3 BEDS | 3.5 BATHS | 2,589 SQ. FT.
Sophisticated 5th-floor corner unit in the stunning Windrose Tower at Legacy West. This modern retreat offers luminous living spaces, sleek finishes, and floor-to-ceiling windows with breathtaking city views. Enjoy resort-style amenities and more! This unit is a symphony of design and comfort offering the pinnacle of urban living in Plano, Texas. Yolanda Durant | 240.346.7730
yolanda.durant@kw.com | janrichey.com
Stunning 9th-floor corner condo with breathtaking southern views and abundant natural light. Features a gourmet kitchen, spacious living area with balcony, and a luxurious primary suite with spa-like bath. A versatile second bedroom and two assigned parking spaces complete this exceptional condo offering the best in luxury high-rise living!
SMALL AND NIMBLE
Colin Lardner had just wrapped up a meeting with a potential home buyer when we began our conversation. “It went great. They had looked at a house we just built and really liked, so he wants us to build him something, but he wanted it to be at a certain price point, so I wanted to show him other houses in the neighborhood and what the differences are, the different execution and design elements so that he
could understand everything that goes into it and what you get out of it.” It’s not a stretch to say that Colin has seen it all when it comes to Dallas real estate, and his taking the time to really help someone know what their options are is both born out of that and what’s guided him to where he is.
Colin is a Dallas native, and he got his start in developing
in 1997 when he built the brownstone-style townhomes you see in the State Thomas neighborhood in Uptown. He was off to a great start, but it wasn’t long until he had to step back and reevaluate. “One of the reasons I got out of (Uptown) in 1998 was because we were kind of the first ones
in over there and then I saw much more production-type builders come in. They had really dialed in the value engineering, and I just wasn’t as experienced enough at the time. I thought ‘Well, I’ve spent way more on construction than they have and they’re undercutting me on the price by a
Get Inspired
hundred thousand dollars. I just can’t compete with those kinds of operations.”
As a consequence of the new competition Colin was also contending with land prices having doubled in just two years, so rather than run himself into the ground trying to keep up, he decided to go to graduate school and, as he
puts it, “learn what I just did.” He wanted to learn how to put better financing in place rather than go through “a baptism by fire” time and again. He went to Columbia in New York for his graduate degree. “I thought I’d spend two years there, but it turned into four because I loved it, and then I came back to Dallas.” The better understanding of finance he’d gained in earning his degree would do more than just give
“I guess it was 2004 or so, I had taken a trip back to Dallas and thought I’d come back and dive back in (to developing and real estate), but when I started looking at land costs and things that were selling at…I just didn’t have a good feeling. I couldn’t understand, I couldn’t get my mind around-how things were popping the way they were popping. So, I actually made a call to a family friend who was a broker and
real estate for a few years with you, and just kind of reintro duce myself to the market and take my time and figure out where things are and then start building.’ She said that’d be great and come on over, so I did that thinking I’d just be an agent for two or three years and then I’d understand the marketplace (of Dallas) better, and that turned into seven years before the market really fell apart in 2009-2010. It just took longer to get to a crashing point than I thought, and
then when it crashed it crashed a lot deeper than I thought. I figured things weren’t right, but I didn’t know that they were that wrong.” The real estate market was tough, but Colin held in there since building was out of the question. However, another opportunity would present itself. “I ended up getting asked to go run somebody’s property management company. I was sitting at the copy machine and another seasoned agent came up and asked ‘Hey, do you know so-and-so,’ and I said ‘Yeah,’ and she asked if I knew anyone that would want to run so-and-so’s property management company, and I said ‘No,’ but the funny thing is about a week
or two before that I had been thinking property management is really going to come into vogue because all these houses are gonna be there and people are going to need to lease because they can’t buy. I stopped there because I didn’t know how to enter into that. Jump to a week or two after that and there’s someone asking me if I know anyone who would like to get into property management, so about a minute after saying I didn’t know anyone I said ‘You know, I might be interested in that,’ and she said “Oh, good, I was hoping you’d say that.”
This piece of good fortune would shortly be followed by another. “About 2011, I had a client that I’d helped sell a house to in Bluffview back in 2008 that got in touch with me and asked to take me to lunch. I had no idea what we were doing, but eventually he said ‘You know, we had a really great transaction with you. It was pretty complex and pretty tense, but you kept everything on track and kept a level head. We really trust you and believe in you, and if we were to give you some money what would you do with it?”
As it happened, Colin had been studying some of the mar-
kets, so he said “Well, I’d do X, Y, and Z if I had some money,” and the client replied “Okay great, let’s go do it.” Colin was stunned, but game. “We formed a partnership and we just started buying land over in East Dallas and some other places, and then that turned into development and building and here we are.” It was a lot though, not just the building, but running the brokerage and the property management on top of that all by himself was demanding to say the least.
“I wanted to be out by 2019, and I would have been but for Covid and massive government stimulation. I was ready to
tap the brakes. We had two or three projects in the mix when Covid hit, and I just said ‘No, forget it,’ but then two or three months later we realized that everybody had started buying houses like crazy. I certainly didn’t expect the government stimulus to come about, but we ramped up some more projects.” By the end of the pandemic Colin was completely overwhelmed and decided to finally take a step back. That lasted about eighteen months before fate would once again come knocking at his door.
“I had some people come to me about wanting to work on
our team. I said, ‘Well, I don’t have anything in production. I’m actually thinking about taking a breather,’ but that kind of reinvigorated me so I hired some people. I thought, ‘Well, if I have a team I can keep going,’ because I couldn’t keep going as a one man show.” Colin admits “I was probably gonna come back anyways, but I’ve come back in a different way.” Prior to this he was having to go out and find the lots, then go to the building sites and “chase down the subs,” all the while purchasing all the building materials.
With the team he has now he can focus more on delivering
something really special to the market. Currently, Colin has three acres worth of lots to build out that will end up being about fifty homes, and each one of them different from the other. “That’s the trick now, we never build the same house twice. It’s harder, because we’re kind of reinventing the wheel every time, but so far that’s been a great differentiator for me. I don’t just take the same thing and put a different paint color on it.” He’s working with different design firms right now to turn out a remarkable variety of Scandinavian
Moderns with a stunning new house coming soon in Midway Hollow that he’s really excited about. When asked if he’d like his own in-house design team someday he responded “No, I don’t know if I want to get that big. Just stay small and nimble.” It’s a good instinct, but if the past is any indication today’s “no” could be tomorrow’s “yes.” Whatever happens, he’s certainly one to watch.
// lardner development group
by Todd Camplin
Opening night buzz was in the air at William Campbell Gallery at the Foch Street Location. I arrived early in the morning to see the exhibit without the crowd. I observed the last-minute adjustment of a few sculptures. The refreshment table was being laid out. Fortunately, both Kevin Tolman and Maxine Helfman were present. So, the two artists gave me a guided tour of their works.
I made a visual sweep of the paintings by Kevin Tolman before I introduced myself to the artist. I wanted to get my impressions uninformed by the artist’s take. I saw grids being broken down in his paintings and I thought these might relate to someone like Josef Albers. I thought Tolman might have been subverting the grid as a structure. However, it appears Tolman was reaching further back than the Albers’ Modernist project. The clues are in the titles like Evening
Alignment and Balance Point (Autumn Version). Tolman tells me about his Celtic influences. Stones and earthworks which line up with the summer solstice. The relationship between the moon and the sun. The Earth in relationship to the sky. These natural occurrences were observed and recorded by ancient people. Tolman carries these ideas into each of these paintings. He is lining up the work, allowing chance and gravity to create the dripping effects. He layers paint and collage elements to give rich textures. A natural grid seems to form from his process, while the grids also seem to break down like a stone worn down by water.
Tolman is well aware of the Abstract Expressionist. He mentioned the Rothko Chapel when comparing the natural light of the front gallery. Tolman’s work reminded me of Conrad Marca-Relli’s 1955 collage titled Arras. Marca-Relli used earthy-colored scraps of canvas laid down across a surface. Thou Marca-Relli is more haphazard than the grid, but a structure is in both artists’ works. Tolman paints over most of his collage elements, but a few are not fully coated. This gives
you a hint of his source material. The Sun and Its Spots has what appears to be little footsteps dancing in a circle. I told Tolman that these footprints reminded me of Warhol’s dance lesson paintings. We both laughed, but this moment in the painting also references something further back than just a Modern reference. I imagine ancient dancing and rituals inspired by the seasons.
Maxine Helfman features her photography and collage photography. Helfman has a background in fashion photography so her models look crisp and well-lit. Even her still-life has the same attention to detail as her models. Her portrait of books with a house plant placed on top was stunningly beautiful and simple. A few of the works were lenticular photos that shifted images as you walked by. Helfman explained that she wanted the shift of images to be dramatic instead of a subtle
shift you might find in an advertisement. I was reminded of Ron Agam and other OP artists who used the material to play with the eye. Helfman uses the lenticular process to tell a story rather than trick the eye. Helfman’s strong narrative elements make each of her images stand out.
Helfman’s image of a girl titled Blue IV has an unnatural skin color that shines on the surface of her skin. I wonder if this
was a talented manipulation of an image or amazingly skillful straight photography. I didn’t get to ask her about many of the works, because she was needed elsewhere. But, I like the tension and feeling that I don’t know how the work was made. I know I am looking at a compelling image.
William Campbell has two locations, and I popped over to see their collection of greatest hits from their stable artists and other works. It was there when I discovered that the gallery would be closing this location in May. The gallery has been operating there for over forty years. I can remember
some great shows they had at the Byers Avenue location. Eric Fischl, Jeff Kellar, John Holt Smith, Jack Gilson, and Cecil Touchon, to name a few artists I reviewed over the years. I will miss the space for its home-like charm, but I have to admit that the Foch Street location is larger than the old space, and the layout is exciting. Things change, and I embrace that with open arms. However, if you need one more glimpse of the old space, please don’t hesitate to give the Byers Avenue location one more visit.
// williamcampbellgallery.com
Engage Educate Experience Enjoy
The Dallas Architecture Forum is for everyone who wants to experience inspired design. The Forum presents an award-winning Lecture Series that brings outstanding architects,interior designers, landscape architects and urban planners from around the world, as well as Symposia, Receptions at architecturally significant residences, and Panel Discussions on issues impacting North Texas.
Larch House
Whitefish, Montana
“From the outset, they have been committed to being respectful to the history of Whitefish,” says Daniel Fuller, president of Shope Development. “Throughout the process of creating Larch House, we’ve looked to the past but also embraced modern architecture and design to deliver an extraordinary hotel. Larch House is a modern reimagining of an alpine lodge, and we believe it will be a transformational an-
chor for Whitefish residents and visitors alike.”
Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, principal/owner and founder of Olson Kundig and design principal on the project, adds, “We’re seeing a trend throughout a lot of ski towns as they make a transition to become year-round adventure destinations. Re-
gardless of the season you’re visiting, you still need a comfortable refuge before embarking on those big adventures out in nature. Larch House gives visitors a choice to tailor their refuge and their adventure.”
Larch House’s dynamic design lends itself to an experience that feels akin to being a guest in a private home, giving an elevated sense of discretion. All guest rooms and suites will be designed with custom furnishings, heated bathroom floors, original art, Pendleton quilts, Grown Alchemist bath products
and La Bottega robes and vanity kits. Additional fitness and wellness programming will be provided via local studio partnerships.
Dining at Larch House embraces Alpine-inspired cuisine with a focus on local purveyors. At the center of the culinary experience is Enga, a distinctive indoor-outdoor dining space located on the main floor. Offering unobstructed mountain
views, guests can also visit the rooftop Terrace for beverages and small bites. The Antler Room, an intimate lounge on the lower level, offers a dimly lit retreat where elevated mixed drinks and shared plates foster an inviting atmosphere for evening gatherings or quiet moments. Also situated on the lower level, The Oak Room provides an elegant setting for private celebrations and personalized experiences.
Developed with the landscape and community in mind, Larch House is committed to employing local artisans and tradespeople, while also using sustainably sourced natural building products and native plants and trees. With the Whitefish River and Whitefish Lake minutes outside of the hotel doors and Glacier National Park 30 minutes away, Larch House is steeped in recreation. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy a host
of activities that include fly fishing, hiking, wakesurfing, rafting, horseback riding, paddleboarding and snow skiing. Larch House provides ski storage and offers designated dog-friendly rooms on the property, ensuring a comfortable stay for guests traveling with their pets.
// larchhouse.com
