Growing up among women who were gifted with a needle and thread, Joan Cecil has always had an appreciation for textiles and embroidery. When her late husband passed away in 2001, she began monogramming gifts for friends and family as a way to stay busy. But it was through an introduction to renowned interior designer (and D Home Best 2022 winner) Emily Summers that her hobby gave way to a most unexpected career. Summers commissioned a few embroidery pieces on the spot, becoming Cecil’s very first client—a working relationship that has continued for nearly two decades. “Emily’s endorsement gave me the impetus to start an atelier,” Cecil says. A lifelong learner, Cecil’s ever-expanding repertoire includes plenty of machine work, but it’s for her intricate, layered, and bespoke handwork that she’s most sought out by a prestigious international clientele. As hands-on as the creation of her work is, she ultimately hopes the enjoyment of it is similarly tactile: “If someone is interested enough in what they see from a distance that they want to go touch it,” she says, “I know I’ve done my job.”
Favorite local restaurant: Cafe Madrid
Place more people should know about: Bonton Farms—urban farm/cafe/housing/jobs for South Dallas community
Favorite weekend activity: Reading historical novels
Favorite local maker: Lakewood Interiors Inc. for bespoke window coverings
Five favorite things in your home:
- Window shades made by hand from mulberry tree bark on a small island off the coast of Japan
- A bronze sculpture of a cowboy sitting on a horse, reading a book
- A ceramic sculpture by Sergio Bustamante
- Tin figures of children playing, handmade in Cuernavaca
- An oil painting entitled “Two Old Friends at the Club in Waco.”
Best budget-friendly find: Soup dumplings at Trader Joe’s
What can you not resist purchasing when you see one? Peonies
What can a person never have too many of in their home? Friends and family
Best way to instantly change the feel of a room: A good attitude
Favorite candle: NM Gold
NM Gold Candle
Courtesy of Companies
Bonton Farms Honey
A ceramic sculpture by Sergio Bustamante
Courtesy of Companies
Kyoto, Japan Flowering Arrangement
Courtesy of Companies
Favorite book: The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Favorite coffee table book: Distinctive Modern Interiors by Emily Summers
Piece of clothing or accessory you reach for more than any other: Cashmere wrap
One thing everyone should have in their closet: White blouse
Fashion piece you can’t live without: Black pants
Favorite host gift to give: A handkerchief embroidered with “merci beaucoup”
Best hosting hack: Sense of humor
You’re hosting a dinner party. What are you cooking? New Orleans seafood gumbo. My mother’s family was from New Orleans, and this was a specialty. Must be served on her hand-crocheted place mats and hand-embroidered napkins, made by her mother, to be really authentic.
Go-to bottle of wine: Meiomi Pinot Noir
Favorite travel destination: Kyoto, Japan. I absolutely love the aesthetics in all things—interior furnishings, tea rituals, food presentation, flower arranging. The simplicity and attention to detail is unparalleled.
Favorite museum for textiles: Victoria and Albert Museum in London—it houses collections of textiles with embroidery and stitching from around the world from medieval times to the present.
Last city you visited: Austin
How or where do you derive your inspiration: Travel, textiles, art, an antiques
Favorite movie or TV show: Yellowstone
Favorite music: Blues/Bluegrass
Guilty pleasure: Bubba’s Fried Chicken
Last thing you bought on Amazon: Stitching tools
Instant mood booster: Wine
Best advice you’ve ever received? From my father: “That’s too much sugar for a dime.”
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