Texas is full of great designers and makers, and new things are happening every day in the Lone Star State. To help you keep up with all the design news and goings-on in the area, AD PRO is here with what you need to know this week.
Virgin Hotels Debuts in Dallas Design District
The highly anticipated Virgin Hotels Dallas opened this weekend. The modernist hotel is the latest property to open stateside for Virgin Hotels brand, which has outposts in San Francisco and Chicago. “I could not have found a more perfect hotel for the Design District and everything it offers to the City of Dallas than Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels,” Bill Hutchinson, president of developer Dunhill Partners, told PaperCity. The hotel was designed by Dallas-based firm SWOON, The Studio, with Joel Mozersky Design.
Away Opens in Houston
Luggage brand Away opened a 3,000-square-foot store on Wednesday in Houston’s Highland Village. “We’ve tied in localized details to the design wherever possible, so everything from the white oak wood, plants, steel grating, and found objects scattered throughout the store are elements you’ll only find at Away’s Houston location,” Justin Reis, director of special projects at Away, tells AD PRO. A permanent location in Dallas is set to open in early 2020. In the meantime, a Sasha Bikoff–designed pop-up in Knox-Henderson runs through January 5.
M&M Lighting Hosts Winter Sale
M&M Lighting, one of Houston’s family-owned lighting showrooms, is hosting a winter sale for its range of designer products. Look for 20 percent to 50 percent off in-stock designer pieces, now through January 31.
Waterford Crystal Artist to Appear at Bering’s
Need a last-minute hostess gift? Waterford Crystal has dispatched one of their skilled artisans from Ireland for a Master Craft Signing Event in Houston at Bering’s Hardware this weekend. The master craftsman will use a crystal engraving pen to sign Waterford pieces at the Westheimer location on Friday, December 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at the Bissonnet location on Saturday, December 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Paloma Contreras Named Showhouse Honorary Chair
Houston designer Paloma Contreras has been named honorary chair of the 2020 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, which will be open to the public from April 25 through May 17, 2020, in Lake Forest, Illinois. Contreras is slated to design the dining room of the 1908 Forest and Grainger home.
Arlington Voting on New Loews Hotel and Convention Center
The city of Arlington and Loews Hotels & Co. are hoping to break ground on a new $550 million, 888-room hotel and 150,000-square-foot convention center in the entertainment district, according to the Dallas Morning News. The project will reportedly be attached to the Rangers baseball stadium and will feature a pedestrian skybridge to the ballpark.
Houston’s Top Residential Real Estate Agent Moves to Compass
Laura Sweeney, Houston’s top real estate agent with $130 million in sales last year, has left John Daugherty Realtors for Compass. Compass reportedly offers hefty bonuses to agents, according to the Houston Chronicle. The paper also reports that Sweeney was involved in 61 transactions, with an average sale of $2.13 million in 2018.
