Nosy Questions for Gil Schafer

November 1, 2017January 8, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

American architect Gil Schafer is known for creating personal and timeless homes that celebrate the lives of their owners. They are spaces intended for making and keeping memories. To that end, Schafer’s brand-new book, A Place to Call Home: Tradition, Style, and Memory in the New American House (Rizzoli, $55) pulls...

Post-Harvey: 9 Questions for Leash Yu

October 27, 2017October 31, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Since Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians have had hundreds of questions about flood claims, building codes and buying up water-damaged properties as future investments. Li-Hsi “Leash” Yu, president of Agency Yu, Inc.* in West University, recently came to the Greenwood King office on Kirby Drive to talk about flooding (and its aftermath) from...

Nosy Questions with John Sebastian

June 20, 2017October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

The eponymous founder of the Sebastian Construction Group was George Sebastian, a Dallas native and self-trained architect. Returning home from service in the Pacific during World War II, he founded his building company in 1948 in response to Dallas’ rapidly expanding population. Gradually the company transitioned from middle-market construction to high-end...

A Chat with Gregg Thompson of Thompson + Hanson

December 19, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Thompson + Hanson, the high-end nursery with the dreamy retail shop located on West Alabama at Joanel, first sold Christmas trees in the early 1990s, about a decade after its founding in 1981. However, the surprise success of the nursery’s on-site restaurant Tiny Boxwoods subsequently required so much space that partners Gregg...

10 Nosy Questions with Too Cheap Blondes

October 7, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Jen Meneely and Pippa Williams tell the story of Too Cheap Blondes this way: It was March 2013, and both women happened to be shopping in the same Goodwill store when Pippa recognized Jen from a recent Houston Chronicle article in which Jen had been featured. Pippa introduced herself and told Jen...

Nosy Questions for Brent Hull

May 6, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Photos courtesy of Hull Historical You know that expression “God is in the details”? Brent Hull probably whispers it to himself about 100 times a day. As owner and president of Hull Historical in Fort Worth, Hull is a nationally recognized authority on historic design, architecturally correct moldings and millwork. His...

Nosy Questions for Charlotte Moss

March 7, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Photos courtesy Charlotte Moss Interior designer and author Charlotte Moss, who has written nine books and is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, has spent more than 30 years decorating beautiful homes for private clients. As a furniture and upholstery designer she collaborated with Century Furniture on a collection....

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...

Where the Magic Happens: The Roca Brothers

August 26, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

If you’re a Houston foodie, you are no doubt aware that Spain’s three Roca brothers (photo below), whose restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, is widely regarded as the best restaurant in the world, are back in Houston. They have spent the last three days (August 24-26) participating...

Neighborhood Negotiator: Gary Mangold

August 26, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Gary Mangold (photo below) is a familiar presence in River Oaks, where he has been the general manager for 32 years. He’s not the mayor or the police chief, the park superintendent or official historian, but he’s kind of all those in a single package. “River Oaks Property Owners – or...