Located in Dallas, Texas, USA, the Caruth Boulevard residence was designed by Tom Reisenbichler of Perkins+Will to be a combination of a sustainable “Green Bohemian” lifestyle that still incorporated a luxurious aesthetic. The architect designed the home to fit snugly between the neighbouring building and the large and iconic trees that pre-existed on the site. Horizontal planes where emphasized so that the home would not overpower the trees and surrounding buildings, in fact the trees encroach on the silhouette in such a way that they become an integral part to the overall street vignette. The long linear lines running through the window glazings continue past the home and into the walkway for a complete composition of ground, home and trees.
The steel frames of the windows and doors are an integral design feature to the overall geometric composition of the Caruth Boulevard residence as are the geometric plant voids within the walkway. Punctuating the plant voids are deep rose red ceramic planters of various sizes to offer both height and colour drama. Additional drama is created by the feature wall of reclaimed wood just inside the foyer and easily visible to those approaching the home.
Once inside the home the feature wall of reclaimed wood exposes itself to be a central cube containing a powder room, bathroom, pantry, kitchen and wine bar. This Central cube divides the social sections of the home from the more private study, family room and media centre. The wine bar is opened to the living room via a pivoting wall section, creating a canopy into the living room itself. Opposite the wine bar is a stunning wall of light stone framing a long and linear gas fireplace. Two seating areas present themselves on a bohemian style rug while a large canvas of modern are fills the far wall. Both the rug and the art pick up on the rose hues within the outdoor ceramic planters.
Just past the wine bar is the centralized kitchen. Although separate from the main living and dining area, it is still connected by a very large opening and for those that want a more immediate connection, the island boasts a concrete bar overhang with waterfall edges capable of sitting 4. Through the wood “box” on the other side a glimpse of the stairwell to the upper volumes is visible.
The opening to the kitchen lines up with the dining room and here too a large contemporary canvas is filled with rose red and other warm tones. Adding to the theme of red are the handles on the commercial stove and even the flower on the small potted plant next to the stove. Adding to the linear lines is the random sized pencil tiles within the backsplash while the dining room fixture and bar pendants bring in an extra layer of touch of glam.
On the other side and kitty corner to the central box is the homeowner’s office and family room. The far wall is the entrance to the garage and this wall features more of the stonework found in the living room. The stonework continues on the adjoining wall to become a fireplace façade. Located between the fireplace and the garage door is a TV mounted high enough for the homeowner to keep tabs on while working from their office area and next to the door are sliding glass panels that lead to an outdoor patio.
The outdoor patio is under a covered section surrounded by the garage, family room and kitchen walls while a pool juts out from the fourth side. The patio is complete with outdoor dining and adding to the el fresco atmosphere is a wall mounted barbeque 3 steps down and next to the pool. With the patio framing the end of the pool, the dining room wall on one side and the garage the other, the pool has a courtyard feel even though the fourth side is wide open.
The pool is not the only ground level social zone. The first floor roof overhang and the stone privacy fence create a sheltered area just off of the living room – perfect for an outdoor conversation area.
Above the outdoor conversation area is a private deck accessed from the Master Suite. The cozy sitting area looks out over the street and down to the double volume foyer below.
The ensuite to the Master Suite also overlooks the street but retains complete privacy through the interesting and innovative use of wood slats just outside the window glazings. Mounted on an angle for light and spaced tightly together for the first 6 feet, the slats then pull and break apart to let the views of the skyline permeate the room. Adding an organic aesthetic is the dramatic and frankly awesome egg shaped marble tub which is as much sculpture as it is a place to bath. A huge walk in shower is next to the tub but with the use of frameless glass panels it does not upstage it. This ensuite is simply WOW.
Just outside the Master Bedroom and ensuite is a small sitting area that features a wall and ceiling section of reclaimed wood, another large contemporary canvas of a man and his dog and a light fixture with a decidedly tumbleweed feel about it that ties in with the swirling imagery within the canvas.
The sustainable features which include photovoltaic solar panels, recycled materials, drought resistant landscape plants, etc. have made this a certified LEED Gold designed home without compromising on the entertaining lifestyle so important to the owner / architect showing that Bohemian Green design and luxury living can indeed go hand in hand.
Tom Reisenbichler; Perkins+Will
Photography by Bret Janak
