Casa de Ondas in Preston Hollow Hits the Dallas Market for $45 Million

Wave on wave!

At PaperCity, we keep tabs on the most expensive real estate listings in Dallas. Last year, the most expensive house for sale in Texas, The Crespi Estate, hit the market for $64 million. I offered a peek inside the manse that counted Coco Chanel and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor amongst its guests. Without hesitation, I declared that it trumped every other house on the market.

The Crespi Estate at 5619 Walnut Hill Lane is still for sale. Last week, Casa de Ondas, located a lot away at 5547 Walnut Hill Lane, was listed for sale for $45 million, making it the second most expensive home currently for sale in Texas. Both The Crespi Estate and Casa de Ondas are part of a gated community of four exclusive residences in Preston Hollow.

Nothing in Dallas exists that’s comparable to Casa de Ondas. Internationally lauded architecture firm SAOTA, which is based in Cape Town, took four years to execute its first Dallas project. SAOTA partnered with Dallas-based Ghost Architecture and brought together best-in-class talent from across the globe. It shows in every detail.

Casa de Ondas’ wavy roof, inspired by the surrounding canopy of trees on the two-acre lot, sets the stage; Casa de Ondas means “House of Waves,” after all. The listing from Alex Perry and Chad Barrett of Allie Beth Allman and Associates says that the roof “creates a striking dialogue between architecture and nature as shifting light casts soft shadows across locally quarried limestone.” A theatrical description that is actually merited. Casa de Ondas, which offers six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in its 13,800 square feet, is sublime.

Past the lily pond, magnificent pivot doors open to a light-flooded glassy hallway and dramatic double-volume living space that immediately lets guests know, “Prepared to be dazzled.”

Descending to the lower level feels like having a coveted reservation at the newest “It” hotel in town. (The Knox Hotel, Auberge Collection, we’re looking at you!) The decadent offerings include:

• a moodily lit, sexy underground speakeasy that you enter through an English phone booth (Editor’s Note: Here’s our list of the 11 Best Speakeasy Bars in Dallas!)
• a second bar
• a four-car collector’s garage
• a golf simulator with privacy switch-glass views (into the aforementioned garage!)

Situated on the main level, the primary suite includes an indoor/outdoor shower, a freestanding soaking tub from a solid piece of stone, a fluted fireplace, and an oversized Poliform closet. There’s a spacious gym, too, with a steam room, sauna, and even a private massage room. Again, everything about Casa de Ondas feels like a posh hotel.

As one would surmise, every selection for the 14,000 square feet of interiors is best in class, from the temperature-controlled wine cellar to the double-sided fireplace to the 8,000-pound marble island that was hand-chiseled in Italy. The chef’s kitchen offers Miele appliances and Taj Mahal slabs because, well, what else would suffice?

The designers obviously paid equal attention to their selections outdoors. (See: the water lily pond with a spectacular fountain!) There are more than 5,000 square feet of covered terraces, in addition to a custom pool and spa set amidst the verdant grounds of Casa de Ondas. From the metallic custom pool slide to the volleyball and sport courts, Casa de Ondas was made for entertaining, complete with a showstopping outdoor kitchen.

Perhaps I attend too many charity events in Dallas, but I can’t think of how the next great Dallas society event should take place at Casa de Ondas. A sculptural masterpiece, she was built for the spotlight!