I designed this two-bedroom surf shack for myself around the idea of effortless luxury living. The all-black exterior of this simple rectangular home is clad in shou sugi ban shingles with a corrugated metal roof. A pair of metal garages create a motor court in front. Inside, it has polished concrete floors, an abundance of wood and stone furnishings, and large sunlit windows. I think the drapery in this house really makes this space; it adds very soft layers and casualness against the floors. The study with the fireplace is the most personal space for me: it's warm, conversational, and textural — and a great place to host people. It defines everything.

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Having been building houses since 2005, I've realized that these projects I do for myself are like an incubator for others: you can take little details from it that you've taken a risk on and apply them to your everyday projects in a more refined way. Oftentimes you solve the problems, and I think that's what we did here. I wouldn't have changed a thing about this house, but I designed it to never be sold because I thought no one wanted a two-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home in Dallas. It sold, and then it sold two more times, for more money each time.

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What I've realized is that oftentimes the ideas we keep in our head are actually really great. All people need to do is see them.