What makes a good neighbor? Someone who signs for your packages when you’re at work, or simply stops to chat over the fence once in a while? Few have thought about this more than Nirav Tolia, the cofounder and former CEO of Nextdoor. When he and his wife Megha, the president and COO of Los Angeles–based production company Shondaland, decided to put down roots in Nirav’s home state of Texas, a strong network was at the top of their list of requirements. “Texas, to me, has always represented community,” he says.
The couple had built their careers, as well as their family of five, in the Bay Area, but a two-year sabbatical from their high-powered corporate jobs completely changed their perspective. “We closed up our house in San Francisco and moved to Italy for one year,” says Nirav, who spent the time teaching at Stanford’s Florence campus while Megha studied Italian. “Then COVID hit, and like many people, we started to reevaluate where our next chapter would be. It gave us an opportunity to think about what was most important in our lives and where we wanted to be.” As their tenure in Italy came to a close, the couple decided their next big move was to be near Nirav’s extended family, many of whom live around the Dallas area.
The couple purchased the property in the Highland Park neighborhood in Dallas, but began the design process while still living in Florence. As longtime Italophiles, antique architecture and endless troves of Renaissance art were sources of inspiration. They commissioned Dallas-based architect Larry E. Boerder to design the house—a classically inspired villa set on a sprawling tree-filled lot. “Our brief for him was ‘antiquity meets contemporary,’” explains Megha.
Meanwhile, for the interiors, they sought guidance from Jon de la Cruz, founder of De la Cruz Interior Design, who had worked with the couple on their previous home in San Francisco. “The Tolias like a very clean aesthetic. They asked for a warm, minimal environment,” he says of the brief. That meant filling the cavernous double-height great room with prized pieces by midcentury masters and contemporary Italian brands. Their collection includes vintage Gio Ponti armchairs, custom cube chairs swathed in Venetian Rubelli fabric, and several gems by the late French designer Christian Liagre. “They’re huge fans of Christian Liagre and that kind of European luxury that isn’t overly or unnecessarily adorned,” says de la Cruz.