It seems like it’s been ages since the third floor atop Highland Park Village’s Chanel and Starbucks has been under construction to create the so-very-exclusive Park House. Goodness, airline security should have such vetting of guests. Woe to the poor soul who should break the house rules.
Well, leave it to the Dallas Chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gammas to pass muster and hold the reveal of their 25th Anniversary Tablescapes plans at the Highland Park Village penthouse members-only social club.
As mind-boggling as you might find the interior art (some pieces literally move as you pass by ’em, while others looked like portraits of people who’d eaten one too many marshmallows**) and the spectacular, tree-top views of the Dallas Country Club grounds from the patio, the speaker for the Kappa fundraiser is a knock-it-out-of-the-park sight, too — Ray Booth.
He hails from Alabama and holds a degree in architecture from Auburn University. After interning at the residential architecture and interior design firm McAlpine, he moved up north to New York where he worked with such designing types as John Saldino and Clodagh.
Ten years later, he returned south to become a partner with his former professor Bobby McAlpine at McAlpine.
In addition to “dividing his time between the firm’s Nashville office and its expanded New York office,” Ray authored his best-selling first book, “Evocative Interiors,” in 2018. He’s also been featured in Elle Décor, Veranda, Milieu, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and on the cover of Architectural Digest.
As if launching his first furniture collection with Hickory Chair, and his first accessory and lighting collection with Arteriors, wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he’ll be in Dallas to be the featured speaker on Tuesday, October 15, for the Kappa Tablescapes Luncheon at the Dallas Country Club.
But there was still more on the announcement agenda tonight. 2019 Tablescapes Co-Chairs Anne McPherson, Kim Purnell and Stacey Walker honed in on two Dallas sweethearts in the crowd, because they will be honored during the two-day October affair. Louise Griffeth will be honorary chair, and Lindalyn Adams will be honored with the Key Award for her years of doing “everything in the world,” as one guest put it.
As for the dates for your social secretary to mark down, here are the details of the festivities:
- Monday, October 14 — Tablescapes by Candlelight, where guests feast on a marvelous cocktail buffet and get a sneak preview of the rooms of 55-60 table settings by some of the area’s most creative designers
- Tuesday, October 15 — The day starts with a viewing of the tables and a book signing with Ray, followed by a presentation including a Q&A. While the talk is underway, the tables are prepared for a seated luncheon.
Then, like Camelot, it all becomes a fabulous memory. But it also provides some very real funding for the following beneficiaries: Austin Street Center, Design Connect Create, Family Gateway, For the Nations: Refugee Outreach, Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Our Friends Place, ScholarShot, The Magdalen House and Wesley Rankin Community Center.
* Photo provided by Kappa Kappa Gamma Dallas Chapter ** Artwork is prohibited from being photographed, according to the house rules. However, they are available here.