Life always felt full to the brim for one young Dallas couple, their days overflowing with two lively children, many friends and a carousel of festivities. Their formal French Provincial-style house, however, seemed too stiff for their jovial gatherings.
“They did not want anything too traditional,” recalls designer Fran DeLeo, who the couple recruited alongside fellow designer Thic Hoa to build a new custom abode in Westlake. “They told us, ‘We’re young. We’re fun. We have a family. We want our home to be light, fresh and relaxed.’ ”
Imagining this feeling within four walls, the couple kept returning to memories of Napa Valley wine country, drawn not to a particular architectural style so much as the atmosphere. “They love all those wonderful California organic textures and lots of natural light,” DeLeo observes. “It has a casual luxury that fits their lifestyle.”
Embracing this directive, architects Philip Pitzer and David Stocker brought a West Coast influence to the home’s arrangement of courtyards, building up the progression of indoor and outdoor spaces. The final layout unfolds as an elegant enfilade branching into outdoor areas. Some, such as the expansive pool terrace and cabana, set the scene for animated get-togethers, while other pocket-size courtyards add beauty and flood the interiors with sunlight and greenery. Landscape designer Jason Osterberger cultivated a distinct character for each alfresco interlude, from a romantic fire pit alcove engulfed in hydrangeas to an outdoor sculpture garden featuring a David Harber sphere nestled in drifts of Mexican feather grass.
Natural, tactile materials further deepen the interior’s sunlit warmth. Abundant rich caramel tones run through the wire-brushed oak floors, cerused rift-sawn oak cabinetry and knotted timber beams on the ceilings. The design team also drew inspiration from a residence they encountered in Napa, incorporating coarse stone walls and fireplaces both indoors and out. “But we made them Texan with Lueders limestone, which is native to this area,” DeLeo adds.
These rugged finishes still strike a contemporary profile thanks to streamlined detailing by builder Neal Calhoun’s tireless team of craftspeople. There’s a satisfying geometry to the precise wood elements, such as a basket-weave screen punctuating the front entrance and the cantilevered staircase with floating treads. The meticulous grid of stonework also flows seamlessly. “From inside to outside, around windows, doors, fireplaces and wall heights, there’s no odd shape or cut,” Calhoun says.
Alongside these organic features, the interiors exude inviting intimacy through thoughtful proportions. “We really watched the scale of the rooms, creating spaces the family can enjoy together but that also work well for entertaining,” Pitzer explains.
The result makes celebrations feel lively at any size. A separate scullery complete with an oven services the main kitchen, freeing up space for gathering around the elongated quartzite island. The adjacent family room carves out distinct but flexible areas of conversation. Exchanges flow between the deep-seated sofas nestled by the fireplace and a cluster of emerald-velvet swivel lounge chairs.
Dining, in turn, shifts from the easeful elegance of the formal dining room with its live-edge table and crystal-slab chandelier to the cozy intimacy of the breakfast nook’s ribbed white oak banquette. In a nod to the home’s Napa Valley influence, a dedicated wine-tasting room with wall-to-wall refrigerated cabinetry housing an expansive bottle collection enlivens cocktail hours. Meanwhile, a colorful guest apartment connected to the main house by a breezeway welcomes visitors in style after late-night festivities. “It has an artistic flair to it,” Hoa remarks, pointing to the green-velvet bed dotted with geometric-print pillows and the bathroom’s graphic black-and-white tile.
The home’s furnishings, however, maintain clean, crisp lines so as not to compete with other architectural elements but weave in little details that make each piece special, such as the quilted leather upholstery of the study’s lounge chairs or the contrasting wood tones of the dining room’s console.
A more adventurous spirit guided the eclectic art collection, which includes a prismatic Tom Hoitsma abstract, an undulating painted silk tapestry by Kenny Nguyen and a scattered porcelain thumbprint installation by Christina Watka. “When a client appreciates art as much as we do, we go all out,” Hoa says with a laugh.
Like a well-balanced wine, the space now feels infused with warmth and character. “This home has an everyday, livable luxury,” DeLeo observes. “It’s a fun place to live.”
