One block away from Lakewood Park, over near the spillway at White Rock Lake, there’s a Charles Dilbeck-inspired home that is truly exceptional. It’s also going to be a quick little lesson in some architectural terms so let’s get after it.
Let’s start with the obvious, what makes it Dilbeck-inspired? Glad you asked. Compass’ Beth Nunez said it’s the symmetry that creates a ranch-style house with the addition of the big windows to bring the outside in.
Dilbeck was around during the midcentury, hence the ranch, but he also brought a hint of French Norman style to his designs, too. (Nunez’s husband is an architect so she has the lingo down.)
Nunez said she had the struggle of whether or not to call 7159 Wildgrove a cottage because the impression is “oh, it’s a smaller home, must be a cottage.” But here that’s not the case. It is smaller. Yes. True. Fact. But it’s also the design, details, and coziness that qualify it for that sweet little term.
The front door is custom, solid wood and a lot of the doors and hardware on the inside are, too. The kitchen is totally French-inspired and then there’s the herringbone pattern on the wood floor which is repeated on the ceiling in the living room. In the kitchen, the cabinets have a wire mesh inset up top. A little French country maybe? Or we could just call that cool.
In keeping with the charming theme, there’s a courtyard with a water fountain and if you look closely on the brick, you’ll see weeping mortar. That’s what that is!!! When you see the mortar sort of spill out in between the bricks. It has a name. And according to those in the industry, it takes a pretty skilled brick mason to pull it off.
Here’a another nugget from the breezeway that leads you into the courtyard — the ceiling is painted blue. Do you know why? It’s supposed to repel wasps. TRUTH. Now these owners might have just painted it blue because it’s pretty and reminds them of sky, but word on the Internet is it’ll keep wasps away too.
One of the other things I love about this house, and any house really, is a stone fireplace. And one with a built-in planter like this one? GET OUT OF HERE. Top it off with the fact that those appear to be real, live plants growing in that bad boy. NO SMALL FEAT. Especially when there’s not a ton of direct sunlight.
Overall, this is just a charmer and Nunez said even though it’s small, you could easily add on, but we both kind of agreed, why mess with perfection?
Nunez has 7159 Wildgrove Avenue listed for $710,000.
