Taken too literally, kitchens can be spartan, as functional as garages—and just as eye-catching. Not so in the homes of itinerant designer Michelle Nussbaumer. “I’ve held the line in maximalism for the last 30 years,” says the dynamo behind Ceylon et Cie, the 11,000-square-foot Dallas showroom.
Nussbaumer stuck to a mantra—“Do things that are not trendy, things you actually respond to”—while outfitting the newly converted warehouse home she and her husband, Bernard, own in Dallas. She installed what amounts to four kitchens: The main one (with a walk-in porcelain pantry) and a speakeasy occupy the first floor, while upstairs is a full art kitchen and a cocktail bar for entertaining.
When not in Dallas, the couple frequently retreat to their 16th-century hacienda in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. So in the main kitchen, a Mayan mural ties together the room’s blush pinks and bold blues. “I like to incorporate whatever makes me happy in my own kitchen,” says Nussbaumer. Innovative Thermador appliances (a brand she’s used for decades) and Hudson Valley Lighting fixtures, both available through Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, make the space exceedingly functional. “I love that you don’t see most of the appliances—they’re all behind lacquered doors,” she explains. “There’s something glam about it.”
In her art studio, Nussbaumer created an ode to the cook spaces of Paris: “It’s this little tiny thing, but everything you need is in it,” she says, pointing to covert fridge drawers. The walls, Ikea cabinets, and even the range hood are wrapped in a custom vinyl printed with Nussbaumer’s own ikat pattern.
The theatricality of it all should come as no surprise: Nussbaumer studied set design in college. “For me, it’s fun to have fantasy moments. A lot of designers started in theater—Renzo Mongiardino, Tony Duquette—and this is theater for life. It’s really nothing different.”
The Main Kitchen
“There’s an Art Deco vibe throughout the whole house,” says Nussbaumer, “but I still wanted it to feel like a warehouse.” Unpolished concrete walls and exposed steel beams are juxtaposed with glossy surfaces, bold color, and antiques.
The Speakeasy
“The whole room has a sexy, smoky vibe,” says Nussbaumer. Literally: “You can have a cigar here if you like to smoke.”
Corbett Lighting Broomley
Benjamin Moore El Cajon Clay Paint
Thermador Coffee Machine with Home Connect
The Pantries
Chinese tea canisters and glass jars are used for storage in the food pantry. Two doors down, a porcelain pantry mirrors its layout—but is stocked with slightly fancier loot.
The Art Kitchen
Nussbaumer’s own ikat print—paired with Thibaut on the ceiling—exemplifies the designer’s trademark pattern play. When she cooks for her husband here, she says, “it feels like we’re young and in a faraway place again.”
Troy Lighting Balboa
Lili Cement Tile Marta 2
The Cocktail Bar
Nussbaumer created this Art Deco delight in a room with 18-foot-high ceilings. “Surrounding it with fractured geometric Silestone by Cosentino was so fun,” she says.
Donghia Origami Occasional Table
Fabricut Vervain Secret Garden in Summer
Emtek Trinity Appliance Pull
Here's How Nussbaumer Ensured Major Drama
Mixed Floor Tiles
To stretch her supply of Lorraine and Marta 2 patterns from Lili Cement Tile for the Art Kitchen floor, Nussbaumer wove in simple red Terracotta 5000 tiles for a custom design.
Statement Trims
Plain molding—who needs it? Surrounding the doorways of the Main Kitchen with The Tile Shop’s dark-red Rosso Marquina turned them into otherworldly portals.
Wall Murals
Presiding over the food and drinks are Mayan deities (a Francisco Moreno creation made with Benjamin Moore paints in the Main Kitchen) and The Jungle Book’s Mowgli (by Paul Montgomery in the Cocktail Bar).
Patterned Cabinetry
Nussbaumer had an auto-body shop wrap the Art Kitchen’s Ikea cabinets in her own red-and-blue ikat.
Jewel-Like Hardware
The accents are everywhere: See Emtek’s gleaming gilt drawer pulls and faceted, octagonal handle on the porcelain pantry door.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
