Home

[Oznell]

The celebrated interior designer and antiques dealer Joe Minton is still going strong.  Love this guy, a master story teller. 

"Homeworthy" did a fabulous video of him in his Dallas house, and he right away tells us that he recently lost a job because of his age-- those benighted clients thought he wouldn't be able do it, due to his advanced years.  It is their loss.

How dashing was he as a young lieutenant from Fort Worth, stationed in England during the Cold War Fifties?   That's part of the story too, how he was invited by young debs he met, to the great English country houses, and what that wrought...

His double-height living room is completely encased in sublime oak paneling from a 1723 English manor house-- the warmth of that wood, and the carving, are a marvel to see...  The fireplace is of a pure white, statuary type of marble, like the marble out of which Michalangelo's David was carved:

The house was a bachelor pad for a previous architect/designer, who built it, who procured that incredible paneling, painted the floor black (love), built a round dining room, tiny kitchen, two small bedrooms and a study.  And that's it.

Minton's mad for English and French antiques, and has a museum quality blue-and-white chinoiserie collection, but his favorite thing to do in the living room is to relax on his comfortable linen couch and look at those ancient walls...

He liked the circa 1950 fantasy stenciling in the dining room so much, he kept it.  His antique dining chairs are jauntily upholstered in green Hermes leather.

Note the marvel of the gently curved walls--  they also have several hidden doors concealed almost seamlessly in them, further on.  You can see the lustrous black floors close up here.

Detour to show a tiny fraction of his very old blue- and-white Canton ware.  It was in a shipwreck in the mid-18th century, off the coast of China, and was at the bottom of the sea for 300 years!  Imagine that.   Consequently, it has a unique patina, feeling "velvety" to the touch, he said...   

The house is fairly unassuming from the street--  you might not guess it contained a centuries' old English drawing room in it, intact!   The original designer-owner saw to it that there would be that huge window bringing in light--

That massive window from the inside....

Tantalizing glimpse of the dining room from the living room, through a pocket door.  That mellow wood!

The lighting is darker in this one, but you can see that comfy couch he likes to loll on, and how even a venerable room, of lofty height,  can be quite cozy too.

Although the house faces a busy Dallas street, Joe Minton relates that the back yard has the character of a remote forest, likening it to Sherwood Forest, that he loves to wake up to in the morning.

His enthusiasm and joie de vivre are so captivating in the video, as he tells riveting stories of his house, life and career.   I love older, seasoned designers--  they have so much to impart to us.

Googling:   House Tour:  90 Year Old Designer at Peak of Career  --will bring the video right up, and is well, well worth watching for those priceless, often surprising, anecdotes.  Even if you have to break it up into segments, as I did.

Or google:  Homeworthy        It's one of the most recent videos on their site.

Edited to add:   Oops, forgot to post.  See a few posts below for a picture of the ancient manor house in England from whence the drawing room was salvaged. 

[Another new name Sue]

Beautiful but busy.  He must employ a full-time duster.

[On It]

Love the house and its decor. It is so "Dallas." There is a style and quality there that I have not seen in other Texas cities. 

[Oznell]

I should have mentioned just one of the tiny tidbits from the video, for those who don't view it--

That historic drawing room that you see, was purchased in the 1920's by no less than William Randolph Hearst, who meant to put it in San Simeon!   The winding story of its disposition is fascinating.

Wingerworth Hall before demolition:

Joe Minton's paneling was originally the 1700's drawing room of ancient Wingerworth Hall, located in Derbyshire, and only a hop, skip and a jump from storied Chatsworth.  Sadly, the house itself was demolished in 1927, a fate that happened to too many stately homes.  But the priceless woodwork was saved.

So cool that it is able to live on. 

[ECBG]

How very rich and unique!

The antique walls are so magnificent and the perfect color to surround the beautiful antiques.  I'd love to see the home in real time!

What a trunk of treasures!

[Somertime]

@Oznell Thank you so much for posting this!  Love the home as much as I love the stories that go with it. 

Twenty-two years ago, I took up the carpet in my son's room due to stains on the light carpet and underneath was a concrete floor.  I sanded the floor, filled in the cracks and painted the floor black.  It's still black and a breeze to take care of.

[Oznell]

Glad your eye picked out that perfect, warm color of the paneling, @ECBG .   The original wood had darkened over the centuries, of course--  so the architect who built this Dallas house did an intricate job of bleaching it to this yummy color.  Nobody would want to be there during that arduoous (and potentially toxic) chemical process, but it got yummy results.

@Somertime,  I think you and I have shared our love of painted floors before.  What you did in your son's room was such a good idea!   I STILL haven't done anything about our son's wood floors, the ones that have ancient carpet glue on them, gack.   We threw down a few area rugs, and postponed thinking seriously about it.  But of course, sanding is going to be a first order of business, and if we do that, it must then be a classic painted floor!  Maybe when my son moves out??  

[manny2]

What a handsome man then and now. @Oznell  How sad we live in a country that lets age dictate when we have to stop doing what we love.  

[shoptilyadropagain]

What a handsome man he was then and now.  I'm glad he's still following his life's passion!

The home itself is definitely not my style.  I see an architectural detail that I like here and there but I find most of it and most of furnishings are far too ornate and fussy for me.  This is a classic example of less is more.  

[Oznell]

@manny2,  absolutely, you are so right.   I have to think those prospective clients could not have met him in person.  If they had, they would hardly have been worrying that he was somehow tottering on the grave.

Someone with a sterling career, who is still turning out excellent work, should be judged on the merits, not on length of time on earth!   It's not like he's an airline pilot, or a SEALS team member, or something, where lightning-fast reflexes or brute strength might be a requirement.

You rightly observe that we've got a long way to go in appreciating the blessings and value found in older people.