{"id":635845,"date":"2026-10-20T02:18:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T02:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/635845\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T02:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T02:18:26","slug":"donald-robertsons-dallas-home-is-a-colorful-mix-of-pop-art-and-traditional-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/635845\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Robertson\u2019s Dallas Home Is a Colorful Mix of Pop Art and Traditional Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated4 min read<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I see her in my house, I start yelling, \u2018Get out! Go! I\u2019m not paying!\u2019\u201d And thus with mock and affectionate outrage begins an irreverent and often hilarious conversation with fashion illustrator, pop artist, and Instagram phenom Donald Robertson<\/a> about the highly respected designer Cathy Kincaid<\/a>. The house is a lovely clapboard Colonial in Dallas that Robertson shares with wife Kimberly Gieske and their young family.<\/p>\n

Joining the great COVID migration from California, the Robertsons moved to Texas. Gieske favored Chicago and its gracious old guard enclave of Lake Forest, but the two agreed on Dallas because, Robertson says, \u201cit\u2019s Lake Forest without the wind and cold,\u201d and a traditional house suited them both. Gieske liked its reassuring, all-American good looks, and Robertson, who is Canadian, welcomed its symmetry\u2014which he says is an antidote to the craziness of his studio. Kincaid calls the project a true collaboration.<\/p>\n

\"donaldDouglas Friedman for VERANDAIn the family room, Robertson\u2019s artwork (over the mantel and far right) shares billing with graphic pieces by sons Henry (far left) and Charlie (near right). Rug, Elizabeth Eakin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had clear ideas, and I was there to help interpret that vision,\u201d she says. \u201cBut you have to be able to get into their world, which I loved doing.\u201d Kincaid\u2019s design fluency, refined traditional aesthetic, attention to detail, and ability to embrace her clients\u2019 sometimes divergent preferences resulted in an interior whose total is greater than the sum of its parts. Nota bene that the parts individually would have been fine, for Kincaid is nothing if not a champion of the Pretty Room.<\/p>\n

But the three together created something fresh yet comfortingly familiar, personal, and real. \u201cI think the design embraces their bohemian spirit,\u201d she continues. \u201cIt\u2019s got that collected, casual, educated look at things. It\u2019s sophisticated and there\u2019s a sense of humor.\u201d Robertson is an artist who is willing to take risks. Gieske has a deft eye for design and \u201cknows how to make things interesting,\u201d says Kincaid. \u201cThey know what they want.\u201d The designer saw her role as giving them the best version of what they wanted.<\/p>\n

\"donaldDouglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

The work nevertheless was cut out for her. \u201cThe only thing we argue about is our interior,\u201d says Robertson. \u201cKim likes things orderly. She doesn\u2019t like a lot of silliness in her house.\u201d And while it might go without saying, Robertson likes silliness. Pre-Kincaid, he bemoans, \u201cI would hang a painting, and Kim would give it to a neighbor. I literally would come home and it would be gone. Then we\u2019d go to someone\u2019s house for dinner, and I\u2019d see it and I\u2019d be like \u2018What?!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Enter Kincaid, who got on with Gieske \u201clike a house on fire,\u201d says Robertson, though he feared the house would veer perilously close to preppy purgatory, \u201cwith my stuff all stashed away.\u201d The designer brought in Charlie Birdsong, a wizard of rearranging and decorating mashups. The masterful stylist worked with Kincaid for more than 35 years before his death in late 2022. She calls him her secret weapon.<\/p>\n

Together they shuffled the clients\u2019 existing furnishings and art to make the rooms work better. Nothing and everything was sacred, including exuberant artworks by the couple\u2019s absurdly adorable twins, aged 10. \u201cCharlie smashed it all together and solved our problems in five seconds,\u201d Robertson says. Best of all, he adds subversively, \u201cthe house looks very buttoned-up, but if you look closely, there\u2019s some nonsense going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"donaldDouglas Friedman for VERANDAA taupe linen patterned wallcovering (Namay Samay<\/a>) warms the dining room.<\/p>\n

Peace and nonsense restored, Kincaid and Gieske set about choosing fabrics and filling in gaps. Kincaid is especially fond of textiles and obtaining fabrics from little-known sources. Elsewhere it\u2019s all about the mix. In the dining room, a stout, white lacquered table pairs with 18th-century-style chairs.<\/p>\n

A sweet bedroom pastel print is toughened up by a beige dhurrie rug. In the kitchen, petticoat-like slipcovers drape utilitarian metal light fixtures. And in one of the boys\u2019 rooms, a soft Sister Parish wallpaper is background to a bold abstract by skateboard dude artist Sebo Walker.<\/p>\n

\"starDouglas Friedman for VERANDAIn son Henry\u2019s room, a colorful abstract by artist Sebo Walker<\/a> contrasts with a traditional English faux-bamboo chest picked up at Round Top.<\/p>\n

With tongue in cheek, Robertson asserts himself as a \u201ccompetitive artist\u201d who does not cotton to displaying the work of rivals. But he makes exceptions, as for the painter of said abstract. \u201cI collect art from new dads,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause I know they\u2019re all probably desperate for cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entry\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

Vintage panels hang behind a Gustavian pine bench in the entry.<\/p>\n

TV Room\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

Left: A botanical-inspired brass pendant (Urban Electric<\/a>) crowns the TV room. The window shade and ottoman fabric are Namay Samay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Right: Raffia-covered walls (Phillip Jeffries<\/a>) and a 1970s Italian side table set the TV room at ease. Photography over sofa, Hugh Holland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Living Room\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

A pair of Steve Chase\u2013designed Native American pottery lamps presides over the living room. Chairs, Paul McCobb. Artwork, son Teddy Robertson (center) and Michael de Feo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

Vintage seascapes mix with modern masterpieces by daughter Drue (lower left) and Robertson (lower right).<\/p>\n

\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

Left: A three-tier mahogany trolley serves as the living room\u2019s bar cart, surrounded with paintings by Donald and son Charlie.<\/p>\n

Right: A pair of single-arm sconces from John Rosselli & Associates<\/a> flanks a floral painting by Michael de Feo<\/a> above the living room\u2019s fireplace.<\/p>\n

Primary Bedroom\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

In the couple\u2019s bedroom, scalloped bed linens (Leontine Linens<\/a>) and woven seating (Bonacina<\/a>) mingle with modern photography (Tim Barber<\/a>, left, and Paul Westlake<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Guest Bedroom\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

Centuries of pattern traditions come together in a guest room, from small-scale Indian motifs by Shyam Ahuja <\/a>(draperies, large bed pillows) to a quilt made from antique textiles (Perla Nunez). Basketball sculpture, Donald Robertson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"donald<\/p>\n

Douglas Friedman for VERANDA<\/p>\n

A gallery wall of Donald\u2019s work takes permanent residence in the guest bedroom. The wallpaper is Cole & Sons<\/a>, and the lampshade fabric is Colefax and Fowler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Join VERANDA\u2019s Design Society\"Join<\/a>Join VERANDA\u2019s Design Society<\/p>\n

Featured in our March\/April 2024 issue. Interior Design by Cathy Kincaid; Photography by Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank; Written by Frances Schultz.
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