You Can Talk To Us, You Know

Most of you probably don’t realize that as of a few days ago, YOU can post your own comments, anonymous or not, with each post on our blog. It’s live. It’s real. It’s uncensored (mostly). But best of all, it’s YOU.

So, where it says “Comments” after each post, let your voice be heard.

Scott Carlson Real Estate Open Houses

What else to do on a lovely weekend but trek through homes…
September 30, 2007
6934 Pasadena Avenue
$ 924,900
7031 Wildgrove Avenue
$ 497,500

Carol Burnett for MD Anderson Cancer Center: Up Next, Tony Blair

I have just dried my eyes from hearing Carol Burnett talk with Deborah Norville at MD Anderson’s fund-raiser this noon — thanks to my good friends at Whole Foods. All you young ones may not remember the days of decent television like we had when I was growing up. The Carol Burnett Show was one of the most successful variety TV shows in the history of television and went on the air in 1967. Carol reminisced and gave us some great “inside” stories…like the time she and Julie Andrews “kissed” to tease Mike Nichols and ended up shocking Lady Bird Johnson. But here’s the best take: this year’s co-chair Realtor extraordinaire Allie Beth Allman will be chair next year and will bring former Prime Minister Tony Blair to Dallas for next year’s luncheon. Is that not cool? Let’s get those seats reserved already…..

LA book author and columnist for The Atlantic, Virginia Postrel saw our post on Eva Zeisel and her grandson… (more…)

LA book author and columnist for The Atlantic, Virginia Postrel saw our post on Eva Zeisel and her grandson… (more…)

RE: North Oak Cliff Homes & We Buy Ugly Houses

Hey Todd, I’m doing my homework for you, too. Spent a long time yesterday with Dr. John Hayes, Chief Executive of HomeVestors — you know, those “We Buy Ugly Houses” people. (Oh my God, I am in no way suggesting you have an ugly house. In fact, just the fact that your home was created by you adds at least $25K to the value.) His investors, who are pros, say this is a great time to buy and lease. Deets later — I’m off to the Carol Burnett lunch at the Hilton Anatole.

RE: North Oak Cliff Homes & We Buy Ugly Houses

Hey Todd, I’m doing my homework for you, too. Spent a long time yesterday with Dr. John Hayes, Chief Executive of HomeVestors — you know, those “We Buy Ugly Houses” people. (Oh my God, I am in no way suggesting you have an ugly house. In fact, just the fact that your home was created by you adds at least $25K to the value.) His investors, who are pros, say this is a great time to buy and lease. Deets later — I’m off to the Carol Burnett lunch at the Hilton Anatole.

North Oak Cliff Homes = $$$

Yesterday I blogged that I long for a slightly bigger house in my Kessler Park neighborhood and can’t decide whether I should sell and buy up or add on to my house. I received these words of warning from a real estate agent:

Have you ever lived though a remodel? Trust me, you don’t want to — especially if you’re adding on a master suite. North Oak Cliff is one of the few neighborhoods that’s hot right now. You should consider selling.

Really? Sell? In this market? I’m still concerned. Any other helpful tips? Daddy, needs a walk-in closet.

Welcome Williams-Sonoma Home

Christine and I ventured to Plano yesterday to check out the new Williams-Sonoma Home store. It’s the only one in Texas (so far), and I am perfecting my plan to make tons of money so I can buy everything in the store. (My current plan involves jogging slower when proximal to the driveways of the best and brightest Highland Park homes in hopes of getting gently hit by a fancy car.) The store is gorgeous–it feels like a house–with rooms that transition naturally from the den to the dining room to the bedroom. Highlights: a Hickory Chair armoire–you can customize the doors with different finishes, mirrors, and linens; super fun porcelain pineapples and parrots; tons of coffee-table books; and mother-of-pearl everything. Christine is obsessed with a chandelier and the garden stools. If my money-making plan succeeds, I will buy her one of each. But enough about us and our favorites, get to Plano immediately, please, and check it out for yourself.

Opus One and Bijoux

Cutie pie chef Scott Gottlich of hot restaurant Bijoux is featued in our upcoming October issue of D Home. Just received a note that Gottlich’s restaurant is hosting an Opus One wine dinner Wednesday, Oct. 17. I’ve been to one of Bijoux’s wine dinners before. They’re tasty and great fun — especially when a drunk trophy wife sits next to you and squeezes your knee for most of the evening. But I digress. Check out the details here. Oh, and how much is an evening of Opus One goodness, one might ask? A mere $500. See you there.

Attention, Larry Grusendorf

Photo By Stephen Karlisch

Why am I attempting to get the attention of Larry Grusendorf, you ask? It’s a long story but it all has to do with the fact that my first name is Rebecca. There’s another Rebecca in town whose email address happens to be in every designer’s computer along with mine: that of Rebecca O’Dell, at Scott + Cooner. So, when I got an email last night from Larry confirming the shipping costs for some leather, I have to admit at first I was baffled.
Then, I put two and two together and realized it must have been meant for the other Rebecca. I think this is hilarious because years ago when I was an editor at PaperCity, our Houston-based Editor in Chief Holly Moore thought she’d sent a story to me to edit, but it ended up in Rebecca O’Dell’s email box. Rebecca, a former fashion editor here at D magazine many, many years ago, dutifully edited the story without question and sent it back.

So Larry if you’re reading this, the shipping costs for the leather you wanted to return are still not confirmed.

Rising Mortgage Rates Will Impact Home Sales

Because buyers will offer less to pull those monthly payments in line. Sources continue to tell me our market has softened while the national news media tells us we sound like one of the places buyers will look for bargains because we have reasonably-priced properties and good job growth.

RE: Jeff Duffey Sounds Off

Hey Candy: I like what Jeff had to say about selling/reselling houses in the current Dallas market. Too many people try to turn a profit too quickly after an afternoon of watching HGTV. I have lived in a sweet little house in Kessler Park (2/1, 1600 sq ft) for five years but we want something a little bigger (a 3/2). We’ve been debating whether we should sell, remodel, or sit tight. Realtors, I welcome your knowledge and expertise. Let the emails begin!

Jeff Duffey Sounds Off

He says agents are giving into the bad market hype. What do YOU think?

(more…)

D Home Takes Home Another Folio Award!

The prestigious FOLIO magazine awards were held in New York on Sunday, with D Home taking the silver Eddie Award in the shelter (home) magazine category for our feature article, “Conversations on Dallas Style.” We trumped Metropolitan Home, which earned a bronze. The gold went to The Modern Estate. Winners in other categories include Harvard Business Review, People, Newsweek, and Money.
This is our second win. Last year, D Home grabbed a gold Eddie Award for best shelter magazine, joining a select group of prestigious magazines to win the top award, including Vogue Living.

Dallas Real Estate: At Rock Bottom and Ready To Bounce Back, Says CNN Money

How do you like this? Sound just like what my sources have been telling me: a little softness for the next 18 months, then whamo.

Kitchen and Bath Business Feature Local Kitchen Sales Genius

That would be Michael and Jan Davis of Capital Distributing, whose Turtle Creek kitchen was just published in Kitchen and Bath Business News and even better, the photos were taken by Jan herself. Danny Piassick, are you seeing this?

A Message to Mr. and Mrs. Jewel and Jean Kelly. Of Plano

I know you have an adjustable rate mortgage loan and you are seeking a fixed rate. I know that 2.5 other million ARM holders should be doing the same thing. But please go back to that application you filled out at six a.m. this morning and correct the phone numbers. Maybe you wrote “214″ instead of “972″. Maybe you simply transposed two numbers — I am occasionally dyslexic. But I have received five — maybe six calls just this morning and I am not in the market for a mortgage. Not yet. I do not live at 5837 Broadwell Street in Plano. I am not Mr. or Mrs. Kelly. And if I’m getting all your mortgage calls, you aren’t. And I can feel the heat from your ARM as it gets ready to swell up and take an even bigger chunk out of of your life, voracious serpent that it is.

Home Sales Decline II: Almost Prozac Time

Talking to some of my sources today, we are definitely seeing a softening in our local market. Blame 5 states for the credit crunch: Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and California. (In fact, maybe they should just secede from the Union — our market might be a whole lot rosier.) And would the spec builders just please put down their hammers? The problem, I hear, is that inventory is moving but every time you blink someone is breaking ground on yet another spec home. Most overbuilt? The one to three million dollar home category. Couple this with 2.5 million ARMs adjusting this year and experts expecting most of those to go bad. What can I say — it’s Prozac time.

Carleton Varney Brings Us The Greenbrier

News flash: Designer extraordinaire Carleton Varney has wrestled a fab weekend for two at the Greenbrier to be auctioned off at Slocum Street Style next Thursday, October 4. This all courtesy of the new Stoneleigh Hotel and Residences. You will have a chance to rub shoulders with Mr. Varney at the Brendan Bass Showroom that lucky day from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Brendan Bass is located at 1515 Slocum Street, right in the heart of all the action.) Mr. Varney just draws in the best people: first person to RSVP to the Oct. 4 event– Caroline Rose Hunt.

Slocum Street Style…. Just Around the Corner

Next Thursday, October 4, get ready for the annual Slocum Street Style (and silent auction) benefiting the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation. The fun starts at 6:00 pm and includes a silent auction like none other seen. Case in point: these two burl mahogany occasional chairs covered in red Thai silk valued at just under $5000 for the pair. Get your pencils ready.

Home Sales Decline

And the Dallas Morning News reports that even the stable cities, like Dallas, may see some slowdowns.

I Just Adore A Penthouse View

3701 Turtle Creek Blvd.

If you’ve read my newest column you know already that Green Acres was my favorite TV show growing up, if only to watch Eva Gabor throw open the windows to her penthouse on Park Avenue at the opening credits. So, I was quite in heaven today as we photographed lovely Annique McNally’s penthouse apartment at 3701 Turtle Creek. She’s French, but the look of the residence is very California style. I can’t wait for you to see it–look for it in our November issue. Anyway, while we were shooting, Allie Beth Allman agent Debbie Ingram burst in with two clients in tow. They waved hello but were off immediately surveying the rooms and the view. Annique and I were startled. Turns out they meant to look at the penthouse on the opposite side. Flustered, they all rushed out, and we followed. The penthouse for sale is going for $1.2 million, not a bad price for a space that’s so exquisitely finished out in natural stone and lacquered ceilings and walls. Too bad the furniture is so bad–it’s all gold and shiny and gooped up. Chris Whanger who designed the flowers for our shoot today commented that an architect must live there–they know how to design a space, but they don’t know how to decorate. Tonight when I looked up the unit on Allie Beth’s site, lo and behold, it belongs to an architect. I mean, look at Frank Lloyd Wright–his houses were amazing, but his furniture was unlivable.

Dispatch from Adam Zeisel on His Grandmother

As promised Adam Zeisel sent me this:

Rebecca,

Blinded by normal adolescent behavior and an immature eye for true beauty I never quite realized how famous Eva really was. I grew up receiving her designs as gifts and attending her award banquets but it never clicked that she was so revered. It wasn’t until I started building this business that I learned the extent of her following. Growing up, there were moments when I should have gotten the hint that Eva was something special. Whether it was making ceramic molds or messing around with wall divider prototypes she was quietly sharing part of her gift with me. Each moment would be everlasting, but never instructional. I never felt there was a need to ‘learn her ways’ because we were always just playing.

Little did I know that our playful search for Beauty would lead to Eva Zeisel Originals…

Adam Zeisel
Eva Zeisel Originals LLC, President
www.EvaZeiselOriginals.com
Tel: 781.929.3409
Fax: 617.933.2540

Fearings Spottings

Well while Nancy Nichols was getting a retinal detachment from looking at Mattie Roberts’s multi-carat engagement ring (liquidity event?), Jim Williamson from ID Collection was also dining at Fearings on Wednesday night. I dragged my husband in to snoop after the Museum Tower party. (How can you keep all these condos straight, he asks. Easy.) The design is really spectacular, as you will learn in the October issue of D Home. Incredibly friendly staff and valet, and even though they lost my car for a few minutes, all were quite cheerfully helpful.