PaperCity Magazine

March 2016 - Dallas

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postwar modern Bauhaus and sprawling '50s ranch houses. "The design I created responded to earlier modernist houses in Greenway Parks," says Ryburn, who has worked on a dozen projects in the area. "I wanted it to have a lot of transparency and natural light and views to the greenbelt." Visibility had to be altered a bit when curious neighbors walking on the greenbelt kept peering inside — faces pressed to the windows — but strategically placed hedges, benches and Japanese maples took care of that. With a standing-seam metal roof, the architecture hints at Texas vernacular style. Clad in a light tan and rose blend of historic St. Joe brick, the exterior nods to other striking St. Joe brick structures in Dallas, including the 1960–designed St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, for which Ryburn recently built a courtyard columbarium. A fter a 15–year career as a private art advisor, the homeowner recently retired to focus on building her own collection, which includes works by mid-career and established artists such as Peter Saul. She's intensely interested in outsider art, including works by Vahakn Arslanian, James Castle and Mark Lombardi; she also owns important drawings and paintings by Jim Nutt, a Chicago Imagist. Her personal collection comes out of her relationship with artists. "Her knowledge allows her to work intuitively, avoiding the self-consciousness that can sometimes be a trap for collectors," Byrne says. He credits her with helping to organize local exhibitions, talks and performances by artists William Anastasi, Peter Halley and Scott Reeder. She also promoted the careers of emerging young artists and helped reintroduce the work of established artists Peter Saul and Joe Zucker. "She sees a lot and is tireless in the pursuit … and she's very kind and curious — it's often the same attributes that great artists have." As strong as her personal collection may be, the house is not an art gallery. It needed to accommodate the many ways the couple entertains: cocktail parties for her husband's clients and smaller gatherings, such as hosting a speaker and guests around the living-room fireplace for the various nonprofits with which she's involved, including the Dallas Contemporary and Planned Parenthood. "They have a public and private life," Dickel says, "so we designed distinct areas for both. They wanted a very social and gracious entertaining space with a separate kitchen, because gatherings will be catered. In the kitchen, I had this idea of doing something cozy and English, and Nancy [Leib] sparked it up with Carrara marble and made it sing. It has a great personality." U nlike some art-packed houses that threaten to float away in a cloud of white, this house is grounded with warm white oak and limestone floors, and topped with ceilings in polished plaster and plank white oak. Some of the exterior materials, such as Lueders limestone and St. Joe brick, extend inside the front and back entries and utilities area. This helps to "keep the feel of the outside coming in, so that there's no real divisions," Dickel says. "All of the materials we used give the house depth and texture and dimension." The furnishings contribute yet another layer of sophistication — an artful mix of custom pieces designed for the house by Leib and Jeffrey Lee of Grange Hall, along with the couple's existing furniture, including an Yves Klein coffee table in the living room, an Andrée Putman settee attending a vintage Paul McCobb table in the dining room and classic designs by Warren Platner, Mies van der Rohe and Knoll scattered throughout. At the end of the day, the house was designed not for an art collector to pull up a chair in front of her favorite painting and sigh, but for a couple with grown kids to really live in and enjoy their house together. "My favorite thing is to turn on the fire in my den with my husband after he gets home, especially on cold nights," the wife says. "We settle into our reading chairs and watch TV, and we love it. I really look forward to that time of the day." Below, clockwise from top row left: 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. In the dining room, an Andrée Putman settee and Paul McCobb table. Grange Hall vases. Malcolm Morley's Rules of Engagement, 2011. The master bedroom's custom headboard and storage were designed by Paul Dinkel and Nancy Leib. Linens are custom-made by Leontine. MARCH | PAGE 54 | 2016

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