For Texas-based interior designer Christian Ladd, restoring old homes in Amarillo’s charming Wolflin Historic District is a passion. In 2022 Christian fell in love and married local philanthropist Clay Stribling, and they began renovating a beautiful 1940s Dutch Colonial in the neighborhood to be their forever home. Sadly those dreams were cut short nearly as quickly as they began when Clay lost a sudden battle with cancer in October 2024.
After receiving the diagnosis last March, Christian chose to reduce her client work, suspend social media posting, and spend as much time her husband as possible. As she begins the process of picking up the pieces, she cherishes the joy of her marriage, “If you can momentarily catch this kind of love, then you must grab it, embrace it, and know you were lucky enough to experience something others might never experience. I had him only briefly; however, that time was priceless,” she said.
As she returns to work, Christian has also listed her beautiful home for sale and has begun a new renovation. “This home was a monument to our marriage, a place where we would grow old together,” Christian reflects, “It’s time for it to find another family who will love it as much as we did.”
Today we celebrate Christian’s home with a love letter…
“Clay let me make all the design choices, even to my detriment occasionally,” Christian jokes. “He even let me paint our entry hall lilac, which takes an incredibly confident man to walk into a lilac foyer daily. He let me accidentally double the budget and handled it gracefully, and we shared the happiest of memories in our home, even at the end of his life. It will forever be the house we built together.”
Christian and Clay renovated the entire home, maintaining all the delightful architectural features and updating everything needed for an old home to function like a new one. The new kitchen was moved to the center of the home’s north side, nestled between the dining room and the den at the back.
The house is painted throughout in Farrow & Ball’s White Tie. Christian painted the ceilings, trim, and walls all the same color for cohesion, emphasizing the decor along with the couple’s extensive art collection.
“Clay had two stipulations, and that was it,” said Christian. “He needed an espresso bar and his bourbon bar, which I happily obliged. So we have two wet bars.”
The color palette throughout the home draws mainly from the art. For instance, the living room features moodier pieces from some of the couple’s favorite artists, which inspired the regal aubergine silk taffeta draperies. The Baker chairs upholstered in a custom Groves Brothers print played well with the colors in the art. However, more playful works of art are displayed in the kitchen and den, allowing the opportunity to pull more pastel fabrics into the color palette.
The home is filled with a mix of old and new, antiques, and heirlooms. “I have dozens of china sets and plenty of silver, so I needed ample storage,” said Christian. “Additionally, I wanted to display them in an organized manner.”
“I designed the arched china cabinets to separate the kitchen from the dining room, making them accessible from either side, which allows you access to china pieces from either in the kitchen or the dining room,” she explains. “The paint on the china cabinets and bookcases was color-matched to the Pierre Frey wallpaper in the dining room. The dining room chairs are slip-covered in a Perennials fabric since we occasionally spill red wine at a, shall we say ‘festive’ dinner party.”
The outside of the home was repainted in Farrow & Ball’s White Tie to complete the cohesiveness of the colors. All the exterior doors were painted in Farrow & Ball’s Selvedge blue, which adds a pop of color and sets the tone as you enter the home. “We added six Bevelo gas lanterns, reminding us that although we’re in the Texas panhandle, Charleston is just one flight away,” said Christian.
“We adore this house. It sits in an old neighborhood with brick streets, large trees, and plenty of charm. My favorite part about the home is its curb appeal; you drive up, smile, and know you’re home, and it feels like a home.”
Thank you, Christian, for sharing with us today. Your strength, grace, and bravery in the face of adversity is truly an inspiration. We wish you all the best and look forward to following your new renovation and latest projects.
To learn more, please visit Christian Ladd Interiors and follow @christianladdinteriors on Instagram for ongoing inspiration. Click here to read a Style Profile Q&A The Glam Pad conducted with Christian in 2018, and additional information about the home can be found here.
The institution was then abolished and its remaining treasures either auctioned off or melted down for precious metals. Revived in 1800 as the Garde Meuble des Consuls, it later became the Imperial Furniture before evolving into the Mobilier National in 1870, an institution that still exists today but no longer within Hôtel de la Marine.
Reopened in June 2021, Hôtel de la Marine was brilliantly brought back to life. Instead of aimlessly wandering with little context, visitors receive a wireless headset that uses “binaural sound technology” to create an immersive, almost cinematic experience that mimics how humans naturally hear sound.
