Sneak peek: Goes on sale Thursday
Which photo to to lead with? The front with the pink Cadillac? Or the back, with Bob’s Big Boy guarding the pool? Now those are decisions I don’t get to make every day! Thanks to our good friend Ed Murchison, midcentury modern house realtor extraordinaire, we are getting a sneak peak at the gorgeous 1954 “Smith House” in Dallas. Designed and built by Gordon Nichols, it sits on Pinocchio Street among a whole bunch of other “Disney Streets.” The Caddy is just ONE hint of the fun inside and out back: Just keep on scrolling, we have 36 fun and fabulous photos courtesy Shoot2Sell Photography.
Note to view photos: If you are on a desktop, you should be able to click on any photo and it will double in size on screen.
All about The Smith House, from the listing:
Come immerse yourself in the true Mid-century Modern vibe that is so widely sought and so difficult to find. Designed and built by the famed Gordon Nichols, the home at 11016 Pinocchio Drive known as the Smith House, is among the best of the Mid-century Modern houses in the highly desirable Disney Streets. The house was one of the featured homes during the highly successful 1954 Parade of Homes which highlighted the latest modern conveniences and building materials. [Ed tells me that more than 100,000 people visited the house during the 1954 Parade of Homes!]
Its low-slung roof and expansive horizontal feel represent the goal of many builders and architects in the postwar era to offer flexible seamless indoor and outdoor living spaces. The roughly T-shaped house set on a generous lot projects the garage out toward the street and the family bedrooms to the rear of the house. A large master bedroom suite occupies the south end while the kitchen, dining room and two spacious living areas are in the center of the house. The open concept living areas feature vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and cool MCM features such as the Nelson Bubble Lamp in the dining room. The kitchen…is just wow featuring the original cabinetry, vintage pink appliances and Formica counters. This is the real deal…no cheap builder-grade granite here. A unique design element is the brick fireplace, providing what the builder described as a “visual center” in the front entry hall.
All of the principal living spaces as well as the master bedroom and guest bedrooms all open to the covered lanai and terraced decks affording views of the refreshing pool. Once you step out to the south lawn that includes the pool area, blink your eyes and you may think you are in Palm Springs…or on the set of Mad Men! If it is a peaceful spot to enjoy your morning coffee that you seek, the north lawn features a private deck just off the dining area. In addition…there is a separate guest suite providing a perfect place for guests or a family member that desires their own private space.
With so many original features and thoughtful touches, the Smith House is a truly special and unique Mid-century Modern home. Slip on your smoking jacket, turn on the Sinatra and pour yourself a martini…your home!
Basics:
- Four bedrooms, 3.1 bathrooms
- 2,260 s.f.
- $665,000
Open house: Thursday, September 08, 2016 – 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Folks are asking about the pot rack:
It’s an Enclume Whisk (affiliate link)
This is not an original-owner house. But whoever got their hands on it most recently knew (1) WHAT TO LEAVE ALONE, and (2) how to have A Blast bringing the bones of this delicious home to life!
There is color — and fun furniture and art — everywhere!
There are original bathrooms with, I think, just a leetle sensitive updating, which I’m guessing was likely required for wear-and-tear reason…
The living room is cool and inviting…
But the horrible dilemma: Spend all your time inside — or outside???
Suddenly, I need a George Nelson Marshmallow headboard — surely a hack??? — with matching Marshmallow sofa. Surely genius!
But what I mostly now neeeeeeeeeed me is a Big Boy! Where the heck do I get one of these?
THANK YOU, Ed Murchison, for giving us a heads up on this one — it’s fabulous! And thanks, again, to Shoot2Sell for the great photos — we can only guess how much fun you had on this one!
Link love:
- Listing for this house (sold now, link gone)
- Ed Murchison’s homepage – MidcenturyModernDallasHomes.com
- Shoot2Sell photography
So here’s a parlor game for us to play:
Readers, can you name all the designs/designers
whose products are featured in this house?
One item per comment, please.
No Repeating! Read the comments first!
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Donna in SC says
WOW! MCM overload! I will be staring at these photos for weeks! The design is lovely!
Maureen says
I love this house! I would like a giant whisk like the one hanging in the kitchen. Anyone have any ideas about that?
pam kueber says
This came up earlier: It’s an Enclume Whisk (affiliate link)
Caitlin says
OMG.
Missy says
What is missing for me is does the sale include the furnishings?what stays, what goes?
Reader Deb says
From the listing:
EXCLUSIONS
Big Boy Statue
Turquoise Outdoor Fireplace
Lighted Globes in Backyard
Metal Umbrella
Red, Yellow, and Blue Planter at Front Entry
All Outdoor Potted Plants
3 Hanging George Nelson Bubble Lamps in Living Room
Usually furniture and anything not attached to the house is not included in the sale unless it is stated in the listing where I live, but maybe things are different in Texas.
Lisa G. McG. says
First under EXCLUSIONS
All Furniture and Art
Reader Deb says
They must have added that after I did the copy and paste on the 8th. It did seem odd to mention the potted plants and not the contents of the house.
Ed Murchison says
That is correct…the furniture and art are not included…or the Cadillac!
maria says
What a wow!
Bob’s Big Boy was routinely swiped and brought to school on senior prank day in HS. You’d never know where he might turn up. I love that he is guarding the pool!
Ranger says
I grew up in Grand Prairie, TX, and we used to swipe the Kip’s Big Boy from downtown and return it on Sunday after church.
Khadija says
What a FUN house! It would be like living in a cartoon, which would be so fun, LOL. I love the mint bathroom, the pink appliances, the front entrance….OMG
Christi says
Thanks to Retro Renovation, we decided to head out to see this wonderful treasure for ourselves! It’s even better in person and Ed was so nice. Here’s a tale of our fun at the Smith House: http://myimaginarytalkshow.com/2016/09/09/retro-open-house-crashers/
pam kueber says
fabulous!
AtomicHipster says
This house is amazing in its own right but the furnishings really bring it all together. I can’t imagine the furniture is included at that price, the furniture alone is worth a ton of money. If it is included someone is going to get quite the bargain.
I’d love to know who the current owner is, they must be really cool.
Joe Felice says
Well, WOW! With turquoise trim and a pink Cadillac in front, you had me on pic #1. My only “complaint” is that the house looks like a museum inside.
I injured my hand on one of those fins on a friend’s 1960 Cadillac (not a convertible). That’s how sharp the point was.
What is that brick called on the wall facing the front door. Here in Denver, we call it “Miami brick,” but I don’t know why.
It was popular here back in the ’60s for young people to re-locate Big Boy statues from in front of their establishments to various places around town. Most of them were found, but apparently. at least in Dallas, one of them wasn’t, until now.
Mary Elizabeth says
Joe, it used to be called glass brick here in Connecticut. But now when you search building supply places for “glass brick,” you get the modern glass wall tile.
maria says
It’s call glass block. Do a search on that and you will find lots of options.
Shari Davenport says
I’m not usually “into” the most mid-50’s mid-mod MCM type homes, because they just don’t “speak” to me the way some other design eras do, but for some reason, this one is magnificent!! What a FUN house! And I mean that in the nicest, most gracious way possible!!
The whole place just announces that the people who live here have a wonderful sense of design, and color, whimsy and just FUN! The bright colors and MCM proper pastels in places where bright colors belong, and slightly more muted, but still extremely well maintained and coordinated color palates in more private and peaceful areas, (I ADORE that blue living room (?) and the teal/turquoise bath) along with the kitschy touches everywhere that just transport you back to an era that likely never actually existed outside of magazine photo shoots in toto, but surely did in many imaginations! It’s like visiting a combination of the Wizard of Oz meets the Jetsons in a way!
And I think it’s marvelous. Not every house must be done in “muted and tasteful tones” and not everyone is going to like this home as is, but taken as a package deal, it really works!! It’s a bit of a shame that the whole place doesn’t convey “as is” with everything intact, because it seems that to remove anything in particular, sort of breaks up the whole, but who knows what the next owners may come up with? Since this is not a “one owner home” then obviously the current owner/sellers are the ones who really brought this place to life, so that could mean that there is another similarly talented decorator just waiting in the wings to add their own feel to it!
Sorry to see that Bob’s Big Boy (at home in Virginia, it was/is Shoney’s Big Boy – don’t ask me why!) isn’t going to continue to stand guard with his platter of yummy deliciousness raised up for all to see, or to visit the High School every Senior Prank Day. That will truly be the end of an era for them! But, you never know – maybe a Pinocchio and Gippetto will come to take over for him!
CarolK says
Shari,
Shoney’s was just the name of the Big Boy franchise. Other franchises are Bob’s and Frisch’s. Shoney’s was the largest franchisee of the Big Boy chain, though. I can still taste their strawberry pie.