Betimes a bitter sweet experience, to walk a house before it goes on the market, before it has been carefully staged, while vibrations of the past owners are still strong and a devotedly maintained decor conjures up an earlier era and affords an unusual opportunity to sift through experiments in decoration past-some timeless, some not. Such wistful musings might, perhaps, describe a tour of 1512 Shady Oaks Lane in Westover Hills.
And yet there is so much more which is solid on offer here. The sheer size of the mansard roofed, gable windowed house, stretching in bold horizontals, almost requires a wide angle lens to capture it. At nearly 6100 square feet-enormous for a house built in 1970, the 5 Bedroom, 4+2 (1/2) Bath house is family scaled and replete with many contemporary wish list must haves. Evidence of how well loved the house was, is obvious as soon as one enters the commanding, modern paired metal doors, and encounters hardwood floors polished to palace perfection. Opposite-a gracefully curving staircase climbs to the second floor.
Conforming to current taste in layout, to the right, is a completely distinct downstairs master suite. The tray ceilinged bedroom is spacious enough for any buyer. Triple mirrors conceal one of the master suite’s 3 large closets, the first hint of the house’s near obsessive inventory of storage spaces.
The master bath, revetted in jade green granite is well planned with separated twin sinks and vanities far enough apart for conflict free mornings. The high end hardware here and in the rest of the house, is just at the threshold of vintage appeal. The house is so fresh to the market (it really officially lists on Monday) that evidence of an estate sale is still visible and I scoop up a set of original floor plans for safe keeping.
The formal living room and dining room, to the left of the entrance vestibule are framed with custom millwork and architectural moldings with a color scheme that appears almost au courant.
The kitchen benefits from relatively recent stainless appliance upgrades, including a 4 burner Jenn Air cooktop with griddle, twin 36 inch Sub Zero refrigerator and freezer, high quality cabinets and hard to improve space planning. It would require only alterations to paint and the decorative kitchen trio-floors/counters/ backslashes, to accommodate the fancies of the new owners.
Off the kitchen is a paneled den. Abundant cabinetry for books and hidden wiring are electronic component ready. The room is served by a wet bar equipped with a ‘heretofore unknown to me’ contraption called a “kegorator”. The den bar opens to the front hall on the side-ideal for seamless party service.
The remaining 4 bedrooms are upstairs. 2 at the back have doors to a terrace overlooking the graded lawn. A seemingly endless corridor (over 64 feet) connects them all as well as 6, by my count, storage closets and cupboards not including a gun room which could easily convert into an office.
The Backyard is an undeniable gem. The old oaks with their improbable twisting, spreading, limbs resemble giant manicured and manipulated bonsais. The classically shaped pool is perched on a grade roughly the height of the house’s second floor and is served by changing rooms on either side of a kitchenette. A fence behind conceals pool filter, shed, and greenhouse. 2 covered parking spaces augment a 3 car garage.
Offered at $1,699,000.00 Listing agent John Zimmerman, Briggs Freeman Sothebys International Realty
Eric Prokesh is an interior designer whose work has appeared on HGTV, in books and publications including D Home, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, and House and Garden. In January 2005, HG named Eric one of the 50 tastemakers in America and D Home has included him as one of Dallas’ Best Designers for 10 years. Having lived most of his life in Dallas, he now calls Fort Worth home and is one of our experts on beautiful Fort Worth Dirt.
