This home will be open on Thursday, August 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. for your viewing pleasure!
Oh yes, this one is a keeper.
I mean, just look around us at everything that is being built. Modern homes are increasingly preferred by today’s buyers, and smart builders have definitely taken note.
It’s really no surprise we’re all embracing the principles of midcentury style and sensibility that some of us were raised with. (I’m sitting at my Haywood-Wakefield desk as I type this.) The design influence today is all about simplicity, clean lines, no clutter, open floor plans, and a respectful melding with the environment.
This new, gorgeous modern home, at 4915 Stanford, is a flawless example of what happens when great design minds meet. I call it, “Mid-Century Modern Light.”
The house was very much a team effort between Alexa Knight at Mid-Century Modern Development and The Hill Group, a D Best Builder for the last three years and a recipient of The Dallas Builder’s Association ARC award. “Our whole idea was centered on preserving the landscape and making the most of the lot,” Chris Hill, president of The Hill Group, said.
And of course a great listing agent is one of the most important members of that team. Veteran multimillion dollar producer Di Brown, with Ebby Halliday, has been on board since the inception of this home.
“It fulfilled our vision exactly the way we’d imagined,” she said. Brown has the 4,549-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom, one-half-bathroom listed for $1.549 million.
“I’d say the first thing that drove our design direction was the space planning of the property,” Hill said. “We wanted to appeal to a buyer that did not want a ton of maintenance. So we built a “C” shaped courtyard allowing for some back yard for kids and dogs.”
It worked, hugging the leafy Bluffview area lot in just the right places.
“Building in this particular neighborhood was inspired by Alexa,” Hill said. “She is from Austin, and wanted the “laid back feel” you get in this part of town.”
The neighborhood, to give you an exact pinpoint, is a small enclave called Briarwood, and is just south of Bluffview. Years ago I saw it and was besmitten, wanting always to pick up one of the little cape cods or ’50’s ranches built here after World War II. The trees are soaring, the streets quirky. The area has exactly that laid back, leafy feel, very much like Austin. There is an easy ability to interact with your neighbors, which was also a driving factor in the design of the home. The Hill Group actually built in spaces to facilitate an ease of neighborhood connection. Great example: the expansive second story balcony overlooking the front of the home is a wonderful example of one of those spaces. When you see it, you can just imagine the scenario of a couple having a glass of wine, spotting neighbors on a jog, waving them down and making plans for dinner at RISE in thirty.
“The exterior has the Texas Hill country influence, with muted soft tone bricks, drawing from that ranch look that you can bring so easily into a midcentury look,” Hill said.
The front door is a handsome, offset custom steel and glass pivot door.
“It’s a signature look of our homes,” Hill said.
Another signature element in all Hill Group homes is the staircase. Curlicue, heavy bannisters are so 2000. In this home, they have created a floating staircase in a mix of steel and wood with an asymmetrical railing. It’s like a giant sculpture, set against a floor to ceiling charcoal wall and flanked by two stories of enormous windows.
“We thought it was fun and almost playful, and it sets the tone for the lifestyle of the house,” Hill said.
The floor-to-ceiling glass windows are another signature feature connecting back to that core value of mid-century modern style. There is a seamless blending into nature, borrowing a Mies van der Rohe sensibility from Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, near my hometown, now a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“The lifestyle of the younger buyer is about living life in one room that serves multiple purposes,” Hill said.
The open plan Great Room concept in this house creates that informal atmosphere, with the nod to midcentury modern design blending form and function as equals.
I am in love with the Brazilian hardwood decking material, IPE, was used for the floors. Delicious.
“It’s very durable with a tight grain,” Hill said.
That m3ans it withstands kids and dogs.
Rift cut white oak was used for the flush European style frameless cabinets in a natural finish, and that gorgeous kitchen island will take your breath away. It is a waterfall design, wrapping the ends in black pearl leather granite. The honed stone fireplace has a steel mantle, yes steel! Talk about cutting edge!
The Hill Group reduced western exposure to reduce the sun’s impact, used Marvin Integrity Low-E windows and Rinnai tankless water heaters.
The thoughtful process of building this home is evident everywhere you look, every nook and cranny. And the tremendous sense of soft contemporary flair, what I call “Mid Century Light” makes it oh so easy on the eyes.
It should not be surprising that the home exceeds Dallas green build specifications.
If you’re looking for maximum style, minimum upkeep and midcentury sensibility, in one of the best neighborhoods in town, look no further. You are home!
