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Eric Prokesh is an interior designer whose work has appeared on HGTV, in books and publications including DHome, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, and House and Garden. In January 2005, HG named Eric one of the 50 tastemakers in America and DHome has included him as one of Dallas’ Best Designers for 10 years. Having lived most of his life in Dallas, he now calls Fort Worth home and is one of our experts on beautiful Fort Worth Dirt.
Want to downsize without forfeiting style? A great new listing in the heart of the Cultural District at 3759 West 6th Street may be the perfect solution for you.
Attractive hardscape and manicured lawn form the perfect setting for the charming 1,543-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath bungalow. The tidy, well-mannered façade however, doesn’t prepare the visitor for the scale and luxury inside.
We’ve only been here once before, because Bradford Park Court is about as exclusive as it gets in Fort Worth, and because houses seldom come on the market in this choice haven. In fact, the gated community developed in 1993 consisting of a handful of custom houses, is its own subdivision in a choice Westside location, sandwiched between Westover Hills and Rivercrest. Twenty years have given time for landscaping to mature and has given the homes a patina suggestive of old money.
Situated on a nearly one-acre lot, 2101 Bradford Park Court immediately makes an impression. A gracefully undulating drive wrapping a handsome live oak leads to carved limestone framed entrance. The large residence clocks in at almost 6,700 square feet and has five bedrooms and five full baths with two half baths.
Quite the find — that’s what I would call this precious 1945 cottage at 3517 Dorothy Lane. Not only does it have a choice Monticello location right across from Monticello Park, but it is definitely priced to move, at nearly 20 percent below the average square foot Monticello average.
The listing treats this enchanting charmer as a near fixer-upper. Admittedly the kitchen and baths would benefit from a redo but the rest of the residence has a near picture-perfect pristine aura. Attractive stone hardscape leads to the front entry.
I’ve searched for a flaw in the two-week-old listing at 2721 Manorwood Trail in the optimally located Villages at Stonegate, but can’t find one. This pristine 3,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bath house built in 1997 has been so deftly remodeled that it looks brand new. And yet the style is timeless. Smart and stylish, framed by large mature trees, you could be forgiven for mistaking this classic two story for a vintage beauty in Colonial Hills or Crestwood.
Since I am taking a much needed break in New York, why not write about a Fort Worth listing worthy of the New York Times real estate pages? Well-located, well-priced, and well-appointed 3401 Dorothy Lane has it all. Located across Monticello Park off of White Settlement Road (not to worry, as it’s quiet as a tomb inside) this 1952 Monticello home is the real deal with midcentury design and luxurious finish out.
Graceful, sweeping, polished: Words that spring to mind on touring this 1961 architect designed residence at 1919 Merrick Street. Architect, Glenn Allen Galaway was trained by legendary New York architect Phillip Johnson and contributed a small but dignified portfolio of houses to Dallas and Fort Worth.
Galaway can’t claim credit for the gorgeous lot with ravine views, but he deserves high kudos for exploiting the site, fitting his design with seemingly effortless aplomb into the splendid environment.
If a choice location in Westover Hills with eighth hole golf course views is on your wish list, then this Sunday’s open house at 1200 Shady Oaks Lane should be on your not-to-be-missed list.
The Jack Schutts-designed house has acquired the patina of gentility in the 27 years since it was built. We’ve featured the work of architect Jack Schutts, father of Fort Worth real estate royalty, Martha Williams, before. Here, Schutts softly and subtly speaks the vocabulary of classical architecture. The peaked façade of the main bay has a centrally placed Palladian motif window with quoins bookending the edges.
Where to find a spread of incomparable modern glamor, replete with all of the requisite state-of-the-art electronics to run a smart house? Why head west of course.
The gated community of Bella Flora, in the choice Aledo school district, lies in the southwestern-most corner of Fort Worth now a quick commute from town via the Chisolm Trail Parkway. Inside this neighborhood is 7951 Bella Flora Drive — the striking vision of Scott Watson of Flynn & Watson Architects. Its strong horizontal profile hugs the nearly two-acre lot in a Neo-Prairie style, which is both modern and site appropriate, way while the symmetrical central echoes tenants of classical architecture. And a spare repertoire of materials—stucco, gray river rock, and metal roofing, give the house an air of disciplined elegance.
Built only in 2014, the 5,270-square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bath home still has that new house smell and feels completely on trend. Dark polished concrete floors and museum-quality, level-five finished walls and river rock sustains the restrained beauty of the exterior. An open floor plan gives sweeping, uninterrupted views from the front door to back. Custom windows open to a view of the fountain and creek beyond. And belying the belief that modern means boring, fittings and materials border on the opulent. Check out the blingy chandeliers (staying) and the surreal, standout blue agate powder room counter, lit from below. (more…)
