What happens when three-long time friends find “the house”?
Flip a coin to see who gets it… and then remodel over the years as much as a lone owner can manage? Or… how about buying it together and pulling out all the stops to completely remodel in six months flat?
That’s the route David Glover and Jorge and Kathy Martinez decided to take. “It was a complete gut-out,” David says. “When you buy a house, you look at everything you could possibly keep the same way – for obvious reason. But once we got in here, we just went wild. We saw a lot of potential.”
So from January to June 2000, walls moved, disappeared, and the entire attic became a master suite dubbed “The Tree House” for Jorge and Kathy – complete with bedroom, sitting room, study and a carefully proportioned his/hers bath with a glass shower and clawfoot tub.
David recalls seeing the attic for the first time.
“When we opened up the ceiling to come up here, it was late afternoon, and the sun was coming through the stained glass (dorners), and we were like: Hey, this is incredible. I think we were the only potential buyers to even come up into the attic.
A downstairs porch that had been enclosed many years ago was converted into the sitting room and study for David’s master suite, while the rest of the “first floor” was transformed into a space custom-made for entertaining the trio’s  many friends in the neighborhood. Just around the corner from the formals, a den and new fireplace focus on views of and access to the extended wraparound deck and new pool.
“I love my master bathroom and dressing room,” David says. “I’ve always wanted one like that. I designed it, and it’s mine, all mine. I get in there in the morning, and I don’t come out until I’m ready.”
“I love my window (upstairs),” Kathy says. “Mornings I sit there and look out at sky.”
As if living in the same space weren’t enough, George, Kathy and David teamed up with three other friends to form a corporation and open the store “OF” (Objects Found) on Skillman, just around the corner from the Tipperary Inn.
“We all love to find things for our homes, our offices, our gardens,” Davids say.
Jorge says: “We were in Mexico in October when we got the idea of doing the store. This house that we were staying in…was this ‘museum’ house. But it was very comfortable. And this lady collected very old religious art.”
“And treasures from around the world,” Kathy says.
“I love my religious knickknacks, artifacts,” says George, who finds these displays his favorite focal point in the house.
Inspired by their trip and a mutual passion for collecting and enjoying their homes, the group set about finding a retail space. The recent spring opening of well, OF came about much in the whirlwind  manner of the previous spring’s home renovation. With some jitters, but overriding enthusiasm.
“The best thing about the store is the people from the neighborhood we’ve met,” says Jorge, who adds that the group did the opening event in conjunction with Preservation Dallas, a reflection of how they’ll feel about this part of town.
“When we decided to buy this house, I guess we shared three priorities,” David says. “Number one – it had to be in Hollywood Heights, I already lived here, and I wasn’t going anywhere. Also, we needed two master suites; it’s hard to find a house in this neighborhood where you can do that.
“And we love to entertain. We very rarely cook a meal for less than six people. Our whole circle of friends lives in the neighborhood.
“We were really fortunate to find this.”
