It’s more than a house. For one Plano resident, this was her first playground, the home her parents bought on her seventh birthday. She knows the street names; she remembers the neighbors. Years later, she and her husband bought the double lot from her mother and with it, a chance to rebuild her childhood home from the ground up, recreating it in a fresh, modern style while preserving its essence, little things that made it home.
“We had a blank slate,” the homeowner told me. “But we needed help making it look inviting.” They embraced the challenge of doing it all themselves, building a Made-in-Texas home that fit the style of the Dallas neighborhood. It was their homegrown project, from the rift white oak floors to final touches like artwork and lighting. It was both an homage to the neighborhood and, in the immortal words of Miranda Lambert, “the house that built her.”
A passion project such as this required some dedication. The couple fell in love with stonework in downtown Frisco and drove all the way out to the quarry near Big Springs, Texas to watch them pull it out of the ground to be used for the exterior of their house. Dating back to the crustacean period, fossilized animals hide in the stonework along with bright glimmers of mica, a shimmer they loved so much that they incorporated it into every room of the house.
When it was time to decorate, they turned to Marie Byrd, a designer with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. She simplified the process, narrowing down the store’s huge two-level fabric wall to a handful, picked accessories and accents and pulled the look together with ease. The open floor plan is tied together with beautiful finishing touches, all from the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams collection. The space is beautiful but functional, flexible enough to accommodate house parties as well as intimate family evenings.
Designer Marie Byrd combined neutrals, taupes and grays: cool and warm colors working in harmony with textured fabrics for added interest and style. They took full advantage of what Marie calls “the ability to mix pieces from within our collections and brand so it is all cohesive…to create a unique space for each room.” A bowl on the coffee table that resembles a huge broken egg, quirky metallic end tables, the mica countertops, the pops of pattern from the area rugs, pillows and bed linens, gold accents such as the glossy yet rough display plates, the glass bowls, smooth square tables—it is all meant to be together.
For a softer environment, the bedroom gravitates toward silver instead of gold, evidenced in the plush king bed and patterned pillows in shades of gray. Wide, thick curtains can be drawn for privacy in the evening, or left open for views into the vast backyard, where footpaths meander through foliage and native Texas plants.
Bathed in sunlight from the huge windows, the whole home is earthy with straight, easy lines. Creamy beige tones, metallic shine and warm, roughly-hewn wood sculptures seamlessly blend comfort and modernity. The silver tree stump lamps beside the bed are the quirky offspring of contemporary style and raw nature, common threads which run throughout the entire home.
The dining room has become one of their favorite rooms. There, a statement photograph of a flower, made from feathers and rendered in high detail, rests on the wall, a backdrop for the elegant chandelier.
Despite Mitchel Gold + Bob Williams’ flashy new design, the house’s value is in its history.
Everything from the old house that could be repurposed, was repurposed, down to the plants blooming in the backyard, which were originally cultivated by the homeowner’s mother. The room over the garage plays host to the old G&E stove and original floors. The same mail box still collects bills out front. “People tend to stick around here. They have deep roots,” the owner lets on. “We know a lot of the neighbors already. Everyone kept stopping in to watch the project. It’s a little sad that it’s finished.”
Originally published in Plano Profile‘s April 2017 issue.
