Bent Trail Residence

The clients (prefer to remain anon) are originally from Mexico but had just moved from Brazil and wanted a home with generous space and lots of light similar to modern structures in Brazil.

The house they found was originally built in 1980 or 81, but with a strong 70's feel.

Pre-renovation the house was much more closed in, but the clients could see the potential it had due to its sprawling, single-story layout which wrapped along a creek; something very unusual for Dallas. They were also attracted to the mature trees that fill the neighborhood.

The architect, Marc McCollum brought us on to the project to consult a few months in when it became clear that it was going to turn into a much larger renovation than originally planned.

The floor plan of the original house was not well organized; there just seemed to be one room after another and you could literally get lost. By strategically removing a few walls, we were able to make a 150-ft long visual connection, almost from one end of the house to the other. This way, whenever you come out of a secondary room, you understand exactly where you are in the house. Part of that long series of spaces were the two Living Rooms. Originally, a zig-zag of 3-steps was between them; but their location made them a dangerous fall hazard.

We needed to physically separate the Lower from the Upper while keeping them connected spatially. The idea of a simple stone box quickly came to mind, but the material and detailing would be critical with such a plain form. So the tops waterfall down to become the ends while the faces have reveals to articulate the thickness of the material and the size of the slabs. The Pietra Grey stone itself does the "work" of being beautiful.

As a design team, our favorite design element is easily the Pietra Grey stone boxes in the Living Rooms that divide the spaces and contain the fireplaces. The elegance of their detailing combined with their deft ability to both separate and connect the two Living Rooms really makes the overall space work correctly. A complete improvement over the original architecture of the house.

The attached images give the information for each piece of design and some materials, but I will expand on the materials below,

Living Room – Pietra gray stone fireplace and boxes, white oak floors, and venetian plaster walls. The front door is mahogany with bronze accent panels by Forms and Surfaces.

Sitting Room– Pietra gray stone fireplace and boxes, white oak floors, and venetian plaster walls. The drapery is made of an open weave linen. Steinway piano.

Dining Room - Pietra gray stone fireplace and boxes, white oak floors, and venetian plaster walls. The drapery is made of an open weave linen.

Kitchen / Breakfast – Cabinetry in Teak with bronze accent panels by Forms and Surfaces. Teak and blackened steel custom vent hood. White oak flooring. Concrete engineered quartz countertops by Santamargherita. Appliances are Wolf / Sub-zero.

Office – White oak and blackened steel bookshelves. White oak flooring. Pietra gray stone fireplace. The drapery is made of an open weave linen.

Primary Bedroom – White oak floors, Pietra Grey stone hearth. Blackened steel fireplace.

Story continued in the LINK Below…

https://archello.com/project/bent-trail-residence

Photography: Nathan Schroder / Robert Tsai