Best Landscaper
Dallas-based Armstrong-Berger Landscape Architects (214-871-0893) is as well known on both coasts as it is in Texas. You may know their work from the gardens at Lee Park on Turtle Creek. But they also have designed some of the finest residences in the city and have worked outside the region with designers and architects such as Bunny Williams, Richard Meier, and Peter Marino. Another reason we love them is because at press time, their first-generation web site (armstrong-berger.com) was still in the making. These days, you can get away with that only if you have a major reputation.
Best New Gallery (left)
The 4th Wall Gallery is all about nonconformity. Since it opened last May, this new kid on the block has showcased works by a wide variety of envelope-pushing artists and illustrators. Right now, for example, you can check out the art of Glenn Barr, an underground artist from Detroit whose work has been called “the visual equivalent of a David Lynch film.” Conformity, who needs you?
Best Shopping Trend (right)
When it comes to kitchens, things are really heating up. Even in a not-so-great economy, the world of kitchen design has seen lots of recent activity in Dallas. Highlights include the opening of German retailer Poggenpohl, B&B Italia’s gorgeous new space in Decorative Center Dallas, and Cantoni’s partnership with Bontempi Cucine, an Italian brand that offers high-tech kitchen lines.
Best New Shopping Center
We have been on record as generally against going north of 635, but Watters Creek Shopping Center has forced our hand. Sure, the shopping is fine—13 restaurants and 35 retailers. But it’s the 52-acre setting that makes it so special. How often do you get to shop for designer duds in the midst of hills, tons of trees, and even a creek?
Best Philanthropists
Interior designers Lisa Robison and Kim Turner are inspiring lives through design. Their nonprofit organization Dwell With Dignity works with social service agencies battling poverty and homelessness. “If you can change someone’s environment, you can change their lives,” Robison says. With the help of volunteers, they furnish underprivileged families’ homes down to the very last detail.
Normally, we’re suspicious of enthusiastic people, but Brittany Edwards has won us over. The Daily Candy editor launched the Dallas Flea last December, and it was a smashing success. Her reason for putting it together was simple. “I’ve been a longtime collector of furniture, but the last thing I wanted to do is sit behind a counter at a store,” she says. “This allows people to have a store for a day.” Expect 50-plus vendors at the next event, scheduled for March 13 at South Side on Lamar.
