In the affluent Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, Alterstudio Architecture has completed a striking contemporary residence that challenges the area's predominant architectural vocabulary of Tudor mansions and French chateaus. The 12,398-square-foot, three-level home, completed in 2018, creates an extraordinary environment for both family living and art display on a property that originally lacked significant natural features or mature trees.
The design team, led by Kevin Alter and including Ernesto Cragnolino, Tim Whitehill, Michael Woodland, and Jenna Dezinski, developed an innovative response to the challenging site conditions. With neighboring houses looming on either side and no inherent landscape advantages, the architects created a distinctive architectural solution centered around a dramatic limestone bar that hovers at the building line, bends to define privacy, and cantilevers an impressive 35 feet at the main entry point.
A separate gallery building supports this private environment from behind, providing a carefully calibrated setting for the owners' significant rotating art collection. The architects separated the residence from the street using a low berm planted with native grasses, cacti, and indigenous shrubs, creating a naturalistic buffer that disguises the garage while inviting occupation in unexpected ways.
The architectural experience unfolds through a carefully orchestrated series of spatial revelations. Upon entering the property, visitors encounter unanticipated spaces as they meander through the grounds. Inside the main residence, occupants are alternately drawn horizontally into the landscape and deeper into the art-filled interior spaces. The double-height living room, carved into the stone bar above, provides a space of unexpected volume and drama.
Material selections throughout the project emphasize the juxtaposition of raw and refined finishes. Mill-finished steel abuts carefully composed Indiana limestone panels, while custom handmade tiles and glazed volcanic stones sourced from Guadalajara complement refined walnut cabinetry and stainless steel fixtures. Curved glass panels and enormous retracting glass doors, supplied by Sky-Frame, encourage seamless transitions between interior and exterior spaces.
The ground floor circulation occurs strategically along the window walls, emphasizing constant connections to nature and the surrounding landscape. A 40-foot-long wall of sliding glass doors opens the double-height living and dining room to the rear garden, which features a series of monumental concrete terraces. The kitchen and breakfast areas are strategically positioned at the junction of the front yard, side alley, and courtyard garden, creating multiple visual connections to outdoor spaces.
Private quarters occupy the upper level, where a long gallery corridor separates the children's bedrooms from the primary suite, ensuring both connection and privacy within the family areas. This organizational strategy allows for both communal family interaction and individual retreat spaces.
The separate single-story structure houses multiple functions including the main art gallery, gallery office, pool cabana, and guest suite. The ivy-covered building creates a contrast with the main house while maintaining architectural cohesion. Inside, the 14-foot-tall, 1,100-square-foot gallery space stands in deliberate contrast to the rich materiality and varied textures found throughout the main house and grounds.
The gallery interior prioritizes the presentation of art through an abstract, minimalist approach featuring polished concrete floors, stark white walls, and three large skylights provided by Glazing Vision. This neutral palette allows the rotating art collection to take center stage without competing architectural elements.
The project team included Steve Hild Custom Builder as the general contractor, with specialized consultants including Hocker for landscape design, Ellinwood & Machado Consulting Engineers for structural engineering, Positive Energy for mechanical systems, and Monk Consulting Engineers for civil engineering. Interior design was handled by SZProjects, while Essential Light Design Studio provided lighting consultation expertise.
Waterproofing consultation was provided by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, ensuring the building envelope would perform effectively in the Texas climate. The comprehensive team approach allowed for seamless integration of all building systems and finishes.
Throughout the residence, impeccable detailing creates both a tangible material presence and an abstract architectural ground against which the changing elements of nature, art, and social occasions are highlighted. The large-scale home successfully provides multiple experiential layers while maintaining architectural coherence and responding sensitively to its urban context in this prestigious Dallas neighborhood.
