Elaine Raffel

Elaine Raffel left the corporate world to become a freelance creative focused on real estate and design in Dallas.

Modern Design Brothers Build Masterpiece in East Dallas’ Hippest Hood

By Elaine Raffel / January 15, 2020 /

Modern Design Brothers have brought hip midcentury design to a hip neighborhood of Little Forest Hills with their spec at 9026 Groveland.

Garage Living Wants to Enhance Your Home’s Drive-In Appeal

By Elaine Raffel / December 9, 2019 /

If Conway Reimer has anything to say about it, garages should never have to take a back seat to the rest of the house.

Bella Custom Homes Gorgeous Spec Build is The Perfect Backdrop

By Elaine Raffel / December 4, 2019 /

What ultra-luxe Italian Renaissance manse doubles as a YouTube star? Turns out, it’s a Bella Custom Home: the 14,000-square-foot Preston Hollow spec was front and center in the Dallas String Quartet’s latest music video — an electrified, jazz-influenced rendition of the sexy Shawn Mendes/Camila Cabello hit “Senorita.”  For Bella owner and president Tony Visconti, this…

Neighborhood Knock-Outs: These Midway Hollow Specs Exemplify Contemporary Cool

By Elaine Raffel / November 26, 2019 /

It’s impossible not to notice the plethora of exceptional contemporaries in Midway Hollow — and the Iconic Real Estate signs in front of them. Each exemplifies the CandysDirt.com-approved builder’s trademark style: homes that are sleek and modern, yet at the same time, warm and inviting. “Our aesthetic leans toward minimalism and a mix of materials,”…

Living Large in Desco’s Preston Hollow Stunner

By Elaine Raffel / November 7, 2019 /

Desco Fine Homes founder and president David Goettsche loves his work. For the CandysDirt.com-approved builder, homebuilding is not only a profession — it’s his passion. “I’ve been building houses for 42 years,” Goettsche said. “It’s been a great business for me.”  The commonality of a Desco? TLC, according to Goettsche. Peers call him a “builder’s…