The 6,500-square-foot Federal-style house received a facelift around the turn of this century. Flash forward to today, and its new owners decided it was in need of some decorative touch-ups as well as some strategic thinking around how to integrate the family’s museum-worthy art collection. Enter interior designer Chad Dorsey, who helped transform the 100-year-old home for a family of recent Manhattan transplants.

But, in spite of pandemic-related supply-chain delays—when lead times can reach nine months or more—it would have to be fast. Considering his daughter was a sophomore in high school, the client knew they didn't have two or three years to work.

After arriving in Texas in September 2020, the family needed to be moved in within five months. That left only around four weeks for a design concept, and an additional four months to pull it all off. “Even under the best of circumstances, getting the project done in that time frame is a challenge. And, clearly, they weren’t operating under the best circumstances,” the client says. Fortunately, Dorsey understood the situation from day one.

The biggest task at hand was the overhaul of the galley kitchen, a relic of the home’s previous empty-nest owner, who was often on the road. For homeowner, it’s a family dinner and hangout space. Therefore, a number of first-floor areas—the mudroom, cooking zone, and breakfast nook—were combined into one open and bright kitchen during a second phase of the renovation.

A welcoming atmosphere extends throughout the ground level, where public areas—including a sitting room and burnt orange bar room—are stationed. The dining room is where the Zaha Hadid table gets a starring role, thanks in part to an invisible intervention from Dorsey: To counter the platform’s naturally sloping surface, the designer fashioned a glass top that keeps plates, glasses, and silverware from sliding.

Interiors:ChadDorsey

Styling:JennyO'Connor

Photos:DouglasFriedman