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Modern Home Tour: Last Day to Buy Discounted Tickets!

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: May 10th, 2013 10:26am
Category:: Home Tours

5544 Waneta Drive is one of four homes on the tour. Designed by David Benners Architecture, the Greenway Parks home was built with sustainable features.

You know spring has sprung when the home tours are in full effect. This weekend is no different with Saturday’s Spring Modern Home Tour benefiting the Dallas Architecture Forum. Tour four modern beauties designed by licensed architects on this self-driving tour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Expect various design styles while staying in the modern aesthetic with materials like stainless steel, Lucite, walnut, clerstory windows, and smart use of light and space.

The advance ticket price of $20 is available until 6 p.m. today. Purchase tickets here. Tickets will also be on sale for $25 each when purchased at one of the homes on Saturday (cash or check only!). Along with the Greenway Parks home (pictured above), two W2 designed homes and a Spun Creative Group house will be ready for your perusing pleasure.

Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society Home Tour Week

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: March 26th, 2013 1:09pm
Category:: Home Tours

3824 Shenandoah, c1926/Tudor

This year’s PCHPS home tour is not only a day full of checking out featured historically significant homes in the Park Cities–it’s an entire week of fun. It is the centennial of Highland Park after all. It kicks off next week on Monday, April 1 with a week of activities and fundraisers with the home tour as the grand finale. Since I am your friend, I will break down the events in a very neat and tidy list.

Monday through Sunday: Shop at these Highland Park stores at a discount.

Thursday, April 4: PCHPS Distinguished Speaker Luncheon Series at the Dallas Country Club. Dealey Decherd Herndon, project manager for the Governor’s Mansion Restoration Project, will be speaking about saving and restoring the building after the 2008 fire. She will touch on why restoration matters in the Park Cities. Proceeds from the luncheon fund a scholarship at Highland Park High School for a graduating senior planning to study architecture or preservation. Tickets are $80. Buy them here.

Friday, April 5: Book signing at Vintage Living featuring local interior designer Betty Lou Phillips. She’ll be signing her latest book The Allure of French and Italian Decor. The free event is from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Saturday, April 6: Historic Home Tour featuring four historically significant homes in the Park Cities. This year’s stops include 3601 Crescent Avenue, 3824 Shenandoah, 6325 Preston Parkway, and 4205 Lakeside Drive. Funds raised are allocated for scholarships and to further the mission to promote, protect, and preserve the historic, architectural, cultural, and aesthetic legacy of the Park Cities. Advance tickets are $20 and available at Tom Thumb stores in the Park Cities or here. Buy them at the door for $25 at all home locations.

Sunday, April 7: Centennial open house featuring properties for sale with historic or architectural significance.

Win Free Tickets to This Year’s Modern Home Tour

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: February 19th, 2013 12:08pm
Category:: Home Tours

The Modern Home Tour features five modern homes, including this one at 6720 Greenwich Lane.

Are you feeling lucky today, dear reader? The fine people at Modern Home Tours have ponied up free tickets for two people and a friend. The self-guided driving tour on Saturday, March 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. includes homes that exemplify modern architecture with features such as koi ponds, convertible outdoor/indoor living spaces, and eco-friendly practices. You’ll even have the chance to meet the architects, builders, and designers who worked behind the scenes to construct the modern manses. Tickets are $30 in advance when purchased here, or $40 when purchased on the day of at any of the properties on the tour. Enter to win the free tickets by emailing me at ryan.conner@dmagazine.com with “Modern Home Tour Giveaway” in the subject line by Friday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m. D Home editor Laura Kostelny will randomly draw the two winners. (No, she doesn’t accept bribes.)

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for playing!

Tour 9562 Ash Creek at this year's Modern Home Tour on March 2.

Winnetka Heights Holiday Home Tour This Saturday

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: December 3rd, 2012 1:01pm
Category:: Home Tours

This two story Grand Prairie-style home is featured on the tour.

History buffs, take note. Six restored Prairie and Craftsmen homes will be on display this Saturday, December 8 from noon to 6 p.m. for the Winnetka Heights Holiday Home tour. The history of the charming Oak Cliff neighborhood is quite fascinating: some of the homes have been around since the inception of the ‘hood in 1910. Once a prestigious suburb of Prairie-style homes developed by fancy businessmen like L.A. Stemmons and T.S. Miller, the area hit a rough patch after World War II when many of the Prairie and Craftsmen Bungalows were converted to apartment housing. Today, homes have been restored while protecting the zoning of the Winnetka Heights Historic District, which was established in 1981. Consider that your daily history lesson, readers.

Proceeds from your ticket will benefit the Winnetka Neighborhood Association, a nonprofit that promotes the restoration and preservation of the area’s homes. Purchase advance tickets for $12 on their website or at Hunky’s and Shambhala Body Gallery in the Bishop Arts District. You can also purchase tickets on Saturday for $15 at the Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont Ave. Turner House will also feature food trucks such as Easy Slider and Good Karma, samples from Kessler Cookies, a caroling crew, a visit from Santa, and an on-site dog adoption fair sponsored by DFW Rescue Me.

Lakewood Home Tour Recap

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: November 13th, 2012 11:17am
Category:: Home Tours

We sent D Magazine intern, Sarah Bennett, to the Lakewood Home Tour this weekend. For those of you who didn’t attend, she recapped the tour (with pictures!) for you. A few of these photos are going in my inspiration folder (especially that colorful, modern nursery in the Coronado home). I wonder where they got that under-the-sea print above the crib? Take it away Sarah.

Last weekend’s 36^th annual Home Festival and Tour showcased seven stunning homes plus J. L. Long Middle School, allowing the community to take a peek into some of Lakewood’s finest architectural beauty.

My first stop on Friday night’s Candlelight Tour was 6636 Avalon, a house featured as a bonus on Friday only. This house, built in 1927, underwent major renovations in 2008. The owner’s daughter, Leigh Peden Straughn, acted as my tour guide. The blue and white living room took my breath away with the original cabinetry and stained glass windows and artwork that had been in the family for generations, including a portrait of Straughn’s great-great-great-grandmother that was commissioned in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1862. One light fixture was a rewired kerosene lamp. With the 2008 renovations, the family transformed a screened-in porch into an extensive dark wood bar, inserted windows styled after those in Something’s Gotta Give, and an extension to the kitchen. Not to mention the newly styled deck is perfect for entertaining, complete with a gazebo and palm tree.

Jump for more.

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Last Day To Enter For Free Tickets to Lakewood Home Tour

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: November 6th, 2012 9:54am
Category:: Home Tours

This is the last day to enter your name to win two tickets to this weekend’s Lakewood Home Tour! Details here. You’ll have a chance to tour six homes in Lakewood ranging in architectural styles. We can’t wait to see how resident and designer Carol Gantt restored her Clifford D. Hutsell home (pictured) after a destructive fire in 1998. Many of the original features such as the stained glass windows and Batchelder fireplace have been preserved. Recently, Gantt peeled back a few layers of paint above her fireplace to discover an original fresco.

For a pair of FREE tickets, email me at ryan.conner@dmagazine.com with “Lakewood Home Tour” in the subject line by 5 pm today. Please include your name and mailing address.

Win Tickets to the Lakewood Home Tour This Weekend

Author:: By Ryan Conner
Post date:: November 5th, 2012 1:15pm
Category:: Home Tours

The New Orleans-inspired modern farmhouse is featured on the tour this weekend. Photo by Michael Cagle.

We’ve got another pair of tickets up for grabs. This time for this weekend’s Lakewood Home Tour featuring six Lakewood homes, as well as J.L. Long Middle School, the first non-residence featured on the tour since its inception. The middle school, open since 1933, is a historical landmark and was recently refurbished with a multi-million dollar restoration. The ticket will gain you entry to the tour on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. If you want to check out the Friday-only bonus house, upgrade your ticket for an extra $10 at the door for the Candlelight Tour on Friday night from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The six homes on the tour range in styles from a mid-century modern home sitting on a forested creek lot to a 1926 Clifford Hutsell-designed Spanish Eclectic that has been restored after a fire in the late ’90s. The home on Coronado (pictured) was designed by the architect-owner in 2011 and modeled after his great-grandparent’s home in the garden district of New Orleans. Inside you’ll find mid-century modern furniture mixed with the owners’ finds from their travels.

Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 online, but if you’d like to check out the homes with a pair of FREE tickets, email me at ryan.conner@dmagazine.com with “Lakewood Home Tour” in the subject line by 5 pm on Tuesday, November 6. Please include your name and mailing address. No need for a poetry jam: Laura Kostelny will randomly draw the winner, so start sending her notes of bribery if you’d like.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner: Parker Wins the AIA Home Tour Poetry Contest

Author:: By Laura Kostelny
Post date:: November 2nd, 2012 3:07pm
Category:: Home Tours

Thanks to all who participated in our fun little contest. I wish everyone could win. But even if you didn’t, you should still go and see the cool homes. Anyway, Parker wins the two free tickets to this weekend’s AIA Home Tour. His creation is the following:

The AIA Home Tour is almost here
I look forward to this weekend every year.
Exploring modern homes that inspire my desire
To one day be an architect that everyone will hire
To commission homes that are as incredible as these
That speaks modernist style and sustainability
Touring around Dallas, it’s an annual tradition
That highlight the best of residential commissions
The AIA Home Tour, could it get here any sooner?
I’ve been wanting to see some furniture by Scott + Cooner
Inside these modern dwellings that will sure be telling
Joys of living in spaces that are so compelling.
From the Miele appliances to art on the wall
The floor to ceiling windows will definitely wow us all.
The AIA Home Tour is almost here
This has to be one of my favorite times of the year.

Win Tickets to This Weekend’s AIA Dallas Tour of Homes

Author:: By Laura Kostelny
Post date:: November 1st, 2012 12:25pm
Category:: Events

Photo of Larry Hartman's place by Charles David Smith

According to my trusty (though cracked) iPhone, it should be a pleasant 80-degree day on Saturday. That means this is the perfect weekend for a home tour. Lucky for you, the 6th annual AIA Tour of Homes is going on this very weekend! Check out homes all over the city that display cool stuff like sustainability, renovation, adaptation, and cool elements in new construction. According to the press release, the homes “were chosen for their architectural excellence and ability to communicate to the public the important role the architect plays in design.” Selected architects include Bernbaum Magadini Architects, Droese. Raney Architecture, ZERO3, and more.

I spoke to Larry Hartman of Larry Hartman Construction this morning—his West Mockingbird property is home to both his 1,500-square-foot residence and separate workspace. He purchased the property in 2000. First, he built an office building, and then he set about modifying the existing home to make everything more cohesive. “It speaks to the economy,” he says. “I don’t have to drive there. All of my monthly expenses are happening at one address. Through the years, it has been a real test of a good idea. When the economy did belch, I really had no problem.” As for any problems with working so close to home, Hartman says that’s not really an issue. “I was born in Chicago. The butcher lived upstairs from his shop. And this place has such a zen vibe. It’s like a miniature town.”

Being a good neighbor was important to Hartman from the beginning “I was really careful to be a good soldier among the rest,” he says. “I went to each neighbor to show them what I was going to do. That was another idea behind the project: how can I let this neighborhood retain some of its roots? Architecturally, this house remains very quiet.” He’s excited to showcase his personal space on this year’s tour. “I really believe in my message. It’s an interesting little property that’s filled with tons of love,” he says. “It’s about how we can make small spaces function in a really large way.”

Tickets to see Hartman’s space and all the rest are $25 if you get them at the Dallas Center for Architecture or online at aiadallas.org; you can also purchase them the day-of at the homes at $30. Tickets to visit individual homes are $10. All that being said, I can give you two—count ‘em two—tickets for F-R-E-E. All you have to do is write a simple poem about the joys of home tours. Best one wins.

To Do This Weekend: Shopping, House Ogling, And More Shopping

Author:: By Joslyn Taylor
Post date:: April 27th, 2012 12:43pm
Category:: Events

Whether you’re hankering for some house ogling or itching to get your shop on, there are weekend happenings aplenty for all you design obsessed peeps out there…

First up, Calyspo Home in The Plaza at Preston Center is in the midst of its “Friends and Family” sale. Through this Saturday, their nearest and dearest will score 20% off everything in the store (yes, all the metallic cowhide rugs, and fluffy pillows, and art books, and sculptural furniture, and vases…).

Just tell them we sent you.

Then pause for some peeking into pretty houses at the 21st annual Hollywood Home Tour.

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Mark Your Calendar: There’s a Trifecta of Design Goodness Happening This Week

Author:: By Joslyn Taylor
Post date:: April 11th, 2012 3:51pm
Category:: Design

There’s quite the roster of design happenings taking place this weekend. A design bonanza if you will…

If you are so inclined, you could, say, hit the bi-annual Thrift Studio! pop-up shop benefiting Dwell With Dignity. The 30-day sale of donated, gently-used furniture, housewares, accessories, and high-end designer finds holds its preview events on Friday and Saturday (a must if you want to nab the really good stuff from Horchow, Michelle Nussbaumer, Melissa Woody, David Cadwallader, and Wisteria among others). After that, the sale is open to the public, so it’s anyone’s game.

The Lowdown:
Dwell With Dignity Thrift Studio
April 14th – May 12th
Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday noon- 5:00PM
1250 Slocum Drive, Suite 550 in the Design Center

Or, if you’re more of a paper gal (or guy), you could pop over to The Paper Store at Nest for a bell’Invito trunk show featuring their 2012 stationery collection. In addition to lots of pretty paper goods, there will be tea, champagne, and petit fours + complimentary on-site monogramming.

The Lowdown:
bell’Invito Trunk Show
April 13th and 14th
3:00-5:00 pm (both days)
4524 McKinney Ave.
rsvp@nestdallas.com

And last but not least, you could kick-off the season of peeking into the (really lovely) homes of perfect strangers with the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society 2012 Home Tour. Be inspired and then head home and make a list of all the things you wish were different in your own home. (Or is that just what I do?)

The Lowdown:

Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society 2012 Home Tour

Saturday April 14

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Win Tickets to the First Ever Dallas Modern Home Tour

Author:: By Rhonda Reinhart
Post date:: January 18th, 2012 2:03pm
Category:: Events

The Dallas Modern Home Tour includes beauties such as this house at 3602 Hillside Dr.

I have two pieces of good news for you today. First, there’s an exciting new home tour in town. And, second, the nice folks who are organizing the tour have two pairs of tickets to give away to two lucky D Home blog readers. The first ever Dallas Modern Home Tour is set for Saturday, January 28, from 11 am-6 pm and will feature 12 contemporary homes that exemplify modern living. During the self-guided driving tour, expect to see everything from floating staircases and glass entryways to gourmet kitchens and spa-quality baths, as well as unique ways designers and architects have incorporated eco-friendly elements such as recycled materials, rainwater collection systems, and natural ventilation. Sounds pretty great, right? And even better if it’s free, huh? Well, the first two of you who email me at rhonda.reinhart@dmagazine.com will get to go for free, and you’ll even get to bring a friend. Go ahead, press send. There’s a pair of tickets with your name on ’em! If you don’t win, don’t fret. You can still purchase tickets for the tour. They’re $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event and can be purchased here. Jump for more photos of homes on the tour.

UPDATE: TICKETS ARE GONE. THANKS FOR PLAYING.

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D Home’s Take On The Kips Bay Decorators Show House

Author:: By Christine Allison
Post date:: May 27th, 2011 9:31am
Category:: Design

This from Virginia Bauer, D Home‘s former New York editor, with whom I had the pleasure of touring this year’s Kips Bay:

“Last night the 39th Annual Kips Bay Designer Show House closed its understated Neo-Federalist doors. It had a short run — just four weeks. The pedigreed four-story mansion on East 63rd Street hosted a parade of seemingly recession-proof Upper East Siders, curious designers, and aspirational types from the suburbs (but “no strollers please”). Twenty-two interior designers, landscape architects (yes, even in the city), and photographers carved up 16 rooms with varying degrees of success.”

Three rooms — by top tier designers — stood out:

Richard Mishaan's living room was awash with art; chic, tailored furnishings; and gilt accessories. It was gorgeous. What made the room even more memorable was the wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries Ltd. Trellis Pattern #5912 orange stitching criss-crossed on ivory manila hemp. You can't see in this photograph, but the ceiling has a pale peach cast, a brilliant foil for the walls. If you look in the left corner, you'll see the only miss: crystal teardrops cascading from the wall, which in another context might have worked. Here, no. (Photograph courtesy of Laforce+Stevens)

Elegant, yet whimsical touches were found in Celerie Kemble's first floor library. Her starting point was the home's studious 1950s Norfolk Pine paneling which she twisted with Lucite shelving and accessories; a pink tete-a-tete, and an over-the-top (pun intended) gold leaf verre eglomise ceiling. I learned that Lucite shelving can't tolerate weight; it bowed under very little duress. (Photograph courtesy of Laforce+Stevens)

Barbara Ostrom must have gone to the Sistine Chapel as a child. All of her work gives big - really big --play to ceilings. In the Kips Bay guest room, she used a sky motif, which -- along with the mirror -- enlarges the room substantially. The room originally was dark and featureless. She created custom woodworking throughout. It's difficult to see here, but this is a tiny room (at least by Dallas standards) but manages to be welcoming and opulent with a sumptuous canopy bed, a sitting area complete with a fireplace, and a desk. Very European. (Photograph courtesy of Laforce+Stevens)

Ferrier Custom Homes of Fort Worth Wins National Green Building Award

Author:: By Rhonda Reinhart
Post date:: May 10th, 2011 10:22am
Category:: Home Tours

Heather Ferrier and Travis Laminack's Fort Worth home after remodeling

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has honored Ferrier Custom Homes of Fort Worth (a 2011 Best Builder in Dallas winner) for the remodel of a 1938 Arlington Heights home. Named “Green Remodel of the Year” (in the single-family, under $100,000 division), the renovation was detailed extensively on a website created by homeowners Heather Ferrier and Travis Laminack. Ferrier says they went to great lengths to preserve the character of the historic house while upgrading its energy efficiency and indoor air quality and implementing sustainable materials. Check out the house in person during the Greater Fort Worth Spring Tour of Homes taking place this weekend and next weekend. And jump for a picture of the house before Ferrier worked remodeling magic.

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Mark Your Calendar for the Garden Conservancy Dallas Open Day on May 21

Author:: By Rhonda Reinhart
Post date:: May 9th, 2011 11:34am
Category:: Events

D blog family friend Jef Tingley, who wrote this fine story about the Dallas chairman of the Garden Conservancy, Patrick Boyd-Lloyd, alerted us to the fact that the Garden Conservancy Dallas Open Day is right around the corner. For this year’s tour, Boyd-Lloyd has helped select five great gardens from Kessler Park to Preston Hollow. For $20, you can get a day pass that includes admission to all five gardens. Or you can pay $5 per garden. Day passes are now available at all Calloway’s locations. On the day of the tour, tickets can be purchased at each garden. Go here for detailed information about the tour. And jump for some quick-hit info about the five private gardens.

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