S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
O N ES TO WATCH | DALL AS + FORT WORTH
BLAKE SMITH, PRINCIPAL
“Success for Taproot Studio is great design from the outside in.”
PATIENCE MAKES PERFECT
TAPROOT STUDIO 214.210.7006 | taprootstudio.com |
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Smith starts every project learning all there is to know about the physical location, as well as the client. “The discipline of waiting for the facts to come in is uncomfortable as every designer will want to begin to draw, model, daydream and conceptually explore the possibilities,” he says. Instead of jumping in without all of the information, he conserves his creative energy until he knows what’s truly feasible for a space. When complications throughout the process inevitably arise, Smith regards every challenge as an opportunity. “Something great about design problems is that there are always great design solutions.”
While Blake Smith was studying in the U.K. at the Oxford Brookes University’s School of Architecture, he spent his summers traveling back to Texas, which allowed him to “cross-pollinate design ideas back and forth across the ocean,” he says. During this time, he came up with a phrase: “Landscape first, then architecture.” Now, as the principal and founder of Taproot Studio, Smith has made a career out of following this philosophy. Whether his team of five is working on an urban condominium building or a rural residence, they prioritize making a connection between the design and its surrounding context. Smith attributes the spatial awareness that informs his architectural decisions to frequent national park visits with his parents when growing up, saying, “That sense of enjoyment in discovering an outdoor room along a cliff wall while on a hike has never really left me.”
Top Taproot Studio designed the structural corbels from this original single-story home to extend outward in order to carry level two. Left This limestone gradient brise soleil at the porte cochere hosts load-transferring columns and provides a visual screen. Right This patio extending from the primary bath sits on top of a formal dining area and overlooks Turtle Creek. Photography Costa Christ