Hello, it’s time for our friend Jim Williamson to take it away. How is it already February? So much happened in January that it’s pretty much a blur. With that in mind, I think we can call this the FOG Report because it was Frantic, Overscheduled and Grossly Lacking In Sleep. So let’s just jump right to it, shall we?
We wasted no time in getting the party started in January as our first party of the year was on January second. Yes, a party on the second of January when the champagne from NYE was likely still flowing through our veins. The birthday girl’s thoughtful husband knows that anyone born near or on a holiday always gets screwed when it comes time to celebrate the birthday. (Mr. Jim knows this feeling all too well.) He hired a caterer and a band to make sure she got the attention she deserved on her special day. That and a coveted orange box made for one very happy birthday girl. My friends, he is one good husband.
And let’s not forget Max’s birthday was also in January, which he somehow managed to stretch out for the entire month. We are talking dinners out with different groups of friends almost every night of the month—complete with a private dinner at Twenty Seven, Chef Dat’s amazing new restaurant in Deep Ellum. We celebrated with 27 of Max’s nearest and dearest. I am not even going to tell you how long it took me to work on that seating chart so everyone felt like they had some Max time.
But we aren’t done yet! He also got a trip to Paris, where we finally celebrated the last of the birthday dinners at one of the oldest cafes in Paris. I have travelled to many a city both near and far, and I have eaten in many restaurants known as the oldest in the city. Typically, when “oldest restaurant in the city” is used as a selling point, you can expect the food to taste like it’s been preserved from the original opening date in 1692. But this café did not disappoint—we enjoyed a perfect, classic French meal. The sauce was so good it would make Julia Child rise from the dead.
And on top of all that, Café Momentum opened its doors in January. If you aren’t aware of Café Momentum—and from all the amazing press they have generated nationwide, I am not sure how that is even possible—go to cafemomentum.org to find out the story behind this amazing resource that helps youth offenders get a second chance. I’ve been a fan from the beginning, thanks in no small part to Max, who just also just happens to be a founding board member. So many great people have helped to make this a reality, that much like the Oscars, I can’t possible list them all. But here is what you should know as a member of the Dallas community: You have a lot of good people working really hard to make a difference in someone else’s life. This is something that can make us all proud. So go dine there now. I like to call it Donating by Dining or Tabletop Philanthropy. What could be easier than dining and donating? You have to eat, right? So why not eat some amazing food and have the check go to charity?
Now on to what this blog is supposed to be about: Interior design and the original reason for my trip to Paris, which was to attend DECO-OFF and Maison & Objet. These are arguably some of the top trade shows in the world. If it is related to design, you can find it here. Everything from textiles and lighting to candles, tabletop, and even Christmas decorations are aplenty.
The trip was short. We arrived Thursday morning and left Sunday morning. To give you an idea about my overnight flight, I was number 52 on the standby list. I didn’t know the standby list went to 52. This should also give you a good indication of where my seat was located. I did my best to make myself comfortable including bringing that neck pillow that looks like either a hemorrhoid pad or something worn by a visitor to the offices of Jim Adler. It was useless and soon became an armrest. Also useless was the sleeping pill I took.
The only way to make it through this trip was to just bust through it and not stop, especially since I had meetings shortly after landing that morning. So as soon as we landed, we headed to the hotel and dropped the bags. (Okay, we dropped the bags after I requested another room.) In those three short days, I visited no fewer than 72 showrooms; met with CEOs of several major companies based in Europe; toured the Louis Vuitton Foundation top to bottom; and consumed at least a gallon of onion soup. Here is where the FOG comes in the form of fabric overload on a grand scale. But like they say, if you have to work, you might as well do it in Paris.
By Sunday morning, when I reached over to silence that all too early alarm telling me it was time to head to the airport, I fell out of the bed. Not just a part of me but my entire body, along with all the bedding. Max came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth, looked at the white bundle of me face down on the floor and said, “Should I be concerned or is this some new form of waking up without caffeine by throwing yourself on the floor?” We won’t discuss my response.
What we will discuss is all the beautiful and gorgeous things headed our way—the trends you will be seeing in 2015. Tribal prints were a big thing, especially the amazing collection by Pierre Frey. Art Deco-inspired designs were a big thing, as well as fun, flirty designs from design darlings Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix. The big take away: Prints, smaller geometric patterns, and color.
This image is probably one of my favorites from luxury Italian brand Brochier. You may not have heard of Brochier, but they make some amazing textiles. Vera Wang is a fan, as well as countless others. I love the bold use of color and the way they use the stripe of the chair. It was by far the most liked image of the trip. So with that, I hope I leave you inspired to do something new, whether it is redecorating your home, traveling somewhere new, or doing some philanthropic work simply by eating.
Happy Friday!
