Find Antiques and Modern Touches in This Art Collector’s Dream Home

Lizzie and Dan Rotman had no plans to leave their home in Bluffview for 21 years. Besides being spacious and beautiful, with a large patio, the house also had sentimental value – the couple raised their two daughters.

But a quick jump through Zillow’s latest roster two years ago offered an intriguing alternative to the now-empty clans. Hidden away on a secluded street, on a bluff overlooking Turtle Creek, the couple caught the eye of a stunning contemporary designed by influential architect Bud Oglesby. “You go in, and there’s all that natural light and lots of windows,” Lizzie says of the 1988 home. “So it’s very welcoming, but clean and contemporary.”

Originally designed for a pair of art collectors, the 5,000-square-foot dwelling also had plenty of art walls, a feature that attracted Rotmans because they also collect artwork.

Before the couple finalized the house deal, they asked architect Russell Buchanan to take a look at it, too. As great as the house was, it hadn’t been updated since the 80’s, so they wanted a professional opinion. Buchanan confirmed what the Rotmans had suspected: The house had exceptional bones and, with a few repairs, could have been an ideal relative for a downsized couple.

To complete their dream design team, Lizzie and Dan hire interior designer Wendy Conrady, who has done some work on their previous home, and builder Bert Smith to work alongside Buchanan. They then commissioned the trio, among other things, to redesign two main spaces: the kitchen and the primary suite.

Conrady says, “The kitchen was a very small space for the size of the house, yet there were a very interesting detail that Bud Oglesby originally designed for the house, the best of which is a full height window overlooking Turtle Creek.”

Originally, a set of upper glass cabinets floated in front of the window, providing a clear view of the outside. Rotmans loved the concept but they felt a bit like they were in a fishbowl. Buchanan’s solution: Replace glass cabinets with white oak to create more practical storage space and to prevent homeowners from feeling like they’re on display. “He had a lot of respect for the original architecture but made it work better for the new homeowners,” says Conrady.

To maximize kitchen space, Buchanan removed an existing fireplace and moved a nearby laundry room to the second floor. Then, to finish the space, Konradi and project manager Ashley Hunt chose stainless steel worktops for Bulthaup’s cabinets and cork floors that extended into the adjacent breakfast nook. “Cork is very loose underfoot,” Conrady says. “And with these stainless steel countertops, it’s a nice contrast.”

Like the kitchen, the basic bedroom and bathroom also had to be destroyed, but unlike the cramped kitchen, the two private spaces were too big for them to be. The bathroom area was particularly cavernous, so much so that the remodeled space now includes a utility room, exercise room, double closets, and a spa-like wet room worn by Conrady in a striking terrazzo, including walls, floor, and tub surround.

In the bedroom, the design team added a dividing wall between the sleeping and sitting area, transforming what was once a large single space into two separate, intimate spaces. To up the comfort quotient, Conrady wrapped the entire bedroom in a soothing blue fabric. “The room just covers you in ultra-quiet woolen flannel wall upholstery,” she says.

For the rest of the house, Konradi focused on adding color and texture throughout, as well as incorporating Lizzie and Dan’s various collections. “They didn’t want it to feel like they were in a museum,” says the designer, “but we were very conscious that there was nothing to rival the artwork.”

In addition to art, the couple has been collecting exquisite tapestries for many years. They’ve also inherited several notable pieces, including a pair of Ward Bennett Scissor chairs that Conrady refinished and re-upholstered. “We didn’t buy everything new for this home. We reimagined a lot,” says Conrady. “It created this wonderful layered effect, and it gives the house that spirit.”

mix magic

To keep the room feeling fresh, Konradi looks to the past and present, featuring pieces from different eras. “I think it’s a testament to good design when you can’t differentiate a 100-year-old space or piece of furniture versus something contemporary done today,” she says. In Rotman’s home, Conrady’s eye for incorporating elements from different time periods is displayed entirely in the breakfast nook (below), where a pair of 2010-designed chairs share the space with a coffee table from 1947—all resting in a brand-new bowlthub kitchen. “Space is not stuck or stuck in one era,” she says. “These pieces can have this fun symbiosis. This has happened a lot around the house. That’s the fun – getting that magic in the mix and making these pieces work together.”