{Part II of my excursion with Emily Johnston of EJ Interiors}

One we'd finished stargazing at Leslie Taylor, Emily and I dug deeper into her hidden Dallas. This is where her knowledge and passion really came through. Emily's secret source of design goodies require you to hunt. First stop: White Elephand Antiques. I'd heard of it, but I'm not normally the antiquing kind of girl. That might be changing....  

A good friend of hers owns Gypsy Soul Interiors. As we entered White Elephant and turner right, there was this amazing boot (technically two booths) that blew you away. Overscale paintings, fantastic chairs, a Greek key table (seriously, someone needs to go purchase that table TODAY) and a nicely chosen group of other items rounded out the scene. This wasn't at all like my previous forays into antiquing. These were carefully curated items dying to be snatched up and seen in a new light. Yes, the chairs could use reupholstering, and maybe the table would look even better with a mirrored top (Emily's brilliant idea) but it really gave me an insight into her design ethos. This is no off the rack designer, clearly she's willing to shop smart and find the perfect item for each and every project. No wonder her portfolio is littered with glowing reviews - she earns those accolades. 

Next we popped over to Found, a shop my hairdresser had clued me into (hi, Daniel!) a week or so ago. It's one of a pair that are cleverly named Lost and Found. Isn't that cute? We only made it into Found on Wednesday - but my wallet is grateful. Found is truly a wondrous place. They are trade friendly (meaning professional designers are offered a discount with proper credentials) and sure to be a regular stop on my trips into the district. I had a particularly difficult time leaving behind a Neiman Marcus pop-up book.

We did finally make it back to Again & Again - which was such a lovely place that I'll save it for another post. Emily - thank you so much for such a marvelous morning and for your incredible peek at insider's Dallas. I knew there were hidden gems around the corner and you certainly proved me right. What a treasure trove of design goodness.

Stay tuned for more of this journey of Dallas through the eyes of local designers and aficionados (or perhaps I ought to call them aficionadas?). There's much more to come, as I spent yesterday morning on a laughter filled excursion with one of Dallas's top 10 interior designers Beth Dotolo. Stay tuned for more!