A stunning art collection and contemporary furniture make their home in this contemporary ranch home in a tree-lined Texas neighborhood. Realtor Kindred Roach and long-time spouse Brett Gray, a public relations executive, were drawn in by the pair of majestic, towering trees on the home’s front lawn and opted to provide the run-down 1953 ranch-style house a comprehensive overhaul.
One year after, the couple eventually moved into their re-created area and are thrilled with their larger, brighter, more organic architecture-inspired residence and, of course, the magnificent trees that surround it.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Kindred Roach, Brett Gray and their puppies, Walt and Angie
Location: Dallas
Size: About 2,500 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
The front exterior of this couple’s renovated ranch and 2 of the trees that started it all.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman: Kindred, as a Realtor, have no advice for prospective home buyers?
Kindred Roach: You can always alter a construction. Focus on finding a locality that works for you… whether it is nearby restaurants, affordability, architectural style, schools, access to streets etc..
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
The backyard is visible in the front entrance, incorporating the outdoors into the house. The entrance opens into a large, multifunctional area, with a slick sitting room positioned around an indoor-outdoor fireplace. The see-through fireplace is inserted in a handsome wall of black walnut and flanked by a pair of sliding glass doors.
VMD: Who or what inspires your style?
Brett Gray: We are fortunate to have many fantastic friends with terrific style who always inform and inspire us. We particularly enjoy art, fantastic photography and suitable lighting, which we feel is equally as important, if not more sothan furnishings.
Art above fireplace: Michael Tole; enlarged, triple split-framed print: William Fraser; couch: Crate & Barrel; Barcelona chairs: Design Within Reach; area carpeting: Karastan
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
A stylish contemporary door creates a dramatic first impression in the home’s entryway, which is where the very first item of artwork in the residence is introduced — a contemporary watercolor by Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Sarah Bienvenu.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
The open-concept entry is also the location of this formal dining area. The dining table is a robust piece of round glass atop a custom Inmod wooden foundation.
VMD: When did it actually feel like your home was your own?
KR: Our home felt very much like our own from the beginning; we’re actively involved in the remodeling plan and design. We have collected art for the past 15 decades, and we believe our art makes the home our house.
Collage on alloy artwork: Debbie Klein; area carpeting: Karastan
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
This dapper step-down den was the home’s garage. Just off the kitchen, it is centered by means of a wall setup of floor-to-ceiling Indian black slate, a dramatic backdrop for the home’s second fireplace plus a built in flat-screen TV. When weather allows, six oversize crank-style windows provide fabulous all-natural light plus a cross breeze.
“Our windows allow excellent lighting at several parts of the day,” says Gray. “The angles and shadows of the mild bring modifications to the rooms, not just throughout the daytime but round the seasons.”
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
A reverse view of this den exemplifies the open layout design with a breakfast/bar area and the kitchen. Indicative of this couple’s new love of minimalism, the understated decoration contains a custom leather sectional, a coffee table and a silk shag rug.
VMD: what’s your design philosophy?
BG: Until we lived in this house, we were largely traditional/eclectic. We lean towards contemporary, museum-finish walls, fantastic lighting for our art and windows that bring the outdoors inside.
KR: “Less is more” is our newest philosophy. And it is easier to keep.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
In addition to being a Realtor, Roach is also a formally trained chef, and he designed a kitchen meant for doing plenty of cooking. The beautiful and professional-grade area comes with a rich mix of stainless steel, black walnut and soapstone. It is accented by a white penny tile backsplash and a backyard view.
VMD: If you might have four famous people over for dinner, you’d encourage…
BG and KR: Ellen DeGeneres, Warren Buffett, Liz Smith and Kinky Friedman
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
Ardent entertainers, the couple installed this pub area in black walnut directly across from the kitchen. The area includes a place for casual dining table on a tulip dining table and scoop chairs from CB2.
VMD: What’s your proudest homeowner second?
KR: We are always pleased when we invite new folks over and they remark positively about the home.
BG: It always surprises people who have seen our previous homes, which have been incredibly different.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
This half bath — a fresh addition to the original two-bathroom house — sits just off the bar area and includes an elaborate floor tiled with mosaic glass in a tasteful sea foam color.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
The biggest of the backyard trees (a portion of which can be found in this view in the master bedroom) greatly influenced the remodel. The initial plan called for an expansion of the master bedroom and bath. When the homeowners understood that it required the tree to be removed, they promptly reworked the plan.
Art previously bed: artist and friend Ted Kincaid
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
An expansion of this house was required to make their vision for the master closet and bathroom, and it is the only true modification to the home’s original footprint. The shiny new area includes two floating vanities in black walnut and a generous source of Carrara marble.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
The guest bathroom redo resulted in a distinct but equally no-nonsense look, with white contemporary cabinets and a floor of black slate that was Indian.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
An excess bedroom used as an office stands out with its daring, custom green-apple wall shade. “We wanted an energetic, cheerful shade,” says Roach. Even with the eye-catching hue, the space maintains the polished, streamlined tone of the rest of the house.
VMD: Finish this statement:”Our solution to jumble is…”
KR: We despise clutter and don’t have any. We’ve got a garage sale approximately every year. It is very liberating!
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
One of the outside sitting areas includes a ceiling fan, antique ceiling tile art plus a flat-screen TV. It lies under the couple’s latest investment — a built in mosquito misting system.
VMD: Where is your favorite place in your home?
BG: I’d have to mention the outside patio on a nice summer day. Fans turning, fantastic songs, dinner on the grill, friends hanging out in the pool…
KR: Definitely. In the winter, we turn to the fireplace and revel in the patio.
Valerie McCaskill Dickman
Taking full advantage of their large lot, the couple installed a sterile saltwater pool, which they enjoy almost year-round as a result of its mild Texas winters. It is surrounded by a healthful, landscaped yard and a vegetable and herb garden, all of which were they designed and implanted themselves.
VMD: What do you want to do with your home next?
BG: We are done. I honestly can not fathom another home or significant project. After transferring six times, we call this one of our final resting place.
KR: Amen!
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