This new residential project from Dallas-based Smitharc architecture + interiors continues the studio’s run of elegant contemporary houses in the area – see this house in Greenway Parks, the St Andrews Residence and Griggs Residence for earlier examples.
The Northaven Residence follows an established template of a flexible pavilion that combines a strong sense of transparency with careful planning to ensure privacy for the occupants – from outside and from each other – as well as a baked-in longevity that’ll allow for evolution and growth over the years.
Looking down on the Great Room from the upstairs bedroom wing
The client is a professional mother with three young sons, and the tailored brief not only gives the family space to grow over the decades to come but also provides the children with their own ‘zone’. This takes the form of a dedicated upper-floor wing containing three identical en-suite bedrooms and a separate sitting area, raised up and away from the living room (and the mother’s room).
The steel and oak stair in the heart of the house
These rooms are reached by a striking sculptural oak and steel staircase, with a satin brass railing. At the top of the stairs, a circular rooflight, or oculi, illuminates the curved and polished plaster walls. From the outside, a corner window reveals the form of the stair, treating like a vignette in a case.
The rooflight above the staircase
Everything else takes place on the L-shaped ground floor, with architectural elements that spread into the generous one-acre lot. A large, covered terrace adjoins the outdoor pool, which overlooks the sloping, wooded garden. There’s plenty of space for everything from cookouts to soccer parties, with lawns scattered with mature oak trees.
The formal dining room
Directly beneath the boys’ rooms you’ll find the triple garage, utility area, gymnasium and a second snug, while the entrance foyer with the grand stair serves as the dividing space between utility, sleeping and the living spaces.
These are collected together in one long linear double-height space, a Great Room with banks of windows to the north – the public-facing façade - and south across over the pool. A separate formal dining room adjoins the kitchen and pantry, with a kitchen table and island unit adjoining the main living space.
The living area is screen off from the kitchen
Tall custom-built metal screens provide separation in the space. The covered terrace is set beneath a spectacular raised roof which oversails the living room and creating views through the entire structure.
View through the house showing the covered terrace
The principal bedroom suite is housed in another wing, accessed through a discrete opening in the monumental limestone clad walls. This is treated like private sanctuary, with a generous walk-in closet and a large private bathroom with a view into its own walled-off area of the garden.
Northaven Residence, Dallas, Texas, by Smitharc architecture + interiors
In total, the living spaces run to a generous 4,500 square feet. In addition to the extensive use of Texas limestone, the materials palette includes plaster, white oak and cypress. Despite the open expanses of space and the large windows, the house still offers plenty of places to retreat into.
Although there is a clear mid-century modern influence running throughout, the Northaven Residence is no retro throwback. Instead, it offers a luxurious expression of a well-defined brief with a consistent aesthetic approach.