As a stager, I’m often asked by sellers, “What are buyers looking for?” There’s a long answer of course, and much depends on who the buyer is. But the short one is that they are looking for exactly what you’ll see in this University Park contemporary French traditional home at 4080 Hanover Street.
It’s light, bright, and white (Farrow & Ball’s Great White and Benjamin Moore’s Decorator White) with clean lines and great craftsmanship — what everyone is looking for. The days of the fussy house are over. No one wants heavy wood, low ceilings, wallpaper, and 10 different colors. That’s why, despite this hot market, we still see luxury homes languishing on the market. But sleek new construction can’t be built fast enough because what is being built is exactly what buyers want.
TAA Custom Homes does a remarkable job here, as you can see. This 7,013-square-foot home with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and one powder bath was finished this year. Tom Hughes with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International has it listed for $2.19 million.
Realtors in the luxury end of the market see fantastic homes every day, so I always want to know what made their jaw drop the first time they walked in the door.
“What I liked about this home was the design, the scale of rooms, and the exceptionally high grade of materials used for finishes,” Hughes said. “We don’t often see slate roofs, pier-and-beam foundation, and Calcutta marble in this price point. This house has the perfect storm of design, materials, and construction.”
It’s a whirlwind of detail as well. Let’s start at the top. The roof is made of antique Chinese slate. Slate roofs are the gold standard. They last forever, are more resistant to hail damage and fire, and of course there’s the fact that they’re simply beautiful.
The cast stone and stucco façade of the home, with that great solid mahogany front door, is completely classic.
“We take inspiration from the beautifully proportioned architecture of ancient Greece and Rome,” builder Tahir Rafique said. Rafique and his wife, Amna, are second-generation builders with over two decades of experience. What really stands out in their work is restraint. It’s easy to just go nuts with luxurious materials and add embellishments to every surface, but they know just where to put those glamorous touches, like on the ceilings. Ceilings are an excellent place to make a statement. There’s an antiqued wood-beamed ceiling in the family room and a show-stopping geometric custom plaster ceiling in the master bedroom. A Circa chandelier adds the finishing touch.
The eye-catcher for me is the living room fireplace. Deeply gorgeous.
“It was designed by our in-house designer,” Rafique said. “The fireplace is stained American walnut and the metal portion is stainless steel.”
Imagine how the fire will reflect off of that. Bringing in a vintage chandelier added just the right balance.
You can’t just have a pretty home today, it has to be smart as well. The custom steel doors leading to the patio are low-e glass, as are all of the windows. The house has top of the line Navien tankless water heaters, an Aiphone audio/video door intercom set, and a security system directly connected to the City of University Park.
The open-plan gourmet kitchen is completely on point with white Calcutta Gold marble, a large center island and of course, Wolf and Subzero appliances. The and pendants are locally sourced from Dallas’ own Horchow Collection.
The second-floor master suite, painted with Benjamin Moore’s Cathedral Gray, has a private balcony, that great ceiling, and a fireplace. But the bathroom is the room you won’t want to leave. Marble floors, a massive shower, a Gratziella III acrylic soaking tub, one-of-a-kind custom-made master bathroom vanities with acrylic legs, and a drop-dead-gorgeous vintage Lucite ribbon chandelier. It’s fabulous!
Also located on the second floor are a game room and three additional bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms and walk in closets. The third floor has a flex space with a private bath. It’s a great option for another living area or bedroom.
The builder really has captured what today’s buyer is looking for — streamlined architecture infused with a fresh perspective and detail in the right places. Glamorous and totally kid friendly. Although it’s a great home for an empty nester or a young couple, it’s absolutely perfect for a family because Robert S. Hyer Elementary is a short bike ride away. All this for $2.19 million? Look around, we think it’s an enormous amount of bang for your buck.
