Ask the DDD Tenants: What Makes Your Gallery Unique?

What comes to mind when you think of the Dallas Design District? If it’s not world-class dining, unique boutique shopping and art, then you’re not thinking big enough!

The DDD has its share of designer showrooms, but that’s not all it has in store. We wanted to highlight some of our resident galleries and retailers to give you a better idea of the breadth of inventory available to you when you visit.

Rockwell Antiques

Owners Nevan and Mary can’t wait to talk shop with anyone who walks through the door. They can tell you the full history and story of every piece in the store. We asked them makes Rockwell Antiques so unique — here’s what they had to say:

“What makes us unique is that we have brought the vast majority of our inventory with us from Europe. Nevan is from Ireland and Mary is a Dallas native who lived in Ireland for 15 years.

Our inventory was collected over a 25 year period, and we specialize in pieces with historical significance, provenance and a special story. We call ourselves 'The Irish Experts.' We stock 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th-century furniture, together with unique high-end collectible and fine art from around the world, including Americana, rare books, rugs, chandeliers, private collections and much more.”

Benson-Cobb Studios

This working art studio produces scaled gallery-quality art pieces — with an emphasis on custom projects by Carol Benson-Cobb — for high-end furniture companies and speciality retail shops across the US and Canada. You can see the artist’s work at places like Neiman Marcus, Clive Daniel Home, One King’s Lane, Gilt and more.

Account manager Jennifer McGranaghan said of the studio, "Expect to be surprised by what happens in the studio and how it's not just about paintings. Carol's collection includes custom paintings, wallcoverings, linen by the yard, pillows (linen and velvet), all the way to furniture and wool/silk rugs through our gallery partners John Richard and Creative Touch."

The Haas Moto Museum & Sculpture Gallery

You don’t have to be a motorcyclist to be wowed by this 20,000 square foot space that guides its visitors through the history of the motorcycle and its culture.

“At the entrance of the museum, History Hall traces the entire history of motorcycling, leads into The Race Track section, The Sidecar Alcove, and then finally, The Custom Shop — a dazzling testament to the Renaissance notion of inventors creating art for the sake of art, with no blueprint or predecessor to guide their hands," museum associate Ashley Hugot explains."The Haas also features a shop where unique painted leather jackets, biker jewelry, books and items of rare craftsmanship are offered for sale."

“The sheer expanse of The Haas Collection, with over 150 motorcycles spanning 12 decades, is a joyous revival of a cultural phenomenon that continues to evolve to this day. They are all privately owned by our founder, Bobby Haas, who first entered the art world as a novice photographer in his late 40s, soon to become one of the world’s most celebrated aerial photographers.

After kick-starting his first motorcycle at the age of 64, only a few years later Bobby set his sights on assembling a collection that would be exhibited in a museum like no other. Not only does The Haas immerse you in the evolution of cycles from 1901 to the present day, it unveils an unparalleled collection of 25 one-of-a-kind cycles and a diverse array of metallic sculptures.”

Arsin Rug Gallery

At Arsin Rug Gallery, you’ll find the best of their 5,000 one-of-a-kind, handmade rugs on display.

“You can expect top-level service as well as a fast customized experience. Our website will help you search by size, color, and style," a gallery representative told us. "Our warehouse is also conveniently located nearby to bring the perfect rug right to you. We will hand-deliver the best options to the location for a visual experience.”

As you can see, a trip to the Dallas Design District is so much more than furniture and decor showrooms. And this is just the tip of the DDD iceberg. Stop by and check out one — or all — of the many unique galleries and shops the DDD has to offer.