Coastal Style

Modern Urban Sanctuary at Dallas

Rod Sager’s heart went pit-a-pat as he walked round the outside of the modern Dallas sanctuary for the very 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 utilize the colors in the master bedroom, because I love to fall asleep while looking outside,” says Sager. “The frogsserenade me every evening before bed.”

As avid travelers, the Sagers have spent over 10 years collecting sculptures and art from all over the world. Their contemporary aesthetic, clean design and visually stunning art have led to a home where nature, art and architecture intersect beautifully.

at a Glance

Who lives here: Rod and Ginger Sager; regular guests comprise their 6 kids: Mona, Molly, Lauren, Will, Elizabeth and Dennis
Location: Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Size: 4,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths

Kara Weik

Fourteen-foot windows, minimalist furniture and retractable sun colors put the area’s focus on the beautiful, lavish view. Sager says that the living area is one of the favourite spots in the home — and Rusty, among the family’s dogs, agrees. “He likes to look out the glass windows, looking on the backyard. There are a couple a rabbits that keep him ever alert,” says Sager.

Breakfast table and chairs: Scott+Cooner

Kara Weik

Rod features their three youngest children’s love of the piano to his wife. “Ginger was classically educated on the oboe, therefore music is her sway,” he says. His 21-year-old son, Dennis, is at the band Archanimals.

Kara Weik

Each one the modern living room furniture is out of Scott+Cooner. Sager stuck to a neutral colour palette in this area for a timeless look. The oversize area rug has been found at Area 25 for a fraction of its full cost. The wood end table was found at a New York City warehouse.

Kara Weik

Although Sager’s former residence was more French country in style, within the past 10 to 15 years his taste has evolved to more modern — as found here in his selection of sofa seats from Scott+Cooner.

Sager supports other homeowners to not be scared to branch out when looking for furniture. “Browse estate sales and resale shops. Look through the clutter and also imagine how the piece may work in your area,” he says. “Negotiate hard and shop bravely.”

Art above terrace: from Nancy Graves, from Dallas artwork dealer Monte Martin

Kara Weik

Adjacent to the living area is the dining room area. A mix of natural, traditional materials and modern art creates a casual and beautiful dining area. The house’s original see-through fireplace with a metal surround connects the dining area with the living area. Yellow pendant lamps selected from the architect hang overhead.

The art over the fireplace is by color field painter Gene Davis, and has been purchased from art seller Ron Hall’s personal collection.

Dining table: Inwood Village furniture store (now closed); rug: Area 25

Kara Weik

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 your couple.

Kara Weik

Clean lines and minimal clutter at the kitchen create synergy with the rest of the home. The kitchen was originally one-third its dimensions because of an present utility room. Handling the square footage has been among the largest design problems of the couple. Sager worked with Chambers to enlarge it and make it his own.

Kara Weik

The gorgeous view is always at the forefront of the design in each area of the home. With the support of builder Clay Spelling, Sager selected the neutral paint colour by means of a process of removal. “Clay set up three samples at a time till we decided on a single,” Rod says. Painting little samples onto the wall helped him make a better feel for each colour.

Kara Weik

An eclectic and vibrant mosaic wall adornes the house’s powder bath. The daughter of the former homeowners taught that the tile installer about where to put each and every tile throughout the setup.

Kara Weik

In the master bedroom, built-in shelving made from center of cherrywood occupies the whole focus wall.

Kara Weik

Salvador Martinez, a personal shopper with Stanley Korshak, helped with the master bedroom closet layout in the couple’s former residence. Sager loved it, he wished to mimic the design in his brand new cabinet. They included two as many cubbies in this area, creatively showcasing Sager’s brilliant tie collection. Below the ties are individually lined cuff link drawers, which likewise hold Sager’s watch collection.

Kara Weik

A built-in bookcase offers storage and also a place to show books and family photographs in this downstairs living room.

Kara Weik

A modern yet discreet walkway bridges that the driveway with front entry of the home. Sager loves nature but says that his notion of gardening is to hire a great landscape architect. Shane Garthoff of Garthoff Designs helped him to create the lush landscape he was looking for.

Kara Weik

This view of the backyard — part of the couple’s 1.6 acres — is one of many appreciated from any spot in the home. A little creek, in which an occasional coyote has been spotted, sits discreetly in the backyard. Eventually, Sager intends to build a cantilevered deck to span across the creek.

The couple purchased this unique John Berry cable sculpture in the gallery at the Miami Design District.

Kara Weik

This 1,600-pound sculpture, titled “Trophy,” came from the C.W. Murchison estate sale and demanded two forklifts to put into position.

Kara Weik

This stump was abandoned by the previous homeowners. Rod has since lovingly named it the “mushroom tree,” and the petrified growths add an artful element that only nature can provide to some landscape.

c: Can you have a creative, contemporary home? We wish to see it!

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