Alive with Color
BY LYDIA SOMERVILLE | PUBLISHED IN SOUTHERN - HOME – JAN - FEB 2024 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER & MICHAEL HUNTER
When Leslie Jenkins and her husband, Jeff, decided to buy a classic 1920s house in Fort Worth, they intended to retain its original layout and period character. But like most interior designers working on a home for them- selves, Jenkins quickly expanded the scope of remodeling beyond those original intentions. “We basically gutted it,” she says, “but we did keep the façade intact.” She moved the staircase, created a luxurious backyard with a pool as well as seating and dining areas, and transformed the second floor from five small bedrooms to three large ones—the primary plus two guest rooms for her grown children and future grandchildren. “As empty nesters, we wanted rooms that our kids would want to stay in.”
Jenkins works out of an office in Dallas, where she also co-owns interiors shop Blue Print and Blue Print Gallery. At these locations, the public can indulge in the impactful art and glamorous furnishings she loves. A devoted collector, Jenkins amassed her home’s artwork over years of travel to England and France, and the bold canvases interact with her design choices to create dynamic rooms.
Modern History
BY CHRISTINE DEORIO | PUBLISHED IN LUXE MAGAZINE – JULY 2020 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
It takes more than a modicum of confidence to put a personal twist on an architectural style as iconic as Mediterranean Revival. But that’s exactly what a Dallas couple planned to do when they commissioned a fresh, glamorous take on the classic for their tree-shaded lot in University Park. “We knew we wanted as many arches as possible, stucco, a real clay tile roof and copper gutters—all the things that make for a true Mediterranean design,” the wife says, “but we also knew we wanted it to be very light and bright, with as many windows as possible and no hallways or unnecessary walls.”
To mold the timeless style to fit with their modern sensibilities, the couple turned first to builder Robert Elliott’s in-house residential designer, Brent Slocum, who considered both their young children and their love of entertaining when designing a floor plan merging casual, family-friendly spaces with more formal rooms. An elegant living room and illuminated onyx bar at the front of the house fill nearly one-quarter of the main floor; the rest is devoted to a grand entry, a formal dining room and an open-plan cooking, dining and living space. Upstairs, there’s a central game room amid four elegant bedroom suites.
Designing Purposeful Spaces with Leslie Jenkins
BY CATHERINE CORNELISSEN | PUBLISHED IN THE DECORALIST - AUGUST 2020 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
Dallas-based interior designer and store owner Leslie Jenkins has loved interior design ever since she was a little girl. Naturally a creative person, Leslie loves colour, textures, spacial planning as well as all of the details that go into designing a home both inside and out. Describing her style in just three words -- "timeless, classic, curated" -- Leslie's portfolio encompasses just that. Warm, sumptuous and beautifully designed upholstery that will stand the test of time, curated artworks and classic finishes can be seen in all her work.
“I love to combine new and old to give a timeless, curated, acquired space. I like each piece, whether large or small, to have a purpose, even if the purpose is just to enhance the rest of the pieces. I always prefer quality and items of interest over quantity. I want each space to feel spacial and one you want to enter into and enjoy.”
House Tour: Dallas Showstopper by Jenkins Interiors
BY DESIGNCHIC | PUBLISHED IN DESIGNCHIC - MARCH 2019 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
Jenkins Interiors among others of our designer friends, has given us a new stereotype about Texas: The homes are incredible, in no small part, of course, to these fabulous designers. This house lives up to one stereotype in that it is nothing short of luxe. But a laid back luxe, which is all the better. Beauty is all in the details and this fume hood combined with that range and those barstools — its eye candy at it’s finest.
Pops of color keep this home vibrant, down to earth, and totally livable. We love the way how pinks, blues, and golds are carried throughout the color scheme. From a pink bathroom fit for a princess, to a little boy’s room to dream about, everyone has the right beautiful space in this home.
Inside Leslie Jenkins Pretty Tyler Home
BY JESSICA ELLIOTT | PUBLISHED IN D HOME SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2018 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH LAVIN
More than two decades ago, interior designer Leslie Jenkins had the savvy to shop European markets with Cynthia Collins, bringing treasures home in trunks to sell out of her house. (friends clamored for her finds.) Her prowess has since evolved—she now co-owns Uptown interiors boutique Blue Print and adjacent Blue Print Gallery, and she mixes her Parisian and English finds in all sorts of projects through her design firm, Jenkins Interiors. A Dallas native, her own home embodies her aesthetic: an effortlessly cultivated, collected style that feels sophisticated without pretension.
Jenkins’ 1940s four-bedroom home was built by renowned architect Shirley Simons for a prominent Southern family, like many historic homes in Tyler. “They were huge entertainers,” Jenkins says, “so the two front rooms are extremely large for the scale of the house—it was a challenge for me.”
Building History
A NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME OVERFLOWING WITH TIMELESS ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS AND CLASSIC FURNISHINGS PERFECTLY MELDS THE PRESENT WITH THE PAST FOR A DALLAS FAMILY
BY TIFFANY ADAMS | PUBLISHED IN SOUTHERN HOME MAY-JUNE 2018 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
Goodbyes are never easy. That’s part of the reason this Dallas family decided moving to another neighborhood wasn’t an option. However, style updates, as well as the need for a separate in-law quarters, pressed the desire for more space. “We had lived in the same house for 20 years, so we knew the value of the street,” the homeowner says. “Not only was it well located within the city, but it also held a lot of memories for us, such as walking our three children to elementary school. It’s really a small town in the midst of urban sprawl. We didn’t want to leave that.” Lucky for them, the house next door, which belonged to a family who had lived in the neighborhood for 40 years, became available. “They gave us their ‘blessing’ to tear the house down and start fresh because they loved our street and knew we would build the type of home that would fit into the neighborhood,” the homeowner says. And, while they first considered remodeling the original home, in the end, this was the easiest way to achieve all of their goals.
Creating a new-construction home that appears to have been around for a century is no task for a novice. A friend of the homeowners who had recently worked with Leslie Jenkins of Jenkins Interiors connected them to the designer, and plans began to fall in place. “The owners wanted it to look like the house had always been there,” says Leslie. “Details were also super important to them,” adds Haley Powell, senior design associate at the firm, who worked alongside Jenkins on the project.
A Park Setting Inspires A Light-Filled Dallas Home
BY JENNIFER SERGENT | PUBLISHED IN luxe.daily- JANUARY 15, 2018 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN SCHRODER
Given a rare opportunity to build within view of prime parkland in Dallas’ University Park neighborhood, a couple with three young boys wanted their new house to be just as special as its verdant setting. Achieving that required the efforts of a tried-and-true team, with designer Leslie Jenkins’ classically minded interiors pairing with architect David Stocker’s signature steel-framed windows and doors. “The owners wanted a modern, fresh element running through the home,” Jenkins says, “but with a traditional feel, so it would be a little more timeless.”
Keeping that balance in mind, the designer incorporated ceiling trim and crown molding in areas such as the living room, dressing its floor-to-ceiling windows in thick linen drapery. Throw in curvaceous furnishings and a marble- patterned replace surround, paired with a Claire Crowe Collection replace screen, and the space achieves a salon-like effect. “In the back of my mind, I always aim for a fresh take on Parisian style,” Jenkins says.
