Let’s start with Alta 1900 Lofts. The Design District apartment complex, which opened in late 2009, was recognized by the National Apartment Association (NAA) as a PARAGON award winner. The annual awards program recognizes the multifamily housing industry’s top communities. Alta 1900 Lofts was selected from hundreds of communities across the nation as a top project less than five years old and with over 150 units.

Alta 1900 Lofts is truly a great place to live. Beyond the amenities, the staff (hi Blake!) is super friendly, and they’re always hosting fun resident events, like their happy hour at The Meddlesome Moth on Tuesday evening. I’ve enjoyed many an evening with friends, lounging by their awesome outdoor fireplace, roasting marshmallows for smores and enjoying the company of neighbors!

Not to be outdone, the yet to opened 1400 Hi Line just down the street was honored by the Dallas Business Journal as Dallas’s Multifamily Residential Deal of the Year in 2012. The awards committee was impressed with “posh upgrades and spectacular views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and Trinity River.” It’s true. The views at 1400 are some of the best I’ve seen. Check out the awesome shot of a 1400 view taken by photographer Steve Hinds.

Though the building is not quite ready for move-in, they have a marketing office open around the corner that is ready to sign leases. The office is set up as a model unit reflecting what a one bedroom in the tower will look like, finishes and all! You can swing by 1635 N Stemmons Fwy. to check it out or schedule a tour by visiting www.1400hiline.com.

I think that is enough bragging for this Friday; just one last congratulations to our outstanding apartment buildings! Other design District business, please send me your accolades so I can brag on you too!

Don’t worry, you’ll still be getting newsy blog posts in your inbox, but I wanted y’all to know that they have been scheduled in advance. If you have any new businesses, events or hot topics to blog about, they will have to wait until after the website wizards give me permission to post again.

In the mean time, feel free to keep sending in tips! I’ll be holding up the fort on Twitter and Facebook, where you can still get up to the minute updates.

I seriously can’t wait to show off what we’ve been working on. I promise, it’s worth the wait! For the nosy folks in the crowd, here’s a sneak preview of what’s to come…

Catch ya on the flip side!

The Dallas Design District has been well covered in the local press with fabulous features in D Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Business Journal, FD Luxe and more. But Sunday our beloved neighborhood hit the national scene, named by New York Times writer Stirling Kelso as Dallas’ new “it” district.

The article highlights a handful of the Design Districts’ most acclaimed new restaurants, including the neighborhood favorite, Meddlesome Moth, Nick Badovinus’s new Off-Site Kitchen, and the illustrious Oak, which recently received a four star review from the Dallas Morning News. It also calls out  art and furniture hot spots, such as Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas Contemporary, Highgate House, Griffin Trading and Circuit 12 Contemporary.

The businesses mentioned in the article are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the Design District has to offer designers, diners, and tourists alike. I commit to making this blog the vehicle by which the other awesome businesses, art galleries, showrooms and restaurants in the area can tell their story and further establish the Design District’s status as Dallas’ “it” district!

Read the full article at NYTimes.com: Dallas Design District Is a Destination for Art and Food, Too

Also, a big thank you to TBG, Inc. who provided the lovely lead photos for the NYT article!

The Splash Media studio was incredibly impressive and Renay was a gracious host. The interview ended up being quick and easy and the video turned out great! Take a minute to watch it and remember back to the beginning days of LowerOakLawn.com and think about how far we’ve come since then! Couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you to Renay and Splash Media for having me!

Source: Splash Cast Blog, SplashCast: Social Media Marketing And The Lower Oak Lawn Story

This weekend while flipping through the latest issue of FD Luxe I spotted a snippet about Oak — the Design District’s new restaurant. For the first time, I got a peek at the rendering of what the buildings new facade will look like. Located in the space beside BoConcept, the Oak rendering features plenty of patio seating and a cool new spruced up entrance.

For those of you who are in LOL on a regular basis, you’ll know that construction is well under way and has been progressing quite quickly. It’s neat to see how the pieces in this picture are taking shape! If you haven’t been by in a while, drive down to check it out. Or wait until Oak opens…a date that isn’t too far off!

Check out the excerpt from FD Luxe below for more fun details or read it online at DallasNews.com.

The blog is live. The directory is up. Only one thing left to do: CELEBRATE!

I cordially invite you to join me this Tuesday from 4:00 – 7:00 pm to celebrate the re-launch of LowerOaklawn.com at a Design District Neighborhood Happy Hour at The Meddlesome Moth. Join your neighbors and friends to catch up, enjoy a drink, and share with us the latest scoop from your Design District business!

It will be happy hour pricing, as usual, and complimentary appetizers will be provided courtesy of The Moth. Please RSVP here so we can get a good headcount. Can’t wait to see you there!

There’s lots to see, read and do on the new site, so join me for a quick tour to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Home

Where better to start than on the front page? It’s all the same juicy blog content, just reworked and repackaged so that you can get oh-so many more headlines, events and, of course, photos. You can peruse headlines, search for businesses or scroll through pictures all from the home page!

To read our blog the good old fashioned way, simply click “See More” by daily reads to get a traditional list of all our posts in reverse chronological order.

The stories and photos on the home page will be changed often so check back for new stories, old favorites and guest posts from some of your favorite contributors!

Event Calendar

What would LOL be with out the happy hours, exhibit openings and other exciting events that make this area so flippin’ fun? Our upgraded calendar allows you to see upcoming events in list format or in our fancy new calendar view.

Have an event to add to the list? It’s as easy as filling out this nifty +Submit an Event form!

Business Directory

Last, but certainly not least, is the newly launched Dallas Design District business directory. Containing over 150 businesses, this new tool is the most comprehensive database of design showrooms in the city!

With the help of the amazing Cindy Carradine, design guru and writer extraordinaire, we’ve brought you unique and interesting insight into your favorite Design District showrooms, art galleries and eateries.

Business listings have all the info you’ll need to get the scoop on your favorite Lower Oak Lawn establishments.

We’re still adding businesses and will need your help to keep this buddy up-to-date, so please utilize our Submit an Update and Submit a Business forms to keep us in the loop!

There are lots of other fun new tidbits displayed through out the site, but I’ll leave those for you to find for yourself! Have fun exploring!

Photo Gallery

It was a busy week in Lower Oak Lawn! Check out these four need-to-know tidbits from the week’s festivities.

{LAUNCH} Last night, Kellie Cashon of Cashon & Co. Interiors celebrated the launch of her new online shop, ShopCurio.com, with a curiously chic soiree at the Stoneleigh Hotel penthouse suite. The guests were as well dressed as the suite, which was adorned with beautiful flower arrangements (done by Cashon herself!) and accessories from the shop.

{LEARN} Designers and showrooms wrapped up a week of continuing education at last night’s Spring Thing Fling , a progressive cocktail party that took guests from Bellini’s at Luxury Living to a cooking demonstration at bulthaup, then desserts and a raffle drawing at TKO Associates. The buzz of Spring Thing was the spring tablescape set up at Henredon, which was designed by Shane Walker. Check out more pictures on Facebook for your Easter table inspiration!

{EXPLORE} This Saturday is the annual Dallas Art Dealers Association (DADA) Spring Gallery Walk. I know I will be out exploring all the new exhibits on display across the Design District and the city! Also, many Design District shops are staying open late for the occasion so stop by Ceylon et Cie, Shoretell Design or any of the other participating showrooms.

{RENEW} In honor of Earth Day, next week LowerOakLawn.com is going green, bringing you an entire week of green design tips, tricks and products. Recharge this weekend and get ready for a week of renewable resources!

It’s that time of year again! Time to vote for your favorite dining spots in D Magazine’s Best of Big D Food and Drink reader survey. This year several Lower Oak Lawn eateries have been nominated and need your vote to win!

Our very own Meddlesome Moth is on the ballot in several categories as well as a couple other Design District businesses. Click the button below to vote now and use this quick cheat sheet to support LOL!

4. What is the Best Patio Dining in Dallas? – The Meddlesome Moth

5. Who is the best chocolatier in Dallas? – Morgen Chocolate

14. Who is the best chef in Dallas? – Chad Kelley, The Meddlesome Moth

31. What is the Best Dessert in Dallas? – Homemade Chess Pie at The Meddlesome Moth

34. What is the best wine shop in Dallas? – La Cave Warehouse

The survey is completely anonymous and you can vote every 60 minutes, so vote early and vote often!

I don’t know about you, but I’m loving this pic of Poggenpohl’s new +Artesio kitchen. Is that sleek or what? And wait to you hear all the neat intricacies of the design! But I’ll save that for Monday…

Happy Weekend!