Bleu Ciel
Category:
Pied à Terre
A couple looking to make their Dallas pied-à-terre feel more like home got a recommendation that I was the best in town.
I took the compliment and got right to work transforming their luxurious yet banal high-rise condo into a warm, inviting living space. Though the apartment’s developer-selected fixtures and finishes were expensive, if my clients were to move in with all new furniture, it would look like everyone else in town. To elevate and personalize the house, we plastered the walls to add subtle texture, replaced all the fittings, and then curated a selection of antique, vintage, and contemporary furnishings that reflected both my clients’ streamlined style and my midcentury-inspired signature.
Designer's notes
As jet set travelers, my clients love a glass of champagne during their global journeys. The bubbly indulgence inspired this project’s refined color palette, which I lived up by sourcing tactile fabrics, historic ceramics, and standout furnishings, and placing Persian rugs underfoot. In the office space, a spectacular Poltrona Frau leather desk creates an inspiring place to work. In the living room, a vintage Willy Daro coffee table steals the show. It’s got a brass acid etched top with inset agate. My friend and fellow designer Jan Showers bought it in Paris and knew I would find just the right client for it. This was its perfect home, a modern aerie that now feels as well-traveled as its owners.
With an expedited timeline of only three months, this project required a lot of trust. When it came time for design decisions, we presented three options and asked our clients to choose. It’s a good exercise and one that always proves true for us. We make it a point to capture our clients’ visions from the very start.
“If art doesn’t shift the rooms pulse, it’s just decoration”
Chad Dorsey
