Preston Hollow Estate Fit for a Modern Royal Family and Staged to Perfection

This Preston Hollow estate looks exactly like what I imagine Prince William and Kate would choose if they moved to Dallas. It has all the beauty and elegance of a modern-day castle while remaining family friendly.

That’s a hard combination to get right, but builder Joe Kain always gets it right. Kain was brought on board to renovate, update and enlarge 5424 Edlen Drive several years ago. He’s known for his state-of-the-art design and execution, so I’m not surprised that it turned out to be exquisite. If you’ll remember he built 40 Braewood Place, a completely different kind of knock-your-socks- off home.

The estate was originally built in 1992 and had an entirely different look. In 2007 Kain took it from a Texas farmhouse to the present day modern castle. The foundation was in great shape, so he took the center down to the studs keeping 3,000 square feet and added another 6,104, which means there are now 9,104 square feet to love. So, it essentially became a brand new custom home.

The present owners were confident this would be their forever home. They put their touch on the kitchen, updated the things you don’t see that are so important to a well-maintained home, and completely tricked out the backyard for their children, including rebuilding the sports court and adding indestructible artificial turf. They created their perfect family home and settled in. Then a terrific job offer came along, and they had to move — fast.

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s agent Susan Baldwin had sold the house to the present owners and when she got the call that it was time to list, all she could think of was how it would look empty.

“I thought, ‘We cannot have a vacant home. This has been such a happy and fun house for the owners, with kids everywhere, full of life. It can’t be empty,'” Baldwin said.

So many sellers think a luxury property will sell itself because it has beautiful architectural details and finish-out. That’s a big reason you see luxury homes sit … and sit.

“The house has an elegant yet casual feel,” Baldwin said. “It is easy to live in, so I wanted it portrayed that way. I felt like it would benefit the sellers to have people walk in and feel welcomed by this house versus walking into a large vacant estate. I also didn’t want potential buyers feeling overwhelmed by the space and wondering how their furniture would fit into it. I wanted to emphasize what a casual, fun home it is, and have it be relatable. The staging did that.”

Baldwin brought in George Bass, owner of George Bass Stage and Design, to enhance the feeling of elegant livability.

“I truly believe that all properties need an ambiance, and even if it’s a great and significant architectural building, sellers must convey the best presentation to the buyers,” Bass said. “The buyer is expecting a dream behind the closed doors. What we as stagers try to do is to create an image and fill an empty space with the possibility of buyers identifying with the environment and making the sale happen faster.”

Staging the property drew out the features and made the spaces easier to understand.

“I knew immediately where we needed to go with the overall concept of staging and painting as well,” Bass said. “The challenge was making a property like this fresh and current and allowing the buyer to understand that a traditional residence does not necessarily need traditional décor.”

I think he knocked it out of the park, and so does Baldwin.

“It is so much fun to show this house,” Baldwin said. “People relate to it, and it has been really well received by both empty nesters and families.”

A potential buyer can now easily see how their lives will flow through this home. With five bedrooms, six bathrooms, three powder bathrooms, six living areas, two dining areas, a library, an art studio, plus a wine room, media room, and game room, there’s plenty of space in this estate! That’s the brilliant thing about buying a home from a seller that was certain they’d never leave — it’s thoroughly thought-out, and nothing has been overlooked.

Harold Leidner designed the grounds, which include a newly updated cabana that has a bedroom and bathroom, so easily doubles as a guest house. There is shaded outdoor seating, a grill station, and fire pit — perfect for year-round entertaining. Of course, there is a beautiful swimming pool — in case the Cambridges do need a Dallas bolt hole, George and Charlotte must continue swimming lessons.

Baldwin has this magnificent estate listed for $5.5 million — a steal in this neighborhood of “Who’s Who” and where, if you can find a property, you’re generally in the $7-10 million range.

It just doesn’t get better than this.

Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years. She’s been a professional writer for 20 years. Karen is the mother of a son who’s studying music at The University of Miami. An ardent animal lover, she doesn’t mind one bit if your fur baby jumps right into her lap. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com