Dallas: Timothy Oulton

I missed the Timothy Oulton party last Thursday night so I finally popped in today to take a peek and yowzzzza was I impressed. 

 The Britain-based company chose Dallas as its first US city to have a freestanding brick and mortar location. Housed in the former Potter Metal Arts warehouse off 75 and Henderson the showroom is a survey in styling and how to do it exceptionally well. 

 Everywhere I turned there were perfect collections and vignettes of vintage typewriters, trophies, black and white photos, footballs, tennis rackets, you name it. But not only is it a place to order furniture, there is also a flower market where you can order arrangements and a cafe where coffee, breakfast breads, and afternoon champagne can be sipped. 

 Of course loved the Texas flag pillows ($250 each)

 Vintage tennis rackets get the art treatment

 Even the ceiling was styled 

 Gorgeous fresh flowers ready to go

And who doesn't need some vintage silver goblets?

Fort Worth: Amigos Pots

You guys know that I moved earlier this year to a very different style home from what I was living in. Our new house is a redone one-story '50s ranch. The last one was more like a hacienda and after a few years I was like, this is way too much house, although it was very much my style. 

The new house has been like a blank slate for us and the challenge was, since we no longer live in a 30s Spanish revival, how do we make this very vanilla house have a similar, Mexican-ish feel.  

As a nod to my South Texas/Mexican roots and with The Hotel San Jose and The Thunderbird in mind, we planted agave, Mexican feather grass, and paddle cactus in the front of the house. But the most important and big impact touch was the concrete boxes we had built to plant everything in (very Thunderbird). 

So the front was taken care of but I needed to add something to the backyard around the pool.

I've had some assorted mirrored Mexican pots over the years and I thought they would be a fun touch outside. After looking for white ones for about a year, my uncle Carlos tracked them down at Amigos Pots in Fort Worth. 

 Not only did they have a ton of white, they also had blue, yellow, green, and pink. These are handmade in Guadalajara and are sold as sets with tall bases that you're supposed to set the round pots on.

But you can also turn the bases upside down and use them as planters, so I ended up walking away with a set of five pots, plus their bases for a total of 10 pretty fantastic pieces at $30 a set.

As soon as they're planted I'll update so you can see. 

Amigos Pots, 1117 N. Main St., 817.624.2007.

Kerrville: Schreiner Goods

So I have a confession to make: About a year ago I wrote about a place called Schreiner Goods for FD Luxe. Based on photos and the lines they carried, I knew it was an incredibly special place so I wrote about it even though I'd never been. This happens more than most writers will admit. 

 Yesterday I spent the day in Kerrville reporting something for the August issue of Texas Monthly and my new friend Kathleen Keen, wife of Robert Earl and probably one of the coolest women I've had the pleasure of meeting, took me around town and, of course, one of her favorite places to shop is Schreiner Goods. 

She told me I wouldn't believe it, how it's a remarkable place, how the owners have an incredible vision. When I walked in, my jaw dropped. The shop girls offered up champagne and cappuccino (I took a cappuccino and it was served in beautiful white and gold china. I carried the cup and saucer with me as I shopped. So luxe) and my eyes went in about 800 bajillion different directions. I didn't know where to start. 

 There was fantastic clothing (KOCH!), gorgeous homewares (SCENTS AND FEEL FOUTA TOWELS!), tables of denim (J BRAND!) unusual art (A FRAMED BOX OF 54 IRIDESCENT BEETLES!).

 These vintage mirrors were calling to me

 And I almost broke down and bought new dishes even though I just bought new dishes last week.

 But I really went nuts when I spotted these side tables by Fredericksburg resident Cecilia Hager. 

 Each side is cover in a vintage Mexican movie poster and then she goes to town bedazzling the images with sequins, beads, and glitter. Why didn't I think of this?! It's the perfect combo of art piece and cool kitsch. 

And I immediately bought one. If you are ever in SA, make the time to buzz up I-10 for an afternoon in Kerrville. This store alone is worth the hours drive and you'll find things there you won't manage to find anywhere else. Check out their blog here for updates on new merch shipments.

El Paso: Piamita

Back in March one of my nearest and dearest, Jackie Bolin of VOD, gave me these fantastic Piamita Bettie Chain shorts for my birthday (one of Piamita's designers, Karla Martinez, is from El Paso). 

Since then, I've worn them a handful of times, but I haven't managed to find the perfect simple black sandals to wear along with them. Every pair I've found has too many embellishments for this kind of print.

And I keep coming back to these K Jacques

But then I also found these

And these Miu Mius which are on sale at Barneys. What do you guys think? Which pair should I get? Inexpensive no brainers or a little more of an investment for something that will last me through several seasons?

Everywhere: Otomi

Not exactly news-y, but I still love Otomi embroidery despite that it's become so trendy. For me, it's a classic. And when I saw Mara Hoffman's bikini, I kinda flipped. 

 I had a bedspread like the one below, but my friend and designer Shelby Wagner had it made into a long pillow for my bed. 

Houston: Settlement Goods & Design

I've been meaning to make it down to Houston for the past month and haven't been able to because of a seriously insane work schedule. The month of June is bonkers for me. But when I do make it down, hopefully in the next few weeks, one of the first places I want to visit is Settlement Goods & Design.

It's their philosophy that gets me: High quality, American-made goods. They sell men's, women's, home, and jewelry, so it's like a one stop shop for stylish items that have an undercurrent of American pride because of where and how they're are produced. We all know what it's like to buy a cheap skirt at H&M. The flimsy material, the one-wear shelf life. Blecht.

Be sure to check out their blog, too. I've had fun scrolling through it and I know you will, too. 

Dallas: Driftwood

Go. Now.

 And try to tell me you aren't taken by the food and chic beach shack ambience.