Sees Design
The design world is looking straight at Dallas again as its Sixth Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House opens its doors. Twenty-six designers have taken over the iconic French Renaissance estate at 2999 Turtle Creek Boulevard—yes, the same jaw-dropper from last year—and transformed newly opened up areas of it. The result is a fresh, smart showcase that reminds everyone why this city stays on the design map.
Backstory: 2999 Turtle Creek Boulevard was originally built by Dallas powerhouse Bob Eulich for his personal offices—an Old World French Renaissance fantasy dropped right into the city, with the kind of architectural flex only a man at the top of his game would attempt. Eulich was known for his taste, influence, art collections, and for creating spaces that announced you’d arrived before you even stepped through the door—and this building most definitely carries that energy.
But I digress… back to the show house, because it’s absolutely incredible—again. Think about it: in a place like this, which was never actually a home, nobody gets stuck with a laundry room or a mudroom makeover. Every single space is prime real estate. Every room’s a win.
Let’s take a look—prepare for a flood of photos:
This first impression as you enter is pure tailored glamour — a Rose Tarlow playground layered with artisanal pieces that feel collected, not staged. Vaughan lighting, Dennis & Leen anchors, and antique rugs set the tone, while the mix of Nick Brock, David Sutherland, and a few quiet power moves (hello, alabaster ceiling glow) give it that “old-money, but make it 2025” finish. It’s elegant, edited, and unmistakably designed by someone who knows exactly what they’re doing: Sees Design (of Duro Hospitality…. The Charles, Mister Charles, etc)
Bill Blass’s Sutton Place apartment
Sees’ inspiration was Bill Blass’s Sutton Place apartment, and the moment you step into the show house you can feel it — that razor-sharp, urbane restraint paired with tailored luxury.
Corbin and Ross See
You immediately feel that British polish: hand-painted shagreen-look wallpaper, a Chalon steamer trunk from Bentleys London, a mix of antique and contemporary finds, and pieces pulled straight from her private collection. It’s refined and quietly opulent in that way that feels very London.
Katharine Pooley in front of her stainless-steel-and-nickel ‘Fajir’ drinks cabinet. With a London boutique and serious private collection, she brings that unmistakable British authority to the room. And tucked into the bookshelves is a quiet, powerful detail: a bronze bust of her father, Robert Pooley, founder of Pooley Sword, the workshop that crafts ceremonial swords for the British Armed Forces, the RAF, the Royal Navy, elite regiments, and foreign militaries. It’s a beautiful personal anchor in a room already rich with story.
Shane & Pierce were handed one of the toughest assignments in any Show House: the stairwell every single upstairs designer has to pass through. They handled it like pros, wrapping the space in JD Staron’s custom runner, directional fixtures, metallic hand troweled wall finishes and lacquered ceilings, and futuristic Studio Van Akker pendants that make the whole ascent feel adventurous rather than transitional.
Upstairs, their landing area delivers a standout moment with a sculptural horsehair chair — part art, part furniture — that anchors the space with a quietly glamorous, LA-meets-Dallas kind of swagger.
Mrs. Paranjape Design + Interiors is one of those designers you expect to show up with something wildly imaginative — and she delivered in full technicolor. The Gallery Hall is drenched in electric emerald Schumacher and a snake ceiling that practically winks at you, with every twist and turn revealing another clever surprise. It’s a tricky space to design — long corridors, odd corners, elevators — but she turned it into pure theater, layering antique treasures from Nick Brock, rugs from Arsin, and modern art in a way that feels bold, playful, and totally self-assured.
She even slipped in a custom game table with Coley Home chairs dressed in Schumacher fabric, surrounded by retro-glam accents that make the whole space feel like a chic, slightly mischievous lounge you’d stumble into at 2 a.m. in a very good part of town.
And then there’s the men’s room — a flamBOYantly cheeky, hyper-stylized jewel box with Gucci Heron wallpaper, Visual Comfort lighting, Kohler everything, and a collection of sculptural objects that make the whole space feel like a private in-joke for the boys. Whether or not there was originally a bathroom there is beside the point; she created one that steals the show.
This is the kind of dream kitchen that makes you forget you’re in a Show House because you have started mentally moving in. Designed by Christopher Architecture & Interiors out of Birmingham, the space is anchored by sculptural Greek deities from Christopher Collection, Hecton lighting from James Showroom, a one-of-a-kind Persian rug from Arsin, bar stools from Scout Design Studio, and a custom burl-and-oak bar cabinet that could easily spark a bidding war. And speaking of Christopher Collection—nearly everything they brought is for sale, so I’ll be shocked if they have much left to pack up when the doors close.
The cabinetry is exquisite, finished in Woodcrux and custom Classic Brass hardware. The island feels like an architectural event, wrapped in boldly matchbooked stone that steals the show from every angle. Layered lighting, JennAir appliances, sculptural millwork, and the kind of thoughtful detailing only a firm with real architectural discipline can deliver tie it all together into a space that feels collected and breathtaking.
Design by Tula’s “Emerald Room” is a glossy, jewel-toned sanctuary where deep emerald walls, crackled TileBar floors, and velvet upholstery create a cocoon of old-school glamour. Layers of sculptural lighting, luxury trims from The Shade Store, custom DS&C upholstery, and Made Goods accents build a room that feels equal parts movie set and private hideaway. Pops of orange, gold, and art from New Orleans give it that confident, collected edge, while a brass bar waits in the corner for 5pm to arrive.
Raleigh designer Tula Summerford sits in a chic Designers Guild chair framed by an oversized Versace mirror — a full-tilt statement piece that reflects both her presence and a flash of the New Orleans art behind her, turning the whole moment into a portrait of unapologetic style.
Doniphan Moore’s River Room is a study in high-level detailing — layered drapery from The Shade Store, custom tailored upholstery, and a contemporary coffee table that feels sculpted rather than placed. He even relocated all the electrical outlets down into the baseboards—not out of necessity, but because that’s the level of refinement he insists on. Every inch reads intentional, from proportion to placement.
A hearth sculpted byIL Granito grounds the room with weight and grace, while the (newly released–>) hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper wraps the space in textural richness.
Nicole Zarr’s “Zarr Bar” is a study in playful sophistication — where de Gournay’s Paris showroom energy meets Schumacher canary yellow (her signature color), Samuel & Sons trim, Jamb lighting from London, and vintage accents that keep the whole room cheeky, chic, and champagne-ready.
The custom canary-yellow banquette (crafted by Angel Taylor in Dallas) wraps the room with a glamorous wink, while an antique walnut secretary desk anchors the space with that perfectly Zarr mix of old-world gravitas and modern irreverence.
Designer Nicole Zarr sits at her bespoke game table, flanked by tiny sculptural drinks tables that turn the backgammon setup into a full mood — equal parts cocktail hour, strategy session, and wink to anyone paying attention.
Ellerslie Interiors’ “Moonlight Pavilion” is a serene retreat inspired by the cosmopolitan glamour of 1930s Shanghai — all moiré silk walls, sculptural lighting, custom screens, and layered Schumacher textiles. It’s a room where Art Deco geometry and contemporary silhouettes merge. (note the game table to the right as you scroll to the next photo…)
A Hermès mahjong set sits like a jewel in the room — turning a simple game table into a whispered flex of taste and worldliness. With the current Dallas mahjong craze, this set might need its own guard for the duration of the show house — just not a Louvre guard.
Samantha Fisher Studio’s “Moonlight Passages” transforms the corridor into a serene, dreamlike threshold wrapped in Schumacher’s Brindille mural and anchored by a sculptural seagrass console that glows against the soothing palette. It’s a quietly mesmerizing welcome—moody, organic, and beautifully composed, inviting you to slow your pace as you move deeper into the show house.
Studio Thomas James transforms the “Belvedere Room” into a modern-day salon where customized Phillip Jeffries wall coverings wrap the walls and ceiling, a sculptural Donghia chandelier floats overhead, and impeccably upholstered Donghia pieces (some vintage, others current) invite you to relax in style. A pair of custom chests and Vaughan mirrors anchor one end of the room with a quiet symmetry that lets the entire room read as refined, intelligent, and beautifully considered.
Studio Thomas James designers stand before a vivid floral artwork and a custom marble bench.
Studio Eckström’s “Mr. Trotter’s Drawing Room” is an Old-World-meets-American-ambition salon layered with Vaughan lighting, antique Faience pieces, Porter Teleo hand-painted wallpaper, and a Pace Collection chrome shelf that only true collectors will clock. Studio Eckström stitches provenance and polish together effortlessly in this room.
Joshua Bernard Design turns another tricky floor plans in the house—a long, bending sequence of corridors with a bath on one end and a rotunda perch on the other—into a polished procession. Venetian plaster walls and ceilings catch the light like poured chocolate, while sculptural Arteriors fixtures and those knockout gold Klismos chairs keep the space grounded in elegance. Antique pieces punctuate the modern materials.
Tracery Interiors hijacks the “man cave” notion and turns it into a jewel-box she-cave with enough swagger that the men will be circling anyway. The rich emerald walls, zebra-striped Thibaut paper, and the mischievous monkey ceiling paper create a space that’s sultry and surprisingly intimate. The Arteriors leather sofa, antique rugs from Arsin, and sculptural Made Goods pieces, make the room become a cocoon—small in footprint, big in personality.
DC firm Lisa & Leroy treat this sprawling Dallas terrace like a stage, turning an outdoor expanse larger than most New York apartments into exactly where you’d opt to soak in a little vitamin D with cocktail in hand. With customized stone tops on the tables, Century bistro chairs and Sutherland-customized Perennial umbrellas, the whole space feels like a breath of fresh air — clearly designed by someone who had fun with the assignment.
JD Ireland’s Rumor Room channels Babe Paley’s Fifth Avenue polish with a wink—lush Clarence House Kharif Crewel on the floor, Sandra Jordan alpaca wrapping the walls like couture, and every inch calibrated for whispered gossip and martinis after midnight. Oversized racing greyhounds from Nick Brock Antiques stylishly flank the room, anchoring the designer’s moody homage to Baldwin-era glamour.
Clare Fleming Peters turns her William Morris homage into a gentle, glowing reverie—Morris & Co. wallcoverings, Dhurrie rug, Scandinavian pieces from LIEF Gallery, and Hector Finch lighting framing the unfinished Morris drawings like illuminated manuscripts. And the lighting? She spaced it with such precision that the whole room feels exactly the way Morris would have wanted it.
Designer Sarah Stacey plunges you into a jewel-toned dream—a cabinet-of-curiosities come to life. The custom fireplace surround, modeled after a Hell’s Mouth, gets the last word: dramatic, witty, and impossible to ignore. There was mention that she will be developing this into a line in case you want one.
Nicole Gordon’s Overlook Hideaway is a quiet, collected sanctuary— with custom burlwood, mirrored surfaces by the Glasshouse, and fabrics from Mark Alexander and Nobilis. The space includes a Bordeaux marble bar wrapped in bronze, a coffee table crafted from cast bullets (yes, you read that right), and vintage finds from JF Chen that anchor the room in understated sophistication.
Nicole Gordon’s Overlook Hideaway starts with a personal touch—the moody wall color lifted straight from the house she grew up in—then builds a cocoon of polished, retro-leaning luxury around it. Tucked almost out of frame is a custom cabinet suite for a serious album collection and turntable, a detail that quietly seals the room’s cool, analog soul.
This detail shot is just a portion of Austin based Mohon Interiors’ larger Evening Lounge—a glamorous dining area wrapped in nearly 600 pounds of shimmering beads and grounded by leather slip-covered chairs that make the whole space feel effortlessly chic. In the extended space they were given to design, a pair of Bobby McAlpine swivels, sculptural cocktail tables, and a fearless mix of materials show a team having fun with form, texture, and design imagination.
Paloma Contreras’ Morning Garden room is sun-kissed -wrapped in a brand-new de Gournay x Bunny Mellon wallpaper—a debut pattern that sets the tone for the entire room. Zoom in on the drapery panels to see Paloma’s custom Schumacher trim from her own collection line, with a mirror (not shown in this image) echoing the same motif, tying the whole space together with that signature Paloma polish.
I shared a lot—but trust me, there’s even more. This year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House is full-scale: layered, inventive, wildly talented, and absolutely worth setting aside serious time to explore. It’s the second year in this Turtle Creek location, and not one inch repeats what you saw last year. Best of all, all this beauty fuels real impact—supporting the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx, Dwell with Dignity in Dallas, and The Crystal Charity Ball, three organizations that change lives with the same care these designers pour into their rooms.
This year’s show house runs from November 7 to November 23. Tickets can be purchased here.
