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Refined Refuge
Taking style cues from the owner, this home has a calm, collected feel
Written by Candace Ord Manroe
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After two terms as Dallas mayor and another on the city council, Laura Miller has earned a break from life in the fishbowl. So has her husband, Steve Wolens, a lawyer who served the state of Texas as a legislator for 24 years. Home is where they relax, raise their three children, and recharge for the next worthy cause. (Hers is clean coal and a healthier environment.) Their home is also a sanctuary where they shake off the scrutiny of the press and the public and cherish time just being themselves. “I think because we have both been in public office, we need our home to be our refuge,” explains Laura, who completed her last term as mayor of the ninth largest city in America in 2007.
Design: Julio Quiñones, Julio Quiñones & Assoc., 2525 Butler St., Dallas, TX 75235; 214/350-6437.
Photography: Emily Minton-Redfield
Produced by Diane CarrollWallpaper (“Silvergate’’ #BP827): Farrow & Ball, 888/511-1121, farrow-ball.com. Installed by Robert Turner Assoc., 214/351-4870.
Rug (wool): Karastan, Karastan, 800/234-1120, karastan.com.
Red armchairs (“Elizabeth Loose-Back Chair’’ #1113-36, Dapha Collection): Baker, 800/592-2537, kohlerinteriors.com.
Armchair fabric: Rogers & Goffigon, 203/532-8068, trade only.
Piano (antique Steinway, refurbished): North Texas Piano Service, 800/870-2172.
Yellow sofa to right of fireplace (“Versailles,” custom, Cameron Collection): George Cameron Nash, 214/744-1544, trade only.
Sofa fabric (by Rose Cumming): Dessin Fournir, 785/434-2777,
dessinfournir.com, trade only.
Geometric pillows on sofa; russet pillows on sofa: Clarence House Inc., 800/803-2850, clarencehouse.com, trade only.
Floor lamps behind sofa: Vaughan Designs, 212/319-7070, trade only.
Sofa table (antique); mirror above mantel: Joseph Minton Antiques, 214/744-3111, josephmintonantiques.com.
Stools below sofa table (antique, Chinese); chairs flanking fireplace (antique); candlesticks on mantel (antique, bronze); coffee table in front of settee (French, 1940s bronze, with antique mirror): Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Lamps on sofa table (Baker Signature Lighting, discontinued): Baker, 800/592-2537.
Fire screen (custom): Rusty Buffalo Co., 214/324-5115.
Console table on right side of doorway to foyer (antique folding game table): The Gathering Antiques, 214/741-4888, thegatheringantiques.com.
Floor lamps (vintage Bagues): 1st Dibs, 1stdibs.com.
Lampshades (custom): Yangs Double Happiness, 214/651-1917.
Wallpaper: through Julio Quiñones & Assoc., 214/350-6437.
Trim paint (“Creamy’’ #SW 7012): Sherwin-Williams, 800/474-3794, sherwinwilliams.com. -
After buying their 1940s Tudor-style home two years ago, Laura and Steve gave young interior designer Julio Quiñones only one directive. “They wanted me to create a comfortable, traditional family home,” says Quiñones, who left another design firm to start his own business, with Laura and Steve as his first clients.
A limestone portico with finials and quoins complements the intricate masonry of the house in Dallas’s Preston Hollow.
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To start this project, Quiñones took his cues from Laura -- calm and collected -- and extended her personal style to the style of her and Steve’s home. “They wanted an understated but very traditional style, nothing fussy or flashy. And they wanted to be able to use family heirlooms, pieces from their other house, and the art that they’ve become passionate about collecting,” says the designer.
His gift for the great find is evidenced by the green silk settee with exaggerated high, scrolled arms. “I found it at an estate sale,” says Quiñones. “It has a beautiful back and sides -- nice, feminine lines -- and is very whimsical. Sometimes you have to buy something and trust that it will work, because you could never find it again.”
Green settee (antique): owner’s collection.
Settee fabric: Nancy Corzine, 212/223-8340, trade only.
Geometric pillow on settee: Clarence House Inc., 800/803-2850, trade only.
Coffee table (French, 1940s bronze, with antique mirror): Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Lamps (Baker Signature Lighting, discontinued): Baker, 800/592-2537.
Tray table beside settee (antique): owner’s collection.
Foyer in background -- Pedestal table (Colombo USA): Baker, Knapp & Tubbs, 800/592-2537, trade only.
Sculpture on table (Reclining Woman, by Alex Wheeler): owner’s collection. -
An antique English mirror and 19th-century French candlesticks adorn the mantel.
Mirror above mantel: Joseph Minton Antiques, 214/744-3111, josephmintonantiques.com.
Candlesticks on mantel (antique, bronze): Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624. -
Designer Quiñones’s sharp and independent eye doesn’t rely on tony showrooms or pricey antiques shops to know what’s good. One of the living room’s most interesting upholstered pieces is its Chippendale-style camelback sofa. “Julio found it in a used furniture store, liked it, completely gutted it, and made it fabulous,” Laura praises.
Unusual detailing is a critical component of Quiñones’s approach. “Instead of using welting, I finished the edges of the camelback sofa with a kind of pleat that I’d never done before and haven’t done since,” he says. The pleats terminate at the corners with tiny rosette-like blooms, so subtle they become apparent only on close inspection. “I just thought it would look kind of neat here,” the designer adds modestly.
Sofa (English Chippendale): owner’s collection.
Sofa fabric: F. Schumacher & Co., fschumacher.com, trade only.
Pillows on sofa (antique Japanese silk): Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Coffee table: East & Orient Co., 214/741-1191, trade only.
Custom tooled leather on coffee table: Larru Leathers Inc., 214/760-7003, larruleathers.com, trade only.
Sculpture on coffee table (Old Man, by Alex Wheeler); painting behind piano (Le Jardin, by Robert Antoine Pinchon): owner’s collection.
Side tables flanking sofa: Brendan Bass, 214/747-3386, trade only.
Lamps on side tables: Vaughan Designs, 212/319-7070, vaughandesigns.com, trade only.
Drapery fabric: Calvin Fabrics, 888/732-1996, henrycalvin.com, trade only.
Drapery tiebacks (antique): Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Rug (wool): Karastan, Karastan, 800/234-1120, karastan.com.
Red armchair (“Elizabeth Loose-Back Chair’’ #1113-36, Dapha Collection): Baker, 800/592-2537, kohlerinteriors.com.
Armchair fabric: Rogers & Goffigon, 203/532-8068, trade only. -
As practical as he is creative, Quiñones is always concerned with his clients’ comfort. He furnished Laura and Steve’s dining room with an 18th-century English sideboard and an antique wine cabinet but added a new Baker table and chairs. “It was important to incorporate a few antiques -- otherwise the house feels too new -- but it was just as important to have pieces that are comfortable and practical for today. That’s especially important with dining room chairs. Plus, it’s hard to find 12 or 24 matching antique chairs,” he says.
“Laura did not want a crystal chandelier,” notes Quiñones of the 1940s Empire-style bronze chandelier. “This one is grand but light. And it has the kind of detailing that sets it apart.” Sensuous textures and an unstudied shapeliness -- as found on the silk draperies -- create a “sexy feel for a traditional style,” says the designer.
Table (Historic Charleston Collection): Baker, 800/592-2537.
Chairs (Regency-style “Square-Back Side Chair’’ #621-64-62, and “Square-Back Arm Chair’’ #621-63-62, Kings Row Collection): Hickory White, 828/322-8624, hickorywhite.com.
Chair fabric: Christopher Hyland Inc., 212/688-6121,
christopherhyland.com, trade only.
Chandelier: Donald J. Embree Antiques Inc., 214/760-9141, embreeart.com, trade only.
Side table near window (antique): Milton Kent Antiques, 214/826-7553.
Rug: Edward Fields Inc., 214/741-4215, edwardfieldsinc.com, trade only.
Wall upholstery: Christopher Norman Collection, 212/644-5301,
christophernorman.com., trade only.
Drapery: Travers, 212/888-7900, traversinc.com, trade only.
Accessories: owner’s collection. -
A 1940s gold-leaf French mirror crowns an 18th-century English sideboard.
Sideboard: The Gathering Antiques, 214/741-4888, thegatheringantiques.com.
Mirror: The Mews, 214/748-9070, themewsantiques.com.
Sconces: Ceylon et Cie, 214/742-7632, ceylonetcie.com.
Wall upholstery: Christopher Norman Collection, 212/644-5301, christophernorman.com., trade only.
Accessories: owner’s collection. -
Quiñones stripped paint from the banister to reveal a beautiful mix of textures and materials. The red runner introduces drama in the entry.
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Antique Fortuny fabric on the decorative pillows joins custom Schumacher bedding. Carving on the Louis XVI bench at the foot of the bed visually partners with the decoration on the fireplace, flanked by vintage Robsjohn-Gibbings chairs, to unify the room.
Bed; bedding: owner’s collection.
Pillows (antique Fortuny fabric); bench: Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Bench fabric: Holly Hunt, 312/661-1900, hollyhunt.com, trade only.
Swing-arm lamps: Phoenix Day Lighting, phoenixday.com, trade only.
Chairs flanking fireplace (vintage Robsjohn-Gibbings): JF Chen, 323/466-9700.
Paint (“Swiss Coffee’’#OC-45): Benjamin Moore, 888/236-6667, benjaminmoore.com. -
“The pulse of the home is the kitchen,” Laura says. That’s where she and Steve gather for family dinners with all three children -- daughters Alex, 18, and Lily, 16, and their 13-year-old son, Max. “Even when I was mayor, I insisted on family dinner. If I had to do a reception, we had our family dinner either before or after it.”
White marble countertops and white painted cabinets keep the kitchen looking clean and airy -- and assure that red accents pop.
Table, chairs: The Gathering Antiques, 214/741-4888.
Chair fabric: F. Schumacher & Co., fschumacher.com, trade only.
Pendant lights over island: Visual Comfort & Co., 713/686-5999, trade only.
Cabinetry; countertops: existing. -
On weekends, the sunroom is Laura and Steve’s favorite retreat, a place to sip coffee and read the papers.
Armchairs (Baker Upholstery Collection); ottoman (Baker Upholstery Collection); ottoman fabric: Baker, 800/592-2537.
Armchair fabric (chenille): B. Berger Fine Fabrics, 800/288-8400, bberger.com, trade only.
Pillows on armchairs: F. Schumacher & Co., fschumacher.com, trade only.
Rug (wool): Clifton Carpets Inc., 214/526-7405, cliftoncarpets.com.
Side table between chairs: owner’s collection.
Lamp on side table; pendant light: Vaughan Designs, 212/319-7070, trade only.
Table (with candlestick lamps and photos, antique): owner’s collection.
Candlestick lamps (Baccarat crystal candlestick lamps); chairs flanking table: Nick Brock Antiques, 214/828-0624.
Paint color (“Swiss Coffee’’ #OC-45): Benjamin Moore & Co., 888/236-6667. -
Putting family first was imperative to the design’s success. “Our kids tell us their very best memories are from our previous house, where the girls shared a bedroom and all five of us shared a bath,” says Laura, shown here with Lily (left), Alex, and Max. “So beware when you dream of owning a larger home.” The challenge for Quiñones was to create the same sense of ease and opportunity for memory-making, but in a much larger house. His solution was a design that’s “pretty, airy, and not formal,” sums up Laura.
Family, in fact, was why she did not seek a third term as mayor. “No one has served three terms as Dallas mayor, so that little bit of ego was tempting, but it would’ve been completely narcissistic,” Laura explains. “Our 18-year-old sat me down and said, ‘If you run for reelection, you’re throwing the towel in on our family.’ She wanted me present for her senior year. The past 11 months have been great because I’ve gotten to spend so much time with my kids” -- in a home they all love.
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