Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/184533
DESIGNDIARY GEORGE FIALA HIGH-STYLE HAUL This is not your typical stash of mid-century detritus. Yes, you'll see Mr. Eames and Mr. Nelson popping up here and there, but the aesthetic at River Regency Antiques & Modern — a mixed-up little shop on Riverfront Boulevard — is a bit more swank, a bit more Barbarella. Dr. Morris Prigoff is responsible: The podiatrist had various booths at shops all over town when, finally, he thought, Why not open my own store? Behold the answer, a crowded jumble of furniture, lighting, art and accessories — from a one-off, amoeba-shaped architect's desk to a lipstick-red wiggle of a sofa to a set of glossy white 1960s Fiberglas side River Regency Antiques & Modern tables that look like gigantic molars. There are chairs, cocktail tables, sofas, dinette sets, even an unofficial shop mascot: the mounted African antelope head in the back room, surveying the scene. (He's for sale, too.) The whole mélange is looked after by shop manager Robert Solache, who is passionate about the pieces herein — and, when not waxing on about Danish Modern cocktail bars or estate-sale finds, creates his own interesting art. Pull up a Milo Baughman lounge chair, and he'll tell you all about it. 1500 N. Riverfront Blvd., 214.760.8779; riverregency.com. Rob Brinkley ALL HAIL 2012 — and burrowing inside until the champagne fuzzies have passed. Until then, some happy new news, and all the creature comforts you'll need to survive. DIG, A SKY-HIGH DRAG, JEAN SCENE DIVINE GEORGE FIALA They are the sexiest Franco-American pairing since Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller. She's Arkansas. He's France. She was a cabaret dancer. He was a firefighter. But together, they are Martinie & Altom, a tiny architectural-salvage firm in Dallas. (They met in France, then came here to be a bit nearer to her kin in Arkansas — but not too close.) However, don't think peeling-paint doors and cracked-up glass block: Sydney Perkins and Mikael Martinie are hauling back incredible chunks of limestone, marble and granite in the form of mantels, window surrounds and sinks — all from ancient houses and churches in France. These two do it all, from researching edifices that are being torn down to chipping out the pieces themselves. (Just look at the Salvage chic: Sydney Perkins and photo albums on their Facebook page.) The bounty Mikael Martinie is highly curated: andirons, stone crosses, iron gates, even handmade terracotta roof tiles, each one "signed" by its maker eons ago by dragging three fingers through the soft clay before firing, making a rather decorative fluted flourish on each tile. The pieces here are varied, from a pink-marble 1850s fireplace surround found in a garage in a winemaking village to a more modern surround of black-gray volcanic rock that would energize a sleek space, certainement. Ask Mikael and Sydney about each piece — they have stories. (Not to mention the one about the firefighter who meets the cabaret dancer …) 1500 N. Riverfront Blvd., 214.883.5862; martiniealtom.com. Rob Brinkley Yes, she's a Harvard grad who helms Litex, the ceiling-fan and light-fixture empire based in Grand Prairie — but she's a woman of rather discerning style, too. She collects couture, she has shopped right off the runways at the Paris shows and her own James McInroe–designed home has been in PaperCity. Now, Jean Liu turns the stylish tables: She has just joined a heady list of designers who have conjured model units at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. (Her cohorts have been Ann Sutherland, Jan Showers, Laura Hunt, Carleton Varney and Barry Williams.) For the 23-story tower, Liu invented a cosmopolitan place, filled with contemporary art, sophisticated accessories and plush, Deco-inspired furniture. As for the props? An elegant bar cart, a white cowhide rug and an Hermès throw tossed over an Eames lounger. It's all so glamorous that it feels like another Jean would be right at home here: a certain '30s bombshell with the last name of Harlow. 2555 N. Pearl St., 214.855.2020; theresidencesdallas.com. Rob Brinkley JAMES F. WILSON A FAMILY AFFAIR YOU'LL WANT MADE PUBLIC The men of 1818: Ross See, left, and Corbin See The Brady chair, sitting spryly on tapered mahogany legs with brass or nickel sabots MUSEUM TOWER'S DESIGN à TROIS As designing men go, try to top these two. They're handsome. They're pedigreed. They're brothers. We introduced Corbin and Ross See to Dallas in July 2009, when we published a sumptuous, contemporary house that the aesthete siblings decorated for Jennifer and Tom Karol (its living room even landed on the cover). Now, the scions of Oklahoma City designer Carson See have collaborated with another icon who recognizes top talent when he sees it: David Sutherland. Pull up a tufted chair and peruse 1818 Bench Made Furniture, a collection of chairs, sofas and chaises that upend traditional shapes and conventions. The proportions are jaunty, the construction top-notch — it's all built by hand, tailored like the best men's haberdashery. The brothers See certainly know craft and quality: Corbin's C.V. includes time at Holly Hunt in Chicago; Ross' resume includes time with top decorator Mariette Himes Gomez. Watch these two: They're going places. (And, like their furniture, they're terribly easy on the eyes.) To the trade at David Sutherland Showroom; davidsutherlandshowroom.com/1818. Rob Brinkley Harlow was here? The newest model unit at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Work of art: a rendering of downtown's new Museum Tower Going up? Local designers Emily Summers, Ann Schooler and Marco French certainly are. Each of the interior-design masterminds has been given his or her own place at the under-construction Museum Tower in Downtown — sans signing on the dotted line. While Summers, Schooler and French may not be taking up permanent residence at the much-anticipated tower, they will be wielding their decorating wands, each styling a show home inside the glass-encased, 42-story high-rise designed by Los Angeles architect Scott Johnson. Exact details are still under wraps for the trio of pied-à-terres that will open early this year, but we can only envision three distinctly different design concepts. From Summers, we expect nothing less than a space inspired by art and architecture, with no end to restrained glam. As for Schooler, perhaps she'll debut a decidedly Southern showpiece, filled with rich antiques and well-designed frills. And from French? We predict a contemporary condominium filled with his signature warm drama, yet imminently liveable. It's true what they say: Good things do come in threes. Museum Tower Sales Gallery, 2112 Flora St., 214.954.1234; museumtowerdallas.com. Christina Geyer JANUARY | PAGE 13 | 2012