Tennessee native and Dallas-based interior designer Chad Dorsey talks to Effect about a childhood spent in antique stores and the architectural training behind his sculptural sense of space
Chad Dorsey first caught our eye when images of his Dallas Highland Park project emerged in the media. His renovation of a grand Federal-style residence brought back to life a tired family home in need of an update sympathetic to its gracious architectural bones. With the bulk of the work completed in a mere four months during the early days of the pandemic, Dorsey was heralded for his resolute and inventive approach to sourcing quality pieces and marshalling a major renovation in whirlwind time.
Dorsey’s approach to fusing his client’s impressive art collection with collectible and highly contemporary pieces garnered justifiable attention; and since then, he has continually impressed with bold work across Dallas – his new hometown – and beyond. Effect Magazine sat down with the designer to ask about the trajectory of his career and how he takes clients on a journey through their own projects.
How did your childhood in Tennessee impact your approach to design?
My mother often took me to antique stores and garage sales as she always had a tight budget with which to furnish our family home. I also vividly recall when my parents were building their first house – I walked around with graph paper, making my own floor plans. I always wanted to be an architect.
You went on to practice as an architect for many years. What led you to focus on interiors?
After I qualified, I moved to Dallas in 2000, and spent a lot of time working on commercial projects. Later, I started working for a luxury hospitality interior architecture company, which opened my eyes to the more interior-focused side of the business. I project-managed a number of large hospitality projects across the country, and while the style of these projects didn’t necessarily resonate with me, I learned a great deal about the industry.
I then started my own small renovation business with a partner off the back of the success experienced from renovating and selling a house together. Our business was an offering of architecture, construction and interiors, and we even had visions of becoming a large lifestyle brand. However, the interiors side of the business gained major traction after securing some larger jobs in 2015. I decided to run an interiors business as a separate entity and that’s how Chad Dorsey Design came about.
I am always thinking about the architecture…. I see objects as sculpture in space versus as objects used to fill a space.
Chad Dorsey, interior designer
How has your experience as an architect informed how you engage with space?
I am always thinking about the architecture. I always see the space and the details first. I see objects as sculpture in space versus as objects used to fill a space. Objects and furniture should enhance a space and respond to the architecture – not in a way that hides or confuses it, but rather enhances it.
That strategy is also evident in the atypical way you seem to intentionally create space between objects – would you agree?
I really believe in the pause – in creating intentional space and breathing room between furniture instead of just smushing things in. No-one wants to live in a showroom or a catalogue. I design interiors for people who want to comfortably live in them and that also take into account how people move within the space. I like to create a careful balance between what looks cool and what is viable, with a consistency of material selection.
Was this your approach to your Highlands Park Project?
Yes, we really focused on taking the best of the client’s existing collection of furniture and art and creating new scenarios that would be interesting. Creating moments that were both unique but also livable.
How have you trained your eye to seamlessly layer disparate elements like a De Sede sofa with Jean Royère chairs?
It’s been an evolution over time. I definitely rely on my instinct and ability to sense how elements will go together through their scale and form – but to be honest, these combinations don’t always go according to plan. We always provide a number of options at installation and move things round until they work. We also bring in art – in scenarios where our clients don’t necessarily have an art collection yet – to show them what is possible. A home isn’t finished without art.
You have also branched out into product design, with Strike fireplaces and an upcoming home collection. How did this come about?
I love designing custom objects, and the fireplaces came as a result of my producing a bespoke fireplace and mantel for a project a number of years ago. We are now about to launch our second range of custom fireplaces as well as launch a collection of furniture. We’ve gained a lot of experience by producing custom pieces in our workroom over the years, and this felt like a natural progression.
Are you seeing any particular style requests trending among your clients?
I see a lot more use of texture in design, but not necessarily in a maximalist way. I also see a move back to more classical looks – particularly among my younger clients. And ironically, my empty-nester clients are showing more interest in cleaner lines. I also see some of those strong 80s colours coming back – the rusts and greens; rich tones. I love them and show clients that they can be used in a way that is warm and neutral by not mixing them with other colours, but by using them in a monochromatic way. I also think that the pandemic certainly caused us to look at defining and maximising spaces within a home more carefully, now that we are spending so much more time in them.
Read more: Interior Designers I Interiors | Vintage | Design | USA | Mid-Century