 1/2 years with Emily Summers learning the ropes of contemporary interior design -- she's also a talented painter and photographer (she shot all of the images on her website) who often uses the repetition found in nature as inspiration for her textile patterns. Her textiles fetch about $90 a yard. (Read more in Modern Luxury's September issue)

Who are your influences?
Sisters Susan and Katharine Hable. They're pacesetters for hand-printed fabrics. And Emily Summers, who reshaped my idea of interior beauty by introducing me to fresh, juxtapositions of texture, color and material.

Design tips?
Reupholster antiques -- it's both green and chic. French and mid-century pieces take particularly well to reinvention with a crisp, contemporary print. Wingbacks are also a good bet as they channel both traditional and modern with a simple change of clothes.

Upholster a wall instead of using wallpaper or paint. It has amazing soundproofing qualities and softens the room. Use the best paperhanger you can. Bobby Turner is top notch.

If you are going to spend money on furniture, multifunctional pieces are one way to get bang for your buck. I just finished a prototype for a large ottoman for my line. It's large enough to seat four people at a cocktail party and just the right size to act as a coffee table during the day.

What colors are you into now?
Rust red. My "London Bridge" pattern is offered in this hue. I'm also printing in white ink on neutral backgrounds. The combination feels natural and crisp. I offer it in patterns "Blossom and "Oompa" from the collection. I also love black ink on basketweave patterns, it's graphic and organic all at once -- look for it in "Rick Rack", "Knit", and "Popover".

Favorite local shops?
Again and Again on Henderson. I like the hunt, recreating something that was once fabulous and helping it find its way back into a modern space. Owner Leslie Pritchard has such a keen eye for the diamond in the rough. And LFT -- if I could, I'd buy some sleek Dune pieces, and Barney's. They have the most beautiful display furniture I've ever seen, and they're used to sell other products, imagine that! The small home section at Barney's is great -- lots of shagreen, silver, and leather and glass.