A New Era of OPULENCE

Is comfort the definition of luxury today? How designers at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas turned the spotlight on sophisticated ease and enjoyment of home

Conversation’s Regal Return

“THIS IS A CELEBRATION of the dining room,” says New York–based designer Corey Damen Jenkins. “In here, it’s all about putting down the cell phone and enjoying great, memorable conversations.” He feted the resurgence by charting tented rooms from Napoleon I through Mario Buatta, then adding his own “Cirque du Soleil meets Met Gala couture” spin with almost 240 yards of sapphire-toned fabric (tented by French Finish). Along with being an acoustic win for lively dinner parties, “the canopy is the wow factor,” says the designer, who opted for two round quartz tables for more intimate gatherings—or, of course, afternoon study hall.

A Wondrous Welcome

IN THE HANDS of a Dallas landscape designer with a cool command of architecture and a classics-leaning interior designer, an escalating continuum escorts visitors from the formal Georgian exterior into a fantastical foyer. Daniel Houchard of From the Ground Up Landscape flanked the front door with a pair of scaled-down parterres, slowing guests to a stroll as they cross into John Bobbitt’s double-height foyer, where he transports visitors through a dramatic mingling of delightful and serious elements. Chief among them is an 18-foot tree chandelier soaring to the ceiling. Bobbitt employed this surrealist element to counterbalance the strong classicism of the room. “I’m an academic at heart,” says Bobbitt, whose series of grisaille panels featuring the goddess Psyche confirms class is indeed in session.

Divine Moments of Optimism

FOR A MASCULINE LOUNGE and accompanying terrace, Ken Fulk happily donned two hats—decorator and fortune teller—to stage a heavenly harbinger of his own design. “These spaces reflect my personal optimism for the reawakening that’s happening all around us,” he says. In the garden, a trio of classical figures surrounds a commanding armillary as Fulk’s homage to the three fates—clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos—and the rites of spring. Inside, gilded constellations of gold embroidery embellish sapphire velvet upholstered walls and a custom rug, bringing the dazzling night skyscape down to earth. As a reminder of good things to come, Fulk drafted special tarot cards for the space.

Captivating Kitchen Islands

SUNRISE BREAKFAST HUB or late-night speakeasy? Both have the power to draw a crowd, starting with 6F designer Gil Melott’s main-floor kitchen anchored by an expansive island “reminiscent of a piece of marble furniture that might have been collected on a trip to Italy,” says the designer. And by adding a 14-foot window, he turned natural light and garden hues into essential players in the tonal palette. Just below, in the basement, Bryan and Mike Yates of Yates Desygn fashioned an after-hours counterpoint with a gravity-defying cantilevered island, wallpaper that reads like paint layered over time, and intoxicating aged brass.

DINING ROOM Ceiling and valance fabrics, Harlequin; wall drapery, Sanderson; chair upholstery, Zoffany (yellow) and Sanderson (stripe). Valance, shade, and drapery fabrication, The Shade Store. Trim, Samuel & Sons

HIS LOUNGE & GARDEN The velvet wallcovering is by de Gournay. On the terrace, a borne settee is trimmed in sapphire fringe and red cord trim, both by Perennials.

FRONT LANDSCAPING ↑ Houchard planted a series of columnar sweetgums to break up the white facade of the house and dotted the garden beds and parterre with azalea hedges, holly, and clipped boxwood. “They are durable plants with lots of contrast in texture and varying shades of green.”

ENTRY & STAIRS Hand-forged steel chandelier, Larry Whiteley. Grisaille panels, Zuber et Cie

↖ LOWER KITCHEN AND MAIN KITCHEN The dual-fuel range with sous vide, induction and steam oven; Pro hood; integrated column refrigerator and freezer; dishwasher; and microwave drawer are by Signature Kitchen Suite. Plumbing fixtures, Kohler. Countertops, Cambria. In the main kitchen, the cabinetry (Bentwood Kitchens) is painted Dried Basil by Benjamin Moore. In the lower kitchen, the custom rug is by Arsin Rug Gallery.