Interior Designer Ashleigh Graber Takes a Painterly Approach to Texas Home

“It all began with a very sweet sentiment,” says the Dallas-based interior designer. “Even though their children are quite young, my clients were already thinking about the graduation parties, weddings, and other milestone events they hope to celebrate there over the years. Having this sneak peek into their future helped me paint the proverbial ‘big picture’ for interiors that are colorful, comfortable, and made for making memories.”

With two children under the age of eight, Graber’s clients, Katherine and Ryan Allen, have a long way to go. In the meantime, they are honing their hosting skills by graciously opening their doors for various school and community events to carry on the legacy of the estate’s original owner, Harry S. Moss. The prolific Dallas oil tycoon and civic leader purchased the acreage in 1938 as grazing land for a prize bull he won at the State Fair of Texas and built the Southern Colonial-style home as a country retreat, named Moss Haven, for entertaining family and friends.

Graber, who partnered with Mosaic Building Company on the restoration, believes that the innate beauty of the home transcends aesthetics and is rooted in the Allens’ genuine desire to honor its history. She insists that the tiny relics of the past that they retained—the quirky butler’s bell in the dining room and the vintage brass hardware on the front door—are as crucial to the heartbeat of the house as the architectural heavy hitters they meticulously revived, such as the plaster crown molding, wood paneling and floors, and intricate mantels. To bring these elements into a new era, Graber brushed them with bold colors thoughtfully selected for the fun-loving family of four.

Regal blues and rich greens bounce from room to room to comprise the primary palette. The designer introduced the scheme in the entry with a high-gloss peacock blue, a hue that she describes as “a hybrid of historic and current.” It is continued in the dining room and repeated on the millwork that frames the whimsical Ferrick Mason wallcovering featuring a classic chinoiserie motif amplified to a contemporary scale. The soft shades of lavender, pink, citron, and buttercream depicted in the print’s flora and fauna served as the starting point for the accent colors woven throughout the wall and window treatments, rugs, art, accessories, and upholstery.

“We wanted to honor Moss Haven’s past with our furniture selections, but going full-on Colonial seemed too ‘on-the-nose’ and lacked the authenticity we were striving for,” Graber says. “We pooled together things that spoke to my clients regardless of provenance. Contemporary consoles and case pieces mingle among family antiques and midcentury designs, such as the tulip table and Eames chairs. This collected mix of styles and eras captures the essence of the home’s history and showcases its evolution that results in effortless and elegant interiors that are livable for my clients’ family today and for the generations that will follow.”