Dallas adores France. We fell in love with the fabled country in 1957 when Stanley Marcus selected France to launch Neiman Marcus’ now legendary Fortnight celebrations. Perhaps for the first time, Dallas was privy to the best and the most beautiful that France had to offer. By 1985, we probably had the highest number of Pierre Deux tote bags per capita in the world. And who can forget the Mansard roof craze of the ’90s?
Our Francophilia is expressed in subtler, more enlightened ways now, so when the editors brought in the film from their shoot of Lawrence and Annick McNally’s Turtle Creek penthouse I was thrilled. You will be, too. For one thing, Annick McNally, who is French and owns Le Louvre French Antiques on Slocum Street, has an original eye. Her penthouse feels organic and fresh and historic all at once. And this is what I love: Amidst a pair of 300-year-old shutters from the south of France and a Biblical tapestry from the 17th century are sofas and tables from Crate & Barrel. The walls have stone veneer from Ann Sacks and the kitchen stone, marble flooring, and hardware are Home Depot. Editor Rebecca Sherman described her sensibility: “She combines the best of Franco formality with a dash of American comfort, like a pair of well-loved khaki trousers with an Hermès scarf.”
What also fascinates is that while the McNallys wanted to infuse their home with a French sensibility, they also borrowed ideas from Dallas design, chief among them the concept of comfort. In French design, appearance often trumps practicality, but Annick managed to find pieces that were both beautifully designed and comfortable. (Click here for the story, and you will see furniture so welcoming that you will want to jump into the page.)
Stories like these are what we strive for at D Home, where elegance and taste are expressed in the lives of deeply original Dallas people. We have a stack of stories and photographs ready to publish in 2008, plus we’ll be debuting some great surprises in our January issue. Until then, from the D Home family to your family, best wishes for a blessed holiday.
Christine Allison
President, D Magazine Partners, Ltd.
[email protected]
