Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Modern Urban Sanctuary in Dallas
Abundant surrounding nature forms a backdrop for modern architecture and contemporary furniture in this Texas home
Rod Sager's heart went pit-a-pat as he walked around the exterior of this modern Dallas sanctuary for the first time. Designed by architect Stephen Chambers, each room in this Texas home has a clear view to the stunning surrounding landscape. "We don't use the shades in the master bedroom, because I love to fall asleep while looking outside," says Sager. "The frogs serenade me every night before bed."
As avid travelers, the Sagers have spent more than 10 years collecting art and sculptures from around the world. Their modern aesthetic, clean design and visually stunning artwork have resulted in a home where nature, architecture and art intersect beautifully.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Rod and Ginger Sager; frequent guests include their 6 kids: Mona, Molly, Lauren, Will, Elizabeth and Dennis
Location: Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Size: 4,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms
As avid travelers, the Sagers have spent more than 10 years collecting art and sculptures from around the world. Their modern aesthetic, clean design and visually stunning artwork have resulted in a home where nature, architecture and art intersect beautifully.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Rod and Ginger Sager; frequent guests include their 6 kids: Mona, Molly, Lauren, Will, Elizabeth and Dennis
Location: Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Size: 4,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms
Rod attributes their three youngest children's love of the piano to his wife. “Ginger was classically trained on the oboe, so music is her influence,” he says. His 21-year-old son, Dennis, is in the band Archanimals.
All of the contemporary living room furniture is from Scott+Cooner. Sager stuck to a neutral color palette in this room for a timeless look. The oversize area rug was found at Area 25 for a fraction of its full price. The wood end table was found at a New York City warehouse.
Although Sager's former home was more French country in design, within the past 10 to 15 years his taste has evolved into more contemporary — as seen here in his choice of lounge chairs from Scott+Cooner.
Sager encourages other homeowners not to be scared to branch out when looking for furniture. "Browse estate sales and resale shops. Look through the clutter and visualize how the piece might work in your space," he says. "Negotiate hard and shop bravely."
Art above fireplace: by Nancy Graves, from Dallas art dealer Monte Martin
Sager encourages other homeowners not to be scared to branch out when looking for furniture. "Browse estate sales and resale shops. Look through the clutter and visualize how the piece might work in your space," he says. "Negotiate hard and shop bravely."
Art above fireplace: by Nancy Graves, from Dallas art dealer Monte Martin
Adjacent to the living room is the dining space. A mix of traditional, natural materials and contemporary art creates a casual and beautiful dining room. The home's original see-through fireplace with a metal surround connects the dining room with the living room. Yellow pendant lamps selected by the architect hang overhead.
The artwork above the fireplace is by color field painter Gene Davis, and was purchased from art dealer Ron Hall's personal collection.
Dining table: Inwood Village furniture store (now closed); rug: Area 25
The artwork above the fireplace is by color field painter Gene Davis, and was purchased from art dealer Ron Hall's personal collection.
Dining table: Inwood Village furniture store (now closed); rug: Area 25
The couple purchased this unique 3-D wood sculpture, a Nancy Dwyer piece titled "Aging Punks," at Sotheby's Lehman Brothers bankruptcy auction in New York. Chambers custom designed and built the beautiful millwork console for the couple.
Clean lines and minimal clutter in the kitchen create synergy with the rest of the home. The kitchen was originally one-third its size due to an existing utility room. Dealing with the square footage was one of the couple's biggest design dilemmas. Sager worked with Chambers to expand it and make it his own.
The gorgeous view is always at the forefront of the design in each room of the house. With the help of builder Clay Spelling, Sager selected the neutral paint color through a process of elimination. "Clay put up three samples at a time until we decided on one," Rod says. Painting small samples on the wall helped him get a better feel for each color.
An eclectic and colorful mosaic wall adornes the home's powder bath. The daughter of the former homeowners instructed the tile installer on where to place each and every tile during the installation.
In the master bedroom, built-in shelving made of heart of cherrywood occupies the entire focus wall.
Salvador Martinez, a personal shopper with Stanley Korshak, helped with the master bedroom closet layout in the couple's former home. Sager loved it so much, he wanted to mimic the design in his new closet. They added twice as many cubbies in this space, creatively showcasing Sager's colorful tie collection. Below the ties are individually lined cuff link drawers, which also hold Sager's watch collection.
A built-in bookcase provides storage and a place to display books and family photographs in this downstairs living room.
A modern yet discreet walkway bridges the driveway with the front entrance of the home. Sager loves nature but says that his idea of gardening is to hire a great landscape architect. Shane Garthoff of Garthoff Designs helped him create the lush landscape he was looking for.
This view of the backyard — part of the couple's 1.6 acres — is one of many enjoyed from any spot in the house. A small creek, where an occasional coyote has been spotted, sits discreetly in the backyard. Eventually, Sager plans to build a cantilevered deck to span across the creek.
The couple purchased this unique John Berry wire sculpture from a gallery in the Miami Design District.
The couple purchased this unique John Berry wire sculpture from a gallery in the Miami Design District.
This 1,600-pound sculpture, titled "Trophy," came from the C.W. Murchison estate sale and required two forklifts to set into place.
This stump was left by the previous homeowners. Rod has since fondly named it the "mushroom tree," and the petrified growths add an artful element that only nature can provide to a landscape.
Houzz call: Do you have a creative, modern home? We want to see it!
Houzz call: Do you have a creative, modern home? We want to see it!
Breakfast table and chairs: Scott+Cooner