Some homes aren’t a one-and-done project; they evolve slowly over the years, at their own pace. Such was the case for a family dwelling in Dallas, where interior designer Ginger Curtis has been overseeing updates in stages. “It was a nice house to begin with, but the owners wanted to create a more elevated feeling that would better support their lifestyle,” explains the LUXE NEXT honoree.
The couple, physicians with young children, sought rooms that exude calm functionality and understated beauty, all while honoring their Asian heritage. The goal was to infuse the residence with “warm neutrals and tactile materials that feel approachable,” says Curtis, who worked with general contractor Harriet Reisman-Snyder throughout the project. “The clients are busy people and wanted their home to feel as if they were on vacation: peaceful and relaxing.”
Home Details
Interior Design: Ginger Curtis, Urbanology Designs
Home Builder: Harriet Reisman-Snyder, HRS Build
To introduce that spirit from the moment they step through the front door, Curtis crafted a new entryway with a niche that incorporates a bespoke velvet-cushioned bench and shelving for books and pottery. “It’s never just furniture or decor; these pieces are what bring spaces alive,” she reflects. “Our homes should be about so much more than just being pretty, because they affect how we feel.” This philosophy is rooted in “neuroaesthetics,” the study of how our brains process aesthetic experiences, which serves as a guiding influence across the designer’s work.
In the kitchen, the first phase of the renovation, Curtis turned a simple white room into a richly layered destination. “They wanted a more joyful space,” she recalls. “The wife was willing to bring in color, so we went for a welcoming shade of dark green that’s a little unexpected.” The designer cleverly repurposed some of the existing cabinetry and kept the appliances, but installed a larger island, soapstone countertops, open shelving and a plastered vent hood for an old-world touch.
Curtis next began to reimagine the living room, where she built out the back wall to establish a more intentional focal point. “It became a great opportunity to create something architectural,” she shares. The sofa wall now houses five large niches holding antique objects that are meaningful to the owners. “They’re special pieces, but they also bring in different textures and patinas, and there’s a sense of power expressed through the repetition of their form,” the designer observes. On the opposite wall, she redesigned the fireplace to be a more sculptural spot for the television, neatly finished with a thin wood frame and flanked by additional shelving for more of the clients’ collection. “The living room is cohesive now and offers a serene rhythm between daily life and family gatherings.”
Other revamped spaces include a study, but one that also acts as a den. “They wanted to feel a connection as a family,” Curtis muses. While its integrated wood desk functions as a workspace for the parents, the room is just as well-suited for the children completing their homework or listening to records. “It was an awkward layout, but we transformed it through custom millwork and turning the piano into a purposeful centerpiece.”
For the primary suite, Curtis brought intimacy and balance to the voluminous space with a built-in plaster window bench featuring an inset planter. (Plants of all sizes are something the designer encourages not just for their beauty but for their air-purification benefits.) She also added a seating area and reinvented the couple’s existing live-edge wood headboard with a fresh color. “We didn’t want anything too loud in their bedroom,” she explains. “We wanted simple, quiet, monochromatic.” The fiber artwork above the bed continues that restraint. Meanwhile, to enlarge the clients’ bathroom and create separate areas for the husband and wife, Curtis turned an adjacent guest bathroom into his “moody, rich” retreat. “It became a master class in function,” the designer says of the antimicrobial surfaces and concealed storage solutions.
What started as a series of operational refinements to the home evolved into a renovation “that honors the family’s pursuit of a life beautifully designed, with spaces that are practical but poetic,” Curtis observes. “Peace is the new prosperity.”
