They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that just so happens to include Kimberly Schlegel Whitman‘s 10,000 square foot home located on almost two acres in Dallas’ Preston Hollow neighborhood. Kimberly is a lifestyle expert, TV host, author, editor-at-large of Southern Living Magazine, blogger, and philanthropist…. she is also a nationally-renowned hostess, and her exquisite home provides the perfect backdrop for her fabulous parties. “The flow of the house is wonderful for entertaining,” said Jan Showers, one of the nation’s most glamorous interior designers who has now completed six projects with Kimberly.

The large home offers generous storage, which is perfect for Kimberly’s ever-expanding antique tableware collection. She even has her very own “party closet” which houses her china and antique silver. At first Kimberly and her husband Justin found the late 1990s house to be stark and imposing, but Showers and architect extraordinaire J. Wilson Fuqua were able to work their magic! Fuqua added custom crown moldings and other architectural flourishes for graciousness and whimsey… some of the moldings depict tassels and latticework. Showers painted most walls a warm white, creating an airy canvas for the Whitmans’ colorful modern art collection and collected furnishings. The results are stunning! Let’s take a tour with photography by David Tsay for the November/December 2019 issue of Veranda and additional images from Jan Showers’ website (as noted). We will also peek at a few “before” pictures, provided by Wilson Fuqua exclusively for The Glam Pad.

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

The Whitmans’ giant schnauzer, Zeus, stands guard in the entry.

via Jan Showers

In the living room, a painting by Pete Jordan plays off the vivid pinks and golds in a vintage Oushak carpet and gilded French consoles. Sofa fringe, Samuel & Sons

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

A velvet banquette in the living room is favored seating not just among guests but for Whitman’s family as well (shown here with husband, Justin, and children JR [12] and Millie [6]). Velvet upholstery, Kravet

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

The dining room is painted Persian Melon (Benjamin Moore) to “look like the inside of a cantaloupe,” says Whitman. Copper and palm leaf artwork, Tam Van Tran

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

Whitman with designer Jan Showers. The ivory lotus lamps are from the 1970s. Chair fabric, Jane Clayton for Harlequin

Blue Lace chargers are paired with Tobacco Leaf dinner plates, both by Mottahedeh. Silver flatware, Puiforcat. Tablecloth, Le Bazar Coastal

Whitman’s china and antique silver closet (Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball) commandeers a corner off the dining room.

The bar is painted Black Forest Green by Benjamin Moore in a high gloss. The hardware is brass.

Veranda

A custom Gracie wallpaper wraps the master bedroom in a delicate forest of pastels. “I find the white background of the bedroom wallpaper very soothing. When we go on holiday, I miss it,” Whitman says. Lamps, vintage 1940s Murano glass

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

Opposite the master bedroom is a soft blue library and sitting room (Wythe Blue, Benjamin Moore). Drapery fabric, Brunschwig & Fils

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

via Jan Showers

Custom treillage by architect J. Wilson Fuqua gives the soaring loggia a charming sense of intimacy akin to an interior room. Wicker furniture, Summer Classics. Cushion fabric, Jean-Paul Beaujard

The expansive brick home is in Dallas’s Preston Hollow neighborhood and was built in 1999.

And now for some before images!

Truly amazing! To see the first apartment Jan Showers decorated for Kimberly, please click here, and click here to tour the Whitman’s former Highland Park home. You can read my Style Profile interview with Kimberly here, and I also recommend all eight of her books: