Photo by Nathan Schroder
Located just off the main house lies the McGahas’ woodshed, which houses their Beefmaster cattle, as well as a dining table designed by Denise and handmade by a local carpenter.
When an opportunity arose during the pandemic for Denise and her husband, Scott, to purchase a dairy farm in Decatur, Texas, the couple jumped at it. Their idea was to transform it into a ranch for raising beef cattle, a venture that seemed like a drastic departure for the designer. However, the pivot was anything but that. Denise stems from a rural part of Central Texas and is as well versed in agriculture, livestock, and the rich soil that permits each to flourish as she is in interiors and fashion. “I never thought I would return to my roots in the country, but I started longing for a place where a slower life existed,” says Denise.
Photo by Nathan Schroder
Perched atop the roof rack of Scott McGaha’s 1988 Land Rover Defender are pillows covered in Denise’s fabric collection for Vervain.
Just an hour up the road from Dallas, the McGahas’ 20-acre ranch, named Flintlock, sits atop one of Wise County’s many hills, making it the poster child for country living. Decatur is a town where community is key—and Flintlock is no different. Its sense of place draws you in and keeps you fed. And for Denise, it became not only a refuge and respite from the pandemic but also a place of inspiration.
Maintaining a ranch requires boots on the ground, and as Denise walked the property over the years, she developed a connection with the land. “The ranch forces you to be in nature every day,” she says. “Sitting atop a hill, you are able to watch amazing sunsets and track weather patterns. We often see storms rolling in, and our large oak trees signal the seasons for us. The wind rustles through them when there is a weather change; the animals are shaded by them in the summer when the trees are fully leafed out; and then they drop their many colored leaves in fall as the temperatures drop.”
Photo by Nathan Schroder
In the guest house, a wet bar utilizes the barn’s original sink. The window features a Roman shade made with Denise’s Berrymore pattern, an homage to her late grandmother and the blackberry vines she grew.
Paying close attention to these things helped Denise develop an acute awareness for Flintlock, which is why it became the perfect muse for the newest Denise McGaha Interiors launch— a fabric collection with Vervain. Given a shared affinity for honoring tradition and quality, the partnership was a natural fit. “Denise is definitive in her thinking yet open to dialogue and the organic nature of the creative process,” says Nina Butkin, vice president of design for Vervain.
“You have to know the past to understand the present.” At least that’s what the late American astronomer and science writer Carl Sagan once said. For Dallas interior designer Denise McGaha, these words ring true.
Intertwined in the threads of the collection lies Denise’s story, one that’s filled with richness and authenticity. Vervain was invested in telling that story, which further cemented Denise’s faith in the partnership. “I have a real heart for family-owned companies,” the designer says. “There’s a lot of knowledge of what it takes to start something from scratch and grow it, and that makes a big difference to me.”
Photo by Nathan Schroder
Denise draped her table in Royal Fern, an embroidered fabric for Vervain, topped with her collection of unmarked Blue Willow china on lettuce plates.
Denise was deliberate when it came to developing each pattern and colorway. From the original prints and embroidered accents to the luxe velvets and color schemes, the collection is a thoughtful intersection of where her past meets her present. “There’s a lot of nature and organic inspiration in the collection,” the designer says. With patterns that include blackberries, ferns, vines, and leafy textures, each piece is not only a reflection of Flintlock but also of her Texas upbringing.
Much like where she dwells today, Denise grew up on a ranch in Central Texas, where hospitality, entertaining, and eating well were the cornerstones of her home. After a long day of working outside, everyone was treated to a plated meal on a beautifully set table. Proper table linens were impressed upon Denise by her grandmother, who was a cattle rancher and gardener, as well as the matriarch of the family. “There was always a tablecloth for every season,” says the designer. “And there were always matching or coordinating napkins.”
Photo by Nathan Schroder
In the guest house bathroom, an antique armoire houses Denise’s collection of fabrics and wallcoverings for Vervain.
Denise has created a beautiful juxtaposition between the place that inspired her new collection and the collection itself. “There’s a ruggedness that reflects the nature here, but there’s also a refinement,” Denise says. And certain patterns are closely tied to her memories. For example, Berrymore is a tribute to her grandmother and the blackberry vines she grew in her garden. “It reminds me of all those years that my brother and I picked blackberries into five-gallon buckets,” Denise says. “The amount we collected from those vines over the summers was wild. We would have stained fingers and thorns in our thumbs, but I loved it.”
Photo by Nathan Schroder
Denise converted the now-defunct dairy barn into a guest house that offers visitors a luxurious respite set amidst the ranch’s bucolic landscape. Flanking the canopy bed is a pair of custom-made lampshades in Vervain’s Foxy fabric.
For Denise, it’s all about capturing beauty, whether on the ranch or in her fabrics. “When I walk through the pastures at Flintlock, I watch the light change and what the leaves do. And I pay attention to the colors of our animals and the patterns of their coats or their fur,” the designer says. “That’s beauty to me.”
By Ashley Hotham Cox | Photography by Nathan Schroder | Styled by Jimmie Henslee
SEE MORE FROM DENISE MCGAHA
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- Design Q&A: Denise McGaha
- The Designers’ Guide to Kitchen Lighting
- Highland Park Handsome
- The Designers’ Guide to Bedroom Lighting
- Explore more of Denise’s designs on her website and Instagram.
