curvaceous a beauty

This creekside paradise parades its owners’ personalities

The corner lot catches the eye of passersby. a sprawling backyard replete with tropical plants, Zen monuments and goldfish swimming in a sparkling pond flanks the forest and creek that runs through a tuckedaway north lake highlands neighborhood. the home’s 1,000-square-foot outdoor deck, or the spacious kitchen and living area just inside, frequently is populated with party guests.

Mark Williamson and bob smith love to entertain. they treasure travel, art and music, too, so they built a house most conducive to a life filled with these things. their Mediterranean-style abode is airy and bursting with natural light in all the right places. Gracious curves and high, individually decorated ceilings lend the home a luxurious feel, while playful art, warm colors and wafting pop music puts visitors promptly at ease.

about 15 years ago, the two looked at several Dallas homes but never quite found one that excited them. While shopping, they noticed this empty creekside lot for sale. the owner happened to live right in the neighborhood, so they met quickly and struck a deal after which Williamson and smith hit the home design section of a nearby bookstore.

“We really got our initial ideas for the house through looking at hundreds of architecture, design and decorating books,” Williamson says. observations from their travels also drove much of the design. art accumulated from near and far now occupies the walls, tables and ceilings.

LEFT This custom-made iron front door was designed and installed with the help of Jenny Sandlin and her northeast Dallas based company, Elegante Iron. The doors were constructed in Monterrey and each side weighs 600 pounds. The homeowners say the iron design appealed to them because its swirls complement their home’s curves.

RIGHT Halle the housecat sits in the doorframe.

LEFT On entering the Williamson-Smith home, the owners’ love of music, art and color is evident. “Orange is the new black,” Smith jokes. The Yamaha piano receives frequent attention from Williamson, and Smith sings along. Above, a severely texturized canvas by Florida-based artist Justin Gaffrey begs attention. The homeowners discovered Gaffrey, a well-known pastry chef and restaurateur turned painter, while vacationing in Seaside. A Venetian-mask motif — vivid hand painted pieces with jutting feathers and metallic accents — hovers over double patio doors. The décor has developed over the years, Williamson says. “It’s not exactly a style, but a mix of things we fall in love with.” The raised ceilings, flowing natural light, meaningful adornments and open spaces are consistent throughout the home.

RIGHT Another Justin Gaffrey piece — puffed-out sunflowers in muted yellows and greens hangs above the master bed. A large glass door in this bedroom opens to the expansive patio and sweeping tropical backyard.

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LEFT “Rub her for good luck,” Smith says of the voluptuous nymph whose body creates the overreaching arch of this stained glass Tiffany-style table lamp. It accents the main living room, which is openly adjacent to the kitchen, the place where guests most frequently gather.

RIGHT It’s not often that one sees such care assigned to ceilings. Throughout the home, detailed design elements reach upper borders and ceilings. In this case, near the front door, a cloud of turquoise and coral, originally meant as a wall display, is affixed to the ceiling and serves as the base for a hanging chandelier.

RIGHT Arguably the highlight of this home is its backyard. Green almost year-round, the lush grass spreads from a spacious deck to a fence that lines the trickling creek. Years ago, the homeowners had to build a retaining wall along the creek to “keep their yard from falling into the water,” they say. A collection of tropical flora, usually placed strategically among the yard’s myriad mature trees and bushes, is put in a portable greenhouse for safe keeping during unseasonable weather. A dozen goldfish swim in a clear garden pond as oriental gods watch over them.

LEFT High ceilings and open spaces make for good acoustics when Williamson, on piano, and Smith, vocals, launch into song.

BELOW Swirling patterns, symmetrical wall art, animal prints and downy bedding mingle with a matte-golden chandelier and velvety window treatments to create a cozy and contemporary guest room with a royal, old world feel.

The Hospitality Sweet

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North Dallas Antique Mall

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Once Upon A Child

Hop into Spring with Great Deals! BUY and SELL those gently “used” and ”new” Spring outfits as well as swimsuits and short sets for Summer! 6300 Skillman St. #150 Dallas, TX 75231 214.503.6010 onceuponachildlakehighlands.com

The Store In Lake Highlands

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LEFT Inside and out, bright colored flora abounds.

BELOW The kitchen is built for culinary adventures and friendly gatherings. Smith is a great cook and Williamson likes to eat, they agree with a laugh. Attached to the kitchen’s south end is the living area replete with meaningful artwork, including another Justin

Gaffrey piece; two tributes, a painting and a sculpture, to old pet Barney the Beagle; and a Virgin Mary mosaic purchased outside the Vatican and blessed by the pope, to name a few. West of the kitchen, glass doors open to an expansive deck. “We have the house wide open so we can have lots of people around,” Smith says. “The deck is an extension of the house — we open up those doors, put food and drinks inside and out, slap some steaks on the grill and hang out.”