On Mother’s Day Weekend, the 40th Swiss Avenue Home Tour gave the public the opportunity to tour some of Dallas’ most prestigueous homes. The 2 ½ mile street is just around the corner from Lakewood Country Club and White Rock Lake. The street is one of the nation’s finest samples of early 20th Century architecture with styles ranging from Spanish to Tudor and Colonial Revival.

The neighborhood is Dallas’ first designated historic district; the neighborhood was listed in 1973 and then later listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood’s reputation has drawn notable residents such as former US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, W.W. Caruth, Pastor W.A. Criswell of First Baptist Church, and Carrie Marcus Neiman, founder of Neiman-Marcus Department Store.

This year the tour featured seven unique homes that were open to the general public. Here are a few of our favorite design techniques from the tour:

•Detailed crown molding: This was a trend present in almost every house. The intricate crown molding and molding on the ceiling took control of each room for the better.

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The 4000-year-old Chinese technique called lacquering comes in a can! The new ease of application and new advances in can application has ushered in a new summer trend: lacquering everything!

Lacquer originally comes from the sap of a lacquer tree, which is then applied to wood accessories and furniture for a high-gloss shine. Its ability to light up a room with shine keeps it from never going out of style, but this season it’s hotter than ever.

Click here to read our tips on how to use lacquer.

The recent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show set off a host of new trends in the industry. The industry is breaking out of white cabinets and granite countertops into experimentation with other materials. Here are the highlights:

•Etched backsplash: Forget smooth tiles. Bring in textured tiling behind each sink and around the kitchen. The textures can go modern or traditional depending on the colors.
•Freestanding bathtubs: These types of tubs have been in vogue for a while. However, this season brings in unique feet attached to the tub. The feet are attached to the four corners of the tub and can be intricate silver workings or clean-cut modern squares.

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“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby comes out in its latest film form May 10. The movie features a soundtrack by Jay-Z and a Jay Gatsby played by Leonardo DiCaprio. There has been quite a build up in the design and fashion world in preparation for this movie, ushering in an age of Roaring Twenties-inspired décor.

Here are the essentials for modeling your home in East Egg or West Egg fashion:

Art Deco or Art Nouveau—Take Your Pick!

Look for geometric shapes and sharp lines twisted into overly ornamented design that resurrected Baroque style. The favorite shapes of the era were spheres, polygons, rectangles, trapezoids, zigzags, chevrons, and sunbursts. These were arranged into symmetrical patterns using materials like aluminum, stainless steel, Bakelite, chrome, and plastics. If you want to add a little spice, try to find faux stained glass, inlays, and lacquer. This is the Roaring Twenties! Go wild!

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The surveyed  gathered responses from 100,000 users in the Houzz community. Here are the highlights:

• 53% of homeowners think it’s a good time to remodel
• 75% of homeowners believe that now is a good time to buy a home
• 58% will hire a general contractor to ensure the quality of renovations
• 34% are remodeling their homes to make it more energy efficient
• 83% are remodeling to improve the look of their home

Read the rest of the results here.

Today is the first day of 90-degree temperature, so now is the perfect time to get your home ready for the heat. We gathered a few tips to get you ready!
• Make a statement in your room and keep it cool by installing more ceiling fans. Ceiling fans reduce your temperature by three to four degrees.
• Bring in a contractor to assess your heating and cooling equipment. Many times your home comes with oversized systems, which wastes money and energy.

Read the rest of the article on our Houzz page.