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58 LET THERE BE LIGHT The resulting two-story, wood-framed dwelling is a crisp white beacon that alludes to the vernacular cottages and bungalows that once lined this neighborhood. With its high ceilings and pristine white shutters, it also maintains a sense of modesty and grace — a pleasing, non-jarring antidote to an area long under siege from developers. Of paramount importance was the property of light, achieved through the house's siting and architecture. "Hiram's home is designed with natural ventilation," Reid says. "All windows are oper- able, with a light well and stairwell that serves as a vertical vent via an operable skylight." Consequently, light floods its central stairway to the second floor, an architectural solution by Reid that recalls the feeling of a Turrell skyspace. The bracing Texas sun is modulated by one of the home's calling cards: sturdy white shutters, their linearity reminiscent of a Donald Judd work — which is appropriate, as a black- and-white Judd woodcut commands a wall in the living area. In the black-and-white vein, the first floor's black Mexican floor tile was a look Butler emulated from the de Menils' Philip Johnson-designed home on San Felipe. The tiles lend warmth and a touch of drama, to create a bit of a stage set. Like a Jennifer Bartlett drawing of a basic block house (a similar work on paper by the artist hangs in the second-floor hall), this structure is the honed essence of house-ness. "It's almost like a Monopoly token house, with its steeply gabled roof, and simplicity," Spindler-Roesle says. "Simple houses are much harder to build than fancy houses. There's no room for covering up mistakes. In a big Baroque house, you always can add a cover strip or molding." Beyond their nuanced aesthetics and unerring eye, both men share a similar stance on moving. "This is my last house," says Butler. Spindler-Roesle chimes in, "We both have such strong nesting instincts. I'm not moving again." And, why should they. Few couples have such an ideal domicile, which reflects each partner's avocation and passions. WORLD OF INTERIORS Inside the new home, the contents are every bit the match to Reid's architecture. The open-flow downstairs is bookended by a marble-enveloped kitchen on the east side and a sturdy bank of bookcases on the west. An expansive dining and living space lies between. Topping the bookcases is part of Butler's ever-expanding collection of contemporary ceramics, which are in step with his exhibition program at the gallery, which often takes viewers into unexpected eddies of art history, as in last November's "Pots" show. Punctuating the space are sculptural groupings of furnishings — an intriguing amalgamation of centuries, epochs, and attitudes, from a Connecticut 18th- century chest of drawers to a contemporary sideboard with paw feet, a work by Texas artist Darryl Lauster inspired by the sculptor's stint as preparator at Rienzi and Bayou Bend. (Lauster is represented by Butler's former biz partner, Devin Borden.) The 20th century is evidenced by Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner, which cluster around a time-worn New England farm table, circa 1790-1820. Adding to the decorative-arts conversation is the understated star of the room, among many finds in the home from Andrew Spindler Antiques: a stately 19th-century Boston bookcase cabinet that contains Butler's late 19th-/early 20th-century Wedgwood black basalt collection. With its puritan-peaked Neoclassical pediment top, the erect highboy emits an American Gothic vibe. Butler, who is from Eagle Pass, Texas, honors his ranching background with a branding iron from the Carruthers side of his family, which has pride of place by the handsome mahogany cabinet. "This house is a collection of collections," Butler says. "Greek and Roman antiquities [including a miniscule 8th- century BC bronze horse similar to the one that inspired Robert Wilson's Horse chair]; prints and drawings; early American furniture; mid-century modern; the hat collection, including late MFAH registrar Edward Mayo's straw boater, a gift of his partner, Bill Lassiter; British studio pottery; and modern and contemporary art." Do not underestimate the art component: On In the living room, late-19th-century chaise longue belonged to Butler's mother. The mid-century upholstered and teak Minerva daybeds are Danish, designed by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard- Nielsen, circa 1950s. On the window sills, a collection of contemporary ceramics. Pair of Marcel Breuer B 35 chairs in tubular chrome and woven rattan, originally designed for Thonet in 1925, acquired from the late architect Bill Stern.