PaperCity Magazine

March 2016 - Dallas

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FEBRUARY | PAGE 25 | 2016 XXXXXXXX CUTLINES: #7 & #14 In the living room, the wool-and-silk rug from Tai Ping Carpets was custom- designed by Jeffrey Lee of Grange Hall. The pair of sculptural tables was designed by Lee and custom-made by Michael Wilson Design in Wimberley. Lobmeyr vases and cast-bronze lamp from Grange Hall. The elephant-hide sculpture is Erik and Martin Demaine's Untitled, 2011. Handmade book is Kim Jones' Untitled, 1970–1992. #38 In the living room, the antique chest was purchased by the couple in New York the first year of their marriage. Steve DiBenedetto's Good Mystic vs. Bad Mystic vs. Tom Carvel, 2015. Stoneware sculpture is Charles Long's Untitled, 2006. W hen Dallas Art Fair co-founder and private dealer Chris Byrne wants to show young clients a stellar art collection and examples of specific artists' works, he often brings them to a modestly scaled house in Greenway Parks. It's also a great example of how to live comfortably with art. The antithesis of a sterile white box, the newly constructed soft modern house is crafted in warm rift- cut white oak, polished pigmented plaster, Lueders limestone and wood-molded brick from 125-year-old St. Joe Brick Works in Louisiana. Owned by Byrne's friend and former business partner and her real-estate developer husband, the two-story abode was designed to accommodate large-scale art without sacrificing livability. "Their collection was a primary consideration, so there's a lot of space for painting and sculpture," Byrne says. "The space feels very intimate and tailored to the artwork." For the homeowners, building a new house was a chance to start fresh after living in Preston Hollow for 22 years and raising their children. "Our old house was on an acre with a pool, and everything was geared to the kids," the wife says. With their children out of college, the time was right to move from their renovated 1950s residence with its stark white walls and communal dining and living areas into something less hard-edged. "I wanted something cozy and warm with defined rooms," she says. "I also wanted some traditional elements, like moldings." The seemingly perfect house landed on the market in Greenway Parks — a late 1940s structure in need of work. Positioned on a corner lot and backing up to one of the neighborhood's highly coveted greenbelts, this was their dream location. "Be careful what you ask for," she says, laughing. Interior designer Paul Dickel of Nancy G. Leib & Paul T. Dickel Architectural and Interior Design was brought on-board for the renovation after the wife admired his work on a friend's house. Dickel assessed the structure and created a plan for renovation. "It was perfect — exactly what I wanted," the wife remembers. But when the preliminary pricing came in, Dickel immediately suggested they tear it down and build new. "It didn't make sense to put that kind of money into a renovation," he says. Soon after, the couple was having dinner with their lawyer — who was also a good friend — and the topic of the house's renovations came up. "'Paul thinks you should tear the house down,'" the wife remembers he told them, point-blank. "The next morning, my husband is sitting at the computer going over the numbers, his hair all puffed out, and he slaps a paper on the desk. 'Let's tear it down.'" The scenario could be straight out of Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House, the 1948 film in which Cary Grant consults a string of experts — including their best friend and lawyer — with the hope of saving Left: In the living room, the rug from Tai Ping Carpets was custom-designed by Jeffrey Lee of Grange Hall. The pair of sculptural tables was designed by Lee and custom-made by Michael Wilson Design in Wimberley. Lobmeyr candy jars and cast-bronze lamp from Grange Hall. The elephant-hide sculpture is Erik and Martin Demaine's Untitled, 2011. Handmade book is Kim Jones' Untitled, 1970–1992. Above: In the living room, a Red Clay chair by Maarten Baas. Diptych is Joe Zucker's Pompeii, 2003. At back, Peter Saul's Deadly Diet, 2011. In the living room, an Yves Klein table, sofa from Holly Hunt and pair of vintage Warren Platner chairs. Pillows from Forty Five Ten. At back, Peter Saul's Deadly Diet, 2011. At right, Marcia Hafif 's Black Painting: Wabi Group Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, 1979. Continued on page 53 MARCH | PAGE 51 | 2016

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