Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1512213
friends organized an ornament drive, and dozens of ornaments arrived on my new doorstep — many of which were fire trucks and dalmatians," she says. "They then brought in two Christmas trees, which we decorated, and stocked my empty fridge with champagne and Christmas treats." Those charming ornaments, along with the memory of her friends' kindness during a difficult time, have been a part of Kincaid's holidays ever since. Two years after the fire, she fell in love with a 1920s former caretaker's cottage in Highland Park in desperate need of restoration. With shingles and gables, the two-story house conjures rural New England rather than urban Dallas. "It was a mess when I purchased it, but I was drawn to how American it felt," she says. "There was no pretense to its honest exterior structure, though the interiors were Tudor with dark rooms, small leaded windows, and heavy plaster on the walls." She worked with architect Wilson Fuqua on the renovations, which included gutting the kitchen, adding a family room and entryway, and redoing the bathrooms. The formerly dark rooms are now luminous with ceilings lacquered in Farrow & Ball's Borrowed Light, a dreamy pale-blue pigment that can make rooms look taller, she says. Art, antiques, rugs, and comfortable seating covered in her favorite patterns and fabrics give the interiors a warm graciousness. In other words, it's a perfect holiday house. "I have a couple of parties including a big Christmas Eve party with all my children and grandchildren and family and friends," she says. "I serve all C hristmas 2012 is one that interior designer Cathy Kincaid will never forget. After a fire destroyed her house — taking with it many of her furnishings, along with her Christmas tree and ornaments — she was forced to move into a rental. Although she was grateful to have escaped the blaze with her pets unharmed, the timing of the tragedy was particularly painful. "I love the holidays, and I love to decorate," she says. "My Above: The table is set with Cathy Kincaid's wedding china and pieces from her mother's collection. Kincaid bought the custom-embroidered Constance Leiter tablecloth and napkins from Neiman Marcus more than 40 years ago. Above right: English 19th-century console, Amanda Lindroth's wicker pagoda and pair of Chinese tea caddies made into tables. Christopher Spitzmiller lamps. 78