Earlier this month, we wrote about a spectacular midcentury modern home in Dallas’ Disney Streets. It got unbelievable interest from all of you and was shared thousands of times on social media.
We aren’t the only ones taking notice. After our publication of Disney Streets Midcentury Will Have You Singing Sinatra, Polishing Martini Glasses, the story of this incredible house was picked up by blogs, magazines, newspapers, and TV shows around the world.
“I never expected this: [these publications] are from all over the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Japan,” said homeowner Carlos Cardoza, who put this midcentury masterpiece on the market in early September with Ed Murchison of Virginia Cook Realtors for $665,000.
“There’s one of them requested the picture of the dining room for their magazine cover,” he said. “On Thursday, Modern Dallas is coming to do a TV segment.”
Located at 11016 Pinocchio Dr. in Northwest Dallas, this house is like no other, designed by architect Gordon Nichols and known as the Smith House. Cardoza worked tirelessly to create the almost museum-like look, transforming the exterior and interior into a midcentury modern masterpiece.
But it turns out, its perfection may be causing problems with it comes to finding a buyer.
“We’re finding out that people are very intimidated by the house, almost to the point that they don’t know what to do,” he said. “They have a hard time visualizing themselves here because they seem to think it’s like a museum and not meant to be touched.”
“This is not a museum, it’s a house, you can buy it and make it your own,” Cardoza continued. “When I found this house, it was in a condition that most people would just pass it — but I remember when I found it, I saw it the way it looks right now. I could see because I’m a designer and graphic artist and I can visualize things.”
Realizing not everyone can visualize a house as they would want it for themselves, Cardoza decided to take steps to make it easier.
“People tell me, ‘Your house is a masterpiece,’ and I take the compliment and appreciate it, but that’s the problem — people are looking at the masterpiece and they need to look at an empty canvas,” he said. “I neutralized everything by painting the walls a light gray, so there’s no more orange in the dining room, no more blue in the living room.”
Cardoza also said people have asked if it’s a model home of some sort. In part, this is due to his extremely neat and tidy habits. So he’s changing that a bit, too.
“Now when I have showing, I kind of throw my jacket on the bed or leave a glass on the table, to make it a little more like somebody lives here,” he said. “As far as finding a buyer, it’s been kind of weird. It’s almost like they don’t want to mess with it and maybe they don’t see how their furniture could fit in here.”
Cardoza is waiting on a move to Palm Springs until he sells this Disney Streets midcentury modern and we wish him the best of luck. You can check out some of the publications that have written about this home at the Facebook page The Smith House 1954.
