Expect the unexpected from creative couple Josh and Tracy Madans, especially when it comes to their 1926 two-story Tudor snugly situated in Dallas’ M Streets neighborhood. Tracy, who works in sales for Workplace Solutions, teamed up with Josh, manager of event furniture rental company Suite 206, to create an eclectic-cool abode for the duo and their kids Baker, 3 and a half, and Gigi, 1.
Mixing bright colors with a bit of glamour and mid-century modern inspiration, the Madanses integrate the characteristics of modern design into their home: simplistic pieces that function easily for a family.
Step inside and you’ll notice an orange console table paired with a turquoise abstract painting by an unknown Texas artist, both adding bright bursts of color to the neutral walls and travertine tile floors. The custom table by RWD Designs (ordered through Forty Five Ten) proudly displays a tabletop of frosted Lucite, an element that the couple tries to incorporate in every room in their house.
The elongated entry, recently completed in a reconstruction after water damage from a leaky kitchen pipe, connects the couple’s second-floor master bedroom with a bold, black-accented staircase. The facelift to this front room “opened up the floorplan,” says Tracy.
Open shelving displays china dishes (including Tracy’s prized Versace Butterfly Garden dinnerware) and crystal stemware in the adjacent dining room; shimmery patterned Cole & Son wallpaper peeks out from behind the dishes, supplying extra texture to the room’s neutral walls. The storage reflects Tracy’s laid-back attitude toward childproofing — she wants a fun, safe house for her kids but doesn’t want to compromise her love of design.
However, newly walking Gigi has recently posed a challenge to her mom style. “She’s the complete opposite of Baker, who was such a chill baby,” Tracy says. “I didn’t childproof our home at all for him really, but I’ve become a little more extreme with the childproofing the second time around,” Tracy laughs, “though she’s not quite tall enough to bother the dishes.”
The pale-blue dining room, which Tracy calls “a place for us to all convene and laugh together,” juxtaposes a modern Saarinen Tulip table with white lacquer Louis XVI-style chairs fitted with custom-ordered white patent leather from New York City, an antique crystal chandelier and a black-and-white cowhide rug. Tracy doesn’t wince at the use of white, even in a place where spills are sure to happen. “The chairs and marble-topped table are so easy to wipe off after mealtime,” she explains. “And white allows the table to go from a more casual family dinner to a formal evening dinner with friends.”
Artwork lines the walls throughout the dining room; most pieces were purchased by the Madanses from street vendors and small art shops during a tour of Europe. “Most of the artwork cost us less than $50,” she says.
Tracy also chose to hold fast to her beloved pair of mint-green ceramic urns from Allan Knight (located in Dallas’ Design District); two narrow and clear Lucite pedestal tables display the urns — well, most of the time. “When we let Gigi loose in the house, we set the urns down, just in case. The first time she pulled up, she pulled up on one of the pedestal tables,” says Tracy. “It was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least!”
The Madanses read stories, watch cartoons and enjoy one another’s company in the ultra-cool, eclectic family room. Tracy, inspired by Italian fashion design house Marni, married her rosy color scheme with Josh’s textile picks. Pink — a color the couple is fond of — pops against the ocean-blue, crushed-velvet slipcovered sectional. The sofa and raspberry-colored ottoman are topped with Quatrine coverings that can be easily removed and laundered. “I wash the covers all the time … in fact, just yesterday!” she states.
Also in the family room, a flat-screen TV hangs above a dresser the duo discovered at their favorite design shop, Century Modern in Dallas’ Deep Ellum. Works by Texas artists brighten the walls of the room; all pieces were purchased at Dallas’ annual Modern and Contemporary Art Auction. However, one painting stands alone: The couple adores the Ted Kincaid painting that hangs above their fireplace, a recent purchase at the Two By Two fundraiser for AIDS research at the Dallas Museum of Art. “This is our favorite piece in the house,” Tracy states. “We love collecting art at events or while traveling because it marks a certain time in your life.”
Baker and his little sister (whom he calls “Geege”) each claim their own space in neighboring bedrooms located just down the hall from the living room. Big brother Baker’s pad sports a funky, modern feel with wide windows, bamboo drawstring shades and three carved wooden monkeys that playfully “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.” Besides playing with his Spiderman figurines, the tot loves to race toy cars around his room while mom or dad watches from a tangerine-orange leather wingback chair from Urban Home.
Even though the Madanses’ abode is home to two very active kids, design doesn’t take a back seat. The unique retreat is “all about family,” Tracy says. “We love the clean lines of modern design, as well as its functionality. But, most of all, I love that our house is small,” she says of the 2,000-square-foot home, “which means that it keeps our family close. No one is ever too far away.”
