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East Dallas interior designer shares tips for home decor

Kalee Fuqua Doche, who lives in the Junius Heights neighborhood adjacent to Lakewood, worked as an artist in partnership with interior designers for 20 years, creating murals and faux finishes. Four years ago, she pivoted to interior design herself and began working at her brother’s architectural firm, J Wilson Fuqua & Associates, Architects. She describes her own style as “eclectic,” but said she specializes in bringing clients’ own styles and visions to fruition.

Here are her tips for homeowners looking to spruce up the interiors of their homes. Answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

What are some of the biggest mistakes that amateur home designers make?

I would say going too trendy. Sometimes, trends last—like gray [paint] has lasted forever—but a lot don’t. A lot of people are painting their houses black, but that is such a huge mistake. Just because I’m old, I know that black is going to look [bad] in about two or three years. Also, [don’t go] too rogue—you’ve got to think about your neighborhood and your house.

What are some differences in how people should approach designing an apartment versus a house?

When you’re renting an apartment, since it’s more temporary, it’s OK to maybe buy less expensive things and not make a big investment in furniture yet. When you get into a house, you want to start focusing on what big items you want and your yard. We don’t really think about how much it costs to take care of your yard, but you’re going to drive up to that every day. If your yard doesn’t look good, your neighbors and yourself are going to be sad. Think about your outside and how that looks, then start gathering ideas and thoughts about things you want to collect, along with the

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago

Istanbul Modern Reopens in its New, Renzo Piano-Designed Home

ISTANBUL — The new Istanbul Modern museum is a study in contradictions: It provides stunning views across the water of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque on the European side of this city and to Asia to the east, but at first glance, it looks, simply, like a spiffy stack of waterfront containers. And both of those aspects of its design are the point.

The new space, designed by the architect Renzo Piano, will officially open on Tuesday, more than a month after welcoming its first visitors and nearly 20 years after the museum, which specializes in modern and contemporary art, opened in a former warehouse in the same location. (It then moved, for a time, to a 120-year-old temporary space in the nearby Beyoglu neighborhood.)

It’s a culturally crucial moment for a country more in the news these days after a devastating earthquake in February that killed tens of thousands of people, and a fraught election in May that cemented President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hold on power for another five years. But, more than that, the opening is also a celebration of the museum’s humble roots in a utilitarian waterfront.

On a recent spring afternoon, as families and the city’s famously pampered street cats lounged in an adjacent park, a crowd of about 100 people milled about the five stories of the 10,500-square-meter (about 113,020-square-foot) building. Several of the opening exhibitions, each running for about six months, celebrate modern Turkish artists but also honor modern art across the globe.

The building’s open staircases — a Piano signature — seem to invite visitors to the upper floors from the lobby and then again to the rooftop, where a reflecting pool has already become a popular hangout for the chatty Bosporus sea gull crowd.

The official opening of the museum

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago