There are some projects that we finish and move on from – and then there are the ones that stay with us.
This showhouse we designed in Texas with House Beautiful in 2021 is very much the latter.
At the time, it gave us the opportunity to push ideas a little further than usual – to play with color, materials, and scale in a way that felt bold but still livable. And interestingly, as we look at the work we are doing now, we are seeing so many of those same ideas come back around. Which is always a good sign.
Designed from New Jersey, installed in Texas
What makes this project even more memorable for us is how it came together.
We designed the entire space from our office in New Jersey, overseeing the project remotely with a combination of calls, FaceTime walkthroughs, and one key site visit (it was during Covid!). At the time, it felt like a bit of a leap – trusting that every detail would come together exactly as planned without being there day-to-day.
And it did.
Looking back now, this project feels like an early proof point for something that has become a much bigger part of our process: the ability to design thoughtfully and thoroughly from afar. It is something we do regularly now, but this was one of the first times we saw just how well it could work.
A space where we could take a few more risks
Designing a showhouse is very different from designing for a client.
There is a lot more freedom. A little more experimentation. A little more room to say, “Let’s just go for it,” and see what happens.
In this Texas showhouse, we leaned into that.
The yellow we didn’t plan (but apparently love)
One of the things that stands out most to us now is the use of yellow. The contractor who had final say on nearly everything HATED yellow. But we really wanted to use it, because it’s one of the colors most of our clients say they also hate, and apparently, we love a challenge.
We saw this Phillip Jeffries wallcovering as a way to bring warmth and energy into the space without overwhelming it. It wasn’t loud or sugary or trying too hard (which, in the world of yellow, is no small feat). It was softer, more nuanced, and perhaps we were subconsciously craving some sunshine (again, it was during a national pandemic).
And then, recently, while working on our space for the Mansion in May showhouse (LINK TO BLOG), we found ourselves doing it again.
Without even realizing it.
There it was – the same instinct, the same pull toward a certain kind of yellow that brings life to a room without taking it over. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t strategic. It was just… us.
Which is maybe the most interesting part.
Because it is a reminder that good design decisions are not always about chasing what is new. Sometimes they are about returning to what you know works, even if you don’t consciously realize you are doing it.
When someone buys the whole room
One of the more unusual (and honestly, most gratifying, braggable) parts of this project happened after the showhouse closed.
Typically, showhouse installations are temporary. Everything is removed – furniture goes back into storage, pieces are returned to vendors, or designers find new homes for them over time. Truthfully, we were dreading a trip back to Dallas airport (although we did have lots of fun in Austin) to tear down this room and ship it back across the country.
In this case, none of that happened.
The buyer of the home purchased our entire room exactly as it was. Every piece stayed – down to the accessories, and yes, even the weighted blanket. We did not take back a single thing.
It is always the goal to create a space that feels complete and cohesive, but this was one of those rare moments where someone saw it exactly the way we intended and wanted to live in it just as it was.
House Beautiful filmed a tour of the showhouse with us, and it’s still one of our favorite walkthroughs. There’s a tiny bit of drama with the GC (the one who ultimately telling us he came around to liking yellow!) and you can view the entire tour here.
Projects like this are a good reminder that design is not always linear.
Ideas come back. Instincts repeat themselves. And sometimes, without even realizing it, you find yourself making the same decision years later – just in a slightly different way.
If anything, this project confirmed something we have come to trust more and more over time: when something feels right, it usually is.
And apparently, for us, that includes a very specific kind of yellow.
