Meeting expectations is a given in luxury real estate. However, if you are looking for a home that exceeds expectations, look no further than this Crespi Estates mansion in Preston Hollow. Designed by Mark Hoesterey, founding principal and studio head of SHM Architects, it is the only private gated estate in this exclusive four-residence enclave.
Built by Crescent Estates Custom Homes on 1.95 acres, this 11,997-square-foot Crespi Estates mansion was laid out by Dallas Design Landscape Architecture’s Lance Dickinson to capture the lush landscape at every turn.
“I feel strongly that a house needs to have an element of surprise and be an experience,” Hoesterey said. “We set up an entry sequence along a living space that looks not only into the backyard but also into the front yard, which is an opportunity to engage this pretty water feature in the front of the house. The front of the house faces the pond, not the drive. So you are drawing guests through the architecture before they get to the front door. They experience one outdoor garden and scale of space, then another as they walk into the house.”
“The experience here is that the house wraps its arms around outdoor spaces. We have light on at least two sides of every living area,” Hoesterey said. “Our approach is to create a balance with the land and capture several moments of the landscape. Throughout the day and the seasons, you will feel different in different rooms.”
Having a layout that is only one or two rooms deep creates that engagement with the outdoors and an intimacy you don’t get in many large homes. This is beautifully showcased in the dramatic great room, which is vaulted with clerestory windows. It opens completely to both front and back patios through floor-to-ceiling doors, creating an absolutely seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces.
“People are looking for an opportunity to gather with many, but also a space where they can escape from many,” Hoesterey said. “This home has four distinct living spaces, from the casualness of a morning room that is further removed from the more formal areas of the home, to a great work-from-home study.”…