Brilliant friends | Interior Designer Pam Kelley from Dallas, Texas

Brilliant friends | Interior Designer Pam Kelley from Dallas, Texas.

Pam Kelley is the principal designer of Pam Kelley & Associates, based in Dallas, Texas. I was so excited to speak with Pam recently, I know you will love her and her inspired interior design work! Specializing in residential interior design and interior decoration, Pam's firm offers everything from design conception, budget preparation, space planning, and architectural rendering to art consultation, landscape design, household management and event planning.

Pam is known for her classically stylish home designs, creating a gracious environment for her client's lives. Her interior design style is steeped in southern tradition and richly reflects a sense of heritage and charm, while maintaining current aesthetic. Pam's clients are exceptionally appreciative of the homes she designs for them, so much so that their children often hire her once they acquire a residence of their own.

Her signature style is a mix of southern traditional with a modern approach, she is a master at creating vignettes with collections that have been passed down in families, or collections that appear to have been.

1. Please tell us a little about yourself.

First and foremost, I am a Texan. I also consider myself a Southern lady, inside and out, who has an immense passion for her family, her home and her career. I take great pleasure in gardening, cooking and entertaining as well- often hosting up to 24 for a seated dinner and squeezing up to 50 loved ones in for my annual Easter party or the Christmas night tamale buffet!

2. When did you realize you wanted to design beautiful interiors?

My surroundings have always been very important to me. I loved designing my own room as a young adult. So much so, that for my sixteenth birthday I requested a coffee table from my childhood sweetheart! He made me the table in his wood shop class and even painted it my choice of a sunny Sherwin Williams yellow. Once I married that sweet young man, we requested my parents give us a headboard for our wedding gift! And so it goes…

3. How would you describe your design style?

Design, for me, centers on my concept of The Great American House. I have had the pleasure to work across our beautiful country and I love focusing on the architectural styles typical to each region. It is important to me that I honor each home’s era and location, while still infusing my signature style.

Antique Persian rug, antique French dining table cut down to make coffee table, antique box on stand.

4. What inspires you?

Nature inspires me most of all! So many of my choices within the home are inspired by the colors, textures and scenes just outside the doorway. I believe that spaces are the most pleasing when there is a bridge between the interior and exterior. Landscape design is just as important as interior design. They go hand in hand. And I must say, I take great pride in my own gardens and get so much joy from the vista they provide.

5. If your interior spaces had a message, what would you like them to say?

My residential projects reflect the clients and their personalities. When these families walk in the door, what I want them to feel is “welcome home.” Today’s lifestyle is frenetic and we are bombarded with stimuli. We need our homes to be a comfortable safe haven where we can rest and recenter.

Old Paris porcelain sitting on console; tole flowers by a Parisian artist in antique, terra cotta cachepots.

6. What’s your favorite antique find, and where did you use it?

Oh my! I own so many beloved antiques that it is hard to choose a favorite. With that said, I admit that when I downsized a few years ago, I was determined to find a house that would hold my very large, English mahogany bibliotheque and my limed oak French buffet, with a marble top, that is in my master bedroom. I even had to open up a wall to get that treasure into place!

Antique Chinese export lamp, French Empire style caned bed, antique commode as bedside chest, Italian walnut settee.

7. How do you incorporate antiques and vintage pieces into your designs for clients?

There are antiques that have become works of art and are investment pieces for that purpose. But that is not realistic with many families I work with. I encourage my clients, when buying antiques, to search out pieces that are truly functional and can become a part of their day to day living. Additionally, I feel that antiques accumulated over time, especially while traveling, hold special memories- I have collected from all of the great antique fairs, around the globe, and I must say I have yet to regret even one of my purchases.

8. Who is your design muse?

Bunny Williams. I loved her first book An Affair with a House, it truly portrays her love for her home, and I admire her beautiful design sense, as well as how she lives her life, with grace and great style. I share her passion for our environment, the way she lives, the manner in which she loves her home, her gardens, and her dogs.

Pam's own beautiful work has been lauded and published in shelter magazines such as Traditional Home, Southern Accents, Better Homes & Gardens, Interior Designs, Windows and Walls and D Home.

Loves and Inspirations:

1. My favorite colors are:

I adore the many shades of blue and green- again, the earth inspires me most.

2. If I could have one wish, I would wish for:

I wish that interior design was accessible to everyone. I work with a fantastic non-profit, Dwell with Dignity, that is truly changing lives by creating safe and beautiful environments for struggling families, many who were previously homeless.

3. Right now I am reading:

My latest read is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a fiction novel taking place in Europe, just prior to World War II.

4. My favorite place is:

Paris is the most favorite place that I have ever been. I would go right this minute if I could get away. And I love being anywhere with my family.

5. I can’t live without:

I cannot live without two things: a garden and a dog- I cannot decide which one carries more weight. I have to have them both!

6. A FrenchGardenHouse antique I adore:

I love it all! However, I have a fondness for your religious artifacts. You have a French Virgin Mary Madonna, in blue, I would love to add to my collection. My home could literally be an extension of your shop!

Religious Antiques

Thank you so much, Pam, for sharing your beautiful design work, and telling us more about yourself, what you love, and what inspires you! If you want to contact Pam for design work please email her at pam@pamkelley.com. You can see her inspirational Pinterest boards: PAM KELLEY on PINTEREST, and her glorious Instagram feed: pamkelleydesigns

Design your own gracious and well-collected personal interiors with antiques and decor from FrenchGardenHouse.

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I hope you have enjoyed meeting one of our Brilliant friends | Interior Designer Pam Kelley from Dallas, Texas.

Do you have a favorite room that Pam designed? Share which one it is below… we all want to know which is your favorite.

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Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com