WINDFALLS

A BETTER REST



“Futonium.” It sounds like a deadly element mighty enough to destroy even the most powerful superhuman. Actually, Futonium is a quaint, laid-back shop that offers some of the cushiest bedding and sleeping accessories in town. The shop’s name is derived from the Japanese word “futon,” referring to Japanese pure-cotton bedding. Futons don’t have any springs or mattress buttons to irritate a sore back, just layers of pure cotton to rest upon.

Store owners Prem Singh and Nan Richards claim that the Japanese (who have slept on futons for centuries) don’t suffer from bad backs. Singh says that sleeping on a futon lets the body breathe; it’s cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Another advantage to having a futon is that it is lightweight and can be rolled up and stored in a muslin bag.

Singh began making futons three years ago as a hobby and only recently decided to sell to the public. The futons are available in a variety of sizes: twin, $100; double, $110; queen, $120; king, $150 and up. Singh will also make futons to order. Futonium also carries pure cotton flannel pillowcases ($7.50) and blankets ($24-$32) imported from England, as well as unique, artistic items such as silk-screened pillows ($40) and hand-painted and antique kimonos. Futonium. 3031 Monticello. Tue-Sat 10-6. 522-5127.



TIT FOR TAT



In Grandmother’s day, women’s lives centered on home life. They cooked, cleaned, took care of their husbands and children, and in their spare time, did tatting-very fine, tiny lace-work. Unfortunately, through the decades, tatting has become a lost art. But Rachel Hadsall, a 22-year-old Dallas secretary, has revived the Victorian art-form with the help of her grandmother. Hadsall and her grandmother design and produce greeting cards that are adorned with minute flowers made of tatting. Her grandmother, who lives in Kansas, makes most of the flowers and mails them to her granddaughter. Hadsall then draws leaf shapes onto various pastel papers and attaches the delicate flowers. Sometimes she adds calligraphy; she’ll also personalize each card. Designs vary from small buds to larger blossoms on a background of pink, beige, light blue or lavender. A set of 12 cards costs $15. Rachel Hadsall. 980-8238.



DALLAS’ OWNTIFFANY



The name “Tiffany” is synonymous with the best in jewels, sterling, gold, watches, stationery, crystal and china. But until recently, the country’s most-prestigious baubles were available only at Tiffany & Co. on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Now, with the opening of Tiffany’s in The Galleria, Dal-lasites will have to travel only as far north as the Dallas Parkway to obtain their finery. The Dallas branch specializes in corporate needs: business gifts, achievement awards, trophies, etc. Of course, the store also has its extensive collection of designer jewelry and exclusive knickknacks.

Among Tiffany’s jewelry designers are Paloma Picasso, a Tiffany’s newcomer; French designer Jean Schlumberger; and Elsa Peretti, whose sterling silver belt buckle ($190) is pictured at right. Tiffany & Co., The Galleria, 13350 Dallas Parkway. 458-2800.

FLOWERS ON THE SQUARE



Exotic flowers such as lilies and orchids are in demand at the flower markets. But a single lily does not an arrangement make. To take a bunch of flowers and arrange them into a distinctive floral design takes time, imagination and talent. Flowers on the Square can create a truly original arrangement using such improbable items as barbed wire, bare branches and lucite poles with stems of lilac and forsythia. Owners Ric Muller and Bill Bostel-mann also arrange flowers for banquets, parties, openings and hotels (the shop handles flowers for the Americana Hotel in Fort Worth and the Mandalay Four Seasons in Las Colinas). Flowers on the Square, 311 Main in Sundance Square, Fort Worth. Mon-Sat 9-6. (817) 870-2888.



MADE IN HONG KONG



Les Grands Tailleurs is a Japanese mother-and-son operation. Lance Ueno and his mother, Betty, moved to Dallas from Hawaii just seven months ago to open their exclusive tailoring shop in Addi-son. Betty takes care of the bookkeeping while her 25-year-old son handles customers. Ueno worked with Andy Mohan in Hawaii, a third-generation tailoring firm, for three years before opening Les Grands Tailleurs. He got the idea for the shop’s name from an ad in Vogue magazine. The Uenos emphasize personal-touch tailoring. Les Grands Tailleurs also functions as a wardrobe consultant. The Uenos carry fabrics from all over the world; the sewing materials are from the West Coast. The suits are assembled in Hong Kong; delivery time (Dallas to Hong Kong and back) is about four to six weeks. A two-piece suit costs from $400 up. A vest is an additional $50 to $75, and a sport coat is $265 and up. Les Grands Tailleurs, 14800 Quorum Drive, Suite 540, Addison. By appointment only. 960-6970.