Best Home Tour
One of the reasons we love Oak Cliff is the diversity: the people, the food, and the wonderful historic homes. That’s why we never miss the annual Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Fall Home Tour. Nowhere else will you experience such a mix of architecture and history: from quaint Winnetka Heights bungalows to Kessler Park mansions to Wynnewood midcentury ranches. It’s a mix that always inspires and delights.
Best Comeback (left)
Remember mocking those girls at the mall who dared to wear pleather skirts? Maybe they were ahead of their time. All the same, please refrain from using the “p” word when referring to the new acrylic leathers, which are as soft, durable, and varied as anything that comes from a cow.
Best New Art Event (right)
Last spring, the Dragon Street Association got a bright idea. On the first Thursday of every month, the group decided, galleries and other businesses along Dragon Street would stay open late—till 8 p.m.—thereby encouraging art and design lovers to get out and about in the Dallas Design District. Lucky for us—and art fans across the city—the idea caught on, and First Thursdays on Dragon is still going strong.
Best Drapes (left)
Designers love Custom Workroom Services for its quality work and impeccable customer service. Sarah and Danny Senter make great drapes that won’t send you into bankruptcy. Check out their work at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. They’ve also done work for local celebs, although they’re much too polite to name names.
Best Monogrammer (right)
Maybe your family didn’t come over on the Mayflower and you lack a family crest. Not a problem. Joan Cecil of Joan Cecil Fine Embroidery (214-507-9195) can create one for you. She can also study a room and incorporate elements—whether it’s a pattern on a rug or the design on your Fortuny drapes—into her intricate monogram designs on your chairs, pillows, coverlets, and more.
Best Store Redesign
Todd Fiscus’ redesign of Avant Garden happened at the end of 2008, but the store makes us so happy that we had to mention it. His inspiration? “It’s a return to elegance—Belle Époque with a modern twist. I was inspired by libraries in those great old European houses, which housed great literature, wonderful objets d’art, and, obviously, floral decorations.” Next time you need to say you’re sorry with flowers, head here.
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