A house built in the 1930s might not sound that old, but by Texas standards, this Mediterranean Revival property is ancient. Reworking the interiors would require a designer with an eye for blending styles – balancing old and new – to create a modern family house design that still honored the building’s history.
When the homeowners brought on Dafna Kikuchi, founder of design studio Daf & Co., they were actually more interested in hearing about Dafna’s style than their own. The clients historically had very modern taste, and when they moved into this 1930s home in the Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas, they quickly realized their usual style wasn’t going to neatly fit into the house.
'The homeowners are a young couple and their six-month-old child. While they are inclined toward more contemporary tastes, they realized the home they purchased had to be appreciated for its historical elements and reached out to me because they felt I was an aesthetic fit for this specific home,' explains Dafna. 'I had previously worked on the husband’s sister's home, one street over. As a result of this project, I am now working on a project for the homeowner's mother, so it's become a real family affair!'
Because the homeowners were used to a more modern style, which everyone agreed wasn't going to be right for this home, they gave Dafna carte blanche, encouraging her to inject her own layered, vintage-inspired style that was in fact perfect for this older property.
'I was very fortunate that the clients trusted me with this home,' Dafna explains. 'When they first reached out, the wife had said the house was more my style than hers, so she trusted it in my hands, which I took as a huge compliment. Left to my own devices, I am very drawn to floral fabrics, but I had to rein that in a decent amount for these clients, and it was fun for me to let florals be the accent motif rather than the main event, as I sometimes naturally default to.'
'I was definitely inspired by the architecture for this project. This home is not flooded with natural light, so I leaned into the muddy palette. While by British standards this is not an old home, for Texas it is, and I wanted to honor its age. I sourced vintage pieces from the US, Italy, and the UK to give the furnishings some patina that could hold up against the bones of the home.
'In the dining room, for example, I chose the wallpaper because I felt it was a call back to the beautiful millwork along the ceiling. I loved the idea of keeping this room tonal and embracing the brown. This room has the most beautiful original millwork in the house, and I think the Soane paper echoes it beautifully.'
Dafna chose a real high-low mix in this room: vintage mixes with new, and high-end brands sit with more affordable finds. The traditional floral wallpaper is given a modern edge with the Pinch pendant light, and the chairs are vintage but have been reupholstered with Peter Dunham performance textiles. The dining table is a new find from Four Hands, and the area rug, used to ground the dining table, is from Lulu and Georgia.
The homeowners did have one key request with the remodel, the home was to be a sociable space. They love to host, so ensuring that there were plenty of comfortable, welcoming rooms for friends and family to relax in was important. Balancing this laid-back feel with the more formal, historic style of the home was Dafna's challenge.
'For the overall result, they wanted the public spaces to feel “finished” but also to connect back to the architecture of the home. They love to host and wanted their guests to feel comfortable, but also be interested in their selections,' explains Dafna. 'So I really did listen to the house and what it called for. Initially, the clients really wanted a sectional in the den. As big (American) football fans, they thought it would be ideal for TV viewing, but I really pushed them to understand that the room wanted the two twin sofas flanking the fireplace instead.'
The large open-plan living room was the obvious choice for becoming the social hub of the home, with a more formal separate sitting room for more intimate occasions.
'The living room and den are one enormous room; the den was part of an addition,' says Dafna. 'Initially, it was a challenge to figure out how to best utilize this big open space. The prior owners had two seating areas right next to each other, but that didn’t make sense functionally for my clients. They wanted to utilize one space as the games room and bar area, and the other for prime TV watching.'
'Because the couple loves to host game nights, they really wanted to turn the former sitting area off of the den into a game room. To elevate the space but also to make it more multifunctional, we designed a custom 14ft banquette and double game tables that can be used for a game night, a work space, or even for overflow seating for a dinner party or Holiday meal.'
The game room is the perfect example of how Dafna has created a sociable space that still embodies her transitional style. Pattern and color are layered together to add warmth and plenty of character. The Soane drapery and Décors Barbares fabric on the custom tufted banquette add the right dose of florals, and there’s a lovely juxtaposition with the modern silhouette of the Nickey Kehoe swing sconce and the retro feel of the custom table and chairs.
‘The more formal living room is the room you walk into first after the entry. I wanted it to set the tone for the house,’ continues Dafna. ‘It features my signature mix of layered textiles and mismatched pillows to make it all look like it’s been collected over time, even though everything was purchased for this project. There was not a single piece of furniture downstairs before we began, so it was a total blank slate. I wanted to add some patina to this room to stand up to the architecture – which is why I started with the base of a vintage rug, chairs, and a side table.’
Textiles – and the layering of textiles – play a big role in the interiors throughout the home. In this space, a vintage rug mixes with a West Elm sofa that’s been reupholstered with a kick-pleat skirt in Howe stripe fabric for a more bespoke look. The antique armchairs have also been recovered in a Robert Kime fabric. ‘It’s a discontinued fabric. We bought the last of the bolt, and it was a fabric I’ve been wanting to use for a while, so I’m glad I got the chance before it disappeared.’
‘The textiles are always my favorite part,’ Dafna adds. ‘I love how this project flows from one room to the next. It was a treat to design it all at the same time, so it feels very cohesive.’
'Originally, the homeowner told me she did not want any wallpaper in this project, and certainly no florals. Of course, I could not let this powder room go un-papered,' says Dafna. 'Over time, she came around to it, and now it's her favorite bathroom in the home. I love the way the mirror and wallpaper call back to the vintage tile on the vanity. The glass flowers on the mirror look like they’ve been pulled straight out of the paper.'
The main bedroom had the least work to do, since the original features were in good condition and had such beautiful bones – Dafna only needed to enhance the space with soft furnishings. She explains, ‘It really did not need much, since it features this beautiful old fireplace. It’s not a very large primary bedroom by Texas standards, so I made it extra cozy with layered bedding and a comfortable armchair for reading before bed.’
The end result is a home that nods to its historic charm with vintage finds and layers of prints and soft colors – yet works for a young, modern family who wanted a space that’s livable and not overly fussy.
‘This is not a cookie-cutter home; in a market where many homes look homogenously designed, we wanted something that would feel highly personal,’ Dafna says. ‘They’ve told me that their guests have described the vibe as “Montecito in the ’70s,” and they are pleased with that review.’
