With a passion for honoring their midcentury house’s background, Mike and Jill Wood decorated it with furniture and color to fit its roots. The home, built in 1962 from Ju-Nel Homes architects Lyle Rowley and Jack Wilson — protégés of Howard Meyer and Frank Lloyd Wright — is one of about 50 that helped to crack the ranch-house mould in Dallas. Open floor plans, exposed rafters, natural materials and expansive windows created for a refreshing change for postwar households, and for the Woods. Using locally sourced classic furniture, both Mike and Jill have successfully paid tribute to the house’s roots.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Mike and Jill Wood and brothers Chloe (8 years old) and Devon (4)
Size: 2,400 square feet: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths
Location: Dallas
That is intriguing: The previous owners had installed a pet door for Rocky, their domesticated raccoon.
Sarah Greenman
The previous owners had tastefully upgraded the kitchen to flow with the home’s style. The original layout and brick floors by Ju-Nel are still intact.
Sarah Greenman
The couple enjoys their dining place and have taken great pains to restore the classic chairs. “We paid $20 a chair, but they had help,” states Mike. “So we took them into an automobile body shop for painting and sanding. The guy at the auto shop had never been asked to work on furniture before.”
Table: Noguchi, 20cdesign; seats: Saarinen, Collage Classics; pendant lighting: Time Out Graf
Sarah Greenman
Windows that accompany the roofline afford perspectives of the backyard. Exposed wood beams flow from the living area to a patio.
Sarah Greenman
As in other Ju-Nel homes, the floor-to-ceiling hearth is composed of Austin rock set in an irregular pattern. “It is a comfy area considering it is so major,” states Jill.
Sarah Greenman
The couple enjoys collecting midcentury bits and employs a simple mixture of trendy furniture and distinctive accessories. “Our garden is really the star of the house, with all the open windows, so we tried to not compete with this,” says Jill.
Sofa: Urban Home in Dallas; coffee table: classic Saarinen, Century Modern (now closed); glass vases: classic, Lula B’s
Sarah Greenman
Blue paint highlights open shelves; work by local graffiti artist Tony Bones hangs on the wall between the living area and the living area.
Sarah Greenman
Much of the art and vintage furniture originated from estate sales and thrift stores. “Mike enjoys more ultramodern, slender decor, while I like a great deal of stuff, so we compromised by employing a great deal of bright colors,” says Jill.
Console: McCobb, Love Field Antique Mall (now closed); artwork: Paul Jablonka
Sarah Greenman
Four-year-old daughter Devon digs through a toy container. The couple decided nothing within their house was too precious. “We do not have a show home. I can’t worry about things becoming broken or cluttered. A house should be lived,” says Jill.
Sarah Greenman
The groovy, denlike living room boasts a flat-screen TV plus a turntable. Mike wired the home and backyard with a central speaker system.
Sofa: Ikea; artwork: classic
Sarah Greenman
The master bedroom boasts a fantastic view of the garden. Powder blue walls, contemporary furniture and an Eames lounge chair create a grounded and relaxed vibe.
Bedroom collection: Furniture.com
Sarah Greenman
The couple discovered the iron sculpture above the bed in a thrift shop. The Missoni for Goal pillowcases supply just a tiny pattern.
“Move decor around when you get bored,” says Jill. “It is cheaper than buying something new.”
Sarah Greenman
The couple maintained the painted paneling intact in spite of a tendency toward smooth walls. “The home was built in 1962, and we would like to honor that age,” says Jill.
Sarah Greenman
A 1974 addition opened up the house and comprised a laundry area, an office, two bedrooms and a bathroom. “I think that the new region of the home is very in line with the original,” states Mike.
The couple transformed a thrifted Eames Shell Chair to a rocker for the corner of their workplace. They bought the artwork by Lorene Herrera in an exhibit at the Dallas Bathhouse Cultural Center.
Sarah Greenman
Daughter Chloe was eager to show off her bedroom, decorated with stuffed creatures and vivid colors. Yellow walls and white contemporary furniture keep the room fresh and enjoyable.
Sarah Greenman
Jill motivates her daughters to make their own spaces. “I want the children to have a place to be creative and play,” she states.
Desk, chair: Ikea
Sarah Greenman
Devon’s area is full of neon color and distinctive art. The low platform bed is in the ideal height for her.
Sarah Greenman
The sprawling, covered deck centers around a single tree. Vintage Bertoia diamond wire chairs picked up in a local estate sale provide ideal midcentury-style patio seats.
Sarah Greenman
The house sits on a wooded acre that backs up to a creek and an elongated greenbelt. “The best part of our house is all the wildlife,” states Jill. “We see a lot of bobcats, foxes, raccoons, possums, coyotes, turtles, owls, enormous hawks, possums and a lot of squirrels.”
Sarah Greenman
When not in work, Mike plays drums in a Louisiana-style group called Johnny Tone. The group meets in Mike’s backyard sound studio, which they call “Club Wood”; it is a different soundproof structure he built as a practice space and recording studio.
Sarah Greenman
The girls make excellent use of a tree house from the backyard. “Since we have nearly an acre, landscaping the garden is an ongoing task,” Jill says. “However, I love that Chloe and Devon can only go wild in their own little jungle.”
Sarah Greenman
The couple included a sunken stacked-stone fire pit into the house; they like to amuse here in hot weather. In addition they love their locality and the deep-woods texture of the house, though the house is very centrally located.
Sarah Greenman
Like many Ju-Nel homes, the house has very few windows on the street facade, to guarantee privacy. The low-profile home stays cool in the Texas heat under the towering trees.
Sarah Greenman
Jill, Mike and Chloe pose for a family photo while Devon scampers from the backyard.
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