Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1354780
Above: In the dining room, monkey painting from Nick Brock Antiques. Console by Grazzini Furniture. Opposite page, clockwise from top right: In Jeff Manson's study, antique desk from Nick Brock Antiques. Artwork by Alec Monopoly. The library is painted a custom blue by Benjamin Moore. Custom rug through James showroom. Cuellar Custom Upholstery fabricated the chaise, covered in Scalamandré velvet, and the sofa, covered in Pierre Frey mohair. Vintage chairs upholstered in Schumacher embroidered fabric. Brass palm-tree floor lamps from Europe. were designed with higher backs so they wouldn't look dwarfed in the triple-height space, and the extra- long dining table, modeled after a Hollywood Regency piece, was newly made to balance the massive fireplace and chandelier. Jeff helped design the tailored bed for the couple's bedroom and selected a yellow Clarence House jacquard fabric for the draperies. When the fabric order was placed, they learned it had been discontinued, so Lloyd researched specialty weavers until she found one in America that could recreate the textile — a painstaking process that took months. In total, an army of some 100 artisans collaborated to bring the house to life, including local furniture makers, upholsterers, rug makers, framers, decorative painters, and plasterers. "This house was like an art project," April says. "It was so much fun." The good times aren't over yet: She and Jeff are working on a vacation home on Lake Travis with an Austin- area decorator. "This time, I'm really going to go wild and crazy!" she says. April and Jeff Manson's residence is included on the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society's Virtual Historic Home Tour, Saturday April 24. Information, pchps.org. 60