Project Reveal: From the Ashes, a Tudor Treasure

The Story

There are some clients who just get you. Who trust the process, push the creative boundaries, and text you things like "You're my ride-or-die designer for life."

Kate is one of those people.

We’d worked together for years on a full-home renovation and furnishing project in Lakewood—room by room, thoughtfully and beautifully. Before we could even get the house photographed, disaster struck. A lightning strike burned her beautiful home quite nearly to the ground. It was devastating, to say the least.

And yet, through that unimaginable loss, something kind of amazing happened. Kate didn’t waver—she doubled down.

She found a new house in Kessler Park (the original "Old Money" fancy neighborhood in Dallas), a 1928 Tudor gem (or maybe a diamond in the rough?) that needed just about everything. It was half the size of her previous home - her two kids had since gone to college - but it had that old soul charm she loved.

And once again, she called us.

Our goal at TLD is to serve clients so well that we build lifelong relationships. We just never imagined we’d be rebuilding one quite so literally.

This time around, the design had even more meaning. We salvaged what we could from the prior home —a few pieces of furniture and artwork miraculously survived —and set out to make something entirely new, honoring Kate’s love of classic architecture, a little glam, and a lot of personality.

The Before

Listen, historic homes are our love language, but let’s be honest: this one needed help. BADLY.

It had seen a century’s worth of wear, plus decades of bad renovation decisions. The layout didn’t flow. The kitchen was chopped into confusing zones. And the Master Suite? It had been awkwardly carved out of the attic—sloped ceilings and all. Our tall client was at risk of hitting her head on the daily.

There were still some beautiful bones (hello, original front door with stained glass), but it felt more “lost potential” than “historic charm.” It needed vision. It needed soul. It needed a heavy dash of Kate (plus some TLD).

If you're hungry for more, you can read more about the Before in this Dallas Morning News article here.

The Plan

We approached this renovation like a grand second act, not a consolation prize  — an homage to the past, but not being confined by 100 year old design rules, and zero interest in playing it safe.

Since timing was tight and Kate needed to move quickly, this became a rare (for us) design-build scenario. We designed just ahead of construction, staying nimble, collaborative, and very caffeinated. It only worked because of three things:

• An amazing, trusting client

• A near decade-long relationship

• And the kind of contractor-designer synergy you write home about

  
  

Here’s what we tackled:

• A full gut renovation of the existing home

• A new addition to expand the primary suite (and Kate’s headroom)

• Custom stained glass windows inspired by the original front door

• Antique pantry doors from France by way of Egypt, casually

• Drama, drama, drama with wallpapered ceilings, moody lighting, and a dramatic powder room (not to be missed)

• All-new furnishings and styling, layered with vintage, marble, oak, and color

  
  

The result? A Tudor that feels like it’s always been here—but better. Here's a peek at what was to come.

For more progress photos and renderings, hop over here to our second installment of the DMN series.

The After

Time for the big reveal! Come on in.

Straight away, you'll see the one historic detail on the Interior that managed not to be ruined by 100 years of renovations - the arched front door with stained glass windows. 

In a true labor of love, we designed this fireplace to bring Kate's very specific vision to life. She knew what she wanted, and it took us some time (and a lot of drawing) to make it happen. The fireplace was designed around these handmade tiles, quite literally. There aren't any tile cuts here - it was designed to the fraction of an inch to create this exact pattern. We wanted the fireplace to feel like it had always been here.

The ceiling was coffered before, but in drywall (not this gorgeous woodwork) and it hung REALLY low. We scraped all of that out and came back with this classic coffered ceiling.

This living space is a tricky size; too large for just one seating area, but cozy enough that we had to be extremely strategic with the furniture. The fireplace side of the living room is anchored by the fireplace and this gorgeous green rug, and a curvy creamy low-backed sofa. The other blue sofa you see below is back-to-back with this one.

These two living spaces are connected by the ceiling and gorgeous chandeliers. This side of the room is for TV watching and lounging. The coffee table is one of the pieces that survived the fire. We built around it with cozy, comfortable seating. A wall of built ins holds the TV and electronic components, along with a really lovely book display.

This is your view from the front door, so it needed to be a focal point. The sconces and gold mesh doors do the trick.

As we head back to the office, can we please take a moment for these herringbone wood floors? They are new, as the existing floors were not in good enough shape to be reused. They are in every living room of the house (save for bathrooms and laundry).

Just beyond the front living area is a pair of new huge arched doors leading to Kate's office.

This office was once a porch with dramatic arched windows overlooking the front and side of the house. A floating desk is all Kate needs for her work from home days, and she can enjoy views outside. We selected a mauve paint to compliment the brick and make this room feel like the room equivalent of a cozy cashmere sweater.

Let's do an about-face and turn towards the Dining Room.

A couple of weeks before we dove into the design of this house, my husband and I were on a once-in-a-lifetime trip in Europe, and I was (of course) sharing every amazing piece on Instagram. In Dublin I found this chandelier in an antique shop. I knew it would be perfect for this house, and got a quote for it.

In all her glory. This means the whole trip was a write-off, right?

Kate sent me a message when she saw the story that said "I NEED THAT LIGHT" and I assured her that it was already taken care of! 

We wound up souring it elsewhere so we could get a pair of them, but in my heart this will always be our Dublin chandelier.

The dining table and chairs were other pieces that survived the fire. The table and chairs were vintage. We wanted to play up the drama in this room, and add back in some classic Tudor wall paneling but with a twist. The curvy wall paneling mirrors the light fixtures, and the wallpapered ceiling and cove uplighting take it to a whole other level.

This is the only dining area in the house, so it's getting used on the daily. I imagine mac and cheese just tastes better in this room. It's science.

Now, let's go through to the Kitchen.

I could write a sonnet about this Kitchen (which you might prefer since my blog posts usually clock in at about 3000 words).

The layout before was, in a word, ridonculous. It had been carved out over decades and the layout made exactly zero sense. We cleared all of that away to make a rectangular kitchen (how novel) that would both function and look incredible.

The counter stools were the first piece of furniture Parker (our lead designer) selected for this home. So unexpected, bold, and comfy. 

The tile backsplash was a happy last minute addition. The plan had been for marble slab and cutie ledge to run the entire length of the backsplash, but the pot filler was proving to be a challenge. We pivoted to this green, marble, and gold mosaic, and it turned out to be the extra uuumph we didn't realize we needed.

Also, that range. It's La Cornue, and it's fabulous.

The vent hood is modeled after a custom hood we had made for Kate's last house. See crummy iPhone photo - one of only a handful of photos we have of that home!

Same vibe, different size.

Her last home had much taller ceilings, so we re-proportioned the hood to fit this lower ceiling space.

The cabinetry is a mix of painted and stained, the deep green and rich walnut tones are so damn sexy.

We incorporated another arch to mimic the front of the house inside the cabinetry for a stunning coffee station moment, with beverage fridge below.

We wanted the island to feel like an old piece of furniture. It is wood, with a dark contrasting stone top, and furniture legs. But if you look closely, this island houses a microwave. We very sneakily routed power through the furniture legs to run the appliance. Felt pretty clever about that one pats self on back.

Oh, and these wood doors...

We scoured the globe (and the internet) to find some extra special doors to lead to the Pantry/Laundry room. Our contractor very much wanted to frame this doorway and close the wall, and patiently waited for us to find just the right thing. Kate actually was the one to find these. They're originally from France, and were at some point relocated to Egypt, and then were salvaged to make their way all the way to Dallas, Texas. The texture and soul they are adding to the party just can't be matched with a standard door.

Beyond those doors, possibly the most gorgeous pantry-slash-laundry room on the planet. Another gorgeous mosaic graces the floor, and cabinets provide ample food storage. To the right, a small stackable washer and dryer to service the 2 bedrooms downstairs.

Around the corner...

A powder bath that I thought only existed in dreams, but is now real life.

This is another area that had been sliced and diced over time. In the most recent renovation, it was a pass-through toilet room to a wheelchair adapted bathroom. Totally necessary for the prior homeowner, but not essential for Kate. We separated this area back into a stand-alone powder room.

The sink is fashioned from marble and came all the way from Turkey. We were sweating over here in Texas, hoping and praying it would arrive in one piece. It did, and it's fantastic.

We added classic Tudor wall paneling, wallpaper, and a rich dark ceiling and trim to make this room a special treat.

Let's head upstairs to the Master Suite. The stairwell features a new pocket door (essentially right where the camera is situated) to close off the stairway and give privacy to the Master Suite.

On the left, a trio of stained glass windows we designed, inspired by the existing stained glass in the front door. Plus new paneling, making this stairwell something far more special than just a pass-through hallway space. 

At the top of the stairs,

The newly expanded Master Suite. You'll see on the left that the ceiling is sloping - we didn't want to touch the front facade of the house to keep that historical integrity. But it's business up front and a party in the back, as we pushed out the wall on the right to give more square footage and head-height.

Wallpaper on all walls - because WHY NOT. It's feminine without being saccharine, the restful retreat Kate was longing for after the chaos of the prior couple of years post-fire. 

On the angled front wall, there just was not enough room to stand up straight. Kate is TALL, so we decided to cleverly fix the head-knocker situation, by running built in wardrobes across the ENTIRE LENGTH of the room. There is a single clothes rod and drawer inside each cabinet. Getting dressed feels like a boutique experience.

Through this arched door (because of course we added more arches) we come to,

The upstairs laundry room. Since her boys are away at college, most of the laundry is generated upstairs. We took advantage of attic space and added a full laundry room inside the Master Suite. So convenient.

And now, for the grand finale, the Master Bath. Behold.

I'm not sure I have words.

This was possibly the greatest space planning challenge of my career, trying to fit a full luxurious bathroom inside of an attic. Most of the walls sloped, plumbing was a challenge, and there were windows where we desperately needed a mirror. But we made it happen.

The sloped walls on the right are on the front of the house, so they stayed. We nestled a seated makeup vanity under the slope. Then in the new addition on the right, we had the space for a giant 6 foot soaker tub and wet room shower.

A pattern of 5 different marble mosaics create the custom floor (can you tell we really like tile?!). The black and white marble, the basketweave, and the star-and-cross pattern are all Tudor appropriate for this era, but mixed together they feel fresh and modern.

Along the back wall, we situated the double vanity. Mirrors hang from the ceiling, and a motorized shade is hidden in front of the window for privacy. The window, along with the new skylight, add ample natural lighting which makes this space feel even more inviting (also much larger than it actually is).

10 out of 10 would shower here.

And the last little moment, the full closet with (yet another) stained glass window!

Thanks for coming along on this tour with us, especially for those who followed along for all 15 MONTHS of the design and construction.

There are so many other details I wanted to point out - from the buster and punch light switches to brass air return grilles and marble switchplates, but it's just all too much to fit in one post! So be sure to follow along on Instagram where we'll share more on these sweet little details that make this project so special.

And an extra special thanks to Kate for bringing us in (again), for trusting us with her vision, and for this once-in-a-lifetime kind of project. But please, no more fires. Let's just do some vacation homes. ;)