The Best Designers In Dallas 2005
The Nest Big Thing: Members of the Dallas design community reveal what’s hot, where to shop, and more. PLUS, our exclusive list of the 49 best designers in Dallas.
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2005 Dallas Design Survey
Want to know the Next Big Thing? Or what Dallas designers are loving right now? Ever wonder what the city would look like if it were a combination of the best parts of say, Chicago, New York, Denver, and Paris? Many of the licensed designers we surveyed for this issue have, and our cleverly executed illustration shows just how astute their ideas are. The responses we received to the 2005 survey were sometimes hilarious, frequently thought provoking, and always enthusiastic. Exactly like the people we’ve come to know in this wonderful industry. >>
The Best Designers in Dallas [ Chosen By Their Peers ]
No honor is greater than the respect of one’s peers. And no voting process could be more heated than asking members of a fiercely competitive industry to name the best of their own breed. Our method was simple: We asked each respondent to name the three designers who are doing the best work in the city. Some of the winners were no surprise; well-known and often-published designers’ names came up time and time again. However, no survey is foolproof. So if your designer is not on this list, do not worry. If he or she is on this list, feel very lucky. According to their peers, here are the Best Designers in Dallas 2005.
Tommy Bishop, ASID, Tommy Bishop Interior Design
John Bobbitt, allied member ASID, Bobbitt & Company
Mil Bodron, Bodron & Fruit
Jacklyn Butler, Jacklyn Butler Interiors
David Cadwallader, ASID, Cadwallader Design Inc.
Margaret Chambers, ASID,Chambers Interiors and Associates, Inc.
Laura Lee Clark Falconer, ASID, Laura Lee Clark Interior Design
Charlotte Comer, ASID, Charlotte Comer Interiors
David Corley, ASID, David Corley Interior Design
Paul Duesing, Paul Duesing Partners
Adrienne Faulkner Chalkley, allied member ASID, Faulkner Design Group
Sharon Flatley, ASID, CKD, Flatley & Associates
Mark Fletcher, John Phifer Marrs Interiors
Ann Fox, TAID, Room Service Home
Paul Garzotto, Green Garzotto
Sherry Hayslip, ASID, IIDA, Hayslip Design Associates
Bev Heil, allied member ASID, Bev Heil & Associates
Ike Isenhour, Jurado Design Group
Raymond Jurado, Jurado Design Group
Pam Kelley, allied member ASID, Pam Kelley & Associates
Louise Kemp, Mary Faulkner Interiors
Cathy Kincaid, allied member ASID, Cathy Kincaid Interiors
Angela Mallick, Angela Mallick Interiors
John Marrs, ASID, John Phifer Marrs Interiors
Jan Martin, Assoc. AIA, Zero 3
James McInroe, James McInroe, Inc
Joseph Minton, ASID, Joseph Minton, Inc.
Gloria Nicoud, ASID, Gloria Designs
Russell O’Neil, ASID, Russell O’Neil Interiors
Eric Prokesh, Eric Prokesh & Associates
Jim Rimelspach, allied member ASID, Wilson & Associates
Marilyn Rolnik Tonkon, ASID, Marilyn Rolnick Design Associates
Nancy Ross, TAID, allied member ASID, Dallas Design Group
Lisa Ryan, Lisa Luby Ryan At Home/A Past
David Salem, ASID, Salem & Associates
Ann Schooler, TAID, Schooler, Kellogg & Company
Lynn Sears, ASID, Lynn Sears Interiors
Jan Showers, ASID, Jan Showers & Associates
Jo Heinz Staffelbach, FIIDA, Stafflebach Design Associates, Inc.
Andre Staffelbach, FIIDA,ASID, allied member AIA, Stafflebach Design Associates, Inc.
Neal Stewart, Neal Stewart Design Associates, Inc.
Emily Summers, ASID, Emily Summers Design
Jeffrey Swiggart, Jeffrey M. Swiggart Design
Loyd Taylor, Loyd Paxton
Charlotte Taylor, Notable Accents
Richard Trimble, ASID, allied member AIA, TAID, IIDA, Richard Trimble & Associates
Cheryl Van Duyne, ASID, Cheryl Van Duyne
Deborah Walker, ASID, Deborah Walker & Associates
Joanie Wyll, ASID, Joanie Wyll & Associates, Inc.
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LOVE IT
Here’s what Dallas Designers crave right now.
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Peking Glass
Robert Kuo Peking glass vase. Available at Baker Knapp & Tubbs, 1250 Slocum St., Ste. 790. 214-741-2586. www.kohlerinteriors.com. |
Greatly expanded options in window shapes and glass panels.
Greater variety of marble and stone than ever before. New options in plumbing fixtures, some fantastic.
Leather floors.
Trims, trims, trims.
Simple window treatments.
Orange, pale blues, citrus green.
Large accessory items that make a statement.
Technological advances for the bath.
Red cinnabar lacquer Chinese furniture. Proliferation of materials for mosaic wall and floor covering.
Pink, Robin’s egg blue, brown, red.Complete contemporary finishes and interiors in historical architecture.
Landscaping to extend home and complement architecture.Natural stone floors.
Model for "W" condominiums.Colored and textured glass tiles.
Cork flooring-especially color stained.The explosion of Sunbrella fabric in color and pattern.
Biaszza tile.French baked oak floors.
Florio embroidered textiles.Quality and nicely designed children’s furniture.
Flat screen and plasma TVs becoming affordable.
Gorgeous passementerie.
Louis Soleil outdoor furniture collection for Sutherland.The opening of more contemporary showrooms and retail stores.
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Outdoor Fabrics
Spa Blue Perennials Outdoor Fabrics
Available at David Sutherland Showroom, 1025 N. Stemmons Frwy., Ste. 340. 214-742-6501. |
European-style kitchens.Glass that can be tinted in a choice of colors.
Lucite and acrylics. Return of lamps.
Kitchen appliances.New Age fabrics.
Glass vanities that change color, opaqueness, or clarity.A fusion of saturated color.
Wallpapers.Art Deco.
Wide synthetic fabrics that look like silk.Online product access.
Bright green walls.
Dried fruits.
Botanicals.New selections available in travertine and granite.
Affordable luxury items becoming mainstream.Energy efficient products, natural products and colors, and recycled products.
Custom-printed wallpapers. KitchenAid finish color Meteorite.
Custom-printed tumble stones.Larry Lazlo Collection.
Southern Accents Showhouse 2003.
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Quality Workmanship
Stately Homes Chinese Chippendale-style armchair
Available at Baker Knapp & Tubbs, 1250 Slocum St., Ste. 790. 214-741-2586. www.kohlerinteriors.com. |
Butterflies.
India. Henri Samuel rooms.
Oggetti Italian lighting and Gamma Italian leather.More contemporary Thomas O’Brien furniture.
Fabrics with sheen.Zen/Asian influences with soft contemporary upholstery.
Marge Carlsen upholstery.Cleaner lines and less fru-fru, except for linens.
More fearlessness and trust with clients to express their opinions.
Sense of practicality in homes (less over scaling).
English in interiors.Variety of drapery hardware.
New color and type of granite (Australian Coffee).
Brushed, antiqued, patinated limestone or travertine.
New lighting techniques.
Walter Lee Culp’s new sleek showroom.
Newport Collection Antiques. David Sutherland’s new "French" teak furniture.
Red tones.New technology.
Mohair, cashmere, and synthetic fabrics.
Corragio’s new showroom.
English antique, painted Regency furniture, and Chinese antiques.
Larger and more colorful selection of outdoor fabrics.
Modern textiles in color, pattern, and texture.Clean lines, scale, and proportion in furniture.
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W Opening
W Dallas Victory Hotel. For more information, visit www.whotels.com. |
Translucent glass/frosted glass tiles.Greater selection of outdoor living materials.
Kelly Hoppen accessories.Nina Campbell furniture.
Chinese Antiques.New sources of illumination.
Integrated Appliances.More Window Coverings.
Custom-printed Wallpapers.
European Kitchen Designs.
English Regency.Red Lacquer.
Passementerie.
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That’s So 2004
We asked for the dirt and, boy, did our Dallas designers dish it up. The question: What design trends are so last year? The answers: hilarious.
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| McMansions with no yard |
Ostentatious media rooms |
Putting out everything you own on a table |
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| Overabundance of decaying religious items |
Beads everywhere |
Faux everything |
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Design Dos & Don’ts
Advice from The Top Pros in Dallas
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| Don’t forget Asian accents |
Do
* Design doors to classic proportions for period designs.
* Use honest everything. Faux nothing.
* Simplify drapery treatments.
* Use only black, white, or stainless appliances in the kitchen.
* Scale down.
* Fill a room gradually instead of ordering everything all at once.
* Let the design translate your interests, not that of the designer.
* Buy good art first and always go for the best quality you can afford.
* Go for classic, not trendy. Create quality, not quantity. And pay attention to scale.
* Use bamboo flooring and green products.
* Paint ceilings the same color as walls.
* Use low maintenance Sunbrella fabrics.
* Invest in antiques. They add panache.
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| Do find the "right white" |
* Hang curtains as close to the ceiling as possible.
* Light your space and use dimmers.
* Make the color in your home one that makes people look good.
* Listen to your designer, not your girlfriends.
* Get good rugs.
* Repeat three times: less is more.
* Give special attention to chandeliers. (Nothing out of a box.)
* Be careful with green. It will date your house.
* Use woodblocking behind sheetrock for heavy mirrors.
* Add a light to every painting in your home.
* Paint grandma’s wooden treasures white.
* Buy what you love.
* Find the "right white" first, other colors follow.
* Use accessories in odd numbers.
DON’T
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| Don’t overuse popular colors |
* Don’t design down. Work with the best workrooms, craftsmen, and artisans.
* Don’t invest in newly-made reproductions of antique furniture - buy the real thing.
* Don’t be afraid to mix styles.
* Don’t paint or trim; glaze instead.
* Don’t fall for trends.
* Don’t be afraid of color.
* Don’t over analyze. Go with your first design instinct.
* Don’t overuse popular colors.
* Don’t forget Asian accents.
* Don’t buy a temporary item as a "placeholder" with the intention to buy a better one later. You will be stuck with it for the rest of your life.
D HOME ASKS...
Other than trade-only showrooms, where do you shop? Rutherford’s... Bishop Arts... Pier 1... College art shows... Gabberts... Whimsey Shoppe... Carlyn Gallerie... Canton Trade Days... eBay... Urban Home... Tuesday Morning... Cookworks... Internet... Every city I’m in...
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What a Difference!
Dallas is pretty special. But what would make it aesthetically extra special?
That’s the question we put to Dallas’ top designers, and these are the answers we loved most.
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| Clockwise from top: mountains, eliminating high walls around beautiful homes, water fountains, inner city flea market to rival Paris and London, architectural "police," making Dallas more like Chicago with more downtown living, and the Trinity River Project with Calatrava bridges. |
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The Next BIG Thing
Dallas designers break out their crystal balls for a peek at the future in home design.
* New sources of illumination other than recessed down lights, driven by a renewed interest in ceilings (and restrictive new fire codes).
* The marriage of furniture pieces, old and reproductions, with kitchen cabinetry, combined with a variety of textures and colors. This will be hot!
* Simplicity - a cleaner less cluttered look.
* English traditional furnishings.
* Comfortable media room makeovers.
* Baby boomers going into smaller homes with more "human scale" spaces.
* Sculpture gardens.
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| More wallpaper |
* Very light and very dark wood stains, outdoor floor and table lamps with shades.
* Refined adornment, Palladian architecture.
* Second homes that do not look like second homes.
* Going global.
* Mixing periods.
* More consideration of aging residents in design.
* Clean lines.
* Less clutter.
* Hi-rise living for empty nesters.
* Solar light.
* Retractable screen porches.
* American Modern.Central and South American textiles.
* Away from heavy European looks.
* Silvered finishes on furniture.
* Colored glass chandelier.
* Marble counters in kitchen.
* Integrity of architecture and materials.
* Courtyards, loggias, terraces.
* Sensible, warmed-up modernism.
* Screen porches.
* Accessibility for baby boomers, sustainability will be mainstream.
* Wabi-Sabi design concepts.
* Deep, rich wood tones.
* More wallpaper, more Asian, more English.
* Silks.
* New materials (glass, granite, etc.) in unusual applications.
* Very well crafted simple homes.
* Decked out, organized garages.
* Natural green design.
* Great new wallpapers in wool.
* Pearlized finishes.
* Smaller, better quality homes.
* Quality workmanship in home furnishings.
* Earth-friendly green, energy efficient.
* Downsizing.
* Rooms designed for luxury home spas with massage, manicure, and pedicure tables.
* Nook banquettes.
* Steel windows.
* English antiques, especially "Regency."
* Chinese antiques.
* God only knows!
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WEB BROWSERS
55% of the designers we surveyed shop online. Here’s where:
www.kohlerinteriors.com
www.circalighting.com
www.watermonopoly.com
www.solartiles.com
www.shawfloors.com
www.moma.org
www.potterybarn.com
www.todl.com
www.tracygloverstudio.com
www.theodorealexander.com
www.coupralux.com
www.custommurals.com
www.maitland-smith.com
www.decoratetoday.com
www.kasmirfabrics.com
www.kravet.com
www.lampsplus.com
www.homeportfolio.com
www.rugman.com
www.1stdibs.com
