When driving down the tree-lined street, approaching the Handys’ Highland Park home, the family’s collective personality all but spills from the windows and doors. The meticulously groomed front lawn gives way to a veritable outfield for the sports-loving Handy boys, Luke, 10, and Noah, 8, while the elevated and covered front porch provides premium seating for their most fervent spectators, mom and dad.
The initial glimpse — a telling portrait of the laid-back yet active family — showcases the home’s stylish French-country interiors with a grand entryway. Bright-eyed Luke, flanked by his mom, Christine Handy, energetically greets visitors and offers his expertise by leading a tour of his family’s abode.
Skipping through the entryway and passing quickly by the formal living and dining rooms, Luke explains that these rooms are “just for show.” Handy chose traditional European-inspired antiques (with a kid-friendly twist) when befitting the family’s formal spaces, including thick Stark woven wool rugs to protect chestnut wood floors and custom-upholstered seating with subtle padded corners.
“In an ideal world, I would love to keep crystal vases on display, but I’ve had to adapt and become more understanding when things get broken,” says Handy. “My kids aren’t afraid to play in any of the rooms.”
Aspiring chef Luke redirects the attention to his favorite hangout in the 9,000-square-foot home: the newly renovated kitchen and attached family room.
The modern kitchen boasts plenty of workspace, with cool-gray marble countertops, perfect for Luke’s frequent cooking experiments or Noah’s involved art projects. Yoga-loving mom Handy doesn’t fret about messes — the kitchen’s hard-surfaced marble counters, hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances assure easy cleanups.
After a healthful dinner shared with dad Peter, who works in the radio industry, Handy describes relaxed family movie nights in the neighboring family room, complete with an oversized couch and ottoman, as well as a wide flat-screen TV.
Luke is quick to assure that there is much more to do around the house than watch TV. The brothers play outdoors on a gray slate pool deck that is visible from the kitchen’s floor-to-ceiling windows — perfect for Handy’s watchful eye. “The boys run from the backyard to the garage, which has a small basketball court,” explains Handy. “This reduces the traffic through the house, particularly when the boys and their friends have been swimming in the pool.”
Handy, who once modeled for print advertisements and billboards, indulges her creative side in the boys’ upstairs bedrooms and playroom. Both youngsters are surrounded with original art in the form of colorful murals painted by Joanna Greene adorning their bedroom walls. For Noah, animals are the inspiration, says Handy. The 8-year-old’s digs include a cushioned bunk bed that serves as a sanctuary for a number of stuffed friends.
Luke’s bedroom is just as special — the mural artist painted scenery around the room’s rim to reflect all of Luke’s favorite places across the world, including Martha’s Vineyard, Australia, China and the North Pole. The mural, however, will soon be adapted to reflect Luke’s love of basketball, says the mature tour guide.
The artsy atmosphere follows the boys from their bedrooms (which are located next-door to the master bedroom — a convenient rarity in a 1990s-era home, says Handy) and up the stairs to the third-story playroom. Once again, muralist Green brings the children’s imagination to life with paintings of cartoon characters, including Barney and Disney personalities. The upstairs hangout also harbors a painted tree house that was specially designed for Noah’s beloved stuffed animals, along with a lovingly worn sectional sofa and a plethora of the boys’ favorite video games.
The ultimate goal when decorating this room, says Handy, was to keep everything safe for the kids’ playtime — all the way down to installing a custom-built childproof gate at the top of a steep carpeted staircase.
“The boys have, in some ways, outgrown this room,” Handy explains, acknowledging the youthful cartoons on the wall. “But this room gives them plenty of space to play and have fun — and make a mess — in a place that’s out of immediate sight.”
For the Handy family, fun means being active together — vacations skiing, sailing, surfing and enjoying the outdoors across the country. However, despite a busy travel schedule, the family feels most comfortable at home in Dallas. “This house is growing with our family,” says Handy. “We want to make it a place that the boys want to be with their friends — we want it to feel welcoming, yet I still like the elegance of its design.”
