Tuscany or Napa? Aaron Angle Masterpiece in Vaquero Club Invites, Envelopes, and Makes You Never Want to Leave

As you know, I have an ongoing love affair with Vaquero Club for its  location, topography, greenery and privacy, among other reasons. Several others do as well, given that CEOs of major corporations, professional athletes and at least one famous television/radio personality all live within spitting distance of the most fabulous estate I have ever seen in these parts: 2252 King Fisher Drive.

I also love Vaquero for the schools. They draw buyers and keep property values tip top: parents have their choice of Keller ISD or the public charter school Westlake Academy, which serves K-12 and is an International Baccalaureate World School. Children who live in Westlake can attend Westlake Academy automatically — there are close to 2,000 students outside of the area on a waiting list to get into this highly coveted school.

2252 King Fisher Drive sits on a double lot of 3.83 acres, one of the largest in the guarded, stone-walled estate community that boasts 24 hour security, a Tom Fazio designed golf club, dining rooms, spa, tennis, fishing lakes, trails, trees, hills, and all a short drive to Southlake Town Center and DFW Airport.

Vaquero is exactly 7 miles from DFW Airport. I know, because I dropped off my kids before I sank into this home.

To say that once I walked in, I did not want to leave, is a true statement because I didn’t. I stayed for dinner, like the architect, Aaron Angle, who literally lived with the owners to provide the perfect, most custom home possible.

But truth be told, the love affair began the moment I walked behind the French wooden gates that open automatically. Since the security at Vaquero is so tight, those gates are for show and to get you thinking about the grape vines and wildflowers and daffodils you will be finding beyond them.

Even though you are already in a community known for meandering drives, 2252 is hidden from the street on its OWN meandering drive. You approach via a private driveway shaded by rose bushes and surprisingly mature trees. Park the car in the expansive circular, groomed driveway that not only parks 12 cars, it leads to the five-car garages, (three plus two, his and her). Across the private motor court is a verdant Bocce Ball court. Everywhere you turn, there are trees, shrubs, flowers and God’s green earth. The native grasses, wildflowers and perennial gardens on this meticulously landscaped estate will bloom more than 2500 tulip and daffodil bulbs come spring.

The grounds will try to keep you rooted to the earth and outside, and your eyes will be drawn to the bright blue shutters adorning the upper windows, French farmhouse style. With the hand-selected stone work of the entire facade, and variegated clay tiles on the roof, the home’s exterior is very Dilbeck-esque. There is even a fountain in front of the house where you imagine water may be drawn in wonderful clay pots at any moment.

But the house beckons from a stone walled front porch and covered entry. Inside is another House Beautiful surprise: unlike most of the homes built in Vaquero, this one is not a mecca to the Mediterranean Sea. Refreshing clean lines and Venetian plaster hand troweled finishes are everywhere, even in closets and on ceilings. But nothing, nothing is overdone.

The architect, Aaron Angle, and designers, Burkhart Interiors, also did not over-indulge in crown molding and shocker: not one Corinth column in all  10,572 square feet!

Yes, the home is large and expansive. But it is as warm as a country cabin. Like most homes in Westlake, the rooms are huge — a 26 by 21 living room, and the laundry room will have every woman swooning: it must be 18 by 20. But there is generous use of wood, timber beams, high transom windows, five hand-cut antique tile fireplaces, even tile on the backsplash of the secondary staircase up. The floors selected by the architect are 200 year old French tiles in pristine shape. The hand-cranked windows are heavy French wood. Though the home was built in 2008, it is as fresh and new as a model home.

There are five bedrooms (three down, two up), formals, a huge kitchen, downstairs master of course and a 975 square foot barrel-ceilinged wine/storm cellar with a romantic lounge sitting room, two corner Kiva fireplaces, and a huge copper-covered bar. I don’t think I have ever seen a hammered-copper counter top with matching sink, nothing more appropriate for a stone and brick-walled 1500 bottle wine cellar. The cellar is also located down from the dining room, perfect traffic flow for entertaining, and accessible by elevator. Of course there is also a powder room here because when one drinks, one… well, you know.

The second floor holds two spacious bedrooms, a theater and game room. Every bath is oversized and ensuite, and barely used.

A word about entertaining in this home: flawless. From the graceful entry and glass-doored foyer, the living room is sunken to the left, the dining to the right but the home was exquisitely designed to hug  the lot so there are numerous courtyards, sitting areas, and every single room has exterior views. The well-equipped gourmet kitchen features a huge slab island of rare South African marble — current owners spend considerable time doing humanitarian work in Africa. The family room is also perfectly sited to flow into a massive outdoor living and dining area that has just everything, from a large fireplace with stacked stone liner to a complete kitchen with bar, fridge, grill, kegerator. This over-sized, protected area offers expansive views of the large sparkling pool and spa, verdant floral trellises, the wildflower gardens and rolling terrain grounds. On a clear April evening, with perfect temperatures, you will not think you are in Dallas, you will think you are in Napa, Sonoma, or Mendocino County, California, a four plus hour plane flight away.

And you just won’t go home! Trust me!

The master is a total retreat. Because of the way the home hugs the lot, the huge room (17 by 20) with sitting area has Vaquero-sized closets and a spa bath. One of my favorite touches is an outdoor shower off the master located in a private garden courtyard — you can get as al fresco as you like! And the shower is engineered so it does not have to be shut off before the freeze. There are glass doors leading to the exterior spa on the eastern edge of the pool.

This home sits on almost four acres of land, the largest lot in Vaquero. But it may also be one of the most ecological: there are two rain water wells and five rain collection barrels for landscape irrigation.

2252 King Fisher is located at in a cul de sac on the western edge of King Fisher,. This street is where the Jonas brothers  and Justin Leonard once lived, too, among other notable names. But you, of course, will never know it, nor will you peruse their homes because of tight Vaquero security, unless, of course, they invite you over. Which is what happens sometimes in Vaquero. This is definitely the community where you will rub shoulders with some of the best endowed walking, biking, on the course or at the club., where the current owners exercise every morning.  Or you can retreat to your own private Napa.

Listed with J.L Forke and Jennifer Shindler of Dave Perry-Miller, 2252 King Fisher offers an unbelievable amount of refined, finely tuned square footage, top of the line structural investments, and years of loving nurturing of the huge land quotient. Asking $5.75 million, worth every penny.