A Home with Infinite Rapid-Fire Wow Moments

A homeowner purchases a Dallas domicile and transforms it to reflect her inimitable style. From the first step through the curved portal, where the entry spotlights a John Newsom painting, a Made Goods chair and a Big Mango Trading Company side table—with windows revealing Lee Industries from Brendan Bass Showroom slipcovered chairs in the pool area—it’s clear the mash-up philosophy is a winner. “She didn’t want anything typical or normal, so even when it came to lighting we had to think outside the box,” Farrow says. As such, the designer chose sparkly glass AV Mazzega ceiling fixtures to complete the opening statement. 

The house that caught the client’s eye had resulted from collaborations between Danuser and architect Mark David Hoesterey. Using brick and roof pitches in keeping with the established University Park neighborhood while stripping away any fussy ornamentation, the architect calls it “a regional interpretation of something you might see in Santa Barbara, California,” but notes he always aims for timelessness over any particular style. The architect adds: “The huge divided-light windows also have classical proportions, but integrating such large openings is a more contemporary approach that allowed us to celebrate the connection with the outdoors in all of the main living spaces.” In response, landscape designer Tal Thevenot crafted a front yard cohesive with the architectural concept. “My goal was to be true to the home’s historic traditional form—but with an eclectic-modern and industrial vibe—so the circular driveway and curved lawn are formal,” says Thevenot, who utilized plantings such as cotoneaster, flowing grasses and rosemary for their sculptural effect.

This Dallas home features Lueders limestone headers and sills from Dallas Limestone, a custom door by Arte de Arquitectura de Mexico and a custom pendant fabricated by Solara Iron Doors & Lighting. The roof is by R&B Roofing, and the custom cast-concrete planters are by Form and Fiber. Jensen Engineers handled the structural engineering.

The family room blends styles with a retro Arteriors fixture from Scout Design Studio, a vintage Charles Hollis Jones coffee table from Antiques Moderne and a Moroccan- style rug from Interior Resources. An RH sofa in Perennials fabric holds pillows wearing vivid Bunglo by Shay Spaniola material from Laura Lee Clark. The Poteet Victory art is from McLarry Modern in Santa Fe.

Equally unexpected is the dining room, where 1970s mod chairs in screaming-pink damask pull up to a farmhouse table below a Brutalist-style fixture suspended from a lacquered ceiling. “There was never any strategic plan,” says Farrow, who found the chairs at a consignment shop and stumbled upon the light fixture. “I’d find something, then she would; it was all very spontaneous.”

A table doubles as a reading spot in the dining room, where Osborne and Little fabric from ID Collection breathes new life into vintage chairs from Antiques Moderne. The Global Views light fixture is from Scout Design Studio, and the Lyle Owerko photograph is from Gallerie Noir. Windows throughout are Pella, with flooring by Mason’s Flooring Services.

Family room seating includes vintage Milo Baughman chairs from Antiques Moderne, Missoni Home poufs from Roche Bobois and a tufted ottoman from Mecox, with Ralph Lauren for Visual Comfort floor lamps from Lights Fantastic.. Designer Morgan Farrow conceived the fireplace—fabricated by East Side Creations—with board-formed concrete and black metal panels.

In the kitchen, brass barstools with vinyl seats are juxtaposed with white-painted and weathered-oak cabinets. Custom cabinets by Douglas Cabinetry showcase Omnia fixtures from Pierce Fine Decorative Hardware & Plumbing, while Vicostone quartz from CounterSource shines on the island countertop and the backsplash. Bubble chandeliers by Pelle in New York hang over the island, where the Phase Design barstools wear Pindler vinyl. The Newport Brass faucet is from Ferguson, and the Wolf range is from Capital Distributing; the nearby breakfast area’s Theodore Alexander chandelier is from Brendan Bass Showroom.

Throughout the home, “wow” moments continue at a rapid-fire pace. In the lounge, with a tufted-cream sofa and blue-velvet lounge chairs, a surprising geometric cowhide rug ratchets everything up a notch.

The lounge’s Nancy Corzine sofa from Vinya—on a zebrano base from Paloma Creations—tops a rug from Interior Resources; the Karl Springer chandelier is from John Gregory Studios. The coffee table’s Adrian Pearsall base from Antiques Moderne holds a Barco Mirror & Glass top. Art above the surround from Dallas Limestone is from Wall Gallery.

“Eclectic” and “air” proved to be bull’s-eye terms for Allane’s indoor style as well, as designer Morgan Farrow deduced after an initial meeting with the homeowner. “Just imagine every style you can think of mashed together,” Farrow says, noting Allane doesn’t stick to one style in fashion, art or design, yet there’s some magic alignment that makes it all work. 

Built-in cabinets by Douglas Cabinetry maximize storage space in the lounge, showcasing coffee table books and treasured accessories purchased through the years. A vintage cloisonné horse—one of the homeowner’s prized possessions— is from William-Christopher Design.

Equipped with the essential cocktail hour accoutrements, a bar cart from the homeowner’s own collection brings a touch of Art Deco style to the lounge. An arching brass floor lamp by Arteriors and artwork by Isabelle du Toit— purchased through the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center’s Art for Advocacy auction—complete the vignette.

Equally creative is the guest room, featuring a headboard from Allane’s previous home attached to a grass-cloth-covered frame. “This room represents years of the homeowner’s vintage hunting,” Farrow says. If the house has an identifiable thread, it is undoubtedly the art collection. Farrow says placement of the art—every bit as edgy and diverse as the owner herself—was anything but random.

Eider White by Sherwin-Williams coats the guest bedroom, which features mostly vintage items from the client’s previous home. The bed’s accent pillows and throw are from Nest, and a grass-cloth frame from Paloma Creations was added to an existing headboard. The Pindler white linen Roman shades were fabricated by Kate Ericson Sewing and Design.

In the master bathroom, Designers Guild wallpaper from ID Collection echoes custom-cut Daltile marble flooring; the shower’s subway tile is from Porcelanosa. Douglas Cabinetry fabricated the vanity, which features a Mirabelle sink and Vicostone top from CounterSource. The MTI tub and Toto fixtures are from Ferguson, and the vintage sconces are from John Gregory Studios.