In a suburban market chock full of new build spec homes, Dwell Partners’ newest listing in Old Town Coppell goes to show how a blank slate can be transformed into something truly stylish and unique! 

“Our seller, Sarah Shojaian with Sho Interiors, is a mover and shaker within the DFW interior design community and beyond,” says listing agent Lauri Ann Hanson of Dwell Partners – a duo with Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate made up of herself and Aimee Schreiner Ives.“Sarah has an eye for bringing out the less than ordinary features of her clients’ homes, but when she and her husband decided to move closer to the airport for his career, Sarah took on a job that hit closer to home.”

Location, Location, Location!

The couple bought a Darling new build across from the Farmers Market. And as the family put down roots, Sarah got to work! She was able to turn this recognizable floor plan into something truly special. The result? Nothing short of perfection.

George’s Coffee Is A Block Away

“The picture-perfect four-bedroom, three-bath Craftsman with open concept boasts of two oversized front porches – ideal for sipping on a cup of coffee from renown George’s Coffee just a block away,” adds Lauri.

Custom Touches Galore

The best part? It is full of custom touches! These include gorgeous kitchen cabinetry, sleek countertops, an extended foyer, and gleaming hardwoods. From custom Roman shades to stunning light fixtures, to acrylic hardware, Sarah’s keen eye took the floorplan from drab to FAB!

And a Patio For Entertaining

For those who love a good patio, there is a fantastic side yard. It is clad in custom Austin Stone and astroturf that looks out to the Farmers Market, shops, and hip restaurants.

Of Course, The Price Can’t Be Beat, Either

Offered at $495,000, the property represents a rare opportunity to own a designer masterpiece at a fraction of the price. In fact, you can move right in without any added costs.

To sweeten the deal, Sarah was gracious enough to share a few tricks of the trade.

Read on for our exclusive Q&A and be sure to call Laurie Ann Hanson and Aimee Schreiner Ives to schedule a tour. Word to the wise, act fast. This beauty will go quick!

Daltxrealestate.com: What did you love about this new build and its floor plan?

Sarah Shojaian: The first thing that drew us to this floor plan was the second balcony. Not only did we like how it looked, but it added so much extra usable square footage to the house. Something else we have come to appreciate while having a young child is having the master bedroom on the second floor. It is convenient and comforting. Our other favorite thing about this floor plan is the open concept. We have been able to entertain a lot, and it works very well.

CD: What changes did you make to the home so it would work for you?

SS: We really liked the original floor plan, but we made some minor tweaks. We were able to work with our contractor during the building process to customize the home. I adjusted some of the lighting locations because we knew we wanted to do custom lighting later. We moved a window in an upstairs bedroom to have a better view of the square. And we planned the layout of the kitchen cabinets with more drawers and cabinets to the ceiling to optimize functionality.

CD: What are a few of your top design tricks that make this home feel more custom or livable?

SS: It’s important to be smart about where to spend your money with the builder. There are certain things that are included in the base price, and certain things are upgrades. We decided to upgrade to wood floors in all the main areas. Wood floors are timeless and durable and well worth the extra money! We stuck with carpet in the bedrooms because it’s soft, controls noise, and is more cost effective. Carpet should be changed out every few years, so there’s no need to spend a lot of money on it. 

We upgraded our kitchen countertops to quartz, because the kitchen is the main hub of the house. It gets used all day every day, and it needed to be both durable and beautiful. Quartz is the most durable countertop available – it won’t stain and it doesn’t need to be maintained. Again, well worth the extra money!

We expanded our master shower and added a garden tub in the master bathroom, because that was most functional. In the guest bathroom, the countertops are upgraded to Carrara Marble and we went all out with custom features.

One thing that will make any house more livable and will give it longevity, is a neutral color palette. We chose soft, neutral colors throughout because I like to change furniture, art, and accessories around, and this allowed me to not be committed to one color scheme.

Another little trick is adding custom cabinet hardware after move-in. This is an easy way to personalize a house. We added custom hardware to the kitchen and all of the bathrooms, we even added fun Anthropologie knobs in the laundry room.

CD: What features make it stand out?

SS: We changed lighting throughout the house. We went with the included light fixtures for the build-out, so we didn’t pay any extra, but then we switched them out for more unique fixtures after move-in. After move-in we also painted a couple of the rooms, still keeping them soft and neutral. In the guest bathroom, we decided to have some fun. Small spaces are the perfect spot to break away from neutral. We added grasscloth navy wallpaper, lucite cabinet hardware, fun sconces, and a new mirror.

CD: Favorite room or view?

SS: Our favorite room is actually the side yard that we redid after we moved in. The house comes standard with gravel in the side yard, which wasn’t functional with a young child. So, we extended the patio, added Austin Flagstone, and added astroturf. It’s beautiful, functional, and zero maintenance. Which we love! Favorite view: We love watching sunsets from the second balcony!

CD: Who is this home perfect for?

SS: The neighborhood caters to many different lifestyles. From young families to retirees, this neighborhood is perfect. It’s easy access to the airport, walkable, safe, low maintenance, fantastic schools, and has a great sense of community. There’s always something fun to do! Whether it’s getting coffee at George, grabbing a burger at Twisted Root, going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, listening to live music during a community event, or just hanging out on your front porch, this neighborhood offers so much. But our favorite thing to do, is to relax in our side yard.

CD: Why is it a great buy and what design elements stay with the home?

SS: Every detail of this house was lovingly planned. From the floors to the cabinets, we tried to think through every detail of how this house would be most functional and look beautiful for many years to come. We didn’t want to choose finishes that were too trendy and also not boring, because we wanted this home to be have a long lifespan. With some builder tweaks and custom finish-out we believe we achieved a timeless house that still looks on trend for right now.

Lauri Ann Hanson and Aimee Schreiner Ives with Dwell Partners of Dave Perry-Miller have listed 736 Hammond Street for $495,000.