At the Decorative Center

Honoring the creative difference makers: Houston's brightest Stars of Design are . . .

Stars on the Rise Julie Dodson, Dodson and Daughter, Living Room

Top achievers in architecture, photography and more design genres took their deserved bows Wednesday night at the fifth annual Stars of Design awards ceremony at Decorative Center Houston. In addition to the elite eight honored, recipients of the newly inaugurated Stars on the Rise awards also received their due for contributions to the design world.

Charles S. Cohen, president and CEO of Decorative Center Houston, presented the awards. The winners were carefully selected by a noteworthy panel of creative icons, including designer Richard Holley, Timothy Adcock of Thompson & Hanson, Craig Minor of Minor Design, Natalye Appel of Natalye Appel & Associates Architects, visual artist Dixie Friend Gay, architectural photographer Paul Hester of Hester + Hardaway and Guy Jackson.

Richard Payne, FAIA, received the lifetime achievement award for his commercial art and graphic design, most recently for the University of Houston Downtown. Curtis & Windham Architects is the 2012 Star in architecture, with Tierney L. Malone in art and Geoff Winningham in photography.

Alan Krathaus & Fiona McGettigan of CORE Design Studio are the graphic design stars of the year; Maria Bordelon of Bordelon Design Associates, the interior design star; and the SWA Group, the landscape design winner. Lauren Craft of Lauren Craft Collection is the top star in jewelry design.

The Stars on the Rise, extended to young professionals who have already made a significant mark with their creations, are: James M. Evans, AIA, Collaborative Designworks; Aaron Rambo; Jared Meinkowsky; and Chandos Dodson of Chandos Interiors.

More 2012 Stars on the Rise are Amy and Elizabeth Munger of Munger Interiors, Julie Dodson of Dodson and Daughter, Laura Umansky of Laura U and Courtney Hill Fertitta, Courtney Hill Interiors.

The Stars of Design awards, established more than a decade ago at Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, acknowledges talent nationwide. The recognition program now includes, in addition to the Pacific Design Center and Decorative Center Houston, the D&D Center in New York and the Design Center of the Americas in Florida.

To appreciate Houston’s winners and their achievements, enjoy browsing through our slideshow featuring the 2012 Stars’ heralded works.

Stars of Design: Lifetime Achievement Richard Payne FAIA, University of Houston Downtown

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greener grass in tx

Texas thrives as No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening

Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash

Texas is an ideal place to start a homestead, the study found.

If social media is any indicator, homesteading has been one of the hottest trends of 2024. And Texas is leading the charge as the No. 1 best state for homesteading and gardening, according to a new report by First Saturday Lime.

Analysts at First Saturday Lime, an insect repellant company featured on Shark Tank, evaluated the "suitability for sustainable living" across all 50 states based on six factors: Climate, community interest (a.k.a online search trends), gardening resources, farmland costs, and others.

The Lone Star State led the nation with the most farms and ranches on the market and the highest total acreage for sale. As of the study's publication, there were 7,520 total properties for sale, spanning more than 2.19 million acres of land.

Texas also ranked favorably for its farmland affordability. The state came in at No. 9 nationally with its average farmland price coming out to $2,800 per acre, the report said.

For comparison, New Mexico (which ranked No. 11 overall) had the most affordable average price per acre of farmland at just $700 per acre. Massachusetts (No. 48) and Connecticut (No. 42), however, tied for the most expensive price per acre, at $14,300.

Among the three remaining categories in the study, Texas performed the worst for its "gardens on Yelp per capita" rank. The study calculated Texas has 0.30 gardening and community garden establishments on Yelp per capita, placing Texas at No. 49.

Meanwhile, Texas' historically hot weather meant it ranked No. 43 out of all 50 states in the "favorable climate" rank, and the state earned a middle-of-the-road No. 35 rank in the "search interest per capita" category.

"Homesteading and gardening are growing in popularity, but some states provide better opportunities than others," the report's author wrote. "Whether you're after fresh produce or the freedom of self-sufficiency, choosing the right state can make all the difference."

Following behind Texas to complete the top three best states for homesteading and gardening are Oregon (No. 2) and Washington (No. 3), two notoriously rainy West Coast states.

Meanwhile, three East Coast states ranked at the bottom of the list as the worst states for homesteading and gardening: Rhode Island (No. 50), New Jersey (No. 49), and Massachusetts (No. 48).

The top 10 best states for homesteading and gardening are:

No. 1 – Texas
No. 2 – Oregon
No. 3 – Washington
No. 4 – Vermont
No. 5 – Delaware
No. 6 – Arizona
No. 7 – Wyoming
No. 8 – Montana
No. 9 – Hawaii
No. 10 – Colorado

The study sourced its data from Yelp, Google Trends, and the UDSA to determine each state's ranking.

gardening sustainability nature farmers