West Village Vibes

Chic apartments bring high aspirations to Dallas' West Village

West Village has long been a residential hot spot for Dallas, and an ideal locale for young professionals to hang their hat. Ardan plays on that modern appeal, and has designed an apartment community that stands out against the area's distinct personality.

Refined, clever, and confident, the community features more than 300 units that span one-bedroom to two-bedroom with a den. Twenty-six penthouses are included in the building's design on floors 22 and 23.

Amenities are big here — so big in fact, that the building has the most square footage (50,000 to be exact) of amenity space in all of Uptown. What all does it include?

Ground-floor amenities begin with concierge services, around-the-clock on-demand dry cleaning, and a luxury pet spa with dog washing facilities. The community has on-site, access-controlled garage parking and bike storage areas, as well as on-site management and maintenance teams to assist you in any way possible.

The walls are adorned with original artwork, and you'll soon be able to shop without ever walking outside. Ground-floor retailers are set to make an appearance in the near future.

Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Ardan West Village is a smoke-free community that welcomes outdoor living. Every communal space has connections to outdoor access. Natural, mixed materials and earth tones make a relaxing statement — think leather and wood.

Head up to the sixth floor for the soothing wellness spa. You can book your individual massage or enjoy the steam and sauna rooms, hot tub, cold plunge pool, or a tranquil garden terrace. There is even a live-plant wall with stonework in between changing rooms.

The fitness center offers Technogym cardio and weight equipment and three flex studios, featuring kickboxing, four Peloton bikes, and Fitness On Demand. It's hard to think of a reason to skip your workout with this fully equipped gym just steps from your home.

Need to do some weekend work? Get cozy in one of the five unique lounges, which includes a coworking space with individual work pods and a communal conference room, all outfitted with West Elm furniture. Or if you feel like hanging out with a few neighbors, opt for the large social lounge that overlooks the pool deck, or enjoy the game on the four-panel wall TV in the media lounge.

Outside, the 30,000-square-foot pool deck features cabana lounges with TVs, multiple grilling stations, bistro seating, and fire pits.

The 21st floor has space to walk your dog in a pet-designated area, complete with views of surrounding West Village and downtown.

Walk the room corridors and experience the allure of a luxury hotel with an elegant mixture of colors and textures. Inside the homes, you'll find modern style, clean lines, and good vibes.

Certain homes have large islands with ranges to create an ideal entertaining space, and select kitchens feature gorgeous windows above the sinks for additional lighting. You'll find two-tone walnut finish cabinets, cool gray hues, and quartz countertops in the homes. The units also feature modular storage, oversized bathtubs and showers, soft-close cabinets, and contemporary finishes.

Ready to take a look? Click here to set up your tour today.

Ardan matches the neighborhood's chic personality.

Photo courtesy of Ardan West Village

Ardan matches the neighborhood's chic personality.

rent young-professionals uptown promoted

Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.