Anthropologie Sale Update

I stopped by the Highland Park Village Anthropologie last night and asked some of their very helpful staff about the additional 40% off on sale items. Apparently the sale only started yesterday and should run through the weekend. There are a few cute clothing items (although a lot of the clothes on the sales racks were a little bit, well, ugly), and quite a few nice home decor items. I saw many lamps, some great orange and brown paisley sheets, velvet throws, etched glassware, wall art, and a lot of decorative knobs. Sale items were scattered throughout the store, so hunt around. Head over before they get totally picked over.

I can't get Blogger's photo upload to work, so my apologies for the text-only entries.

Anthropologie Sale Today Only

Anthropologie in Dallas has an additional 40% off in-store sale merchandise today only!

Sale at Z Gallerie

Z Gallerie will pay your sales tax on all furniture orders now through 10/29 (Sunday).

Z Gallerie
4600 McKinney Ave, Dallas, TX
(214) 526-4568

5225 Alpha Rd, Dallas, TX
(972) 458-8266

2601 Preston Rd # 1084, Frisco, TX
(972) 731-9357

Thoughts on Home Improvement: A Good Time to Remodel?

Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies has issued a press release predicting a downturn in demand for home improvement. Homeowner remodel spending has shown signs of easing over the last two quarters. This is likely a result of the cooling housing market, but may play to the advantage of homeowner's in markets that have not, and probably will not, see major declines in home values (markets like Dallas).

The D Home blog is suggesting that the decreased demand for remodeling will put contractors out of work and therefore will make their rates much more negotiable.

If this is the case, what are your best bets for remodeling? I've heard a million times that home buyers put the highest value on kitchen and bathroom remodels, so those are probably a great place to start. I know our 1950's home could use some new fixtures (we still have all original sinks, faucets, and tubs and they are not lookin' too good). Another good bet is hardwood flooring.

In my personal opinion, the Dallas housing market is experiencing a very brief slump, mostly due to seasonal demand (most people buy in the spring). We should see sales back to normal soon, especially considering that Dallas is now the nation's 4th largest city with over 350 new residents moving here each day!

Thoughts on Entertaining: Wine Recommendation

I recently tried a wonderful and inexpensive Merlot imported from Chile. Wine Spectator describes the Santa Ema as, "Nice, clean, creamy texture, with mixed berry, toast and dried herb notes," and rates it an 85. The bottle sells for about $10, but is available in only a few Dallas stores. The easiest place to find it is at World Market.

World Market, www.worldmarket.com for locations.

Printing Photos on Canvas

We have a huge blank wall in the entry way which we have decided to cover with large scale photographs printed on canvas. We love our photos of the sea from our trip to Turkey. The price for a 36"x48" print ranges from the high $100s to the high $200s. Here are a few online resources I found. Please let me know if you have tips or recommendations.

Canvas on Demand
Shutterfly
Printed Big

The Reason Behind the Storehouse Closing

Erika at Dallas Modern Design alerted me to the real reason Storehouse is closing. Apparently this is part of a bankruptcy liquidation by its parent, The Rowe Companies.

Thanks for the tip Erika.

Turkish Color

I really admire the Turkish use of saturated blues. These are colors that I have always avoided in my decor because any attempt to use them has met with dismal failure. I've done a dark blue room only to find it looked childish, like a box of crayons. I was unable to accessorize the room properly. It just seemed nothing matched.

The Turks manage to use blue with a sophistication I envy and blue is a color that shows up in nearly every household because of it's prominence in traditional tile design, as well as the prolific use of a symbol called the Nazar, or Evil Eye. The Nazar is meant to ward off envious thoughts of others which might damage you, your family, or your property. Please don't let this description of the Nazar make you think the Turks are backwards or uneducated. I know a university professor and a civil engineer who insist on having a Nazar in their cars, and keep telling me I need to wear one.

In Turkey, everything that is loved has a Nazar, be it a car, a house, a baby, or a bride and groom. The Nazar, the large blue glass pieces in the picture below, is a bright blue eye with a black and white center. This example is truly unique. It is a hand-made piece we saw on the side of a Mansion in Datca that had been converted into a hotel.


Despite my best attempts, I couldn't find anything like this Nazar in any of the local shops. Most of the Turks I have asked are unsure of the origins of the Nazar, but a tour guide once told us that it is the eye of Medusa. If you are looking for a simple Nazar in Dallas, you might check Another Time and Place, a Turkish-owned gift shop located on Henderson.

Another Time and Place
2815 N Henderson Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 824-1875