Life in the Fast Lane
Several years ago, RDDA designed this timeless English Manor House for a client in Preston Hollow.
The plans for this elegant house included 2, three-car garages flanking a service motor court accessed by the arched porte-cochere visible in the photograph above. The six-car garage spaces were to provide space for the owner’s collection of exotic cars.
Now, fast forward fifteen years to 2014.
By this time, the car collection had doubled, and the owner faced the conundrum of where to house his growing cadre of sports vehicles. He solved the problem by buying the lot next door, and bringing RDDA back to design a garage to top all garages!
The seven-car structure is built in the shape of a boomerang. The entry leads to a large barrel-vaulted entertainment space with four garage spaces on one side and three on the other.
The seven garage stalls extending out in wings at forty five degrees to the central entertainment space house cars and motorcycles.
Step inside and the space is not just a garage, but also a fitting display space for the owners’ contemporary artwork, which is a significant contrast to the very formal, “Old World” style of the artwork and style of the main house.
The entertainment space exudes the high energy of the sports cars and the vivacity of the artwork that reside here.
Guests can grab a drink at the bar and then sit back and relax in one of the several comfortable seating areas.
The fireplace wall highlights the cut Lueders limestone from which both the main house and the garage are built.
The catering staging space is accessible from a door at the back of the garage, allowing easy, unobtrusive access for vendors.
The bathroom is like no bathroom you’ve ever seen in a garage.
Glass walls invisibly divide the entertainment space from the showroom spaces for the cars. The glass walls have no frame and disappear into the ceiling and floor.
The tracks and the garage doors, when open, are concealed between the ceiling and the attic floor,
a design strategy that allows for a clean, sleek interior space.
The inside of each stall door is covered with a mural made of wallpaper with a gear and engine motif.
The floors are tile, made to look like hardwood flooring, but are resistant to the weight of the cars.
RDDA enjoyed working on this unique and innovative project that embodies the owners’ passion for collecting both automobiles and artwork, and giving them a space where they can share their passion with others.
This project was completed in conjunction with
Hayslip Design Associates, Sebastian Construction Group and Lynda Tycher and Associates
To see more images of projects designed by RDDA, please visit our website.
Regards,
Richard Drummond Davis Architects