Fleetwood & Villy

The business, owned by fashion-lover Fleetwood Hicks and named after his dog, DeVille, was mostly funded by superstar investors Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran. In July 2011, Hicks was selected out of 10,000 applicants to appear on ABC’s Shark Tank, and was offered $500,000 by Cuban and Corcoran in exchange for a share in his company.  Since then, Hicks has hit the ground running and now has a full online operation as well as an assembly plant in the Design District at 1937 Irving Blvd.

Hicks has also received a lot of press for his success in crowdfunding $10,000 in additional funds through Rock the Post, receiving mentions in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine and many local publications. In only two weeks, he drew the attention of a number of individuals and reached his goal.

Villy bicycles are unique in that they are fully customizable; from the frame to the tires to the seat, each Villy bicycle guarantees originality. They also offer hand painted seat covers, custom pinstriping, and branded bicycles for your business. You can build your own bike online here.

Phew. I have a lot of jobs to share with you this week so if you’re on the hunt for a great design job this is your lucky week.

“Ephemeral Dreamings” by Yelizaveta Nersesova, at the Alan Simmons Art + Design – 5 to 8:30 p.m.
1414 Slocum Street, Suite 105

“TIME FOR ENDINGS: Closing Sale of 33 Year Old Contemporary Art Gallery” at Carson Art Gallery  – 5 to 8 p.m.
1710 Hi Line Drive

“Regional Quarterly Vol.2 – CONCRETE JUNGLE” at Circuit12 Contemporary  – 6 to 10 p.m. 1130 Dragon Street, Suite 150

“Frayed Elements” by Giovanni Valderas, “Surface Tension” by Michael McKenzie, and “Eye Candy” by Allison Gregory at Cohn Drennan Contemporary – 6 to 8 p.m.
1107 Dragon Street

“Playing the Angles” by Ted Larson, and “Wild Things” by Susan Barnett at Conduit Gallery – 6 to 8 p.m.
1626 Hi Line Drive., C

“A Soft Landing” by Joey Brock, “Neither Lost Nor Found” by Heather Gorham, and “Buried Seed” by Danna Ruth Harvey at Craighead Green Gallery – 5 to 8 p.m.
1011 Dragon Street

“Shadow Paintings” by Ruben Nieto at Cris Worley Fine Arts – 6 to 8 p.m.
1415 Slocum Street, # 104

Britten & DeVon at Galerie Zuger – 5 to 8 p.m. 1215 Dragon Street

“You Arrive My Life Beings” by Susan O’Malley at Galleri Urbane – Dallas – 5 to 8 p.m.
2277 Monitor Street

“Five, Six, Seven, Eight” by David Aylsworth at Holly Johnson Gallery – 6 to 8 p.m.
1411 Dragon Street

“The Unguarded Moment” by Steve McCurry at Laura Rathe Fine Art – 6 to 9 p.m.
1130 Dragon Street, Dallas, Tx 75207

“Landscapes” by Shannon Brunskill, Carolyn Caldwell, Charles Coldewey, Tom Freeman, Ernst Gruler, David Hinske, Kenn Kotara, Mark Perry, Mary Tomas and Dawn Waters Baker at Mary Tomas Gallery – 6 to 9 p.m. 1110 Dragon Street

“Group Show” at PDNB Gallery – 5 to 8 p.m. 1202 Dragon Street, Suite 103

“Blow Up” by Anne Ferrer at Red Arrow Contemporary – 6 to 9 p.m.
1130 Dragon Street Suite 110

LIVE Painting Performance by JD Miller at Samuel Lynne Galleries – 6 to 9 p.m.
1105 Dragon Street

“TEXAS TWO-STEP: Texas Hill Country & the LBJ Ranch” by Scot Miller, Alan Ross, and R.P. Washburne at Sun to Moon Gallery – 5 to 8 p.m.
1515 Levee Street

Photo from PDNB Gallery’s Facebook page

Laura Lee Clark Grand Opening

The Dallas interior design community doesn’t need an introduction to Laura Lee Clark but we always need an excuse to celebrate and the grand opening of Clark’s new showroom on Slocum is the perfect reason. From 6 to 9 pm on Thursday Laura Lee Clark and company will be celebrating the grand opening of her new 10,000 square foot space as well as her exclusive partnership with luxury furniture and accessories manufacturer Niermann Weeks. Join the festivities where you can enter to win a pair of Niermann Weeks Coronia table lamps while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, by RSVP’ing to RSVP@lauraleeclark.com.

Gracie Grand Opening

On Thursday the highly anticipated opening of Gracie finally takes place. For those who don’t know, Gracie is a New York City based company whose studio specializes in hand painted wallpaper. Although the launch of the company was a result of Charles Gracie’s specialty in collecting and dealing antique Chinese and Japanese furniture and accessories, the company has become most well known for its exquisite wallpaper and custom lacquer furniture. The Dallas showroom, the firm’s only outside of NYC, celebrates its opening with  D Home and the Dallas design community on Thursday from 5 until 8 pm at the showroom’s location in the Dallas Design Center. RSVP to dennis@graciestudio.com.

Patron celebrates The Young & Philanthropic of 2013 

Although this last one isn’t a design related event, it’s going to be a great evening and it’s happening right here in the neighborhood. Patron Magazine recently launched a new series in which they profile several young people in Dallas who are doing great things in, and for, the community. This Thursday celebrate Patron’s Young & Philanthropic of 2013 right here in the neighborhood at Samuel Lynne Galleries. From 6:30 until 9 pm enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, just make sure to RSVP to info@patronmagazine.com.

Laura Rathe Fine Art

Laura Rathe Fine Art is still a relative newcomer to the gallery scene of Dragon Street but the gallery continues to host incredible exhibits and their opening on Saturday is no exception. This weekend Laura Rathe hosts an exhibit of the photography of Steve McCurry. While you may not recognize McCurry’s name, you’ll certainly recognize his iconic images which have been featured in National Geographic dozens of times, as well as many other magazines throughout the world. He has an eye for the “unguarded moment” and is internationally famous for his incredibly moving photography of various cultures and landscapes. If you can’t make it Saturday, the gallery is also hosting a lecture and book signing with McCurry on Thursday, May 23^rd at 6:30pm. Don’t miss the Dallas debut of this incredibly talented photographer.

Red Arrow Contemporary

The ever-creative Red Arrow Contemporary is hosting another fun exhibit this weekend featuring the work of French artist Anne Ferrer. The exhibit is entitled “Blow Up” and features the artist’s very recognizable inflatable sculptures along with some of her watercolor paintings. The sculptures are colorful and billowy, often in pink hues, usually quite large and always playful. See the artist’s work at Red Arrow beginning Saturday at 6 pm.

Mary Tomás Gallery 

There is always beautiful art on display at the Mary Tomás Gallery and this weekend will be no exception. On Saturday the gallery opens an exhibit featuring a divergent group of artists and their individual interpretations of landscape painting. A number of artists working in different media will be on display providing a variety of pieces. The show will run from Saturday through Monday, July 8.

Apart from these three shows, Conduit Gallery, Cohn Drennan Contemporary, Holly Johnson, Galerie Zuger, Sun to Moon Gallery, PDNB, Samuel Lynne Galleries and Galleri Urbane will all be hosting openings as well.

Although the Design District is full of art galleries, there are only a few who have stuck with the neighborhood as long as Banks Fine Art. The Banks’ were doing business in the Design District long before doing business in the Design District was cool and here’s hoping they plan on doing it for a long time to come.

If you haven’t met them already, Bob & Malloree Banks are friendly people so walking into their Slocum Street gallery feels like walking into the home of a friend.

Maybe the feel is a remnant of the early days, when Bob Banks was dealing art directly from his home. After years of building a name and a reputation, Bob and Malloree opened their first gallery in the Design District and although in 2009 they moved their space from Dragon to Slocum, they’ve been here ever since.

When you’re driving down Slocum Street you can’t miss their elegant gallery which manages to stand out amongst a street full of galleries and antique shops. Walking inside visitors are greeted by beautifully displayed art in gorgeous frames. Unlike many contemporary galleries, Banks Fine Art’s space feels like a museum.

Although the Banks do represent a few living artists, Marty Ricks, a beautiful watercolor artist being a great example, they are probably most well known for their excellent taste in  18^th and 19^th century antique oil paintings from America and Europe.

The gallery is a refreshing walk back in time with beautiful watercolors of serene landscapes and European cities; art, which despite the march of time, seems like it will never go out of style.

Despite a taste for older art, the gallery has been able to adapt to the needs of their collectors and have recently begun collecting more modern, post-war pieces, broadening their collection and helping the gallery not only maintain relationships with their collectors, but also start the conversation with an entirely new audience.

In the ever-changing art world, Bob and Malloree Banks have managed to stay not only relevant but also beloved by their collectors and in the process have become a true Dallas and Design District success story.

Fari and Melinda Pakzad, the founders of Ebanista have impeccable taste and are more intimately familiar with the needs of the interior designer than most. They’re known in the design world for providing pieces designers can’t find elsewhere and for catering to designers tasked with decorating houses with large spaces such as that tricky foyer wall or over-sized dining room.

Ebanista’s lines of furniture, lighting and art exude luxury and sophistication and while they tend towards a Spanish and Italian influence, take inspiration from throughout Europe. Everything in the product line is hand-carved and finished, imbuing the products with exquisite beauty and energy.

After ten years in business the Pakzad’s, whose company has grown to a dozen showrooms throughout the United States, are introducing Collection Ten, and if you’ve yet to be introduced to Ebanista, now is the perfect time to make the designer’s acquaintance.

Collection Ten is composed of fifty pieces of furniture, art and accessories which are meant to bring a freshness to the standard Ebanista line. Although the company has been in business for ten years, this is the first distinct collection to emerge from the Pakzad’s designs, most of the standard showroom collections consisting of new pieces introduced gradually over time.

Collection Ten marks a landmark year in Ebanista’s history and celebrates the company’s past through the creation of a number of very special pieces with the designer in mind. Corner tables and over-sized chairs are just a few of the cornerstones of the collection whose attention to detail, as with everything Ebanista produces, is exquisite. 

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves but suffice to say, the Pakzad’s interpretation of classic pieces and styles permeates the entire collection just as it does their standard pieces. If you were an Ebanista fan before you’ll be an even bigger fan now and if it’s your first introduction to the Pakzad’s designs, welcome to the fan club. To check out more of Ebanista’s designs or Collection Ten in full, visit Ebanista’s website.

The entrance to the Design District at Oaklawn and I-35 can be welcoming but also a little intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with the names of the high-end retailers and showrooms that beckon to the consumer.

For example, at the Northeast corner of Oaklawn and Hi Line sits Ann Sacks and if you’re unsure of what you’ll find inside an Ann Sacks showroom, you’ve come to the right place.

Ann Sacks was and is a designer whose eye for the unique spawned what is now an incredibly successful international high-end tile and architectural surfacing business owned by parent company Kohler.  What that means is that in the Ann Sacks showroom visitors will find a wealth of beautiful handmade tile designed by the Ann Sacks designers, as well as sourced from other designers around the world. Tamara Smith, a sales manager at the Design District location refers to the company as the “Neiman Marcus of tile” and she’s spot-on.

Since the company is owned by Kohler, one of the world’s largest kitchen and bath solution suppliers, at Ann Sacks’ showrooms you can expect to see not only exquisite tile, but also displays of Kohler’s high-end line of bathroom solutions, Kallista.

Not only do the showroom’s displays help clients to better conceptualize their future bath or kitchen, but they also allow the designers on staff to sell the whole package to the consumer, right on-site.

If the sleek Ann Sacks showroom wasn’t enough for you and you find yourself in the mood to re-design your kitchen as well, just walk next door to Poggenpohl’s Kitchen Design Studio. Poggenpohl is to kitchen as Kallista and Ann Sacks are to bathrooms.

At Poggenpohl’s Dallas design studio, the public is welcome to explore the fully stocked and designed sample kitchens displaying Poggenpohl’s modern cabinet fronts, finishes and countertops. Expense is not spared in the studio creation of the beautiful kitchen displays which give visitors a taste of Poggenpohl’s innovative take on the modern kitchen.

Just as at Ann Sacks, the Poggenpohl showroom is staffed by a fully fledged design team equipped to design and build your very own dream kitchen. 

Both Ann Sacks and Poggenpohl are open to the public, so whether you’re in the market for a remodel right now, or just planning or daydreaming about undertaking one in the future, you’re always welcome to stop in to the showrooms for idea-gathering. Who knows, maybe that remodel is on the way sooner than you think.

Come explore the Design District and grab great finds from custom made boots to an array of antiques.    Just like the past couple of days, the weather will be sunny and warm so most shops will participate in a true street sale.  Don’t miss out on scoring great deals this weekend!

Participating stores includes: Lost Antiques, Found Antiques, Scout Design Studio, Grass Roots, The Wooden House, Lucchese, Again & Again, Big Mango, Give and Take, Antiques Moderne, Ascension Coffee, Lots of Furniture, River Regency, Mary Finds, and Country Garden Antiques.