We asked listing agent Shell Stegall how she’d describe her absolutely phenomenal $3.342 million Highland Park contemporary listing at 3800 Normandy Avenue. “It’s truly a one-of-a-kind house,” she said.
It certainly made us stop and look!
Realtors see house after house, every day, so it’s the rare home that truly captivates. “The general reaction when a fellow Realtor opens the door is ‘Oh my heavens,’ “ Stegall said. “There is nothing else like this in the Park Cities, that’s what makes it so unusual.”
It’s also unusual because it’s not just your typical gorgeous Park Cities home — it’s the result of the multiple talents of some of the cleverest design brains in the country.
Susan Baten, who you may remember brought 4100 Turtle Creek back from the brink of destruction, has an eye like no one else we’ve come across. Baten has a knack for renovating, but after the Turtle Creek house, she and her husband Greg decided it was time for the dream home.
Then Stegall drove by.
Noticing the 5,118-square-foot house was about finished, it struck her as the perfect home for her clients, Dan and Charlie Kuzmic, who were relocating from Amsterdam. It ticked all the boxes with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder bath, a home office, lots of light, great flow for parties, and a huge guest quarters over the garage. She pulled over and went right in to talk to Joe Shannon owner of Veritas Developers, who happened to be on site that day. Shannon is a second-generation luxury homebuilder who specializes in the Park Cities.
There was only one problem: The house was not for sale. Remember this was the Baten’s dream home.
Well, we all know there is no such thing as “not for sale.” Everything is negotiable. “The Kuzmics flew in, saw the house, fell in love with it and after a sale was agreed upon, asked Baten to finish the house exactly as she had originally planned it, because it was evident to them she has an incredible eye.”
Indeed, she does. She also knows how to plan a house for entertaining. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors open onto the front porch from the living room with the Terrazzo floors flowing out as well, extending the living area for parties. “The front porch is a great area to set up the bar when entertaining,” Stegall said.
The sleek modern kitchen is designed for people that really cook, with custom Poggenpohl cabinetry, quartz counters, Wolf, Sub-Zero, and Miele stainless appliances, and Dornbracht fixtures.
Baten also has great connections. The built-in cabinetry in the office, library, and master closet is all done by the same resource that Neiman Marcus uses for their custom cabinetry.
It just gets better.
Once they moved in, The Kuzmics brought in Susan Bedner Long, principal of SB Long Interiors, to furnish the home around their dramatic art collection. Long is known for her “modern traditional” style, and among her many credits is transforming the living room of the Connecticut Governor’s mansion as part of the house’s 100-year anniversary restoration. Long added her touch turning the house into a true reflection of the owners’ tastes.
David Hocker did the landscaping, and took every detail into consideration. There is a water misting system as well as one for mosquitos. Lights are buried in the grass to shine up for a dramatic effect in the evenings. He designed the “cocktail pool” with a Lueders limestone wall and waterfall.
If it all sounds just too perfect to leave, it is but the Kuzmics are on to their next worldly adventure and the one-of-a-kind dream home can now be yours.
We’d be trying to negotiate for several pieces of that dream art collection as well!
If you want to see it in person, Stegall is having an open house Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
