Top Chef Masters: Houston's own Monica Pope!

Monica Pope...Top Chef?

Houston's own, Monica Pope, will be battling it out on Bravo's Top Chef Masters: Season 2.  The James Beard Award nominee is the chef/owner of the high acclaimed t'afia. She has been immensely generous in helping out High Fashion Home with staff and food for several of our charity events.  Top Chef happens to be one of my favorite shows. I'm always amazed how these chefs can spontaneously conjure up such a diverse set of delectable dishes each and every episode.   Monica Pope is one of Houston's most decorated chefs, so expect great things when season 2 starts on April 7th.

Also, Monica hosts the Midtown Farmer's Market at t'afia every Saturday.  A dedicated following comes out every week, rain or shine, to experience a wonderful home-grown market.   Monica offers a free cooking class during the Market.  Free cooking classes from a Top Chef....sign me up!  Check out her great cooking blog too!

Lonny, part deaux

Lonny is back for more! Virtually flip to page 57 for a great article with stunning pictures of my very favorite store in the whole wide world, J. Crew!

Metropolitan Home Is Now Homeless.

Met Home's next issue will be it's last.

It's a sad day for modern home design enthusiasts. Metropolitan Home will be closing it's door by year end. The December 2009 issue will be the last for the venerable shelter magazine after 28 years in publication. Everyone that currently has a subscription to Met Home will now receive Elle Decor instead.

Metropolitan Home is joining a growing list of defunct home decor magazines with Domino, House and Garden, and O at Home all closing it's doors in the past 18 months. With the tough housing market, struggling home furnishings industry, and bad economy, shelter magazines are facing dwindling ad revenues.

Hopefully as retail sales rebounds this Holiday season and beyond, we'll be able to keep reading current shelter magazines, and new shelter magazines will emerge in these opportunistic times.

LIVESTRONG Day with High Fashion Home!

Please join us this Friday, October 2nd at High Fashion Home and show your support in the fight against cancer. High Fashion Home will donate 10% of your total purchase (both in-store and online) to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. We will also be giving out LIVESTRONG wristbands to help raise cancer awareness.

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's one-day initiative to unite people affected by cancer in raising awareness of cancer issues on a global level and in communities across the country.

October 2nd is going to be a great day where you can buy unique furniture, fabrics, gifts, and accessories with part of the proceeds going to a wonderful cause. Check out our LIVESTRONG page for details.

The Galleria, Part III

It took us a while, but we finally changed out our Houston Galleria display for the first time in 4 months. We dialed it back and went for a more minimalist approach. Check out the photos below:

We got tired of showing off shades of brown. We went for the bold statement route with this modern sectional in a nice pink velvet.

Contemporary sectional design with down-blend cushions...can't beat that combination.

Our best selling Santomer Dining Table paired with the Louis Ghost Armchairs. Kind of want this combination for my own house.

The Jefferson Bed in a linen look fabric. The tufted buttons and nailhead detailing makes for a very classic, glamourous combination.

The Jefferson Chairs with the Donnabella Chest from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

I'm in love with a table!

Everyone is in love with the Peroba wood, which is 80-100 year old reclaimed wood from Brazil. The wood from old barns, houses, and bridges that have been torn down are incorporated in simple, modern designs. That combination brings a very unique flair to the furniture piece.

The London Bridge Meets The Shard!

Came across a cool blog from 2modern about the London Bridge Quarter development. The Shard, a 72-story mixed-use skyscraper, will be the centerpiece for the project. The Shard will include residential, hospitality, office, and retail components. Once completed, it'll be the tallest building in Western Europe. Check out some renderings of The Shard and the London skyline.

The Shard might give the London Bridge and the London Eye a run for their money as London's most recognizable symbols.

The Shard will be 1004 feet tall upon completion. In city where most everything is in the 4-10 story scale, The Shard will be quite a site to behold.


Very few cities look as beautiful as London at night.

The Shard is being designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Quite the name for an architecture firm, who just happened to design the Menil Collection Museum in Houston.

These panoramic views of London never get old! Simply breathtaking.

With as much precipitation as London gets, these massive, clear glass canopies offer rain protection, yet preserve maximum sunlight for pedestrians.

More Fabrics! High Fashion Fabrics Now Online!

High Fashion Fabrics' E-commerce Website

Our sister store, High Fashion Fabrics, just launched their e-commerce site over the weekend. The layout is very similar to the HF Home site. They sell apparel, garment, and craft fabrics for weddings, evening wear, and various sewing projects.

Oprah + High Fashion Home!

The September Oprah issue just hit newsstands. The Faux Malachite Jewelry Box made the O List as one of the few things they think are just great. This is the first time High Fashion Home has ever been mentioned by Oprah magazine. So it was pretty emotional seeing it for the first time.

5,070 Trees and Counting...

Photo by: angela7dreams

Thanks to all our customers for joining High Fashion Home and the Arbor Day Foundation for helping plant 5,070 trees. I'm trying to envision 5,070 trees, and I'm picturing a nice, medium size forest. But really, any little thing we can do for the environment is a definite plus.

Here are some of the benefits one tree can make for years to come:

• One tree can absorb more than a ton of carbon dioxide
• Over the cours of 50 years, a single tree can control $31,500 of soil erosion.
• Trees help maintain clean water supplies.
• One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen a year.
• Trees help maintain clean water supplies.

My math says our trees will help produce 1,318,000 pounds of oxygen in the next year. Not bad at all.

Banners and Signs!

After 3 plus years and Hurricane Ike, High Fashion Home finally has actual banners and billboards up. How can something so simple, take so long? I think it's just the nature of working with sign companies. But everything is up and it looks great!

We used a perforated vinyl graphic that shows great imagery on the outside, yet a lot of natural light illuminates the interior space.

Ten months after Hurricane Ike dumped 1000 gallons of water into our building and blew out our corner sign, we finally were able to get our billboards back up.

I think our ourdoor photoshoot came off quite nicely.

The turquoise floral velvet has been a hit ever since we've started running this ad. Too bad the fabric has since been discontinued.

This is our 3rd attempt to get our banners right. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about these for another 5 years.

These banners are so integral to our building architecture. Our buidling finally looks they way Gensler intended it to be.

World's Most Stunning Skylines: FT

Guess who is on the list? Houston.

If you are like me, I have a great affinity for downtown skylines. Some people prefer great parks or beautiful ocean views. I happen to enjoy staring out onto towering concrete and steel structures. The Forbes Traveler came up with a list of world's most stunning city skylines. Check out eight of the great urban silhouettes.



Chicago: From modern skyscrapers like the John Hancock Center and the Sears Tower—the world’s tallest high-rise building for more than 23 years ending in 1997—to earlier icons such as the 1895 Reliance Tower and 463-foot-tall Chicago Tribune Tower, completed in 1925, Chicago boasts a skyline of monumental proportions.


Sydney: More people recognize the glorious Sydney Opera House than have probably ever been to an opera.


Dubai: It was clear with the erection of the 1,053-foot-tall Burj al Arab Hotel in 1999 that the sheikdom of Dubai was bent on stealing the global skyline spotlight. Lest there be any doubt, consider that this year Dubai will be home to the tallest skyscraper in the world: the 1,900-foot Burj Dubai tower.


Seattle: Seattle’s location between Puget Sound and Lake Washington lends an impressive backdrop to its central skyline, of which the Space Needle has been the most recognizable feature since its completion in 1962.


Paris: It’s an absence of skyscrapers that defines the French capital’s skyline (with no usable surfaces, the Eiffel Tower doesn’t count). Thanks to its concentration of historic slate gray-roofed six and seven-story buildings, many of which date from the mid-19th century and before, Paris has a remarkably uniform skyline for a city of its size.



London: London’s Parliament and Big Ben “were skyscrapers in their time,” say architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat. “And today London has some amazing modern buildings, such as The London Eye and the Norman Foster-designed ‘Gherkin’ building, which looks like a giant pickle.


Houston: “Houston has the Transco Tower and also Pennzoil Place, two towers that kiss,” say New York architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat, “and all three are Philip Johnson buildings.”


Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh has one of America’s great unsung skylines.

Earth Day 2009: More Trees!

Thanks to everyone for helping partner with High Fashion Home and the Arbor Day Foundation. As of March 31st, 2009, we have now planted 3,554 trees. For every piece of furniture purchased, one tree is planted. 3,554 trees may seem a lot or it may seem a little. Either way, we appreciate everyone with helping us make a difference. Addressing our global climate change is bigger than any one person or organization. It's going to take all of us to pitch in and contribute.


The benefits of one tree can make a positive impact for years to come:

• One tree can absorb more than a ton of carbon dioxide
• Over the course of 50 years, a single tree can control $31,500 of soil erosion.
• Trees help maintain clean water supplies.
• One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen a year.

Learn more about how you can help.

What recession? $150 Million Home On The Market.

This London home located in the prestigious Belgraves Square can be had for $150 million. What does that get you exactly? 21,000 square feet, 8 bedrooms, 20 foot ceiling heights, a huge basement, and a street address that houses "billionaires row." If you quite afford the asking price of this white stucco beauty, their is a much more affordable house on the market across the street. Asking price...$120 million. via-freshome

Facebook: We Have Arrived!

We finally decided to join the modern, world wide community. High Fashion Home officially has a facebook page. Check it out and become a High Fashion fan!

The Galleria Madness Continues...

Not wanting our area to get stale, we switched out the furniture for a fresher, lighter, Spring look for April! What do you think?

For arguments sake, let's call this the front. The Melina Bed in natural, earth tones flanked by two side tables.

A very rustic Louis Bookcase conjures images of Springtime antiquing trips!

I love the blue velvet used to cover these chairs. It adds a good dose of color to the neutral Louis Dining Table.

We wouldn't dare get rid of the Teak Root Coffee Table! It pairs perfectly with everything, including the Chester Sofa.

The very cool Dome Chair actually blocks out some of the noise when you sit in it! It would be an excellent book-reading chair!

Continuing the "Natural" theme with Tree Stump Sculptures atop the 9-Drawer Sideboard.

The fabric on these chairs is so soft. People couldn't help but touch them!

I think this area is my favorite. Adding a little greenery is always a good choice, whether it's real (in the mini-greenhouse) or fake (on the chair). The Bowling Desk is a great little writing desk, too!

Passers-by in the Galleria seemed to like the pieces we chose for the area. Hopefully, we'll impress them even more with next months vignette! We'll keep you posted!