i’m thrilled to add another city guide to d*s today! today we’re headed to dallas, texas- thanks to paige phelps at the dallas morning news. paige kindly offered to lend her local expertise to d*s and created an incredible guide arranged by categories like mid-century/vintage, funky finds, bargains, entertaining at home, handmade, green and local letterpress designers. i hope you’ll enjoy the guide as much as i did. thanks again to paige and everyone at the dallas morning news for their help. just click here for the full guide or click “read more” below.

Dallas Design Guide
By Paige Phelps, Dallas Morning News

Personally, I like to say that since Dallas doesn’t have much natural beauty to look at—we are on the flat Blackland prairie, after all— Dallasites got creative and churned out beauty of their own. That’s my theory behind our world-class shopping and a population of urbanites that likes dress to the nines wherever they go. (Pearls at the gym? Check.) Hey- we are the birth place of Neiman Marcus after all.

So if you’ve got the image of big hair and suede fringe in your head, time for a redirect partner. Homeowners ’round here like pricey shopping, sleek sophistication and luxury galore. Thing is, most of the priciest brands we know and love actually come from or live right here in Dallas so our “indie” scene is a bit more Bergdorf than Etsy.

Thankfully, there are cool places to shop for the quirky and un-refined (like me). But Dallasites don’t usually have a home that’s one style or another; we’re the kings of high-low style here, one piece of furniture from an exclusive boutique, another from a thrift store. Maybe it’s a nod to those cowboy boot days of yesteryear, but it can be said that Dallas does “Upscale down home” better than anywhere else in the world.

Mid-Century/Repurposed Antiques/Vintage Finds

• Mercury Design Studio at LFT: From Austin, this store is known for finding mod furniture and accessories from the 60s and 70s and giving them a contemporary twist, like an old-fashioned bentwood grandma rocking chair in chrome and white python. Yowza! Also available: stationery from Jack and Lulu, limited edition coffee table books and Jonathan Adler pottery.
• Century Modern: Got an eye for Bertoia, Knoll or George Nelson? Here’s your fix.
• Sputnik Modern: From Italian gilt to mod mid-century, this local guy finds awesome, eye-popping seating, tables, lighting and accessories for your home.
• Collage: 20th Century Classics For the best mid-century finds in tip-top condition, Collage is your store. An import from Laguna Beach, CA, this store is considered one of the most respected galleries in the country and their items are featured in museums worldwide.
• Sally Rosen 20th Century Design: From signed, vintage jewelry and rare pottery, to furniture finds from around the world, this woman’s discerning taste is known by top interior designers nationally.
• Ceylon et Cie: Michelle Nussbaumer lives a charmed life, a movie producer husband, a home in Switzerland, a jewelry line, and a past that includes residence in Rome and a showroom in L.A, so you can imagine her impeccable, imaginative taste. Finds from India, Turkey, Europe and the good ole U.S. of A. make her store a smorgasbord of fresh design. Dig in.

Contemporary

• Smink: Artecnica, Knoll Space, Divani, Minotti, if these names mean anything to you, you’ve got the classic Italian modern aesthetic (and pocketbook) to shop this chic store.
• Positive Space: This is brand spanking new and we couldn’t be more excited that they’ve set up shop. On tap: Extremis from Denmark, wallpaper from London designer David Roos, lighting from Shine Home and more. Lucky for us, this store will be the first showroom in the country to sell the brightly colored, weather-resistant Louis chairs from design firm Sixinch, which won Best in Show at the 2007 ICFF.
• Bo Concept: From Denmark, the North Dallas franchise opened in November. Every piece of furniture is customizable, from the upholstery to the shape of the armrests; they also give you a list of recommended accessories to go along with your new purchase. 5301 Alpha Road, Suite 10, 972-503-1500.
• Jones Walker: The guys at Jones Walker have furniture and accessories with traditional, transitional and contemporary looks and original artwork from locals like surrealist painter Jennifer Morgan.
• Fusion Home Fashion: From the groovy Vegas floral rug to the funky lighting, this is a place to find that one item that makes your home pop.
• Nasher Sculpture Center Store: Books by Phaidon, dinnerware from Iittala Taika, the Nasher store, an offshoot of the amazing sculpture museum in downtown, sells the most museum-worthy, arty and architectural finds in the city. Northpark Mall, 214-363-8844
• Fat Boy: When you click on the USA Fat Boy site, know you are headed straight for North Texas. (Yey!) Be sure to check out the Dwell fabrics they’ve introduced.
• Ligne Roset: Legendary designs, irreverent looks, award-winning designers. My personal fave: the plexiglass Louis sconces for a little over $100 each. 4516 McKinney Ave., 214-526-2220
• Alessi: If only all husbands could be like Mervyn Sacher. His wife, Linda, fell in love with Alessi on a London trip last May and decided to open one here. Awwww. 629 Preston Royal Shopping Center, 214-346-5900
• Scott and Cooner: Seventy contemporary furniture—Louis ghost chairs, Kartell— manufacturers under one roof, thanks to two Dallas women with backgrounds in architecture and an interior designer.
• Mody and Mody: Italian furniture and accessories from the world’s most exclusive manufacturers like B&B Italia, Boffi, Flos, the whimsical designs of Ingo Maurer.
• The Dallas Museum of Art Store: Jewelry, books, prints and home accessories from Alessi to graphite objects to thought-provoking children’s toys.
• Design Within Reach: You know it, you love it, you wish you could afford it. Two locations, Dallas, 214-521-0100 and Southlake, 817-310-0103

For the fashion-forward, modern sophisticate

• Stacy Hyde: Milk glass, Sferra linens and furnishings with a neutral Gustavian (Dallas loves Gustavian) look are the hallmarks of this new store. 2933 Henderson Ave., 214-370-4933
• Vintage Living Soft: Gustavian and French Moderne furnishings fill this chic store filled with antique mirrors, garden ornaments and, for the first time in Texas, the Barclay Butera line.
• Grange Hall: Honestly one of the most unique shops in the entire city. Strange taxidermy, faux-alibaster trophy animal heads, Nymphenburg porcelain, to call it fashion-forward would be behind the times. 214-443-0600
• Nest: Heather Alexander of Bell’Invito (see stationery) reinvented Dallas staple Nest to now carry beautiful letterpress, Jonathan Adler pillows and ceramics, DL&Co. candles, Roost products and much more. 6731 Snider Plaza, 214-373-4444
• Haven: A former executive with IMG and Trump Models has come home to Texas and set up shop. Find Harry Allen products, pillows, home fragrance and furnishings.
• Forty Five Ten: A boutique known for selling Derek Lam, Marni and other straight-from-the-runway brands of clothing, Forty Five Ten also has a wonderful collection of accessories for the home like crystal logs for your faux fireplace, pewter dinnerware and John Derian products among much more.
• Stanley Korshak: Handmade glassware, pewter birch vases, fine china, cashmere throws and interesting art and accessories fill this 3,500-square-foot shop.
• Beretta Gallery: Case goods, ornate bowls and accessories in, of all things, hide. They don’t just sell Italian guns at Beretta, missy. 41 Highland Park Village, 214-559-9800
• Robb & Stucky: From Mariette Himes Gomez to Barbara Barry, Hollywood glam to Asian contemporary, Robb and Stucky has the “it” look for all styles. Also see their gorgeous chandeliers and tabletop accessories.
• Ann Sacks Showroom: Gorgeous new showroom to show off the new looks in tiles, porcelain, stamped cement and even a new collaboration with earth-friendly company Oceanside Glass. Be sure to check out the real gold-leaf tiles for a wow. 1616 Oak Lawn Ave., 214-742-8453

Upper Crust Casual

• Wisteria: Mercury glass, Moorish chests and side tables and wooden piggy banks, this local online retailer takes unique, found items and then manufactures them for a national audience.
• Mecox Gardens: Though we’re landlocked, Dallas loves the beachy cottage look. Enter Mecox from Southampton with oversized couches, nail-head ottomans, sisal chairs, and everything else that would go inside your Hamptons manse.

Baby

• Mod + Mini: Furniture from Ducduc, Not Neutral, cool owl sheets from Litto Kids, you’re baby is going to be way cooler than you in no time.
• Baby Bliss: Nursery Works furniture, Dwell sheets, it’s a good thing baby can’t sleep; you won’t want to leave the room.

Green

• Tango Zango: Natural, organic, luxury home products
• Green Living: Recycled indoor/outdoor rugs, cleaning products, home accessories and more that are 100-percent green. 1904 Abrams Pkwy, 214-821-8444

Slip covered and feminine

• Uptown Country Home: Pine Cone Hill, Dash & Albert, original “Frantiques” and artwork from owner Jenny Grumbles. This is the place for preppies who love shabby chic.
• Quatrine Custom: slip-covered furniture that looks feminine and flirty and ready for a beach party.
• Room Service by Ann Fox: The shabby chic look for mom, daughter and baby. (also check out Ann Fox’s other company Room Service Home for a better online selection.)

Funky Finds and Bargains

• Lula B’s Antique Mall: Odds and ends from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, it’s the last place you think you’ll find anything and it’s always the first place you do
• Oak Cliff Mercantile: Gorgeous reclaimed/vintage home hardware and accessories at a new location in Oak Cliff inside a former gas station space. 214-948-8080
• Gypsy Wagon: What they sell: antiques, tchotchkes and sussies. Sift through and find just the right take-home item.
• Curiosities: Spend a rainy day looking through the weird and wacky array of items, like memorabilia from the circus, paint-by-numbers materpieces, reclaimed furniture and so, so much more.
• Dolly Python: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure at this vintage store. Original artwork, vintage photographs, vintage outdoor furniture, that’s just a start for what this mind-blowing shop has to offer. It’s like your grandmother’s attic…on crack. 1916 Haskell, 214-887-3434
• White Elephant: For decorators, White Elephant has been their not-so-closely guarded secret for years now. A funky consignment store with everything from precious antiques to mid-century modern finds to strange cast-aways, there is something for everybody and at awesome prices. 1026 N. Industrial Blvd, 214-871-7966
• Alston’s: If you don’t mind digging, and I mean digging, for cheap steals on mid-century modern furniture and other vintage finds, hit this shop pronto. 212 North 7th Street, Garland Debris Gallery
• Lost: Booths of beautiful objects and accessories you couldn’t have thought up if you tried 1201 N. Industrial Blvd, 214-741-5533
• Found: antiques and fine art, this is the sister shop to Found. 1225 N Industrial Blvd., 214-741-5533
• Swank Lighting: Vintage Murano glass lamps, funky mod lamps, arty and swanky lamps—hence the name. It is located inside Debris Gallery, which has amazing booths full of this type of vendor. 1205 Slocum Street
• Again and Again: A small shop with a lot of heart. Find estate cast-aways that owner Leslie Pritchard has recovered, repainted and reinvented in to cool, chic furnishings.
• Consignment Heaven: Next door to a pricey antique store is the not-at-all pricy consignment shop where terrific prices on cool stuff rule.

Handmade

• Artisan’s Collective: A shop showcasing local artists’ work, from beautifully sculpted utensils to wall art to photography and more.
• Make: Shop Local Artists and Designers with Handmade Gifts, Handbags, Jewelry, Art, Home Décor, Clothing and Baby Items. Plus take classes to learn how to make stuff yourself.
• Red Llama Studio: Shari Lidji makes couture quilts by hand, but these are contemporary works of art commissioned by the nation’s top Interior Designers. King-size quilts start at five grand but more affordable are her stockings, which are mod and simple, at $375.
• Brooke Rydman: From tablecloths to scarves to napkins to anything you want (Brooke takes commissions) Brooke is a rising star in Dallas.
• Brad Oldham Inc. and Studio 3.0: Custom door handles, sconces, any architectural element you need, Brad can masterfully create. And, yes, he’s the brother of Todd Oldham. (Amazing family.)

Central and South America style

• Casa Mexicana: If you’re in the market for Day of the Dead art, Oaxacan woodcarvings, beautiful ceramic trees of life and Mexican patio furniture, you’ve come to the right place
• La Mariposa: About a year back, Design*Sponge featured a beautiful Oaxacan textile full of bold animal figures, around that time the folks at La Mariposa say the fabric has exploded in popularity. Coincidence? [Ed. Note: I'm sure the article in Domino had something to do with this, too]
• El Paso Import Co.: Find furnishings that would be at home south of the Texas border. 4441 McKinney Ave., 214-559-0907

Local Letterpress

• Bell’Invito Letterpress: from a 19th century printer that happened to be in her husband’s family, Heather Alexander creates her stationery and invitations by hand with heirloom-quality paper and pretty vintage prints for the envelope lining. In the price range of Mrs. John L. Strong.
• Missing Q Press: Jason McDaniel, associate creative director at Todd Events, creates letterpress with thermo plates that can be customized for any occasion by; sold at Avant Garden 4 Highland Park Village, 214-559-3432
• Mrs. John L Strong: The owners of Madison do not mess around when it comes to stationery. Mrs. John L. Strong is known as the mother of all paper, hand-engraved and of the highest quality. Don’t faint when you hear the price.
• Three Designing Women: Not letterpress but these Dallasites make the cutest custom stamps for return addresses and D.I.Y. letterhead.
• Inky Lips Letterpress: custom letterpress printing and posters

Entertaining at Home

• Copper Lamp: A Dallas go-to for china, crystal and ornate silver since 1959
• Ivy House: Another Dallas staple for fine china, crystal and estate pieces.
  Stephanie Anne: This shop recently switched over from children’s furniture to a sophisticated spot for china, glassware and home accessories. Fabergé, Niderviller, Arte Italica and Juliska are among the many brands found here.
• Napa Home: Oh the luxury! $285 is a mighty price for bath salts, but the gorgeous double-blown crystal container filled with salts from Italian company Santuario di Bellezza can be refilled for much less dough the next time; also swoon-worthy, china from Sieger, lacquer boxes in pretty colors and metal/paper prints from Beth Weintraub.
• At My Table: At My Table’s prices aren’t for the faint of heart but they do have great prices on adorable Bongenre melamine plates, placemats and table runners from Dallas textile designer Brooke Rydman. 6816 Snider Plaza, 214-691-6816
• Home, James!: The store, an import from East Hampton, prides itself on exclusive crystal, china and linen designs, some of which were commissioned by members of Britain’’ Royal family. One of the cool options in the store, you can set up a monogram for your crystal for a one-time fee of $150 and then every time you order the crystal in the future, you can have the monogram added for no extra cost. 4514 Travis St, 214-528-0700
• Madison: Sisters Kirsten Fitzgibbons and Kelli Ford gave Dallas a slice of Park Avenue when they opened Madison; this is the shop for the most discerning buyer who loves luxury. Some of the offerings: William Yeoward designs, hand-engraved Mrs. John L. Strong stationery and embossed alligator scratch pads.
• Antique Harvest: Dallas’ Hedda Dowd’s endless search for the prettiest in antique linens and silver means online shoppers bring home the bounty.
• Rise No. 1: Hedda’s brick and mortar storefront in her new restaurant located in Inwood Village where you can buy her wonderful linens and silver in person. 5360 W. Lovers Lane, Ste. 220
• Dishes from the Past: A Fort Worth shop filled to the brim with current and discontinued estate china, glass and silver to mix and match or make a complete set. They also offer brand new china patterns from Bernardaud, Spode, Raynaud and more.
• Polly DuPont: Villeroy and Boch, Spode, Vera Bradley, where to go for traditional tabletop.

Linens and Fabrics

• Peacock Alley: 100-percent Egyptian cotton luxury from this national brand started right here in Big “D.: Oh and P.S. we’ve got the outlet here too!
• D. Porthault: I’m not kidding when I say I’d never been intimidated by a bedding store until Porthault. Wow. We’re talking Jackie O. bought their linens and I know people who’ve slapped down $3500 and more for sheets. Gorgeous stuff; unbelievable. Highland Park Village Shopping Center, 214-526-3545
• Casa di Lino: Dallas women have a crush on Italy and Casa di Lino is the matchmaker with luxury Italian linens and sheets as well as bath accessories. 4026 Oak Lawn Ave, 214- 252-0404
• Rutherford’s: Rutherford’s is a Dallas design institution where 70,000 yards of decorator trimmings, beads, tassels, braids and the fabrics as well as home furnishing and accessories reside.

Candles and Gifts

• Bishop Street Market: Located in Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District you’ll find Thymes Limited, local fragrance designer Niven Morgan’s line, and more.
• Jimmy Belasco: Jimmy Belasco says he makes “happy candles” and it’s pretty darn true. His soy candles are packaged with designs from local artists and a portion of the profits from his new dog (and one cat) line supports pet charities.
• Iota: Mobiles, Vases and crazy whimsical items are found in this go-to shop for the person who has everything. 3107 Knox St., 214-522-2999
• Nuvo: Offerings from Dallas-based Global Views to barware from local Polly Gessell, there are a ton of options here.
• Sample House and Candle Shop: Frames, candles, gifts from the pantry. Been in Dallas forever.
• Nicholson-Hardie: Mercury glass, terra cotta candle holders, gifts for mom and the gardener. 214-357-4348
• Niven Morgan: To know him is to love him and to smell his candles is to lust after him.
• Garner Franklin Klein: masculine fragrances with earth-friendly packaging.

Misc. Furniture

• Urban Asia: Asian furniture, mostly from China, and including a three-ton $18,000 Buddha, can be found at this brand new store on Henderson. 1901 Henderson Ave.
• Jaya: From handcrafted wood furniture to gorgeous ceramics, Jaya is the place to go when you’re looking for a multicultural look in your home.
• Flip: Acrylic chairs, decorative accessories, metallic Buddha heads, resin beetles and more. 332 W. Davis St. 214-948-FLIP