Search For a Cliff May Midcentury Modern Turns into a Home Tour For Casa View

Scotty and Carrie Reese craved a Cliff May home, and they knew that Casa View claimed at least 39 of the midcentury modern architect’s California cool designs. Mindy Niehaus, their Realtor, wasn’t as familiar, but she was willing learn for the Reeses, a pair of creatives who had their hearts set on owning a Cliff May of their own.

“I told Scotty and Carrie that these homes don’t come on the market often. In fact, the average was about one listing a year!” said Niehaus, an agent with Nathan Grace Real Estate. “So they snatched up the second one we looked at, passing over the first one that had been added onto and remodeled so many times that it was no longer recognizable as a Cliff May home.”

Now a year later, Niehaus is full-on obsessed with Cliff May and Casa View, amazed that few people even knew that such a treasure trove of his designs were clustered in the sleepy transitioning neighborhood. “I asked Carrie what she thought of doing a home tour. She took my question to heart and asked the neighbors if they would be interested.”

Not only were they interested, they jumped at the chance to raise the profile of these homes and the Greater Casa View Alliance, the inaugural Casa View Cliff May Home Tour beneficiary. And Scotty Reese, a photographer and videographer by trade, pitched in and took photos of all of the tour homes. Other homeowners brought their talents to the table, too, showing that not only is Casa View flush with adorable midcentury modern homes that are getting a new life, but it’s absolutely lousy with kind and generous people.

“Everything has really come together and has been a great community effort,” Niehaus said. “It has exceeded my wildest expectations.”

So far, the Oct. 15 Casa View Cliff May Home Tour has raised $9,400 just since the tour was opened to sponsorships. (Full disclosure: CandysDirt.com couldn’t resist and has signed on as a sponsor of the tour.) Proceeds from ticket sales will also go to the Greater Casa View Alliance, Niehaus said, which plans to use the money to complete its formation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and launch new efforts to fuel momentum for positive change in the Greater Casa View area.

You can purchase tickets to this year’s Casa View Cliff May Home Tour, which will feature seven midcentury modern homes for just $10 in advance ($12 the day of the tour).

We wanted to know a little bit more about the homeowners who have kindly agreed to open their Cliff May-designed homes for the tour, so we interviewed the Reeses, as well as three other households on the tour.

CandysDirt.com: What room or design element of your home will stand out to home tour goers?

Carrie Reese: Definitely the open concept of the kitchen, living room, dining room, and sitting area. The front door seems to open straight into the backyard. The main area of the house flows from the front yard to the backyard, emphasizing an indoor/outdoor living concept.

CD: Is there any feature or finish in your home that tour goers shouldn’t miss?

Reese:  We had to get creative with window treatments in the main living area. We installed window blinds that blend in above the windows to look hidden, but can be rolled down to have privacy. The original California homes didn’t have to worry about a hot summer sun beaming in through the windows, so most of those don’t have any treatments! We have also converted the house to a smart house with the Wink, Nest, and Kevo systems. You’ll see hints of these systems all throughout the house.

CD: If you had to choose one spot — inside or outside — on your property where you could spend all day, where would it be and why?

Reese:  The yard, if the weather permits. We really enjoy hanging outside with the dogs and interacting with our neighbors. When we enclosed the fence all the way across the front yard, it gave us the freedom to let our dogs (and their four-legged friends) run all around the house and stay safe.

CD: What are you doing to prepare for the home tour?

Reese: We just recently finished painting the whole interior and have just started a major landscaping project for the backyard.

CD: What construction or renovation have you completed since you moved in? In what ways have you put your fingerprint on your home?

Reese: Last summer our family helped us paint the entire exterior of the house, which turned into a much bigger project than we anticipated! We renovated the carport area by filling in holes in the upper area with glass panes. We also removed all the aluminum soffit to show all of the natural beams that were covered up. We renovated the two smaller bedrooms into a nursery and an office/guest room. Because we both work from home so frequently, it was important to have a designated office area that fit the style of the house!

CD: Is there any history behind your home? Your neighborhood? Care to share?

Reese: There was a major attic fire in the 70s, which caused our chimney stack to be knocked down and filled in. Sadly, no winter fires for us. The bright side is that because of the fire, we have newer electrical wiring than most of the homes in the area. We don’t know much about previous owners, but we do know that sometime in the 80s all of the windows were boarded up. It wasn’t until recent history that someone decided to flip it, reinstall of the windows and put the utility room and laundry on the other side of the interior room.

CD: Why did you fall in love with your home? Your neighborhood?

Reese: We fell in love with the Cliff May home after seeing them in Southern California, where we frequently visit. We adore the indoor/outdoor living concept. We also really like how there is no wasted space. We couldn’t believe how much living space and bedrooms are fit into so few square feet. When we tell people our house is less than 1,300 square feet, they don’t believe us! We quickly fell in love with the neighborhood and all of East Dallas. Our neighbors are great. We walk to each other’s house for get-togethers. It’s a good place for us to walk our newborn down the street and around Harry Stone park. We are very close to White Rock Lake, which holds a special place in our family, as it’s where we were married! Lastly, all of the other homeowners have something in common, they all love their Cliff May homes.