Exotic Decor at Our Dallas store
We are fortunate enough to go on several trips a year to such exotic locations as India, China, and South America. During our journeys we stumble across unique items that might be vintage, antiques, or even the last one left. So, every trip, we're sure to bring our empty suitcases to fill with these rare finds so we can carry them back home.
Our Employee’s Home: Paige’s House
What is your role at Wisteria? I am the Senior Creative Manager, I manage all the photography for the catalog and web. I direct and edit the photography at the photo shoots and the styling on set.
Handmade Books in Jaipur, India
This company was started when three young friends rented a booth at a trade fair 14 years ago to sell books and bags made of handmade paper. This Indian artisan has grown great lengths since then and now specializes in handmade paper, bags, books, and leather products. They are located in Jaipur, India and also have a small group of designers and workers from a small village outside of Jaipur.
Like so many others, we caught the Pinterest bug and still can’t help ourselves. Here are some of our most popular pins:
Board: Outdoor Living
Board: Food + Drink
Board: White
Board: First Impressions
Board: Travel
Board: Entertaining
Board: Tree Houses
One of our favorite designers Brian Patrick Flynn recently decorated the marketing offices of Jenner Communications owned by none other than Kris Jenner, mom to the Kardashian girls. He used tons of Wisteria items to help complete the sleek and dramatic look of the offices. Here’s what he used: Blue and White Tea Jar Lamp, Tiered Marble Top Console, Chinese Chippendale Chair, High-Back Windsor Chair, Handblown Glass Urns, and some of our Bone Frames.
Close your eyes and imagine for a moment you’re in some kind of Narnia dream. But instead of walking through the wardrobe into a snowy, forest world, you actually step out onto a beach. Yes, you can see blue waters in the distance. But what overwhelms you most about this place is the brightness of it all: The sunny light and the white, white sandy shore. It’s quiet, except for the slight rushing of waves, and you’re warm (but not hot). Something about it is almost cozy. The whiteness wraps you up like a warm blanket and an open fireplace in the winter.
That dreamy-like state is what I’d love my home to feel like all year round. Below is some inspiration, and here’s some pinspiration, if you’re feeling the same way.
Image via thedesignfiles.net
Image via abeachcottage.com
Image via yannderet.comImage via simplyseleta.typepad.com
Woo Hoo! August has come early this year, which means our August Furniture Sale starts today! Up to 40% off all furniture in our Dallas store, online at wisteria.com and in our catalog!
Twenty years ago, in an exhibition of Mexican surrealists and before I even knew she existed, I came around a corner in the Dallas Museum of Art to be confronted by the painted autobiographies of Frida Kahlo.
It was a turning point for me in more ways than one, having proven itself to be a significant step in my decision to make art, as well as in what kind of work I would produce to this day.
“Paint what you know” is the oft-heard dictum for artists, and after a traffic accident left Kahlo, the eighteen-year-old daughter of an architectural photographer, impaled on the iron handrail of a Mexico City bus, she did just that.
Abandoning its detached, second-person study of the human condition, she traded medical schooling for self portraits in which she would turn herself inside out, saying, “I am the subject I know best.”
Even if copyright didn’t prevent me using a Frida Kahlo painting here, I think I would still hesitate to select one, her body of work in general holds such power and personal significance for me. So if a single image is what’s required, this photo better represents to me her unblinking face down of life.
Frida Kahlo, whose work surrealist André Breton called a “ribbon around a bomb”, was born on July 6, 1907. (Shown here with husband Diego Rivera. Photo by Carl Van Vechten.)
The term “etiquette” wasn’t established until the reign of Louis XIV, when invitations to formal gatherings were printed on tickets with a code of conduct on the back of them (by the way, the word etiquette means ticket in French). The formal set of manners now practiced stem mostly from customs started during the Middle Ages, when offering a woman your seat was a part of the Chivalric Code. It could be that the development of the Farthingale Chair was an evolutionary mark to this tradition. It was the first chair that allowed comfort, equipped with padding and upholstery on the seat and back, as well as an open, armless frame that accommodated the large skirts women wore during the 17th and 18th centuries. In fact, the term farthingale refers to the wide hoops that formed the structure of the skirts.
Marie Antoinette in a Wide Farthingale Skirt. Image courtesy of http://madameguillotine.org.uk/2011/03/25/marie-antoinette-and-vigee-lebrun/
The chair’s design was first crafted before the dawn of the 17th century. It maintained an austere form with straight legs and back, while the upholstery made it inclusive to a room’s design. The embroidery was so important to the chair’s form in fact, that it was originally called an Imbrauderer’s Chair (earlier term for Embroiderer).
Below are some further examples of antique Farthingale chairs. Note that several have knobbed and wood-turned legs, a common feature for this piece.
A few summers back, my memory fails me on the exact year, I was enjoying a great evening with friends at the Wild Fig in Aspen. As we sat down, our waiter asked us if we would like to try a new cocktail that they were serving. Since I am one who rarely turns down a cocktail when offered (ok, I never turn down a cocktail when offered) we took him up on his suggestion. Well, this my friends, was by far the best drink I had ever had!
Afterwards, we were all in search of the magic elixir that was used. Not sold in the state of Texas at the time, we were forced to buy in bulk online. I am happy to say, that it is now readily available. When the temperatures start rising, days last longer, and I start imagining I’m back in the cool weather of Colorado, I know exactly what to prepare…
The St. Germaine Cocktail
Photo Courtesy Zested.Wordpress.com
2 parts Brut Champagne
1 1/2 parts St. Germaine
2 parts Club Soda
Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Think of Paris circa 1947. Garnish with a lemon twist, mint, or cucumber.
Salud!
Meet Winnie the Peek-a-Poo. She belongs to our Associate Buyer, Ty. Here’s what she had to bark. (Note: Winnie was a good sport as long as we didn’t call her Winnie the Pooh; she get’s it all the time.)
What’s your favorite pastime?
I love to play fetch. I would even choose to play fetch over sleeping and eating!
What’s the one thing that really makes your hackles stand up?
I don’t like it when strangers come to the door. If I don’t know you, I will make sure to let you know I am home. And if you ring the doorbell, then that means you’re at the door, and I have to be even louder and more intense. It’s very exhausting, so it’s a good thing that I stay in shape by playing fetch often.
What’s your favorite toy?
My favorite toy is my squeaky stuffed animal, Mr. Parrot. I like to make it squeak while running with it in my mouth so that everyone knows I am ready to play.
Who’s your favorite snuggle buddy?
I will snuggle with anyone who is willing to rub my belly.
Favorite treat?
I have developed an appreciation for good cheese.
What is your favorite kind of mischief to get into?
I love to irritate my older sister, who just wants to be left alone. It may seem like I am causing trouble, but really I just want someone to play with.
If you had to describe your perfect day, what would it be?
It would start with some time at the park where I can meet new people and chase after birds, then go to another park where there are different people and more birds. Finally, we would go home and I would not have to take a bath.
Grillin’ & Chillin’ just like the truck says…this is how we roll at Wisteria Dallas on the weekends! Just like thousands of you, we have become enamored with the new food truck craze that is happening in cities across America. I first got sight of this in Austin when visiting there last summer. I was strolling down Congress Avenue when I noticed what one would consider way too many Airstream trailers parked in an empty lot not to be a trailer park. As I got closer, I noticed it was not a trailer park, but food trucks with lines of people waiting to sample the fare. Too afraid to find out more, I continued my quest for the perfect summer dress.
Fast forward to Summer 2012…Food trucks have hit the streets of Dallas and we couldn’t be happier. To help support our food truck vendors we asked to partner with one of our favorites for our Pinch Me I’m Dreaming Sale at our Dallas store. Ruthie’s Rolling Cafe rolled into our parking lot loaded with yummy grilled cheese sandwiches for an afternoon of fun! A big thank you to Ruthie’s and everyone who came out. Looking forward to doing it again!
The iconic sign. During Christmas, the deer has a red nose!
Portland, Oregon, home of the hippy, locale of the show Portlandia, and one of my favorite places in the U.S. Prior to arrival, my travel buddy, J, and I had a few places we just had to check out. We opted out of getting a rental car, which turned out to be best because we got to do a lot of exploring!
Voodoo Doughnuts:
You absolutely cannot go to Portland and not stop here. There are two locations in the city: The main one on SW 3rd Street and one just west of the Burnside Bridge. I recommend the one on 3rd. It is the smallest place I’ve ever seen and so quirky. The donuts are like confectionary art.
Ace Hotel:
One of my favorite buildings in the city. The lobby has a Stumptown Café, a room full of overstuffed furniture, terrariums, and a photo booth!
Powell Books:
Both J and I are avid readers (English majors, go figure), so there was no way we would miss this stop. This place is humungous! Every section is color-coded and there are three stories! We spent a good 2-3 hours without even realizing it. Check out their website for some good deals.
Pok Pok:
Seriously, the best, most authentic Thai food I’ve ever had. This was our one pricey-ish meal during the vacation. If you go, I recommend checking out the Whiskey Soda Lounge across the street (a sister bar that serves appetizers from Pok Pok).
Of course, once we roamed the city for a day we discovered a few other things to add to our list.
Stumptown Coffee:
A little gilded horseshoe!
I am a serious coffee drinker. Like, I might need an intervention. Stumptown was the remedy for my caffeine-junkie addiction (plus it was nice to have a warm cup o’ joe during the rainy days). They serve every in-house order in a caramel-brown mug and matching saucer with a little sugar spoon. I was in heaven!
Oyster Bar:
I had never had oysters before, but J was adamant I try them during our stay. I’m sort of adventurous so I wasn’t averse. Turns out, I love oysters. The plate you see below has three different types of oysters ranging from super-salty to not-so-much salty. Don’t mind the martinis (living it up on our vacation!).
Burnside Bridge:
It’s hard to miss the Burnside Bridge. It’s one of the main passages from the west side of the river into downtown. We stayed about two blocks west of the bridge and found it very easy and quick to just walk right across.
I added a few more photos I found online of some recommendations, as well as some more from our travels.
J's and my photo strip from the Ace Hotel. Couldn't resist!
Bon Voyage!
