Kristen Dowd was a third-grader when her mother hired an interior designer to decorate their new family home in Montgomery, Alabama. The lady never had a chance. For one it was the ’80s and nothing good came from that era of bad taste, but this decorating professional had met her match in a little girl with a big opinion. “I was so distraught over what she was doing to my room I started crying,” Dowd admits with a laugh. “I remember thinking the fabric was just wrong.”
From an early age Dowd knew what she wanted, and she carries that decisive spirit into her role as chief scavenger/designer for her and partner Ann Jane Cox’s online business, Gypsy Soul Interiors. Part interior design consultation, part vintage furniture re-sell, Dowd’s business started at White Elephant Antiques, where she developed a loyal following of Hollywood Regency, Mid-Century modern high-end seekers on a budget. Six months ago Dowd decided to take her work home with her. She moved her vintage goods into her garage and began using Facebook to post photos of items from her latest treasure hunt. Business continues to grow and so is her family. She and her husband Ben are expecting baby number two in April.
But that isn’t slowing her down. While on the hunt for the next vintage find, Dowd moves fast. “If I see it, I know it,” she says. That instinctive feel has led to many purchases that furnish the Dowd home today. During an estate sale two years ago in the Preston Hollow area, she had a “magical experience” entering a home decorated in bamboo, lacquer and bright colors from the late ’60s. “It was like I was walking into my dream home,” she says. Dowd pulled a turquoise headboard updated with trellis-motif fabric and a coral-patterned Kisabeth chair for the couple’s bedroom.
Their inviting North Dallas home boasts an open floor plan, combining the dining area, kitchen and main living room in one space. Dowd breaks up the large room with areas of interest such as the bar – which she calls “Ben’s Place” – lending a more masculine, contemporary touch to the vintage eclectic mood found throughout the rest of the home. Black and white chevron panels hide a small room used by their 4-year-old daughter Caroline (“Cici”) as a “secret playroom.” White mounted antlers from a garage sale and a cowhide rug work their way into the space, along with a jumbo canvas photo of Caroline and a gold starburst light fixture overhead.
Cici shares her mother’s Southern spunk and loves going on “business trips” to area Salvation Army stores or estate sales, looking for the next great vintage find. “She knows the rules – we don’t touch anything, and we hold Mommy’s hand. Just yesterday she fell in love with some pillows for her new room. She’s getting the bug,” Dowd says proudly.
Rather than decorating with calculated consideration, Dowd just goes for it. She can layer a metallic console with items such as plush pillows with bold purple fabric, out-of-the-ordinary lamps she calls her “prairie girls” and a gold garden stool that would seem out of place separately but together create a style that is both nonchalant and glamorous.
All through the house are pieces that mean something to Dowd. She mixes classical oils painted by her great-grandfather with modern acrylics painted by daughter Caroline. “Everything in my rooms is something I love,” Dowd says. In the main living area is her favorite piece: an early ’70s solid wood armoire with branch lattice detailing that hides the family TV. “It’s one of those pieces where I thought I would either love it or hate it,” she says.
Her affection for color and fabric doesn’t go unnoticed. Each room has an eclectic mix of modern and traditional patterns on pillows, window treatments and re-upholstered vintage furniture pieces. Dining-room chairs covered in a tan and white Ikat fabric surround a table from Rooms To Go, and a few steps away are two wingback chairs Dowd rescued off the curb and covered with lime green floral fabric. Walls are kept neutral in either taupe or cream with the exception of the guest bathroom showcasing teal and gold metallic-print wallpaper. Dowd’s “Southern flair” makes an appearance in touches of formal antiques. As for color, “Oh, honey, there is no limit,” Dowd says.
Expect to find the unexpected in the Dowd home. Whether it’s a gold retro chandelier from Craigslist or a chic Drexel hutch from Salvation Army, this home is a rare find.
