Revisiting the top 10 home reveals of 2025
Sometimes a house sticks with you: Your childhood home, somewhere you stayed on a vacation or even a home in the pages of a magazine. It can be a source of ongoing inspiration, spark a creative idea or establish a dream. That’s why we love seeing how local designers use their creativity to solve decorative challenges, create personalized homes for their clients and push the envelope of interior design.
D-FW designers shared some incredible projects with us this year. Now’s the perfect time to revisit your favorites for a bit of inspiration.
10. A sensory refuge in North Dallas
“The branch-like chandelier, rhythmic wall paneling and organic shapes in the furniture mimic patterns found in nature,” says Urbanology Designs’ Ginger Curtis.
Matti Gresham
When Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs was decorating a North Dallas house for two busy musicians, the vision was clear from the start. “They wanted everything to just be calm and soothing and relaxing when it was time for them to unwind,” Curtis told us. This in mind, she kept the palette neutral and incorporated neuroaesthetics — a decorating technique that mimics the natural world — to create a sensory refuge for the family.
Envision a soothing escape.
9. A holiday wonderland cottage in Fort Worth
Leben Riebe’s living room is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Bancha, a deep, earthy green that suits a Christmas palette.
Leben Riebe
Vintage enthusiast Leben Riebe’s Fort Worth cottage is a feast for the eyes: There’s something glittering, sparkling, festive and fun in nearly every corner of the house. When Riebe discovered the world of vintage holiday decor collecting, it helped him cultivate the same sense of wonder that he felt during Christmas as a child. One Christmas tree in his house (there are three full-size trees total) has more than 1,000 ornaments.
Get a dose of cheer.
8. Possum Kingdom Lake, Palm Springs and Manhattan Beach vacation homes
For a Palm Springs home, Emily Summers designed a lounge seating area between the dining room and living space — creating the perfect spot to sit with a cocktail and enjoy the view. The design includes Minotti Mattia chairs and an Alinea Angelo M low oval table.
Roger Davies
This story was a three-for-one: We brought you the vacation homes of three D-FW families, each in a distinct location. There was a family’s sleek and streamlined lakehouse in Texas, where designer Denise McGaha made lake views the focal point of every room. Emily Summers showed us around a client’s Palm Springs vacation house, replete with citrusy hues and nostalgic, midcentury details. And architect Eddie Maestri gave us a tour of his tiny-but-mighty Manhattan Beach escape, within walking distance of the water.
Take a quick trip.
7. Empty nesters’ artfully curated condo
In the formal living room, Nicole Arnold helped the homeowners select the large painting on the far wall. The piece, “Pedras / Equinocio,” by Kevin Tolman, makes a statement among the eclectic living room furniture collection.
Dan Piassick
After their children had grown up and moved out, a Dallas couple decided to downsize dramatically. They sold their house and all of its belongings and opted for a new condo and a new way of life. Designer Nicole Arnold was brought on a year after the couple moved into the space to give it a fresh, finished look, incorporating some of the pieces the couple had purchased in their first year in the condo and bringing in new selections to round out the design.
See the sky-high views.
6. The 6th annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House
The annual design event brings together top talent from around the world to transform a single house into a series of daring, bold rooms. This room is the work of Dallas-based Yates Desygn.
Lisa Petrole
The annual reveal of Dallas’ Kips Bay Decorator Show House always makes a splash, and this year was no exception — despite the fact that it was in the same location as last year. Top local and international talent brought their most creative ideas to spaces within a Turtle Creek office building that was once slated to be a luxury hotel. Highlights include Sees Design’s high-fashion inspired foyer, newcomer Joshua Bernard’s dramatic hallway and bathroom, Shannon Bowers’ stately but subdued dining room, and Doniphan Moore’s moody poker room.
Revisit the transformation.
5. M Streets Tudor with ample English charm
Pierre Frey’s Masai Mara wallpaper was the starting point for the nursery in a home designed by Hughes & Lutz Interiors.
Nathan Schroder
Entrepreneur Mallory Killingstad, co-founder of Pavilion Paper, brought in the Hughes & Lutz design team to take her first home from a blank slate to a colorful cottage full of pattern and texture. Because the home already had good bones, the design team focused on adding personality and charm without major renovations. “It just shows you the power of paint and wallpaper,” designer Alexandra Lutz told us, noting that “going to the nines with the decorations” is key, too.
Relish the pattern play.
4. A book lover’s Dallas townhome retreat
In the office, designer Elizabeth Ryan covered the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Railings. The homeowner can pluck a book off the shelves and read on the custom leather couch. The table is by Four Hands, and the lighting is Visual Comfort.
Sarah Linden Photography
The owner of this Dallas townhome had lived in the property for many years before hiring designer Elizabeth Ryan to transform it. It was the not-so-gentle shove of a burst pipe that got him to finally invest in making the space feel like a permanent place to land, not a temporary spot. The intended aesthetic evolved as the homeowner and designer collaborated, ultimately deciding to create a dark, moody and comforting place perfect for winding down with a book.
Read all about it.
3. A whimsical 1920s Highland Park home for a family
This Highland Park home features bold color choices and an artful mix of furniture and accessories. “It’s a family home but also a chance for expression,” says designer Avery Cox.
Annie Schlechter / Styling by Mieke Ten Have
When designing a home for a childhood friend, Austin-based designer Avery Cox delivered a wonderland of surprising color combinations, whimsical decor and cherished pieces the couple found. It was a close (and joyful) collaboration between the homeowners and the designer. “Avery was the expert, and it was nice to work with someone who could take whatever ideas I had and alchemize them into something that is sophisticated as opposed to chaotic,” homeowner Emily told us.
Go down the rabbit hole.
2. Color and pattern on full display in Lake Highlands
In the dining room, find an antique bleached walnut buffet, custom mahogany dining table, custom Murano chandelier and antique chairs. The walls are covered in a basket-weave paper from Cowtan & Tout.
Emery Davis Photography
The owners of this new house in Lake Highlands put all their trust in designer Lindley Arthur as she shaped their vision for a family home into something tangible and livable. Performance fabrics, like wipeable vinyl seats in the breakfast room, and smart selections, like white oak kitchen cabinetry that will stand up to scuffs better than something painted, made the house family friendly. Color and pattern infuse every space with joy.
See the fun family home.
1. An Oak Cliff Tudor with a bold, new look
Tara Lenney Designed worked with homeowner Kate Moseley to renovate and transform this 1920s bungalow.
Stephen Karlisch
Your favorite home design feature this year was the final reveal of designer Tara Lenney’s Oak Cliff Tudor project. We’d brought you along for 15 months to show the progression of the design process, taking the neglected and outdated space to something entirely new that still honored the past. The attic was converted into a luxurious primary suite. The kitchen was transformed from a merely utilitarian space into one ripe with personality. And Lenney left no stone unturned or corner undecorated, making a statement out of even the smallest of spaces, like the jewel-box powder bathroom.
Get inspired.
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