Stunning, Mysterious Abode Offers Your Own Secret Garden

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Mysterious AbodeAn enormous ivy-covered stucco wall is all you can see from the street. Behind it lies not only a secret garden but also perhaps the most mysterious abode you will ever find in Dallas.

Once inside the massive, carved wooden door, you cannot help but be delighted. A courtyard leads to the home, which is almost completely wrapped in glass. While it may seem to be a bit of a contradiction to be both transparent and mysterious, it most definitely is both.
Mysterious Abode

The house was built in 1988 by the owner of a glass manufacturing company. I can’t help but think he must have read The Secret Garden as a child and kept it in mind when constructing this mysterious abode.  The exterior stucco wall was created to provide maximum privacy. Few people have any idea of what is behind it or who lives there now.

But I’m going to tell you. And you no longer have to imagine what lies behind the wall, and what’s inside.

Mysterious Abode

This is the home of Loyd Taylor. If you don’t know him, you should.

When I moved to Dallas in 1979, Loyd-Paxton was the most elegant place, maybe in the world, to find world-class antiques, one-of-a-kind accessories, and unparalleled design skill, for your home. Frankly, it still is.

Loyd Taylor and Paxton Gremillion furnished everything from homes to planes for international royalty, rock stars, and of course, the movers and shakers of Dallas. They even provided pieces for the renovation of Versailles Palace. There was never a doubt when you entered a home designed by Loyd-Paxton. You were enveloped in luxury and swept into a story only they could create.

I profiled their incredible design at 3525 Turtle Creek a few years ago. To give you an idea of their dedication to detail, when they could not find exactly the right paint to create a desired effect on the walls of the penthouse, they turned to a nail salon. At the time, Revlon produced a pearlescent nail polish that was deemed perfect. After purchasing everything on offer in Dallas, they contacted Revlon and bought it in 50-gallon containers. Rumor has it they depleted the supply.

Mysterious Abode

Although it’s chock full of antiquities and treasures from around the world, the structure alone is jaw-dropping. The courtyard can be seen from every public room and the master bedroom. You are certainly inside your secret garden.
Mysterious Abode

“Nothing was ever considered daunting,” Allie Beth Allman listing agent Karen Luter said. “A cherry-picker installed the beautiful urns near the pool. They had to get clearance from Southwest Airlines because it was so tall! They did magnificent things to this house. There is no way to replicate this property.”

That’s why it sold almost immediately.

“I listed it on MLS the evening of Monday, October 28,” Luter said. “Tuesday, I had 14 appointments and four offers over the asking price of $399,500. It went under contract on November 4.”

Although you’ve missed an opportunity to purchase 2709 Maple Springs Boulevard, you can certainly make an appointment to see Loyd at his incredible showroom and have him help you create your own secret garden home.

Then she slipped through it, and shut it behind her, and stood with her back against it, looking about her and breathing quite fast with excitement, and wonder, and delight.

She was standing inside the secret garden.

It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place anyone could imagine.

The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett


Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager and writer for over 25 years. Karen teaches the popular Staging to Sell class and is the creator of the online course, The Beginners Guide to Buying Wholesale. Her love of all dogs, international travel, good chocolate, great champagne, and historic homes knows no bounds. Her father was a spy, so she keeps secrets very well!

 

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Karen is a senior columnist at Candy’s Media and has been writing stories since she could hold a crayon. She is a globe-trotting, history-loving eternal optimist who would find it impossible to live well without dogs, Tex-Mex, and dark chocolate. She covers luxury properties and historic preservation for Candys Dirt.

11 Comments

  1. Karen Luter on November 5, 2019 at 10:34 am

    Thank you, Karen, for a lovely tribute to Loyd Taylor and Loyd Paxton Galleries and their unique and beautiful home. I was fortunate to call Loyd and Paxton my dear friends. They were true icons in Dallas both socially and because of their magnificent, internationally renowned gallery of the finest antiquities. They were published many times in Architectural Digest. There was never a dull moment if you had the pleasure of being in their midst. Loyd Paxton Gallery is open to the public. It is an amazing experience to see their stunning collections.

    The house is one of a kind, just like their owners, and situated in wonderful Oak Lawn Heights. Its currently under option contract and scheduled for closing soon.

  2. Karen Eubank on November 5, 2019 at 11:40 am

    You are so welcome Karen. It was a pleasure to write about this home. I’m not at all surprised it was under contract so quickly.

  3. Bart Thrasher on November 5, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    Stunning! I have always wanted to see what was behind the wall there, for YEARS now! Just an FYI, the address is actually 2709 Maple Springs.
    Thank you for the article!
    Bart

    • Karen Eubank on November 5, 2019 at 6:14 pm

      Thank you for spotting that major typo Bart!

  4. Cody Farris on November 5, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    I wish I had gotten to it in time!

  5. Marielaina Perrone DDS on November 5, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    Wow Those are stunning design photos. Thanks for share!

  6. Carl Youngberg on November 5, 2019 at 10:32 pm

    i can’t believe this glorious house sold for $399,000.

    • Mesia D REALTOR ®️ on November 6, 2019 at 10:29 pm

      Well Carl, don’t believe it, yet: the ‘asking’ price was $399,500, but the sales price may be much more. We’ll know soon.

  7. Loyd Taylor on November 7, 2019 at 1:30 pm

    First and foremost; a very special thank you to the two Karen’s; Karen Luter for all her fantastic work of preparation, representation, and navigation in selling my home; and also to Karen Eubank for such a lovely article. Thank you for hi-lighting Loyd-Paxton’s accomplishments.

    Loyd-Paxton’s gallery is open to all: the public, wholesalers, and decorators. Come and discover a treasure trove of fine antique furniture and objet d’art.s.

  8. Tom Hampton on November 8, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    Thanks again Karen for a more than readable article that informs, inspires, and evokes in a narrative that incidentally comes with a property.

  9. Brad Meade on July 2, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    Hello Karen,
    I wanted to introduce myself, I am the original designer and builder of the home. My partner at the time and I built the home. He was very ill and was only able to live there for a while but I’m grateful for the short time he and I had together there.
    After a year or so alone in the home my new partner moved in. We lived in the home until 1998 and we moved to New York. He is now also deceased after almost 30 years together.
    I had always dreamed of reacquiring the home but didn’t know about the sale.
    I hope the new owners are good stewards of the home!
    Thanks fir writing about it.
    Sincerely Brad Meade

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