When I scroll through real estate listings, I love to imagine a space’s ideal inhabitant.
In the past, I selected a Kessler Park bungalow for a cool couple who host dinner parties that they call “salons.” I identified the ideal industrial bachelor pad (complete with exposed brick) for a man wearing Chelsea boots who just wants to listen to his vinyl while sitting in an Eames chair. Memorably, I imagined Dr. Right’s ideal first home in Oak Lawn Heights, a Burkle Creative charmer that looks as if Ralph Lauren magically transported his East Hampton shop to Dallas.
Today, we admire the ideal pond for a Dallas swan to call home at Museum Tower.
What initially caught my attention in photos of the newly-listed Unit 502 at 1918 Olive Street? It wasn’t the wall-to-wall windows overlooking the treetops of the Nasher Sculpture Center (though that’s undoubtedly compelling). My eyes zeroed in on the primary bedroom, where a D. Porthault Paris duvet cover elegantly sat delicately folded at the foot of the bed. In the guest room, upon careful examination and deep zoom, I noticed a needlepoint pillow that says, “If You Obey All the Rules, You Miss All the Fun.” Ah, yes. I know exactly who rests her perfectly-coiffed head here each night. A swan.
Truman Capote’s affectionate(?) nickname for the women in his social circle, a swan is a glamorous, sophisticated, well-dressed woman who is philanthropic and cultured. Capote’s stylish coterie included Babe Paley, Lee Radziwill, and Slim Keith. A swan loves world travel and the arts. In Dallas, what better place for an art lover to call home than Museum Tower? The gleaming 42-story residential high-rise sits high above the Dallas Arts District and offers all the bells and whistles a gal could want or need.
A private elevator delivers our swan directly to Unit 502 at Museum Tower. The 4,095-square-foot condominium offers two bedrooms and three bathrooms. The listing describes the unit’s “elegant and timeless details” as “striking, transitional, and warmly welcoming.” I echo an appreciation for the juxtaposition of contemporary design with traditional elements (like the chinoiserie dining room) woven throughout.
The kitchen is strictly business for the modern hostess, with custom lacquered cabinetry, marble appointments, Miele appliances, a wine tower, and abundant storage. Our downtown gal about town clearly loves to entertain, and the striking wet bar invites guests to belly up. Feminine touches, like Phillip Jefferies’ wallcoverings and the jewel box of a powder bath, scream Lee Radziwill to me, as does the Poliform finished closet.
A true open concept, the spacious floorpan in this unit at Museum Tower includes an abundance of places to sit, sip, and stay a spell.
A terrace off of the large primary bedroom invites our swan to take in the morning air while she sips her coffee and reviews her social calendar for the week ahead. (A luncheon here, a gala there.)
As a native Dallasite, there’s something so glamorous about a high-rise building with a doorman. “Send my shopping bags to 502, please!”
Museum Tower’s Unit 502 is currently on the market for $4,650,000.