Monday, October 29, 2007

Design District Discounts

My favorite subject: superior mark-downs! Thanks to ShoppingBuzz for the tip!

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Saturday, Nov. 3, renowned designer showrooms Allan Knight, Adele Kerr, Bausman, Carlin & Co., Heaven-n-Earth, Nova Collection, RMA and Tufenkian will be open from 10:00am-4:00pm with drastically reduced merchandise including furniture, unique accessories, fixtures, rugs, and Holiday items such as stockings, tree skirts and ornaments.

Head on over to 150 Turtle Creek Boulevard, west of Stemmons at Irving Boulevard. Additionally, Margaux’s Restaurant will be open for lunch11:30am-2:30pm.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Lighting to Love

This LED Bench (2002) by Ingo Maurer is installed in the first room of the Cooper Hewitt's exhibition, "Provoking Magic", featuring the esteemed lighting designer and artist. According to one site's (punctuationally-challenged) description, "this limited production table is a grand masterpiece by maurer. each bench is personally signed by ingo maurer. an extravagant table made of glass, 288 white internal leds that emit light on both sides. power conversion is provided by an external transformer. life span of the leds is an average of 100,000 hours (according to the manufacturer's specification)." All I can say is that the cool internal glow emanating from the glass is something fabulous, and it was a difficult piece to walk away from. The price for the privilege of unlimited seating time: approximately $24k. The rest of the exhibit (the whole second floor of the old Carnegie mansion on the Upper East Side) features installations like LED-equipped wedding costumes, maquettes for well-known designs, and some familiar works, like Lucellino lamps and MaMo Nouchies.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Oak Cliff Artists

There's a whole lot of art going in independent art: the fledgling La Reunion artists' collective, the reopening of the Texas Theater, and the renkindled Arts Conspiracy. Cliff Dweller magazine features artists working in Oak Cliff in this week's edition. There's always someone or something new to discover with the Dallas Arts Revue calendar. I can't say how many times I've been pleasantly surprised with a new find.

A good place to start exploring is the Artisan's Collective, which has recently moved around the block from Davis to Bishop Arts. The first Thursday of each month, galleries and stores stay open until 10pm, so it's a nice time to sip and stroll.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Architecturally Nosy

Sure, admit it. You like snooping around homes to see those little design details, whether it's at someone's party, an organized tour, an online real estate query, or an open house. You're nosy because you care about execution of design. Preservation Dallas's fall home tour is just a few weekends away, and this weekend it's mid-century modern and beyond on the Oak Cliff home tour. If the weather, football, the Fair, or work keeps you away from the Oak Cliff event this weekend, consider some couch-touring instead. This site pleasantly curates some of the signature gem homes in Dallas, from Tudor to post-modern. While we all know some of the homes on this list, it also includes some off the beaten track.