On the Hunt

Holly Hunt is coming home again. Her story began in a small West Texas town; the budding interior design mogul, who studied English and textiles at Texas Tech, worked briefly at Foley’s in Houston before heading to New York. She eventually landed in Chicago, where in 1983 she started a small showroom in the Chicago Merchandise Mart — one that made the international design world take notice. It was there she built her eponymous brand, selling contemporary pieces by the likes of mid-century modernist Karl Springer, making a name for Christian Liaigre stateside and taking on American couture designer Ralph Rucci, inspiring him to create his own furnishings collection. With a penchant for French that endures, she’s wooed Gallic architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte and his countrymen, designer Tristan Auer and Christian Astuguevieille, into her exclusive design clique. While refining her eye for clean, modern lines and a pulled-back aesthetic (all fostered as a luxe, contemporary alternative during the opulent ’80s, when frou-frou antiques and gussied-up upholstery ruled the interior landscape), she eventually created her own lines of furniture and fabrics, much of which is made in the U.S., including case goods produced by craftsmen in Texas. This summer, Hunt opened her first showroom in Dallas — a mighty 15,000-square-foot space — with a smaller 3,500-square-foot space opening in Houston this fall. These join seven other U.S. showrooms, as well as showrooms in Sao Paulo and London. Showroom manager Nancy Winston oversees both to-the-trade locations, filling them with the likes of Great Plains Fabrics, Alison Berger lighting and, of course, Holly Hunt leather, studio furniture and lighting.

Holly Hunt, Dallas Design Center, 1025 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 590, 214.245.4770, hollyhunt.com