Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1044941
ART + DECORATION Y ou've loved the catalog for years, now Seren a & Lily, the Sausalito, California- based home retailer known for furnishings in beachy hues and natural materials, opens its first Texas location this month in Dallas' Knox-Henderson neighborhood. The company was founded in 2003 and has since rolled out locations in Pacific Palisades, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, East Hampton, Summit, and Westport. The new 4,000-square-foot Dallas store packs the full collections of signature bedding, wallpaper, rugs, furniture, lighting, upholstery, and accessories, while a courtyard and glass sunroom houses the outdoor collection. The in-house Design Shop is an aesthetes' haven, with individual consults and advice, a swatch wall of 300 textile designs, a rotating art wall of original works, including some by Dallas artists, and a creative workspace for interior designers. The fall introductions include lighting pendants woven in rattan and crafted from coconut shells and bone inlay; minimalist rugs inspired by ceremonial textiles of Indonesia woven from New Zealand A s devotees of timeless style are wistfully aware, some things truly aren't made the way they used to be. Exhibit A: the small chair. To the unenlightened, these pint-sized, most-often antique, furnishings serve no purpose. To interior design veterans and arbiters of classic taste Muffin Lemak and Susan Palma, however, these petite seats have endless applications — from adding charm to a nursery to accenting a bare corner, even serving as a chic perch for pets. "Whenever I have people over, the women gravitate to them," Lemak says. "I'm telling you, if you have one sitting in your living room, every girlfriend will sit there and have a glass of wine." While the list of applications goes on, creating the perfect gift was the inspiration for Lemak and Palma when founding their new company, Little Sits. "We wanted to create an heirloom," Lemak says. "The idea is that I would give one to your baby, and someday she'll pass it down to her baby." Lemak and Palma spent two Mon Petit FOREVER SUMMER C antoni, longtime Dallas– based retailer of modern furnishings, has opened a massive showroom on Dragon Street, geared for the design and architecture community. Cantoni Design District is housed inside a renovated 30,000-square- foot warehouse and offers kitchen and closet systems along with interior and outdoor furnishings. Italian-made lines exclusive to Dallas or to Texas include kitchens by Aster Cucine; furniture by Malerba and Galotti & Radice; and outdoor furnishings by Atmosphera and Exteta. "We are pulling resources not available before into one place," says Cantoni founder and CEO Michael Wilcov. Conference rooms, a large space for collaboration, and a coffee bar are geared for the design community. Historic preservationists will appreciate the former 1950s-era Goodyear Tire facility warehouse with original steel columns, industrial windows, and a conveyor belt. Cantoni Design District, to the trade, 960 Dragon St., cantonitrade. com. Rebecca Sherman WHERE ITALY Unfolds wool; wallpaper with sweet-pea designs in dusty pink and gray; and duvets with block-printed botanicals and tassels. Serena & Lily, 4430 McKinney Ave., serenaandlily.com. Rebecca Sherman years sourcing the perfect manufacturer in Italy. The chairs are all finished in Dallas, where they can be customized with special touches: cording to match fabric in the nursery or plaques engraved with a message and the baby's name (multiple plaques can be added over the years). So far, the most popular upholstery choices are classic pastel pink or blue — and, of course, leopard. "They're great little kid chairs, but also good drinking-wine chairs," says Lemak. littlesits.net. Lisa Collins Shaddock Cantoni Design District Serena & Lily Serena & Lily 82