The entry hall of a contemporary Dallas home by Bodron/Fruit features a custom Olafur Eliasson piece.
Photo: Scott Frances
Tour a Contemporary Masterpiece in Dallas Designed by Bodron/Fruit
Art adviser Anne Bruder collaborated on the residence, installing major works by Olafur Eliasson, Lisa Oppenheim, and more
A circular artwork by Olafur Eliasson hangs in the dining room, which features Bruno Moinard chairs and tables from Draenert. Photo: Scott Frances
The Dallas neighborhood of Greenway Parks unfolds like a living time capsule, a testament to the enduring appeal of thoughtful design. Envisioned in the late 1920s by noted architect David Williams, the residential enclave features a captivating medley of architectural styles, from the whimsical charm of English Tudors to the clean lines of mid-century modern—all nestled gracefully within a tapestry of green spaces.
Here, on a generous corner parcel, interior designer Mil Bodron and architect Svend Fruit, founders of celebrated design firm Bodron/Fruit, were tasked with creating a ground-up dwelling for a young family relocating to the Texas metropolis after time in California and Hawaii. “They asked for a modern, contemporary house,” recalls Bodron. “But not something cold,” adds Fruit. “People come to us for a warm, inviting house.”
Encompassing around 7,600 square feet across two stories, the resulting L-shaped dwelling has a midcentury élan, creating harmony with its stately neighbors thanks to a handsome, minimalist facade clad in sandblasted Kansas limestone bricks. Topped by a flat roof with copper fascia, the two-story structure is interspersed with series of floor-to-ceiling windows, thermally broken for enhanced energy efficiency, which allow sight lines directly from the front to the rear garden.
The living room features a work by Wayne Gonzales as well as a Christophe Delcourt sofa and cocktail table. Photo: Scott Frances
Delivering warmth as well as a calming ambiance is an interior palette of creamy-hued materials including travertine, white oak, and plaster—as well as a chic array of modern and vintage furnishings from talents including Bruno Moinard, Aksel Bender, Roman Thomas, Stephane Parmentier, Aldo Bakker, and Christophe Delcourt. “We wanted a fresh take on a contemporary interior,” says Bodron. “The idea was to use well-designed pieces that were neutral, so that the overall composition reads more than individual pieces.”
Another important element that the clients requested was a connection between the indoors and out, which is established through large format terrazzo tiles that pave the outside of the entry area through to the dining room and library, albeit with different finish treatments. “We were also lucky that the main glass in backyard faces due north, and we could get tons of natural light,” explains Fruit. Of course, visitors aren’t looking down upon entering: Just beyond the mahogany front door is a mesmerizing Olafur Eliasson artwork, which was specially commissioned with the help of art advisor Anne Bruder, head of New York–based Anne Bruder Art, who collaborated on the home.
A dazzling piece by Olafur Eliasson, The Attention of Time, 2022, was specially commissioned for the entryway. Photo: Scott Frances
“The Eliasson commission is center of the collection,” says Bruder of the piece, which took two years to complete with Iceland’s i8 Gallery. (The Reykjavik art space represents Danish-born Eliasson, who maintains studios in Copenhagen and Berlin.) Composed of 235 silver glass spheres that change appearance from silver to blue as you walk from one side to the other, the dazzling installation was inspired by clients’ love of the ocean and the crashing of waves. “The artist really listened to them and stayed within the bounds of his practice,” says Bruder. “He responded to what they wanted in a sensitive way.”
A whimsical Claudio Parmiggiani work graces the library, which also features upholstered Roman Thomas armchairs and a Stephane Parmentier cocktail table. Photo: Scott Frances
Another Eliasson work, a circular canvas with a hole in the center called Colour Experiment No. 85 graces the dining room, part of a series he began in 2009 as a way to document every color visible to the human eye. “When I met the couple, it became obvious they were into cerebral and conceptual art that references nature to some way,” says Bruder, who also installed works by inventive artists such as Lisa Oppenheim, Wayne Gonzalez, and Claudio Parmiggiani.
One of the most significant works is a 2020 canvas by Gonzalez entitled Beach, which hangs in the living area and features a cross-hatched scene of silhouettes frolicking in an ocean current. “I thought it was nice reference to Hawaiian landscape without being overt,” reflects Buder. “That’s kind of the whole point of the house: subtle, sophisticated, and perfectly minimal.”
Cover: The entry hall of a contemporary Dallas home by Bodron/Fruit features a custom Olafur Eliasson piece.
Photo: Scott Frances
More from Galerie
