“All Cuffs and Collar”

November 30, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

It’s a fairly obscure and sarcastic English observation, with a meaning similar to the sardonic Texan expression, “All hat and no cattle.” Finding common sentiments between English and Texan culture has become a labor of love late in my life. Refreshingly, Google was of little help in finding examples, meaning and...

What’s the Difference? A Guide to Art Nouveau and Art Deco

November 28, 2015April 16, 2023Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Click images for source What’s the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco? Many people, even some professional designers, are often flummoxed by the difference between the two styles. Here’s how to tell them apart. Art Nouveau is the older of the two styles, but it overlapped with the Art Deco...

Leading Indicators: A Change in Tone

November 5, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

SALES With four houses scheduled to close in November and one in December, total sales for 2015 are expected to be on par with 2014. Those sales in the pipeline for the final weeks of the year include two houses in the mid-$2 millions, two priced below $1.5 million, and an...

The Long Sleep

October 31, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Photo slideshow by Cameron Ansari. Click other images for source. Our recent Facebook re-post of a Curbed.com article about the oldest house in New York City noted that the little wood house in Queens has its own cemetery on the property dating back to the 1700s. That inspired a lively debate...

Three Dogs Good … Three Heads Better?

October 28, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

Photos by Cameron Ansari & Safa Ansari-Bayegan The trip to Rome was ostensibly for a family reunion, but I went to see Bernini in the Galleria Borghese. While Proserpina struggled with Pluto above, I was focused on the three-headed dog below that propped up the sculpture. Which made me wonder: Instead...

A Stroll Down Jermyn Street, London

October 21, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

I slipped off the leash on the eve of our departure from London for a pilgrimage down Jermyn Street. It’s the real reason we stay in Mayfair on recent visits. In the Thatcher years Jermyn (pronounced “german”) used to be a mere cross street for me, a LSE student on his...

12 Nosy Questions for Brian McCarthy

October 6, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

New York interior designer Brian McCarthy arrives in Houston on Thursday, October 8, for a series of Texas appearances to celebrate the publication of his new book Parish-Hadley Tree of Life. Among his stops: The Lobby at Greenwood King, where he will discuss time spent with the legendary design firm and...

Focus on the High End

October 5, 2015October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

Photos by TK Images © In past editions of River Oaks Market Report we have described how the high end of the River Oaks real estate market is the most unpredictable because it is the least driven by the economic factors that affect the majority of buyers and sellers. At the high end,...

Gardening with Dogs

October 5, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Several years ago, after closing on our new house, I looked at my garden and decided it needed a dog. Not a tidy little dog – we already had a perfectly fine miniature schnauzer, not to mention two cats – but a nice big lummox of a dog: a German shepherd....

Et tu, Houston?

October 5, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

For anyone who loves a great Caesar salad, Houston’s annual Caesar Salad Competition is a must-see — or, make that, a must-taste. This Friday, October 9, marks the 31st annual staging of this madcap toss-up, which, so far as I can ascertain, is the oldest Caesar salad competition in the United...