This is a house I could live in. There’s not a room in it that I don’t love. I had worked with the homeowners before, a stylish young couple with great taste. He’s a surgeon in Dallas, who, at his wife’s encouragement, first hired us to design his office reception area. I knew from that experience how fun and interesting they are. She has a wonderful eye and is deeply attuned to good design. We talked then about working together on a larger project, and when they purchased this house in Preston Hollow, I was absolutely thrilled. Designed by John Astin Perkins, whose work I’ve admired since his peak in the 60’s and 70’s, the house evokes instant comparisons to Woodland—film producer Robert Evan’s famed Hollywood Regency home in Beverly Hills. Its thoughtful, timeless design allows one to experience the lushly landscaped swimming pool and gardens from almost every room of the house. There’s something so innately cinematic about it. Every time I enter, I find myself thinking, “This house should be in a movie. ”Designers so rarely get to work on houses with truly thoughtful architecture. It’s not at all unusual to find oneself searching for ways to create a sense of detail and interest. That wasn’t a problem here. The first priority for the homeowner was that the house be glamorous. They wanted it to be livable and comfortable, but they weren’t at all preoccupied with keeping things child friendly. Having children would never stop these two from buying something fabulous, which is as it should be. The homeowners are stylish and well-travelled. They know a lot about culture at large and Dallas culture in particular. I liked that they weren’t afraid to bring a taste of boldness into their home, from the depth of the wall colors to the artwork and even the smallest details. For a decorative pillow, we took a pattern and turned it inside out. When we saw the reverse side of the fabric, we just knew it was the way to go. It looked so different. The homeowners were immediately game to give it a try. For me, that moment was emblematic of the tone of the entire project, their openness to unusual discoveries. Bringing a bit of edge wasn’t merely permitted, it was preferred. The homeowners came to the project with some great pieces they wished to incorporate: in particular, the mirrored consoles in the entry, a gorgeous Italian bar, and a beautiful, vintage dining table with cast brass pomegranates in each corner. The wall finishes are one of the most unique things about the house. The homeowners were in love with the de Gournay Badminton pattern wallpaper in the entry, and they carried that audacious sensibility throughout the entire project. The entry is flanked by two rooms of equal size, a dining room and a living room, in which we used high gloss, parrot green paint that creates a truly stunning impression in the two spaces, visible to each other through the doorways.They were initially unsure about the skirted tables in the master, as they are not especially fond of most prints, but the final result was so excellent, it spoke for itself, and they were fully onboard with them when they saw them paired with matching coral lamps we’d found for them on a buying trip to Paris. In the collaborative experience between a designer and a client, trust is everything, and it was such fun to work with two people who were so open to new ideas when serendipity led us in a new direction. In the dining room, we originally planned to use a large, vintage mirror over a buffet. When I found a huge work of Robert Jessup art and asked them to reconsider, they thought it over and ultimately said yes. Seeing it there was the cherry on top for all of us, as I knew it would be. Another bold choice is always the answer.