Happy birthday to my dear friend, Darrah Dunn, who has been in my life since little Elizabeth Beaty started at Edison Montessori at the ripe old age of three – that’s 32 years back now, and Darrah was there as both Liz and Sarah’s teacher. It wasn’t long before he left Edison and came to work for Ray and me when we were doing all the Chili’s restaurant decor.

Darrah started with restaurant decor, then moved on to Victorian house restoration as Ray and I tackled that part of our lives with four major house projects over the years. Darrah was there for all of them, lending his growing expertise as a master carpenter and craftsman. He also did major interior work on our mid-century Savings and Loan building, helping us bring back to life yet another structure overwise destined for the dozer. At present, he’s helping us figure out the exterior of that building as well and continues work on the last of our Victorians, which has shifted from restoration to repair, something these graceful ladies tend to require over time. But Darrah has not just been our partner in creative projects but also is someone who is an extremely close friend.

Darrah and I have spent countless hours together over the years, cleaning, hauling, lifting, packing, organizing and decorating our houses, our building, and our many antique booths in Dallas, Fort Worth and Sherman. All the while we have worked, we have talked and joked and shared our hopes, our dreams, and our secrets. We are best buddies of the first order, opening up our hearts and minds to each other, and also commiserating about anything and everything in our lives that is not going quite as planned. Luckily, our spouses are also part of this mix so this has been a group connection that is special beyond measure.

I wanted to share just a tiny bit of the beautiful work Darrah has helped bring into being over the years. He and Ray are quite the creative duo, and these photos will shed a tiny light into how they have worked together to create some truly glorious spaces in this world. (I have helped, too, but not quite as much since my attention has been divided with other pursuits.)

Happy birthday, Darrah. These photos seem a fitting tribute to the love you share through your gorgeous work. I wish you every happiness and look forward to many more years of friendship and collaboration. Much love to you. my dear.

Darrah