An enormous ivy-covered stucco wall is all you can see from the street. Behind it lies not only a secret garden but also perhaps the most mysterious abode you will ever find in Dallas.
Once inside the massive, carved wooden door, you cannot help but be delighted. A courtyard leads to the home, which is almost completely wrapped in glass. While it may seem to be a bit of a contradiction to be both transparent and mysterious, it most definitely is both.
The house was built in 1988 by the owner of a glass manufacturing company. I can’t help but think he must have read The Secret Garden as a child and kept it in mind when constructing this mysterious abode. The exterior stucco wall was created to provide maximum privacy. Few people have any idea of what is behind it or who lives there now.
But I’m going to tell you. And you no longer have to imagine what lies behind the wall, and what’s inside.
This is the home of Loyd Taylor. If you don’t know him, you should.
When I moved to Dallas in 1979, Loyd-Paxton was the most elegant place, maybe in the world, to find world-class antiques, one-of-a-kind accessories, and unparalleled design skill, for your home. Frankly, it still is.
Loyd Taylor and Paxton Gremillion furnished everything from homes to planes for international royalty, rock stars, and of course, the movers and shakers of Dallas. They even provided pieces for the renovation of Versailles Palace. There was never a doubt when you entered a home designed by Loyd-Paxton. You were enveloped in luxury and swept into a story only they could create.
I profiled their incredible design at 3525 Turtle Creek a few years ago. To give you an idea of their dedication to detail, when they could not find exactly the right paint to create a desired effect on the walls of the penthouse, they turned to a nail salon. At the time, Revlon produced a pearlescent nail polish that was deemed perfect. After purchasing everything on offer in Dallas, they contacted Revlon and bought it in 50-gallon containers. Rumor has it they depleted the supply.
Although it’s chock full of antiquities and treasures from around the world, the structure alone is jaw-dropping. The courtyard can be seen from every public room and the master bedroom. You are certainly inside your secret garden.
“Nothing was ever considered daunting,” Allie Beth Allman listing agent Karen Luter said. “A cherry-picker installed the beautiful urns near the pool. They had to get clearance from Southwest Airlines because it was so tall! They did magnificent things to this house. There is no way to replicate this property.”
That’s why it sold almost immediately.
“I listed it on MLS the evening of Monday, October 28,” Luter said. “Tuesday, I had 14 appointments and four offers over the asking price of $399,500. It went under contract on November 4.”
Although you’ve missed an opportunity to purchase 2709 Maple Springs Boulevard, you can certainly make an appointment to see Loyd at his incredible showroom and have him help you create your own secret garden home.
Then she slipped through it, and shut it behind her, and stood with her back against it, looking about her and breathing quite fast with excitement, and wonder, and delight.
She was standing inside the secret garden.
It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place anyone could imagine.
The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager and writer for over 25 years. Karen teaches the popular Staging to Sell class and is the creator of the online course, The Beginners Guide to Buying Wholesale. Her love of all dogs, international travel, good chocolate, great champagne, and historic homes knows no bounds. Her father was a spy, so she keeps secrets very well!
