Houses in My Heart

Jim Williamson at ID Collection in Dallas sent me this reminder for my Houston readers. (I know I have a few because I've heard from you).  

But wait -- I didn't even know that Carlton Varney had a new book until now! Houses in My Heart apparently came out on October 25. Jim is Varney coming to ID Collection in Dallas any time soon?

Brookhaven Country Club: Back to the Future

Brookhaven Country Club, built in 1957, just got a cool new makeover by young boutique firm Sarah Pickard Interiors. Sarah and her associate, Lane Montgomery (both ASID), were inspired by the club's incredible mid-century modern architecture:

But many of the club's rooms hadn't been renovated in decades, including the Five Five bar upstairs, as this "Before" shot shows. (Reminds me of the dining room at Dunston's on Lover's Lane, which I don't think has been renovated since it opened in the 60s either.)

Here's what the bar looks like now!

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

"We designed the space to look like a room you'd want to have a mimosa in," Sarah told me. Inspired not only by colors from the original era, Sarah and her team often peruse current fashion magazines to stay on trend.

Here's a "Before" shot of the Members Grille. Think anyone will miss the green plaid carpeting and beige-pink walls? Notice the icky ceiling tiles, too.

Here's what it looks like now! Cool and fun. See that fabulous carved concrete screen behind the George Nelson hanging lamp? It's original to the building. Sarah painted it a persimmon-y red. Notice how much nicer the ceiling looks now, too.

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Contractors gutted the rooms down to the studs, and as many of the walls were coming down, Sarah and Lane were astonished that many of the original colors from the late 50s and early 60s when the club was built were similar to the greens, oranges, yellows and blacks they had already chosen. "We were all rushing around saying, 'Look at this!' We were right on target all along," says Lane.

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

With the club's million dollar golf course renovation and a fabulous new tennis center, its members don't just sit around playing bridge. They're athletic, and fit. The redesign of the club is a better reflection of who they are, says Sarah.

A lounge area in the entry sets the new energetic tone right away.

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Here's Sarah. She looks like a young Jamie Lee Curtis, don't you think?

[Photo by Steve Hinds]

Editor's note: I wrote more about Sarah Pickard in the upcoming March issue of Modern Luxury. See more of photographer Steve Hinds work on his website. I also wish to thank blog fan and interior designer Rena Hardeman at Gensler for suggesting I look into Sarah's work.

Jan Showers: Making News

[Photo by Manny Rodriguez]

I had an information-packed lunch recently with Jan Showers at Parigi, one of her favorite restaurants in Dallas.

She just finished her first book, Glamorous Rooms, which will be out in the fall under the Abrams imprint. It was a family effort, of sorts. Her nephew, a talented fiction writer, offered to help her write it. But first he had to prove to the skeptical editors at Abrams he could do a better job than the one they already had in mind for Jan to work with. (Can't you just see those jaded editors in New York rolling their eyes at the mere thought of the idea?) A couple of sample chapters later, and the editors were smitten by his personal, conversational writing, Jan says. He got the job. 

The collaboration was fun. "We'd send chapters back and forth to each other and make changes. It was a wonderful process. I don't know if he'd ever do it again with me, though," Jan says laughing.  Looks like she got in under the wire at Abrams, before they shut the doors to any new books because of the economy. (Rumor has it that Abrams even turned down a book from Gloria Vanderbilt recently.)

Maybe if Jan gives me a sneak peek at the book I can post a preview for you later.

More News:  Jan just introduced this smashing glass and brass coffee table (below) called the Harrison. It's part of Jan Shower's collection at David Sutherland Showroom. Jan designed it, inspired in large part by the chrome coffee table shown in the yellow and white room (top photo above) with Jan, which we worked on together last year for a magazine shoot. The one-of-a-kind table had been in her showroom, and Jan fell in love with it -- not only because of its good looks, but because of its large size, which is so hard to find in antiques, she says. 

Jan has the prototype in her own living room in Dallas, shown below

These invitations just went out for Jan's once-in-a-blue-moon showroom sale. You should stop by.

If you're not on Jan's email list to get her charming "Jan's Notebook" updates, call Gretchen at the store ask to be put on. The new Notebook emails should be going out soon (she hasn't updated it in, like, a year or two). Jan's a wonderful writer, and I've encouraged her to keep her notebook updated. She travels to so many interesting places on buying trips, that we want to read about it. 

Turmoil in Tableware

Wow. Here's an excerpt from an email I received today from Replacements Ltd., outlining how many venerable old tableware companies are suffering and shuttering:

Replacements, Ltd. 
China, Crystal, Silver, Collectibles - Old & New
Update Regarding Recent Turmoil in the Tableware Market 


Hello from Replacements, Ltd! Since you've previously indicated to us an interest in fine tableware and collectibles, we wanted to send this special update related to recent news in the tableware industry.

Based on the calls we are receiving, you have probably seen in the news that there has been recent turmoil in the tableware industry, with many famous brands filing in bankruptcy or operating in insolvency, including divisions of Waterford Wedgwood, Johnson Brothers, Franciscan, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Rosenthal, Hutschenreuther, Tirschenreuth, Lenox, Dansk, Gorham Stainless, Royal Worcester, and Spode. You may have also heard that Lenox is closing a select number of their outlets, Oneida the majority of theirs, and Fitz & Floyd and Pfaltzgraff all of theirs.

If you own patterns by these makers, or others who may also be struggling, now is a good time to check stock with us and get the pieces you need while our selection is at its best.

DALLAS ON THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW TONIGHT!

[Click on each image to make them bigger and read the text]

The Antiques Road Show came to Dallas back in June, and photographer Dave Shafer documented some of the quirky people and their actual comments (don't you love this woman's snarky comment, above?) Dave sent me these images six months ago, and I've been holding onto them, waiting for it to be aired. Tonight's the night! 7 p.m., on Channel 13.

Jakob Schlaepfer at Cory Pope

Incredible optical fabrics by Jakob Schlaepfer

I stopped by Cory Pope's much-talked about new showroom in the International yesterday, and although it's still weeks away from actually opening -- Pope says February 16 now -- enough was happening inside to get me really jazzed. 

Pope,  a former window dresser for Gucci and an interior designer, wants the choices for his first showroom to reflect his artistic bent. "Everything in my showroom is more like works of art than furniture and accessories and fabrics" he says. (In fact, he's lowered the ceiling and installed the same kind of lighting you might find in an art gallery to highlight his products. Lowering the ceiling is a big reason why it's taken so dang long for him to open and fraying his last nerve, he says)

While I was there, workers were busy hanging yards of extraordinary textiles by Swiss company Jakob Schlaepfer from the ceiling. Pope's showroom is the first in the U.S. to carry the unusual line, he says. 

I went nuts when I saw these fabrics. Photos don't do them justice, and you'll need to go experience them yourself at the showroom. Some of the images from Schlaepfer evidently wouldn't translate properly to my American MacBook Pro, and I wish I could show you everything. But I can't, and you'll have to see a smattering here.

Below,  a curtain material created from embossed gold, silver or copper-colored sequins that are stitched to overlap, creating the effect of chased metal (first three fabrics to the left).

Jakob Schlaepfer creates an astonishing, optic and multi-dimensional effect by entirely embroidering a patterned fabric (such as the one at right above) with transparent sequins, in a mind-boggling display of detail. If you did this, as someone surely must have by hand, you'd go blind.

This wallcovering, called Glinka, is made of bonded holographic foil. The colors refused to translate on my computer and here they look garish and not so pretty, but if you click on the image you can see a bit of the holographic effect, which is many times more dramatic in person. I'm usually not into such busy looking wallpapers, but I'd buy a yard of it and frame it, it's that amazing. At about $600 net, it's totally doable. 

More Glinka holographic wall coverings above and below. Again, these colors just don't look right to me. In person they're elegantly abrasive, if you know what I mean. 

What you don't see here, but you should ask to see when you go in, are the printed tulles, which consist of three layers of tulle printed simultaneously with modern, abstracted flowers. The layers give the fabric a 3-D look, and the company says no one has ever successfully printed onto so many layers at once. I don't know about that, but they really are cool.

Inauguration Day

Tuesday will be a typical work day for me, but I will be logged on to Sobel TV throughout the day -  to be a part of one of the greatest days in our nation's history. I'm so looking forward to the future. Tyler Cobb, designer

I will not be celebrating but traveling to NY to work on a historical rennovation in Greenwich, CT. Also attending the opening of the Winter Antique show while there. Richard Trimble, designer

We don't have a TV at the showroom, so anyone who wants to stay home to watch the inauguration can. I'll be watching it at home, and maybe we'll just have everyone come there. It's an historic moment and I don't want anyone to miss it. Jan Showers, designer, showroom owner.

I will be watching the inauguration all day with two exchange students.  Because they arrived in August, it's been a very instructive lesson for both girls on our always entertaining, always messy democratic republic.  One of the girls will be departing for home on the 25th, so it's befitting for her American adventure to end on this note.
 
I wish to confess some bad behavior on my part...  This past election cycle ignited a mean streak in me...some latent or perhaps dormant hostility toward the other side.  One of my neighbors was hosting a county strategy planning session for my sworn political enemy.  His lawn was a outward demonstration of free speech with no less than a dozen political placards mocking me as I drove by.  He called in October, asking for my coq au vin recipe.  I feigned a bout of disorganization, and claimed it was lost. (Anyone who knows me, knows I know this recipe by heart...I was delighted at the recent up-tick in French bistro culinary interests.  I believed myself simpatico with Julia...yet another WWJD.)  No way was I going to release my secret weapon for the the opposition.  I feel a bit guilty about this.  My daughter, exchange students, and husband where horrified by my behavior. 
 
To make amends, I am thinking, very seriously, of typing the recipe on a decorative card, laminated for my neighbor, but, then again...I guess I have 4 years to think about it. -- Amanda Tackett, writer

Super Top Secret Source: Hank Tosh

Hank Tosh specializes in refinishing mid-century modern furniture, and he's my Super Top Secret Find of the month. Hank's clients include Emily Summers, the Stoneleigh Hotel, Sputnik Modern, and Century Modern. Designers almost never reveal where they get their work done, but I stumbled on Hank's website by accident. Last week, I paid a visit to his workshop in Oak Cliff: 

So, Hank, you specialize in refinishing mid-century modern furniture. Why?

I have been into mid-century/ 50's era things as long as I can remember and had collected and fixed up many things of my own just as a hobby and out of necessity (plus I had a little background in finishing and woodworking from working in other mediums)  before I actually started doing it for a living and many of my friends were into this as well, so eventually that just became a specialty.

I've been doing it 18 years, roughly. I learned under the tutelage of Billy Keith at Lakewood Furniture, doing grunt work -- sanding, stripping, a little staining. He taught me a lot. The rest I've learned by reading everything I can get my hands on, and lots of trial and error and my trusty friend and mentor Rick Wood, 3rd generation craftsman, who learned from his father.

Hank is stripping an old longleaf pine door, salvaged from a church, for a client's home. It was peppered with hammer dents, so Hank tried this amazing trick, which works on bare, unfinished wood: Place a wet paper towel on top of the dent, rewetting occasionally. It takes several hours, but the wood eventually plumps back up. He then goes over it with an iron to make it flat. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this," Hank said, half laughing. "These are trade secrets."

Beautiful, solid quarter sawn oak and long leaf pine doors, stripped and waiting to be stained.

The ToshMahal workshop off Hampton Road.

Hank: One of the craziest jobs I've ever done, which I'm in the middle of right now, is this old Philco radio cabinet, which I'm basically rebuilding. I have re-built cabinets before that have just needed re-gluing and clamping, but this one takes the cake. I basically had to separate the cabinet from the top (by steaming, which with the old hide glue is near impossible) and replace a lot of missing veneer. I'm remaking what is called the waist piece, which is a bent ply piece, which involves making a form and cutting the board to size. Then, I am applying 6 different cuts of matched veneer, and rejoining the top to the base and refinish the whole thing. It's almost like a museum restoration, but no customer would ever want to pay what it takes to complete the job. Normally you'd just buy another radio cabinet for the same price and fix it up. But this one was sentimental for the client, so I did it for a little less. It's been quite an experience.

After

Before!

After 

Before! Is this rosewood? 

After

Before! Who knew?

Hank: I love all the Danish walnut stuff. I had a beautiful Walter Kegan chair in here and it was one of my favorites. I also love all the Heywood Wakefield stuff. A lot of it is right at the juncture of Deco and modern, so it's almost as if it doesn't know exactly what it is, but that's what I love about it.

Hank: Older antiques are challenging because of some of the more intricacies such as turnings and scroll work and such, but there are mid-century pieces that are just as challening in different ways. That's something that is hard to get people to understand sometimes, is that a Dunbar cabinet is not a Dunbar cabinet is not a Dunbar cabinet if you catch my drift. Every piece is different, presents its own unique set of characteristics, and has its own personal history as to how it eventually came into your hands. This takes some time to disect sometimes. It is necessarry to do this in order to come up with a plan to cure what ails it.

Can we have just a few more top secret tips before you go?
Hank: Use a coaster! It doesn't matter what type of finish you have on your furniture, it is succeptible to rings. What causes this is when you put a cup/anything with moisture and especially a temperature difference directly on the piece, then you have a moisture build up in between the wood and the finish and this is what will cause a ring and the only way to fix this (I don't care how many so called remedies are out there) is to repair/redo the finish. Also, I always finish with a coat of heavy, uncut carnuba wax. This is a free service I provide at the end after the lacquer has cured. This will protect a little from water spots and the wax I use has enough carnuba in it to act as a great cleaning agent. You can wipe on with a damp sponge and immediately polish off with a soft cloth. This will not only clean but help to protect. And unless you really know how to refinish furniture, don't try it. I've gotten many pieces where people have tried this and it just makes my job harder and more expensive.

Dallas-Based Photography Blog

[Photo by Larry Gustafson, Zion National Park, Utah]

Dallas-based photographer Larry Gustafson, a former lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice and recently retired from private practice at Haynes & Boone, has a really smart blog on photography that you should know about. Bookmark it. It's not just about pretty pictures. This post in particular is about the rampant appropriation of images and who really owns them. As a blogger, I find this interesting because I appropriate images all the time off the Internet. If you are a photographer, artist, or an architect or designer with a website, you'll find this interesting, too.

CocoaModa Menu and More!

More gorgeous photos arrived today on Chef Ken Wilkinson's new restaurant and chocolate factory, CocoaModa. Thought you might want to feast on them. These were all shot by Houston photographer Jack Thompson. Be sure not to miss the restaurant menu and list of truffle flavors at the bottom of the post.

Fresh orange rind for candies

Chef Wilkinson grinding the cocoa beans

Fresh mint used in the dark chocolate and mint truffles

Nut covered chocolate truffles

Chef Wilkinson prefers copper mixing bowls for making candies and truffles.

Very pretty.

Cocoa beans are beautiful.

You didn't think authentic Swiss truffles were made without lots of butter, did you?

Candies.

Blackberry truffles.

CocoaModa's Restaurant Menu, truffles and candies (Click on the menu to make it bigger.)

(Click on the image to make it bigger)