In the library, we reinstated the cypress paneling and ceiling that had been stripped away over the years. We also used cypress cabinetry and doors throughout the rest of the house. The same material clads the house's exterior siding; native to Texas and Louisiana, cypress was prized by early Southern architects for its resistance to moisture and its warmth underfoot and overhead. Oak floors run beneath it, and we rebuilt the library's bookshelves to their original scale. Our goal was restraint: the interiors needed to be substantial enough to hold their own architecturally, yet relaxed enough for a family of four. Outside, a garden designed decades ago by landscape architect David Hocker has grown more dramatic with time. He edged the long, narrow lot with an allée of trees along one side, so the view from the front door reads as a single, endless lawn.

           Our clients are a couple who split their design interests between mid-century pieces and their own Asian heritage, and they brought a collection woven through with family history. Paintings by the wife's father, rendered on rice paper, anchor the dining room and set the tone for a broader idea that runs throughout the interiors: we mixed in decorative arts, furnishings as beautiful and collectible as they are functional. A Laverne coffee table, prized for its sculptural metalwork, carries that idea in the library; in the entry, the same spirit continues with a console by Jun Ho, paired with a vintage Paul McCobb chair and set beneath a Brutalist artwork found through Dallas gallery SputnikModern. A hand-carved rug and a large-scale painting, rich in greens and warm wood tones, came home with our client from her travels; the artwork, which hangs above the family room fireplace, set the palette for the entire room.