Pretty, Pretty Home

Acclaimed designer chooses Dallas Design District for new showroom

Homes in Big D are about to get a whole lot prettier. Austin-based James Showroom is expanding and opening a location in Dallas, in a unique “showroom-within-a-showroom” space at Codarus in the Design District.

James was founded in 2015 by interior designer Meredith Ellis and features hand-blocked wallpaper and fabrics, lighting, rugs, furniture, and more. It’s also open to both the trade and the public — i.e., you don’t have to have a fancy designer to get you in the door.

If you’re not familiar with Ellis, you’ve probably see her work, as it’s been featured in the likes of Architectural Digest, Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, the Los Angeles Times, and numerous other publications. Ellis opened the original James Showroom in 2015 in a 1930s Craftsman bungalow in Austin, and it quickly became a go-to resource for the interior design community.

“We’re excited to bring James and our incredible roster of vendors to Dallas. As we have so many designers and friends we work with in the metroplex, it just seemed like a natural next step for our brand,” Ellis says in a release.

Slated to open July 27 (which just happens to be the brand’s two-year anniversary), the 1,100-square-foot space will boast 26 luxe fabric and wallpaper lines, including Sister Parish, Lisa Fine, Jennifer Shorto, Tulu Textiles, Ferrick Mason, Kathryn Ireland, Studio Four NYC, and Elson & Company, as well as home furnishings from Bunny Williams Home, Lisa Fine, Pintura Studio, and more.

The showroom will be located at 1025 N. Stemmons Frwy.

James showroom is opening in Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Meredith Ellis

James showroom is opening in Dallas.

shopping

greener grass in tx

Texas blossoms as No. 1 best state for gardening and homesteading

Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash

Texas is an ideal place to homestead, the study found.

If social media is any indicator, homesteading has been one of the hottest trends of 2024. And Texas is leading the charge as the No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening, according to a new report by First Saturday Lime.

Analysts at First Saturday Lime, an insect repellant company featured on Shark Tank, evaluated the "suitability for sustainable living" across all 50 states based on six factors: Climate, community interest (a.k.a online search trends), gardening resources, farmland costs, and others.

The Lone Star State led the nation with the most farms and ranches on the market and the highest total acreage for sale. As of the study's publication, there were 7,520 total properties for sale, spanning more than 2.19 million acres of land.

Texas also ranked favorably for its farmland affordability. The state came in at No. 9 nationally with its average farmland price coming out to $2,800 per acre, the report said.

For comparison, New Mexico (which ranked No. 11 overall) had the most affordable average price per acre of farmland at just $700 per acre. Massachusetts (No. 48) and Connecticut (No. 42), however, tied for the most expensive price per acre, at $14,300.

Among the three remaining categories in the study, Texas performed the worst for its "gardens on Yelp per capita" rank. The study calculated Texas has 0.30 gardening and community garden establishments on Yelp per capita, placing Texas at No. 49.

Meanwhile, Texas' historically hot weather meant it ranked No. 43 out of all 50 states in the "favorable climate" rank, and the state earned a middle-of-the-road No. 35 rank in the "search interest per capita" category.

"Homesteading and gardening are growing in popularity, but some states provide better opportunities than others," the report's author wrote. "Whether you're after fresh produce or the freedom of self-sufficiency, choosing the right state can make all the difference."

Following behind Texas to complete the top three best states for homesteading and gardening are Oregon (No. 2) and Washington (No. 3), two notoriously rainy West Coast states.

Meanwhile, three East Coast states ranked at the bottom of the list as the worst states for homesteading and gardening: Rhode Island (No. 50), New Jersey (No. 49), and Massachusetts (No. 48).

The top 10 best states for homesteading and gardening are:

No. 1 – Texas
No. 2 – Oregon
No. 3 – Washington
No. 4 – Vermont
No. 5 – Delaware
No. 6 – Arizona
No. 7 – Wyoming
No. 8 – Montana
No. 9 – Hawaii
No. 10 – Colorado

The study sourced its data from Yelp, Google Trends, and the UDSA to determine each state's ranking.

gardening sustainability nature farmers