Merriman Anderson Architects (MAA) is pleased to announce several promotions among staff who have excelled in providing exceptional service to the firm and its clients. As the firm continues to grow, many staff are growing into more advanced roles. 

“It’s with great excitement, pleasure and pride that we announce our 2023 promotions at Merriman Anderson Architects,” says Milton Anderson, President of MAA. “The following team members exemplify dedication, loyalty, leadership, and integrity in all they do. I am thankful for each of them and look forward to their continued growth and a success-filled future at MAA.”

The promotions include:  

Fred Martinez - Associate Principal

Will Cotton - Senior Associate

Chance Jones - Senior Associate

Robert Nieporte - Senior Associate

Andrew Edmonson - Associate

Derek Dizon - Associate

Chang Guo - Associate

Erin Gendt - Associate

Jadenn Kelly - Associate

MAA’s staff is united with a passion for architecture, strong sense of family, exemplary client service, and a deep connection to the community. 

Based in Dallas with offices in Austin and Charlotte, MAA is responsible for projects of all types including master planned developments, urban housing, office buildings, corporate facilities, hotels, schools and retail projects throughout the United States and internationally. The firm provides the full spectrum of architectural, interior design and master planning services.

For more information about MAA, please visit the company’s website merriman-maa.com.

As we begin to settle into winter months, the cheerfulness of summer colors doesn’t have to wait until warmer temperatures return. Kitchen Design Concepts helps find ways to tastefully bring color and cheer throughout homes during each season. 

The Kid’s Bathrooms 

Kitchen Design Concepts recommends a child’s bathroom as the perfect place to showcase the merriness of childhood. This Preston Hollow home utilized the upstairs, ensuite bathrooms to allow the homeowner’s grandkids a place of their own when visiting. Both bold bathrooms have a unique scheme and feature elements to recreate the joyfulness of childhood memories made at grandma and grandpa’s house. 

The first ensuite features floating cabinets from Ultracraft in Beach White paint, styled with Emtek Lida black knobs, and topped with Caesarstone Frosty Carrina quartz counters. The Schumacher Citrus Garden wallpaper features lively elements of butterflies, oranges, and flowers. 

In the second ensuite, Kitchen Design Concepts used elements to complement the mirror-image ensuite located down the hall. Implementing the same cabinetry and counter design, the second ensuite accents the design with locally-sourced pink florette knobs and botanical wallpaper from Caitlin Wilson’s Marseille collection. 

Kitchen Appliances

Upgrading your kitchen appliances to become the striking centerpiece of your home is a unique way to set apart design elements from the typical neutrals associated with stoves, ovens, and refrigerators. The home features a stunning range and hood combination to create a show stopping, yet sophisticated kitchen space. Kitchen Design Concepts utilized Dacor’s color match program to choose Sherwin Williams Julep as the striking color for the 48” Heritage Dual Fuel Range. The range is nestled below a custom hood that was locally made from resawn white oak planks with an oil finish to juxtapose bold colors with rustic accents. 

Dining with a Purpose

With wintertime dinner parties right around the corner, creating a distinctive dining experience for guests is an entertainer’s dream. By revamping your dining room to include inviting and cheerful shades, guests will be immersed in a dining experience that can be paralleled with dishes to reflect the ambiance. The home coordinates its striking kitchen with an equally inviting dining area. The pink chandelier, wallpaper from Eijffinger’s Pip Studio 3 collection, and original brick flooring that Kitchen Design Concepts stripped, washed, stained, and sealed to achieve a lively new color, make this dining room every dinner guest’s dream. 

Regardless of how readers decide to bring color into their home to create an invigorating and charming space, creating memories (and recipes) is the heart behind every Kitchen Design Concepts project. When welcoming friends and family into your colorful and cheery home this winter, try Kitchen Design Concepts’ recipe for Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Arugula to harmonize the bright colors of summer into a winter dish that your guests will be sure to love.

Ingredients

16-17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi

1 pound chopped and peeled butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch pieces (3 to 4 cups) 

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

1 red onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick 

4 ounces diced pancetta 

4 cloves garlic, smashed 

1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage 

1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary 

? cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups baby arugula 

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. 

2. Tossthegnocchi, squash, tomatoes, red onion, pancetta, garlic, sage, rosemary, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl and spread ingredients evenly on the baking sheet.

3. Bake until the gnocchi, squash, and red onion are tender and lightly browned around the edges and the tomatoes are blistered in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. 

4. Scatter the arugula over the gnocchi mixture and gently toss. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the cheese.

Recipe by: Mary-Kathryn Reese

Mary-Kathryn Reese is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kitchen Design Concepts. Mary-Kathryn’s business acumen and love for cooking make an ideal recipe for helping clients discover the best possible use of their kitchen space. 

Kitchen Design Concepts provides turnkey remodeling services to Dallas clients through a defined and refined process that shapes partnerships with each client. Kitchen Design Concepts works closely with each client to learn their lifestyles, aesthetic taste, and needs for maximum satisfaction.

Looking for a sports bar to watch the big college football game on Monday, January 9? DRAFT Sports Bar & Lounge is the ultimate 4,000 square-foot sports nirvana featuring 25 HDTVs dedicated to sports and offers craft beer on tap, innovative cocktails, tasty eats, and a lively atmosphere. The sports bar and restaurant is located in Downtown Dallas at 400 Olive St. inside Sheraton Dallas Hotel. 

To keep college football fans energized for the big game, DRAFT Sports Bar & Lounge is featuring their “Monday Morning QB” drink that stirs red bull peach with Dallas’ El Cantinero Chamoy de Barrio. It doesn’t contain alcohol, but gives a boost of energy for the excitement ahead.

Happy hour specials on Mondays are available from 5-6pm and include “$6 ‘til 6pm” for draught beer, seasonal sangria, Old Fashioned, house red and white wine, and house spirits for those that want to pre-game before the big game. 

DRAFT Sports Bar & Lounge also features a private karaoke room that also includes an Xbox gaming system in the room. Guests can easily access the room anytime the bar is open at no additional cost if it's unoccupied. 

To reserve a table or the private Karaoke room, call 469-371-1486. Parking in Sheraton Dallas Hotel’s parking garage is complimentary for up to four hours when you dine at one of the hotel’s restaurants including DRAFT Sports Bar & Lounge. A DART train station, Pearl/Arts District, is also located across the street from DRAFT for convenient access.

Dream Center Dallas is helping to make Christmas extra merry this year for Dallas families in need of assistance over the holidays. On Saturday, December 17, at 12pm, Dream Center Dallas is hosting an event to distribute free gifts, until supplies last, to families that may not otherwise be able to provide their children with a present on Christmas. The event will be held in the parking lot of the new Dream Center Dallas building that is currently being renovated at 1900 S. Ewing Ave, Dallas, TX 75216. 

Santa will also be in attendance for photos, hot chocolate will be served and other special holiday activities will be available for children to enjoy while their parents have a little time alone to shop for a Christmas present. 

“Christmas is a magical time of the year and we strive to help all families feel the joy of the season in the midst of hard times in their lives,” says Kacie Kintz, Dream Center Dallas Director. “We hope our Christmas event provides a little relief to parents and brings smiles to their children’s faces.”

Community members can help by volunteering to work the event, donating funds, or purchasing items off of Dream Center Dallas’ Amazon Wishlist to be distributed at the event. To sign up to volunteer, please visit https://www.dreamcenterdallas.com/events. To donate financially, please visit https://dreamcenterdallas-bloom.kindful.com/.  

The Dream Center first began in Los Angeles in 1994, serving as a resource center focused on providing support to those affected by homelessness, hunger, and lack of education through residential and community outreach programs. In 2020, Pastors Dustin and Jamie Bates established Dream Center Dallas, after partnering with LA Dream Center, in order to provide resources and services in the areas of education, homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, abuse, and human trafficking within Dallas.

Dream Center Dallas is currently converting The Gospel Lighthouse Church, originally built in 1948, to be the hub of ministry and provide multiple outreach opportunities. Merriman Anderson Architects is the architect for the renovation.

For more information about Dream Center Dallas, visit www.dreamcenterdallas.com, or contact info@dreamcenterdallas.com. 

Kitchen Design Concepts, a Dallas-based home design and remodeling company, is thrilled to announce that residential designer, Rebecca Sutton, has earned a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer Certification (CMKBD) as awarded by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

The CMKBD program recognizes noteworthy experience and achievements in the kitchen and bath industry. Candidates must possess their certified kitchen and bath designer (CKBD) certification, or both the certified kitchen designer (CKD) and certified bath designer (CBD) certifications, and have two years of experience beyond CKBD certification for a minimum of seven years of industry experience.  The program consists of continued education, coursework, and assessments.

Sutton currently serves as a residential designer and social media coordinator for Kitchen Design Concepts. She was also inducted into the prestigious National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) 30 under 30 program. She has won multiple local, regional, and national National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI)Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards. 

Sutton joins an experienced, certified, and award-winning team of designers at Kitchen Design Concepts. Kitchen Design Concepts is a design and remodeling company that helps clients personalize and optimize their homes. The company specializes in providing turnkey services to projects across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, serving as one contact for interior design, architectural planning and construction. Kitchen Design Concepts works closely with each client to help guide them through every step of the remodeling process from lifestyle assessment, planning, design, construction and new design orientation to learn their design preferences and examine their lifestyle to deliver a design that maximizes functionality, aesthetics and the homeowner’s enjoyment of daily life in their new home.