In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re interviewing a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law duo who are taking the real estate and interior design world of Dallas by storm.
Amy Berry is an up-and-coming interior designer, owner of Amy Berry Design, who was recently named in HouseBeautiful’s Next Wave of designers. Her mother-in-law, Christy Berry, is a Dallas-based luxury real estate authority with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty who sold over $67 million last year alone.
Amy’s career started to flourish after Christy introduced her to her first client. Now, they are teaming up again as Christy lists Amy’s $2.2 million home at 4432 McFarlin Blvd. in University Park. We sat down with Amy and Christy to talk about their relationship, the future of luxury real estate and design, and how they’re selling this home together.
CandysDirt: How do you see your industries intertwining?
Amy Berry: There’s no way they can’t intertwine. Everything about a house, with or without a client, tells a story and a successful interior finishes that story. You can’t put a family in a home without understanding how they live and how they envision themselves living. Same goes for interiors, so the two really go hand-in-hand.
CD: How have you been teaming up thus far?
AB: I think everyone that works with Christy understands the attention to detail that goes into finding the perfect home. Having a designer involved with the house hunting process helps clients understand the potential a home can have, if the space can function the way they need it to, and if it’s a good fit. It works both ways though, when clients have questions concerning resale value or if a remodel or an addition is a good idea, I always run it by Christy first.
CD: What is it like working together?
AB: Always exciting! We both move quickly, but Christy and I are always talking and sharing what we see, which makes it endlessly fun.
Christy Berry: We are constantly bouncing ideas off each other and what trends each of us are seeing. As Jonathan Rosen, my partner at The Rosen Berry Group, and I work with quite a few builders, this is always top on our minds.
CD: Tell us about the house you’re listing at 4432 McFarlin— what’s special about it?
CB: You should have seen it before Amy got a hold of it! It was dark, dreary, and lacked character. Now, it is a sophisticated home with brick accents and everything from a fully renovated kitchen to an intimate study complete with a bar for relaxing. There are designer finishes throughout, of course, with Amy’s touches.
CD: What do you see as the future of luxury real estate and design?
CB: It is becoming more intertwined. Both of our generations are more about simplicity and clean lines, but it has to have some character to it. Even the spec builders are picking up on this and giving their homes a special bathroom or wallpaper somewhere to give the space some personality or real-life quality to it.
CD: How has being a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law duo helped your respective careers?
AB: Referrals are always a great thing! I have met so many wonderful people through Christy. Her network is so strong, and she has so much experience in the business. I’ve learned a ton from her!
CB: Being exposed to Amy’s age group and what they are looking for in a house (known as the Millennials) has been a great learning curve. They are not wanting the McMansions, but it is more about the space and how it lives. Outside areas are also important to this age group.
CD: Amy, you have a line of pillows, dog beds, tabletop, and home décor pieces. Where is that business going?
AB: It’s really a fun thing that kind of evolved organically. I started making things I couldn’t find in the marketplace and a demand for them started to grow. We eventually launched the site to house it all. It’s an extension, though, of how important those thoughtful little details are to us in a space.
CD: Christy, tell us about your business. How is Amy helpful to you?
CB: So many times I will walk into a home with clients and they cannot envision what the home “could be.” It’s sometimes difficult for people to fully envision a blank room as a vibrant and engaging space. Amy is my first call and she will walk them through and explain what changes could be made even it is just paint and paper, which changes the whole look and feel. She is a lifesaver and her ideas are amazing!
