Very Well Rounded
Tasteful Dallas home of Mary Kay in her pre-pink days comes with own lake
Before there ever was a pink mansion on Douglas Avenue, Mary Kay Ash and her husband, Mel Ash, conscripted modernist architect Frank L. Meier to design a home for them. The site — a private, picturesque lake in Preston Hollow — was the perfect place to craft reality from a dream.
That dream was for a welcoming, beautiful structure that was perfect for hosting all sorts of gatherings — a well-rounded home. Literally.
In fact, that’s what makes 7246 Lupton Circle — our High Caliber Home of the Week presented by Lisa Peters at Caliber Home Loans — so very unique. Its design takes every advantage of the lake and lot, with a circular design that flows perfectly from one room to the next. Add in the delicious light from the glass-domed ceiling in the center of the home, and you have magic in the making.
"The home is architecturally magnificent and the setting is simply a little slice of heaven," says Debbie Ingram of Allie Beth Allman and Associates, who has listed the 1969-built, 4,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home for $1.675 million.
"Everybody knows Mary Kay for the pink mansion," Ingram says. "She only stayed there four or five years." According to the Realtor, though she moved to the iconic, now-razed Douglas Avenue mansion, she never sold the round house on Lupton. "She missed it and came back to it."
Interestingly, this home isn't the only design Meier has conjured for this family. Mary Kay's son, Richard Rogers, commissioned the architect for 5622 Harbor Town — a sprawling contemporary in Bent Tree North. Both homes are lousy with windows and absolutely drowning in pools of natural light, with views of a placid lake.
The homes are exceptionally well built, with beautiful stone fireplaces and enviable, inspired siting. The updates, completed in 2007, are perfectly suited to the home, too. The sellers took great care to use only the best materials, and it shows. The kitchen and master suite have benefited from meticulous, restrained updates, carrying forward Meier's contemporary vision with new cabinetry and countertops, as well as hard-wearing materials that add warmth and durability.
"One could not dream of a better entertaining home," Ingram says. "Imagine serving dinner under the stars in the dramatic dining room with its 30-foot diameter skylight, or outside on the terrace with its lush terrain and glistening lake in the background."
Speaking of the lake, it’s perfect for family fishing outings as it is regularly stocked with bass. Ingram says there's room for a dock should you have a boat with a trolling motor.
If a lazy float is more your style, you'll appreciate the patio and pool in the backyard, which, like the home, is also circular. You can also get a less-obstructed view of the lake, though you may notice something missing — utility lines. According to Ingram, Windsor Park is one of the few neighborhoods where all of the utilities are buried. "It dawned on me that was why it was so much prettier than other homes on lakes in Dallas," she said.
It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that makes this particular home such a stand-out in the market — a true High Caliber Home — and one that we imagine will garner plenty of interest.
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A version of this story originally was published on Candy's Dirt.