Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1225776
86 90 newly built two-story home in Preston Hollow for a couple in their 30s with two young children. "This is the third project I've done for them," Vanderford says. "The first one was early in my career, when I was really green, and I did one simple room. They are both in commercial real estate, and they'd just started out in their careers, too. Now they're very successful in their field, and I feel like we've grown together. Each house I've done has been taken to a different level." This time around, both the house and the budget are bigger. At 6,000 square feet with five bedrooms, the house is sized for a growing family. And the couple has begun to invest in contemporary art. "For this project, I wanted a certain level of quality and cohesion between art and design, so it was important to bring in someone to interpret their taste in art," Vanderford says. "Jennifer has an extreme amount of knowledge, and I knew she'd expand our perspective." K los, an Oklahoma native, was a curator at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, after studying at Vanderbilt University and Bard Graduate Center in New York. She also has a certificate in interior decoration from the prestigious Inchbald School of Design in London. For his part, Vanderford, who hails from the Arkansas Delta, has tackled projects from Aspen to Northern California wine country, and internationally in Paris, the British West Indies, and Shanghai. For the Dallas house, they began with a solid design plan inspired by their clients' personal style. "They are very tailored, and a little edgy," Vanderford says. "You'll see her in a classic black Chanel dress with simple jewelry, but making a bold statement with Valentino shoes or a purse." He's usually in a tailored dark blue suit, with "some little wow factor, like a Gucci shoe. They both drive Range Rovers — classic, yes, but always the fashion editions, like with a red trim. I used their personal style as a jumping-off point for this house." Rooms came together in much the same way one might accessorize a little black dress, says Vanderford, who co-owns Dallas-based Studio Thomas James with business partner Jason James Jones. "The house already had clean, classic bones," Vanderford says. "So to give it youthful personality and a little edge, we layered custom-colored Trove wallpaper and Ann Sacks tile everywhere." Wallpaper and tile colors inspired other custom elements, such as the dining room's blue lacquer ceiling, blue console, and blue rug. Think of lighting fixtures, faucets, and sinks as jewelry for the little black dress of a house. "The lighting is a combination of custom creations and Visual Comfort. One thing we love about un-lacquered finishes is after a few months, the patina becomes very soft and complex. And it's far more understated." Keeping things casual is key to a home that feels youthful, especially with so many exquisite surfaces and materials. "For the main living room," Vanderford says, "they wanted something that was tailored for entertaining, yet with materials that would let them kick their feet up and watch TV." A pair of sleek custom sofas upholstered in stain-treated white fabric is polished enough for guests but durable enough for children. A large custom walnut coffee table is scaled for family time together but can be pulled apart to create separate intimate cocktail Above: In the dining room, four works by Sigrid Sandström, from Inman Gallery in Houston, were discovered at Dallas Art Fair. Opposite Page: Miles Aldridge's photograph, 3-D, is from Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles. The living room's custom walnut coffee table is designed to pull apart as needed for more intimate gatherings. Lee Jofa chairs, Ralph Lauren light fixture.