We’ve turned a massive corner in presenting real estate to a very sophisticated market. Generic is out. Character and color are in. What we call a white-out in staging can still be the cure for those aging McMansions, but when it comes to the luxury market, you need cutting-edge stagers and designers.
This gorgeous Beverly Drive Tudor landed a buyer in three days and I guarantee you award-winning designer Eric Prokesh made the difference in how fast this home sold.
Prokesh is known for throwing out the rules, especially those concerning color. He’s also known for creating an intriguing balancing act between old and new. It’s something that certainly appealed to Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s agent Ralph Randall when he landed this historic Tudor listing.
“The unabashed use of color paired with elegant French pieces, many designed by Eric Prokesh, forged a curated experience for the buyer, unlike anything in the past, and most certainly unlike today’s banal palette,” Randall said. “It’s a curated environment instead of contrived, and the interiors are timeless. It was a refreshing change of pace for buyers to see.”
This Beverly Drive Tudor was originally built by Arch C. Baker in 1929, likely for E.V. McCright, a Dallas giant in building at the time. The Sylvester Munger family lived here from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. Yes, that Munger family! It’s always been a beautiful traditional home, but it was time for updates and a design refresh.
A Beautiful Balancing Act
This client-designer relationship was kismet. To give you some insight, Prokesh showed up with a Stark carpet sample one day only to find an identical sample laid out for him to see. What’s that they say about great minds?
“You rarely get an opportunity as a designer to start from scratch, and we really did,” Prokesh said. “My client is partial to orange and purple and is not afraid to go for it. She is brave, and when she makes up her mind, she makes up her mind, making it easy to collaborate.
“Working with this client was a wonderful experience,” he continued. “We did custom rugs in the dining room and the front hall. She would tell me what she wanted, and I’d draw them up. We’d choose colors and have them made. I drew the dining room table based on a Biedermeier center table and made it in sycamore wood with a lovely inlay banding.
Prokesh even sourced his own Fort Worth abode selling her his Louis the XVI armchairs and a Biedermeier chest of drawers. Now that’s designer dedication!
“But the most design-intensive thing I’ve ever done is her principal closet,” Prokesh said.
Remember, this is a 1929 Beverly Drive Tudor with only a six-by-ten principal closet space. So, Prokesh measured every single item. His carpenter built everything onsite from his drawings, including an armoire with a gold mirror, a dressing table, and shoe shelving with a concealed light source.
Prokesh designed the wallpaper based on Andy Warhol’s Chanel perfume bottle artwork. Even a Smeg refrigerator was designed into the mix because we all need a glass of champagne when getting party-ready!
Don’t think every item is outrageously expensive. Prokesh is a master of the mash-up and certainly not above mixing in a piece or two from Ikea.
Part of the reimagining of this Beverly Drive Tudor was a redesign of the garage, the addition of guest quarters, and a stunning wine cellar, all designed by architect Wilson Fuqua. Bill Bibb at Archiverde did the landscape refresh.
Compass agent Jordan Rosen brought the buyer for 4425 Beverly Drive.
“Of course, the location speaks for itself,” Rosen said. “You can feel the rich history as soon as you enter the door. It was the perfect fit for my client, who loved the tall ceilings, spacious rooms, and how well it has been maintained and architecturally preserved. Eric’s interior design brought so much life into the house. The bright colors and the natural light complimented the age of the house beautifully!”
Eric Prokesh has also shown us that historic homes stand the test of time. All they need is the designer difference.
