The Anniversary House

The Neiman Marcus and Southern Accents Anniversary House showcases the best in fine design

In the bright light of a Texas morning, a grand house has a way of springing to life in the shadows and silhouettes that form around objects of stucco, stone, tile, and glass. Early this century, architects in Dallas - examining the way the sun swept across the southern landscape - began capturing this wealth of light with a style they borrowed from thousands of miles away. They understood that Texas was similar in climate and latitude to the Mediterranean, so much that they began designing Tuscan-style villas on the Dallas plains. It was a good idea then, and an even better one now. The Neiman Marcus / Southern Accents Anniversary House was designed and built with the romance of the Mediterranean in mind.

It is a new house, all 9000 square feet of it, rising gracefully in a series of pavilions and wings on a carefully landscaped corner lot on Strait Lane, one of Dallas' most prestigious address. But it has the look and feel of an old, classical estate of the 1920s. "This house was designed to look like an older home that was added onto over the years." says Southern Accents Editor Katherine Pearson. "And the style and materials used , including stone and stucco, are there to make the most of the depth that the sun brings in Texas. You would not build a house like this in a climate that is gray and gloomy.

Working closely as a team, architect Larry E. Boerder and builder Bob Thompson have created a masterpiece that makes the most of indoor and outdoor spaces, from a lime-stone loggia to the spacious and comfortable great room that will undoubtedly become a central gathering spot in this house. The great room under-scores all that is right in this marriage of classical architecture and elegant interior design. It has a 22-foot-high, oak-beamed ceiling, yet it has been brought down to scale by adjoining wings that are typical of Mediterranean villas, and further by Dallas interior designer Neal Stewart's careful choice of subdued colors and inviting fabrics and furniture that can be interchanged depending on the occasion.

"Often in new construction, you'll see 14- to 20-foot ceilings that are there for show, but they're not well-proportioned," says Pearson. The great room in this house is very large but feels comfortable, with chairs that can be pulled up for various seating groups. This is a major entertaining room, but it is not pretentious. It is welcoming."

It is also the center of a crisscrossing axis of light and sight. Unobstructed views cross paths through the great room on all sides, to the four corners of the house. And another line of sight begins with the front door, straight through the foyer to the pool and pavilion
in the garden.

Versatility is also a common theme, beginning with the library, which can be closed off from the remainder of the house and connects privately to the master bedroom suite. The same versatility is evident in the dining room, where the choice of tables, chairs, and a sofa can accommodate different entertaining functions. "We tried to create a room that could be more than a dining room," says Stewart. "It's a room where you can have several people over for cocktails or tea or scale down for just two people at dinner." For larger gatherings, a round table follows a trend toward informality, where there is no head of the table. High-back chairs complement the table.