Best Place to Party
Land Co.
165 Dragon St. 214-742-2333.
In a city of jaded partygoers where one man’s Minc is another man’s Lime Bar, kicks just keep getting harder to find. Which is why Reg Land’s Land Co., newly relocated to Dragon Street, has become such a hot spot. Sports celebrities and local chichis are throwing wildly successful charity gigs in Reg’s showroom, amidst his hand-painted furniture and candlelight. Reg’s furniture and accessories are available through the trade only, but anyone can book the space for a party.
The Best of Everything 2003
Once a year, the editors of D Home sit around a table and review hundreds of nominations for our “Best of Everything€VbCrLf feature…
Assignments are made. Arguments take place. Pleading is not unusual. After about a month of deliberation, we narrow it down to 50 or so of our unanimous favorites. We try to offer a wide range of products and services, and we use a broad geographical definition of Dallas (meaning Waxahachie counts), the idea being that what we’re really offering is adventure. So here it is: our invitation to get out of your comfort zone and check out our 2003 slate of the best people, places, and things in Dallas. Enjoy.
FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES
Best Old World Craftsman
Marcelena Recatune of Larru Leathers
1517 Levee St. 214-760-7005. www.larruleathers.com.
Marcelena is your typical leather savant: born in Iran to a Basque father, she migrated to San Antonio and ended up in Dallas to study anthropology. She apprenticed with a bookbinder, and then decided to open a custom leather studio. That was 18 years ago. We rank Marcelena as national-treasure material: using Old World techniques, she creates everything from hand-tooled leather purses and desk blotters to chairs and inlaid leather screens for designers, architects, antique dealers, and clients who come to her from all over the country. You can visit Marcelena’s web site; she also welcomes studio visitors.
Best Newcomer
Jones Walker
3317 McKinney Ave., Ste. 100-101. 214-916-5500.
Whether you want to copy the pattern from your grandmother’s old chair or browse through their catalog of offerings, Jones Walker is the best new place to go for leather-upholstered furniture. Partners Maribel Leon, Tony Walker, and Max Jones teamed up to offer Dallasites the best comfort and quality in leather furniture, first opening their doors in November 2002. Major selling point: quick turnaround time-even on custom orders. We’re talking five weeks, max. They also feature an assortment of accessories created by local artists, e.g. a throw pillow made from vintage dresses or a canvas transfer photograph for the wall.
Best Shades of Difference
A.F.W. Baker
214-448-9167; The Gathering, 1515 Turtle Creek Blvd. 214-741-4888.
Unusual little lampshades for your chandeliers or sconces are a decorative way to diffuse light. April Baker makes petite paper shades in a range of styles-from roses on a black ground reminiscent of tole work to shades with a straw effect and others that imitate parchment. Her firm is based in Hurst, but you can see her work at The Gathering.
Best Keyboard Selection
Kahn’s for Pianos
5840 Alpha Rd. 972-233-1967.
Ivan Kahn is a strange bird, but in a good way. He’s the maestro behind this fourth-generation international piano specialist that sells, services, rents, consigns, tunes, repairs, and rebuilds our favorite instrument. They offer new, pre-owned, and custom-built pianos for beginners, advanced players, and decorators. Brands include Steinway, Bernhard Steiner, Petrof, QRS, Mason & Hamlin, and Bluthner. One of the top three piano restoration facilities in the country, it’s the only one of this standard outside of New York.
Best Indoor Iron Furniture
D’Hierro
7807 Inwood Rd. 214-357-7956; 5813 Preston Rd., Ste. 552, Plano. 972-943-9924. http://www.dhierro.com/.
Purveyors of fine Mexican hand-forged iron furniture and accessories, Jorge and Rocio Perez started this business eight years ago on Inwood, opening a second store in Lakewood Market five years later. They sell nearly anything made of iron: beds, tables, chairs, doors, gates, even stair railings. Wonderful wrought-iron outdoor lanterns can be wired for gas or electricity, and even the pot racks can be electrified or made to burn candles.
Best Go Gothic
Throne
4441 McKinney Ave. 214-219-4441.
Teddy Solis says the look of his furniture and accessories is “Spanish- and Italian-inspired.€VbCrLf He carries oversized, dark, almost Gothic-looking pieces and lots of leather and suede, velvet and chenille, crosses and sconces. There are real crowns to be had, too (Teddy has a thing for them). If you care not about affecting a kingly mien, you can purchase pillows bearing embroidered crowns with semi-precious stones (and help restore Versailles in the bargain). Hot items: elaborately framed Modigliani prints timed perfectly for the Kimbell’s Modigliani show in May.
Best Place to Put a Sink
Cole & Co.
Ferguson Enterprises, 1502 Slocum St. 214-761-9333; B-K Plumbing, 4414 Keller Hicks Rd., Keller. 817-379-1117; or 888-653-2284 for dealer nearest you.
An award-winning, homegrown company, Cole & Co. has quickly become one of the leading makers of vanities for the bath. You’ll marvel at the breadth of inventive ways your bathroom sink cabinet becomes a piece of furniture. Designs are drawn from traditional styles such as carriage bombés, butterfly demilunes, and Highlander commodes.
Best Royal Touch
Stone Tec
5470 W. Lovers Ln., Ste. 333A. 214-654-9075; 2929 W. Kingsley Rd., Garland. 972-278-4477.
Their main thrust is importing granite, marble, slate, and stone for floor finishes, backsplashes and the like, but company president Rupy Shaw has added an exclusive line of handmade, chased-silver accessories from the princely state of Rajasthan in northern India. Just one of these boxes, picture frames, or trays will add sparkle and interest to a room.
Best Conversation Pieces
Statement Furniture
1131 Slocum St. 214-760-2450. http://www.statementfurniture.com/.
Aptly named, this incredible furniture is the home-furnishings equivalent of entrance dresses. When we checked in, artisan Chris Wynn was finishing up one such piece-an elliptical dining room table consisting of a honey-colored onyx top and pewter-finished steel base. The final touch was incorporating lights to up-light the top and pull shadows out of the base. Extraordinary. About 70 percent of their clients are designers, and the rest are primarily antique dealers-but “end users€VbCrLf (as wife Adrianne put it) are also welcome. And they’ll custom-design anything and everything, from Louis XVI to modern.
HOUSEWARES & HARDWARE
Best Comic Relief
Zeus Toys and Comics
3878 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 100E. 214-219-8697.
Owner Richard Neal has created smart, stylish superhero solace for the child in all of us. Batman, Aquaman, and the whole Superfriends gang are here, as well as a to-die-for selection of Barbies, G.I. Joes, and sci-fi collectibles. Zeus is also the perfect place to find that much-needed bit of whimsy for your home. A Betty Boop bobble-head to go with your Bauhaus architecture? Sounds super, man.
Best Try ’Em on for Size Drapes
The Curtain Exchange
5470 Lovers Ln. 214-350-3045.
We have been high on this shop since it came to Dallas two years ago. It specializes in fabulous ready-made curtains and same-day installation. Their Basics collection (12 original curtains to be regularly stocked) will debut in early May. The Limited collection changes weekly, so you won’t have the same curtains as your neighbors, and the store carries all of the necessary hardware to complete the perfect look. The “check-out€VbCrLf policy allows you take the curtains home and try them on, free of charge. If they don’t work in your home, take them back. It’s no silk off their bolt.
Best Missing Parts Bureau
Appliance Parts Depot
4754 Almond St. 214-631-4343.
This is where the pros-servicers and technicians-go to get a basket or a gasket, an axle and spare wheel for your dishwasher rack, or new hinges for the oven door. They sell parts for almost all of the major brands, from Whirlpool, GE, and Maytag to Sub-Zero, Bosch, and Viking. If the part is available, they can get it for you. Oh, and those specialty water filters for your fridge (and other appliance accessories) that are impossible to find-they have ’em.
Best “Green€VbCrLf Drapers
Antique Drapery Rod Co.
118 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-653-1733. http://www.antiquedraperyrod.com/.
Owner Whitney Walker wants to the leave the planet better off than when she landed. To that end she devotes her business to “karmic capitalism,€VbCrLf making money in an environmentally friendly way. She calls her products “healthy milk paint,€VbCrLf “decadent draperies,€VbCrLf and “classic hardware.€VbCrLf Dyes used to tint draperies don’t damage water, land, or people. The paint line is natural and of food-grade quality. And the hardware is made of recycled wood, aluminum, or steel. You can browse through 18,000 drapery panels (including natural hemp, organic cotton, and to-die-for silk) at the showroom on Oak Lawn and cash-and-carry their drapery rods created from historical European designs.
Best New Lease on Life Platers
Best Oriental Fetish
Allan Knight & Associates
1400 Hi Line Dr., Ste. G. 214-741-2227. www.allanknightasso.com.
Twentieth-century decorator and tastemaker Elsie de Wolfe believed a mirror or two, a profusion of flowers, and a few significant pieces of furniture were all that were needed to achieve interior-design nirvana. A celestial leg up may be had through the showroom of 21st-century designer and tastemaker Allan Knight. Here, heavenly art, textiles, lamps and lighting elements, and furniture and accessories-both antique and manufactured-reign. The peripatetic Mr. Knight scours Europe, Africa, and Oceana to find one-of-a-kind pieces that are often combined with acrylic. A fabulous new addition is a contiguous space housing Asian art and artifacts gathered from Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and China. “This new showroom,€VbCrLf he says, “is one of the largest €˜for sale’ collections in the United States available to Asiaphiles.€VbCrLf Divine.
Noles-Davis Antique Restoration
2711 Manor Way. 214- 358-1731.
They don’t change lead into gold, and they don’t do chrome, but these alchemists do plate just about any other kind of metal: gold, silver, pewter, brass, and copper. They offer antique polishing, plating, and lacquering and can custom match the color from almost any sample finish. So hang on to great-grandma’s sterling silver coffeepot, even if it is dented, mottled, and broken-lidded. They’ll repair the lid, push out the dents, get rid of the streaks, and polish it up like new.
Best Gobs of Knobs
TKO Associates
1617 Hi Line Dr., Ste. 230. 214-741-6060.
This hardware-for-the-bath business was started 20 years ago by SMU grad Elizabeth Hoag and recently expanded into an adjacent space in the Design District. They specialize in contemporary looks in decorative plumbing and door hardware. We especially like the faucets with multicolored knobs imported by Hastings and the sinuous Sóko drawer pulls by San Francisco sculptor Cari Jaye Sokoloff. TKO’s deep gray and white sinks are reminiscent of the old soapstone ones elementary school kids cleaned up in after finger-painting in art class.
Best Indulgence of a Silk Obsession
Silk Trading Co.
1617 Hi Line Dr., Ste. 700. 214-741-7455.
When we went looking for our cover model for this issue of D Home, we headed straight for Silk Trading Co. and found a gorgeous honey-colored silk sofa. Silk Trading Co. is literally packed full of the stuff, making this specialty store a haven for Dallas’ silk lovers. Silk fabric hangs from dozens of racks and graces two small, sleek-lined furniture collections. All fabrics are sold straight from the bolt, so there is no waiting to take them home. As if that weren’t enough, their new Drapery Out of a Box line includes custom-quality ready-made drapes in more than 25 luxurious styles.
Best Pleasures of Cooking Outpost
Viking Culinary Arts Center
4531 McKinney Ave. 214-526-3942. http://www.vikingrange.com/.
Chopping blocks and pepper mills, paring knives and lamb-chop frills: these are a few of our favorite things…. And they said the American housewife would never pay $40 for a garlic press. (We remember when they said the same about a $125 product called the Cuisinart.) Viking’s got the perfect press, plus their own line of ultra-premium cookware and cutlery to match their commercial-style luxe home appliances. The store alone is worth a detour (if you’re really into kitchen gadgets, this is your Utopia), and both beginners and advanced chefs can take lessons from true pros in their immense demo kitchen.
ARTS & ANTIQUES
Best Prince of Prints
Coupralux
1616 Hi Line Dr., Ste. C. 214-760-0077. www.coupralux.com.
Christian Bowers is the man behind Coupralux, one of the oldest and largest dealers of Iris-giclée fine-art prints. Though Iris giclée sounds like the name of a Dumas heroine, it actually refers to a printing process that sprays 100-percent natural dyes onto heavy cotton papers and canvases. Coupralux carries some 3,600 images, representing the work of 350 artists. Texana buffs will find prints of an old Texas flag, an early Texas map, and the wonderful, spirited cowgirls of Saint Jo artist Donna Howell-Sickels.
Best Gallery You’ve Never Seen
Webb Gallery
209-211 W. Franklin, Waxahachie. 972-938-8085. http://www.webbartgallery.com/.
Just 30 miles south of Dallas, Bruce and Julie Webb have created one of the most remarkable galleries in the country. Their space is filled with what is now known as “outsider art.€VbCrLf The gallery is wall-to-wall soul-paintings and sculptures by national and regional self-taught artists. Their creations and stories make for a deeply powerful artistic experience-well worth the drive. The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
Best Way to Wile Away the Afternoon
The Gathering
1515 Turtle Creek Blvd. 214-741-4888.
If the phrase “multi-dealer antique showroom€VbCrLf isn’t appealing to you, you obviously haven’t been to The Gathering, a high-end showroom representing more than 60 dealers whose wares include everything from art, lighting, and furniture to tabletop and architectural elements. We spent a thoroughly enjoyable interlude wandering among the displays. One minute we were in love with a set of four French dining chairs (a steal at $1,400), but the next we couldn’t live without a $60 lion’s head architectural element that now lives on our desk. Take a friend and make a day of it; with The Gathering Cafe on-site, you won’t even have to leave for lunch.
Best New Consignment Store
Consigntime
5211 Forest Ln., Ste.112. 972-490-1861.
Here’s a boon to bargain hunter/gatherers: former estate-sale dealer Patrick Rogers has opened a consignment store filled with estate and household furnishings liquidations. Pat is a master of alternative use, and a lot of the pleasure of shopping here comes from his imaginative suggestions: why not convert end remnants of designer fabric rolls into table runners? Why not insert a candle into a vintage ashtray stand and use it as a knockout tabletop centerpiece? Why not use a rusted iron fireplace plaque as a backsplash? Go here to shop, or bring in stuff from grandma’s attic to sell.
Best Books as Art
Russell Light Books & Art
The Gathering, 1515 Turtle Creek Blvd. 214-741-4888; The History Merchant, 2723 Routh St. 214-979-0810.
Russell is a devotee of the book arts, and is arguably the preeminent Dallas dealer of finely bound 19th- and 20th-century classics. His fine, rare, and beautiful antiquarian books are sold at The Gathering and The History Merchant. Russell eschews what’s referred to as “hyper firsts,€VbCrLf first editions from the ’70s and ’80s collected by the newly arrived. His tastes run to Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, and Charles Dickens, as well as historical materials from American and European political history. Currently offered: a rare set of the complete works of Winston Churchill, a two-volume set of Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra (with a page of the original manuscript tipped in), the complete works of Robert Browning, and the finest edition available of the writings of Theodore Roosevelt.
Best Appraiser of English Furniture
Lamb Appraisals
106 Autumn Trail, Rockwall. 972-771-9664.
Growing up in England, going to auctions and estate sales with mummy and daddy, Marigold Lamb didn’t have a clue some people actually buy suites of new furniture. Marigold earned her master’s degree, then went to work for Clements, learning the antique trade in large part from auction clients. In 1991, she started her own business. While she appraises silver, porcelain, and glass, Marigold’s strongest suit is English and Continental furniture. Her library comprises 550-odd decorative arts volumes. Fully accredited by the International Society of Appraisers, she handles appraisals and gives expert testimony in court case disputes.
ODDS & ENDS
Best Relics of the Raj
Del Saxon Fine Arts & Antiques of the World
1525 Hi Line Dr., Ste. B. 214-742-6921. www.delsax.com.
They cater to designers, but collectors are welcome. The pieces found here conjure images out of Arabian Nights, exotic and fantastical: carved wooden doors from Anatolia, a bone-and-stone Moroccan dowry chest, an 18th-century Indian window frame fitted out with a mirror, and chased-silver Raj chairs, perfect for the king (or queen) in your life. Top designers use their taborets (eight-sided, multicolored stools) as side tables-perfect for any room in the house.
Best You Had To Be There
Benjamin Diem’s Tabletop during Celebration of Design
The assignment was to create an interesting tabletop during Celebration of Design last fall. Showrooms throughout Decorative Center Dallas set tables with fine china, centerpieces, and cut crystal. But Bulthaup’s Benjamin Diem isn’t really a napkin-ring kind of guy. Enlisting the help of Jeroboam’s chef Garreth Dickey, he put together a tabletop you might see at the Whitney: a short film projection of an actual dinner party (Garreth’s, of course), beamed onto the surface of a plain tablecloth. The silver clattered; the people chattered; wine glasses were lifted. Like we said, you had to be there.
Best Grand Dame Face Lift
Arlington Hall at Lee Park
3400 Turtle Creek Blvd. 214-528-3243. www.specialeventcatering.com/arlingtonhall.html.
Tour the newly renovated Arlington Hall and you won’t believe it’s technically a Dallas City rec center. The Hall, which is actually a 2/3-scale replica of Robert E. Lee’s home in Virginia, was originally built in 1939 as a Depression-era Works Progress Administration project. Today, after a multimillion-dollar renovation and restoration, Arlington Hall has doubled in size to almost 10,000 square feet, acquired much-needed heating and air conditioning, and received a face lift of its beautiful Greek Revival architecture. Word is they’re already booked solid until September.
FOOD
Best Ethnic Market by Far
Hong Kong Market Place
9780 Walnut St., Ste. 360. 972-437-9888; 1816 E. Pioneer Pkwy., Arlington. 817-265-1488.
This is Jackie Chan meets Sam Walton. Acres of all manner of Asian stuff: Chinese herbs, five zillion kinds of rices, live eels. Hong Kong Market Place is the 8th wonder of the local culinary world.
Best Yolk’s on You
Gourmet A Go-Go
5219 W. Lovers Ln., Ste. B. 214-357-0400.
You’ll have a devil of a time choosing from this catering company’s selection of Mellow Yellow gourmet deviled egg platters: 10 choices in all, including the Purple Haze (capers, purple onions, and Beluga caviar), the Betcha By Golly Wow (curry, coconut, ginger, shallots, and mango chutney), or-our personal favorite-the Seasons in the Sun (chipotle purée, garlic, toasted cumin, white onion, and poblano peppers). Suddenly mustard and paprika seem so common.
Best “Krispy€VbCrLf Alternative
Mustang Donuts
6601 Hillcrest Ave. 214-363-4878.
With all due respect to that famous import and the craze it’s created, we prefer to support a hometown team. And nothing gives us a better morning sugar rush than the chocolate chip cake donuts at Mustang Donuts. Moist and lightly glazed, this luscious donut has just enough chocolate chips to add richness without creating mocha overkill. But be warned: Mustang Donuts and its calorie-filled kin will be happy to take years off your life, but they don’t take credit.
Best Sweet Ending
Dallas Affaires
2307 Abrams Rd. 214-826-9409.
This is no ordinary local bakery; to the pastry savvy, this is the ultimate bakery. Many well-known local caterers-including Andrew Ormsby, Two Sisters, and Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner?-buy their cakes here. The good news is so can you; Dallas Affaires is open to the public. Overwhelmed by the options? A few hints: their most popular confection is a white chocolate cake with Chambord cream and raspberry filling, but if you want something different, go for the Mexican chocolate cake. It’s similar to a spice cake. Whether you take a cake as a hostess gift or present it as dessert at one of your own parties, you’ll be a hit.
Best Chef’s Choice
Ham I Am!
641 Presidential Dr., Richardson. 972-238-1776. http://www.hamiam.com/.
Known in gourmet circles as Dallas’ “Ham Lady,€VbCrLf Sharon Meehan has been offering luscious hams, turkeys, and assorted gourmet meats to the country’s well-heeled crowd for more than 15 years. Her company name (no, not from Dr. Seuss) was born after making a delivery to The Mansion on Turtle Creek, when chef Dean Fearing said to her, “Oh, you’re the ham lady.€VbCrLf To which Sharon replied, “Yeah, ham I am.€VbCrLf We love the Jamieson spring lamb chops, available through the web site, which York Street’s Sharon Hage also insists upon.
Best Bet for Carnivores
Rudolph’s Market & Sausage
2924 Elm St. 214-741-1874.
The oldest meat market in the city, Rudolph’s has been serving up premium-quality meats since 1895. Even if you don’t know a rump roast from a loin cut, these butchers are the friendliest men-with-large-knives that we’ve ever met and are happy to help explain it to even the greenest cook. The Deep Ellum market is famous for its Polish and pork sausage, German franks, and prime and choice beef cuts, which are aged three to four weeks.
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
Best Benders and Shapers
Beach Sheet Metal
353 Long Creek Rd., Sunnyvale. 972-226-4440. http://www.beachsheetmetal.com/.
Some 20 years back, Doug Beaty took over this old-line sheet-metal company, which was established in 1952. Designers engage BSM to produce handsome cupolas, ornate dormer windows, waterproofed balconies, customized vent hoods, or Old World-style hammered-copper countertops. On the necessary but ho-hum side, they install gutters and downspouts, metal roof systems, and louvers for attic ventilation.
Best Double Your Pleasure Room Dividers
Doma
1616 Hi Line Dr., Ste. B. 214-977-9247. http://www.doma-usa.com/.
Doma is sister to the molto fabuloso Italian kitchen design showroom called Snaidero. We love their Mové line of sleek, frosted-glass sliding panels that can be installed almost anywhere. Use them to partition a hallway, divide a bedroom, create a closet system, separate a water closet, or section off a studio without putting up permanent walls.
Best Tile Flea Market
Moreno Tile
3106 Winnequah St. 214-638-7127. http://www.tilemoreno.com/.
If you love Mexican tile work, you must come here. Don’t be daunted by the stacks of bundled tiles and wire fencing-a treasure trove awaits. Renée Moreno was a Dallas teacher before she started selling architectural artifacts and eventually marble and tile. We love the colorful handmade sinks, the dramatic urns, and the amazing cherub fountain. Every porch in the M Streets and Lakewood would benefit from a flooring of Saltillo tile! The firm will deliver and install. They handle custom designs, too: one client is having a sink hand-painted with gold bees to match his bathroom wallpaper.
Best New Place for Old Stuff
Oak Cliff Mercantile
330 W. Davis St., Ste. A. 214-948-8080.
This brand-new shop in the trendy Bishop Arts District is filled with ideas for creative re-use. “We believe in recycling everything,€VbCrLf says Tom McCoy, who, with partners Michelle Barton and Henry Branstetter, salvages “mostly local€VbCrLf architectural pieces of various vintages. See what you can do with pieces of tin ceiling from the Wilson Building in downtown Dallas, ornate ceiling flush mounts from the 1940s, school desks from Dallas’ Buchner Children’s Orphanage, or a staircase from Paris, Texas.
Best Roof Toppings
The Roof Tile and Slate Co.
1209 Carroll Ave., Carrollton. 972-446-0005. http://www.claytile.com/.
They boast the largest inventory in the country of fine clay tile and slate roofing materials, both new and antique. At their large outdoor showroom in Carrollton, you’ll find everything from natural slates to “boutique€VbCrLf tiles that project rusticity to antique tiles and slates from around the world. If you’re planning a new roof, stop by and let their staff designers show you how to create a one-of-a-kind look by combining rich colors, shapes, and textures.
Best Bespoke Metal Crafter
Trautmann Iron Works
1733 Levee St. 214-752-8181. http://www.trautmannironworks.com/.
Lee Trautmann can do just about anything in the way of custom metalwork, and he does so for both the trade and public. He’s done ornamental ironwork for Dave & Buster’s; the altar candles, kneeling rail, and baptismal for the Perkins Chapel at SMU; and-our favorite-stainless steel railings, a ladder, and trap door for a lucky teenager whose bedroom is a loft in her University Park home.
REPAIR & RESTORATION
Best Old Time Revival
Norton’s Restorations
3129 N. Hwy. 67, Ste. C, Mesquite. 972-613-9331.
Authenticity is the hallmark of this period furniture restorer. Though Mr. Norton wo
