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53 Opposite page: In the seating area at one end of the gallery, a sofa from The Mews. Carved-stone garden stools and cable knit pillow from Hollywood at Home, L.A. Above, from left: Brooke designed the 15-foot lacquered table in the gallery, which often seats a crowd for dinner. Brooke Davenport with Gigi. B rooke Davenport radiates Southern California charm. On this particular afternoon, she looks effortless in skinny white jeans, her Pilates-toned body perfectly accentuated. The casual-cool air is apropos: Brooke and her husband, Blake Davenport, spent 12 years soaking up the sunshine in L.A., where they lived in Beverly Hills and in the tony, historic Hancock Park neighborhood. The Davenports returned to Dallas almost two years ago, with daughters Chloe and Charlotte. "Hancock Park reminds me a lot of Highland Park, with 1930s old-Hollywood-style houses on big lots," Brooke says. "But I was very happy to come back to our roots in Texas." Those roots run deep. An Austin native, Brooke first garnered a girl-about-town reputation in Dallas in 1998. Famous for her charm and wit — and her ability to host a cocktail soirée or elegant dinner party like few others — Brooke flies in a rarified circle. The late Betsy Bloomingdale was a pal, and she counts Tom Ford and Kathy Hilton as personal friends. She was an ambassador for jewelry designer David Webb and recently enticed the British luxury house, Asprey, to come to her home for a rare trunk show of exquisite leather goods and silver. When the couple moved to L.A. for Blake's work, Brooke fell in love with the casual, neutral interiors so popular there. She quickly made the look her own. The Davenports' light and airy Hancock Park house was photographed for House Beautiful in 2014, and as friends began asking her to do their interiors, Brooke's part-time interior design business was born. She cultivated friendships with the best in the business, such as L.A. designer Waldo Fernandez, whose pristine white volumes, dark Wenge wood floors, and over-scale doors had a huge influence on her work. "No matter what interiors I'm doing or where, I always prefer a cleaner, California vibe," Brooke says. Back in Texas, the Davenports' 78-year-old house in Highland Park has original fireplaces anchoring the master bedroom, study, and dining room. Clean architectural lines and white walls provide an ideal backdrop for the casual, collected feel Brooke loves. It's also perfect for entertaining Brooke's fashionable set of society friends. "The house flows beautifully for entertaining," she says, gesturing towards a row of French doors in the gallery that open onto a courtyard and pool. Brooke often hosts candlelit dinner parties there, with a dozen or more people gathered around a custom, 15- foot lacquered table. When the weather is nice, she'll fling open all the doors. "People stream inside and out. We feel like we're in California again," she says. Built in 1940 by architect Harwood K. Smith, the house had been on Brooke's radar for years. Her friend, the art dealer and collector Kenny Goss, and his late partner, pop star George Michael, once lived there. "I've always loved this house," she says. "George produced his records here, and Kenny always FRESH FROM 12 YEARS SPENT IN LOS ANGELES, BROOKE DAVENPORT IS BACK IN TOWN, IN A HIGHLAND PARK HOME WITH WEST COAST VIBES.