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75 T he 46-year-old designer may be generating lots of attention lately, but he's hardly a newcomer. Dorsey was trained as an architect at The University of Tennessee and moved to Dallas in 2000 to work for Wilson Associates as a project manager, where he directed an impressive $2 billion portfolio that included clubs, luxury residences, airplane interiors, Las Vegas hotels, and lounges for Baccarat. In 2005, Dorsey co-founded MORE Design + Build with partner Kurt Bielawski, a Dallas-based residential construction and renovation company in which he's still involved. In early 2018, Dorsey spun off a separate interiors practice, Chad Dorsey Design, and that's when things took off. "There's so much demand for interior design right now," he says. "Having a separate design- focused practice also allows us to work with architects from other firms in Dallas and around the country." He's currently focused on eight design and architecture projects in various stages of completion. Dorsey's Dallas studio and showroom were designed to reflect the kind of relaxed luxury he strives for, with parquet-wood floors, custom cerused-oak millwork, and a highly edited collection of furnishings for sale. "It's a casual working space that's very interactive, where we can meet with clients," Dorsey says. "It's also an introduction to our design aesthetic." Dorsey has a personal connection to everything he brings in, whether it's for a client's home or his showroom. One of his favorites lines is Society Limonta linens, which are made in Northern Italy by the 126-year-old textile company Limonta Group. Dorsey, who grew up in Tennessee, has been collecting sculptural wooden vessels by Tennessee artists for years. At the store, look for Bob Schrader's hand- turned bowls, carved from fallen trees in the Appalachian Mountains. Dorsey decided to represent French Lacanche stoves after using one while on vacation in Florida. "I cooked three meals a day on it for three weeks," he says. "It was a total delight." The brightly enameled stoves are hand-built in France and take about five months to make and ship to the U.S., but they're worth the wait, he assures. He also custom-designs furniture in patinated raw steel, and his Cloud chair is made from leather and linen. He designs architectural fireplace mantels in a variety of different stones. "Everything is very natural and sleek, and underscores my architectural background," Dorsey says, including such mid-20th-century discoveries as an American rosewood desk, a mid-20th-century marble coffee table, and figural clay sculptures. Chad Dorsey Design, 1316 Slocum St., chaddorseydesign.com. Upstairs study in Jane Scott Hodges New Orleans house. Steel screen designed by Chad Dorsey. Vintage table. Dallas artist Amy Opsal's artwork. Shelves hold handmade kitchen and bar elements from The Wooden Palate in Los Angeles. Vintage mid-century leather chairs, marble coffee table, and floor lamp. Rug from The Rug Company. Stone maquettes of custom mantels designed by Chad Dorsey.