Houzz Tour: Dallas Glam Meets Cape Cod Casual
Watery colors, metallics and custom surfaces shine in this urban condo renovation
Becky Harris
February 23, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
A love of Cape Cod’s beachy style inspired a home in an unexpected place — a high-rise in Dallas. A couple of recent empty nesters made a major lifestyle change when they put their suburban family home on the market and scooped up a condominium in the city. They landed on a New England-inspired coastal palette and then called interior designer Dona Rosene. She built upon their beach house inspiration, and injected some sophisticated Dallas style by layering in luxurious fabrics, glints of metal and the shine of warm custom-glazed finishes.
Photos by Michael Hunter
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who had been living in Connecticut for the past 10 years
Location: Preston Center area of Dallas
Size: 2,780 square feet (258 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Dona Rosene
The front entry sets the tone for the rest of the house. The homeowners, who hail from the Northeast and have a vacation home on Cape Cod, chose a Benjamin Moore paint called Beach Glass for the walls throughout the public areas, including the living room and the kitchen-dining area. Installing wire-brushed French white oak floors throughout the house was part of the extensive renovation.
Console: Vanguard Furniture Co.; lamp: Empressive GeoDesigns
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who had been living in Connecticut for the past 10 years
Location: Preston Center area of Dallas
Size: 2,780 square feet (258 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Dona Rosene
The front entry sets the tone for the rest of the house. The homeowners, who hail from the Northeast and have a vacation home on Cape Cod, chose a Benjamin Moore paint called Beach Glass for the walls throughout the public areas, including the living room and the kitchen-dining area. Installing wire-brushed French white oak floors throughout the house was part of the extensive renovation.
Console: Vanguard Furniture Co.; lamp: Empressive GeoDesigns
BEFORE: Located right off the entry, the powder room gives you an idea of the original finishes in the home. The building was originally constructed as rental apartments before being converted to condominiums.
See more before-and-after photos of this project
See more before-and-after photos of this project
AFTER: A new onyx floor and vessel sink; a subtle animal-print wallcovering; and a metallic strié finish on the trim, ceiling and vanity frame mark the glamorous room, which also has antique mirrored sconces and a crystal flush-mount light. She customized a faux shagreen vanity, adding a stone top and enlisting artist Marc Holden of HoldenArt Studio to give the wood frame an antiqued silver finish. His artistic touches are all over the house.
Sconces: Currey & Co.; ceiling light: Circa Lighting; wallcovering: Zoffany; sink: Empressive GeoDesigns
Sconces: Currey & Co.; ceiling light: Circa Lighting; wallcovering: Zoffany; sink: Empressive GeoDesigns
The renovations were completed in phases but began in the living room. “She came to me with a fabric swatch and a vision of beachy aquas, navy and soft grays,” Rosene says. That gave her a good jumping-off point.
Functionally, her clients also wanted to make the most of every inch with built-ins. The cabinets house the TV and media equipment; some bottom units are covered in speaker cloth to let the sound through.
Holden added subtle and soft finishes throughout the house, including the antiqued metallic finish on back of the bookcases and the warm custom-glazed finish on the built-ins.
Painting: Monica Maja Richardson; bookcases: Hickory White with specialty glazed finish
Functionally, her clients also wanted to make the most of every inch with built-ins. The cabinets house the TV and media equipment; some bottom units are covered in speaker cloth to let the sound through.
Holden added subtle and soft finishes throughout the house, including the antiqued metallic finish on back of the bookcases and the warm custom-glazed finish on the built-ins.
Painting: Monica Maja Richardson; bookcases: Hickory White with specialty glazed finish
Woven grass shades are used throughout the house, which has balcony access off almost every room, and wide views of downtown Dallas.
Ceiling light: Currey & Co.; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
Ceiling light: Currey & Co.; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
Just off the living room is a beach-inspired outdoor living room. Indoor-outdoor fabrics, rug and wicker stand up to the weather.
This is the view from the living room into the kitchen-dining area. The Beach Glass paint continues on the walls throughout both spaces, broken up by a gorgeous crushed-glass mosaic tile backsplash.
Chandelier over island: Currey & Co.
Chandelier over island: Currey & Co.
BEFORE: “The kitchen had no square walls, lots of odd angles and at least four changes in the ceiling height,” Rosene says. She called in kitchen designer Helene Terry to figure out the best layout and cabinetry.
AFTER: They cut down the bar height around the peninsula to open things up. One of the challenges in a high-rise is working around architectural elements — although they wanted to remove the wall behind it, they couldn’t because of a structural column. The ceiling of the original kitchen had four heights. Removing and redoing it entirely would have been too costly, but they were able to simplify it to just two heights that make sense. With the white ceiling, lighter color palette and reflective glass backsplash, the space appears taller than it did before.
This gorgeous slab of Corteccia quartzite inspired the other choices in the kitchen.
Quartzite: Aria Stone Gallery; perimeter counters: Cendre, Vicostone; cabinets: Elmwood Fine Custom Cabinetry
Quartzite: Aria Stone Gallery; perimeter counters: Cendre, Vicostone; cabinets: Elmwood Fine Custom Cabinetry
The backsplash tile is a handmade crushed-glass mosaic in four colors that Dona selected based on the hues in the Corteccia quartzite. “The crushed glass gives the depth and subtle sparkle and makes it so beautiful,” she says.
Custom backsplash: 6-by-half-inch broken joint mosaic, Encore Ceramics via Antique Floors
Custom backsplash: 6-by-half-inch broken joint mosaic, Encore Ceramics via Antique Floors
Terry planned for all sorts of clever pullouts in the cabinetry. For example, she eked out a lot of storage from a narrow space behind the refrigerator.
The dining room is wide open to the kitchen, but the area rug, chandelier and built-ins define it as its own space.
Painting: Carol Pankratz; chandelier: Currey & Co.; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
Painting: Carol Pankratz; chandelier: Currey & Co.; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
The couple wanted a built-in bar-buffet in the dining area. This one has refrigerator drawers, a wine cooler and a garage for the espresso machine. They had just enough Corteccia quartz left over to use on the counter.
Rosene and Terry worked out the special glass cabinet doors. They sent the half-circle design and cabinet specifications to a local showroom that had them made in resin, which Holden finished to look like metal. Then they added seeded glass. The result is an antique leaded-glass look.
Rosene and Terry worked out the special glass cabinet doors. They sent the half-circle design and cabinet specifications to a local showroom that had them made in resin, which Holden finished to look like metal. Then they added seeded glass. The result is an antique leaded-glass look.
“For the master bedroom, we pulled colors that were softer versions of the palette we used in the living room,” Rosene says. The couple had ordered a Sleep Number bed, which came with a base. So she designed the upholstered headboard and had the base upholstered in the same linen. Antiqued silver nailheads add shine.
Duvet and headboard fabrics: Fabricut; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
Duvet and headboard fabrics: Fabricut; rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs
Rosene had a strong suspicion that the homeowners would love a watercolor she’d found by local artist Carol Pankratz. She was right — they loved it so much that they gave the artist some photographs they had taken on Cape Cod, including pictures of a whale’s tail, a blue heron and a boat, and she rendered them in watercolors.
The nightstands were custom-made to fit the narrow spaces next to the bed. The nightstand is a good example of the subtle metallics she used throughout the house via special finishes and faux painting. These elements elevate the overall look from casual beachy to sophisticated city condominium.
Nightstands: Old Biscayne Designs
The nightstands were custom-made to fit the narrow spaces next to the bed. The nightstand is a good example of the subtle metallics she used throughout the house via special finishes and faux painting. These elements elevate the overall look from casual beachy to sophisticated city condominium.
Nightstands: Old Biscayne Designs
Due to the building’s construction, Rosene was unable to remove any awkward walls in the master bathroom. But she gutted it, changed the layout and gave it a luxurious makeover. “The cabinetry has a light custom glaze over the paint finish to create a soft and warm effect,” she says.
Counters: Allure quartzite, Aria Stone Gallery; paint: Revere Pewter cut with 25 percent white (walls) and China White with custom glaze (cabinets), Benjamin Moore; sconces: Circa Lighting; floor tile: Ann Sacks; sink and faucets: Dornbracht
Counters: Allure quartzite, Aria Stone Gallery; paint: Revere Pewter cut with 25 percent white (walls) and China White with custom glaze (cabinets), Benjamin Moore; sconces: Circa Lighting; floor tile: Ann Sacks; sink and faucets: Dornbracht
Since her clients aren’t big on soaking and had a bathtub in another bathroom, she removed a space-hogging bathtub. This made room for the most striking change, a new double shower equipped with four body sprayers. Rosene found squared-off hardware and faucets to give the bathroom a modern look.
Ocean Blue vein-cut travertine and flat pebble shower floor tile: Artistic Tile
Ocean Blue vein-cut travertine and flat pebble shower floor tile: Artistic Tile
One of the bedrooms serves as the client’s office, which has balcony access. A bookshelf with drawers gives him plenty of storage space, which allowed for a more open desk with Z-shaped legs.
Wall paint: Normandy, Benjamin Moore
Wall paint: Normandy, Benjamin Moore
“One time when I came over, she was working on a new skill — she’d taken up basket weaving,” Rosene says her client, who has several crafty hobbies and wanted a place to work and store supplies. The designer turned a small sitting room off the master bedroom into her office and packed in a lot of room for her favorite activities with clever built-ins. They include a pop-up sewing machine, files, a craft area and a rack for wrapping paper. The three little trunks provide extra storage for needlepoint supplies. The bulletin board is covered in a chenille fabric.
Rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs; desk chair: Ballard Designs; chenille on bulletin board: Fabricut
Rug: Truett Fine Carpets & Rugs; desk chair: Ballard Designs; chenille on bulletin board: Fabricut
Rosene fit in a comfortable chair and ottoman where her client can enjoy one of her favorite activities, needlepointing. She even found a table with needle-shaped legs. “She loves to needlepoint Christmas ornaments for everyone in the family,” Rosene says. If you look closely, you’ll see one of her latest works in progress — an Audrey Hepburn ornament she’s working on for her niece.
Wall paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: Creamy, Sherwin-Williams; chair: Hickory Chair; ottoman: Dona Rosene; upholstery fabric: Duralee; painting: Z Gallerie
Builder-contractor: Henderson Custom Homes & Remodeling
Browse more decorating guides
Wall paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: Creamy, Sherwin-Williams; chair: Hickory Chair; ottoman: Dona Rosene; upholstery fabric: Duralee; painting: Z Gallerie
Builder-contractor: Henderson Custom Homes & Remodeling
Browse more decorating guides
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Stunning!! Elegant living on a real life level. What caught my eye?...living room area rug, kitchen back splash & the glass cabinet doors. bathroom cabinets/hardware...tastefully done!
Hello. I wondered what color was used in the kitchen on the white cabinetry? Looks really nice with BM Beach Glass walls. Thanks. I'm looking for trim color to use with Beach Glass.
A stunning remodel! Beautiful, Calming colors, excellent storage space. Truly one of Houzz’s most outstanding condo remodels. Thanks for sharing Dona Rosen’s design, Becky!