Upon learning the gender of her baby, Samantha “Sam” Sano had visions of neither baby blue nor barn red but of “Intellectual,” Behr’s rich, yet tranquil, shade of deep-gray paint.
“One of my friends says that Wil’s bedroom is the least baby-like space she’s seen,” Sam admits with a laugh. “It has this American Heritage feel to it, very simple, modern and clean.”
The decisiveness of Sam Sano’s vision for the space comes as no surprise given her reputation as a formidable local tastemaker that belies her youth. This 35-year-old Texas Christian University grad quickly spun a career in graphic design into the thriving, multidisciplinary SWOON, the studio, which recently added interior design to its roster of services. SWOON’s corporate clients include big names, such as Neiman Marcus, Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas Cowboys. While Sam has written for FD Luxe and penned a popular blog, she recently decided to step away from both – for the moment at least.
Blame William Wynn Sano, aka Wil. (The spelling of his moniker is a nod to Sam’s husband Bret, a fellow graphic designer.) Since his arrival in September, Sam has stopped working 15-hour days in favor of spending more time at home in the couple’s two-bedroom, 1,500-square-foot Lake Highlands bungalow.
“The minute Wil showed up my husband said, ‘we needed more space,’” says Sam, who is currently undertaking renovations on a 1970s-era home, also in Lake Highlands, that’s nearly twice the size of their current L Street residence. In their current home, Wil’s nursery displaced the couple’s four dogs – Kuma and Logo (Shiba Inus), Sophie (German shepherd) and Stella (Siberian Husky) – who previously claimed that bedroom as their own. The Sano’s freestanding artist studio out back became the canine quarters – arguably the dandiest doggy digs in the neighborhood.
“As an interior designer, I have a ton of stuff so the dogs’ house has the same paint as Wil’s nursery, plus fun items like these great Arteriors lamps,” Sam explains. “It turned out to be this great little retreat.”
Wil’s room, meanwhile, boasts a molded mid-century plywood chair in the Eames tradition. “White and cream bedding that is very organic looking,” notes Sam, covers the simple IKEA crib, all nestled below a gray bandana pinned to the wall. On the floor, Sam layered a Moroccan-style rug with cowhide; Wil can also make use of a cushy sheepskin during tummy time.
Sam considers the kitchen her favorite space in the house. She and Bret redid the room with marble hex-tile countertops and white cabinets. “Our next house has burled wood cabinets, which I’ve never seen in a kitchen before,” Sam says, adding that she intends “to live with it a while to try and figure it out!”
A self-professed shopping enthusiast who relishes the hunt, Sam gravitates toward an array of venues, including thrift and vintage stores. Here in Dallas she also loves babybliss and Forty Five Ten, while in Austin she heads to Spartan, as well as twice-yearly antiquing adventures in Round Top.
“Nothing in our house is particularly precious, and I have always loved anything industrial along with the high-low mix,” she explains. “The key is to make any space feel collected over time. I definitely don’t want to have a home that feels like it’s filled with all new stuff.”
Instead, she seeks to foster a feeling of abiding serenity and comfort. “I was talking to my husband at dinner the other night about gray and how light gray and dark gray are so serene and modern yet so warm.” As for her new home (which she describes as “modern with concrete floors and vaulted ceilings with a whole different personality than what we have here”), Sam plans to embrace her love of mid-century, Hollywood regency and modern furniture.
“I love so many styles, which is one of the things that makes designing for other people so much fun,” she explains. “I’ll do whatever they want – and I always wind up in love with the results.”
Published April 2014
