Some houses encourage you to imagine them—and yourself—in a movie. As you pull into the drive, you’re the ingenue visiting your new friend’s mansion for the first time. As you sip drinks by the fireplace, you’re plotting your next great heist. As you jog around the neighborhood, you’re the hero in an action film.
Over in The Cloisters, near White Rock Lake, 4765 Chapel Hill Rd. is one of those homes. The nearly 5,000-square-foot modern home is sleek and cool—the would-be home any movie protagonist. Local architect Cliff Welch, who was named one of D Home’s 2022 Best Architects, designed the property in 2000 for then-owners Shawn and Saundra Freeman. The home was later featured in a 2004 issue of Texas Architect magazine.
The house has both mid-century and Texas modern vibes, incorporating natural materials, light, and floor-to-ceiling windows inside and out. “It just has this wow factor,” listing agent Kevin McGovern says. “This feeling of ‘I’m going to be entering something very surreal, very calming.’”
And the entry certainly is a showstopper. As soon as you enter, you’re greeted by a large indoor pool under the stairs with a soothing, trickling waterfall fountain. “It just gives you a sense of peace,” he says.
Stacked Tennessee Crab Orchard ledge stone walls and museum-finish drywall divide the various spaces. The stacked stone gives the home a serene and natural feel. The ledge stone is highlighted throughout the downstairs, upstairs landing, and 504-square-foot primary suite. It is “basically the spine of the home,” McGovern says, quoting the Texas Architect article.
In addition to all the natural materials inside, the home pulls the outside in, thanks to its tall windows. The living room and kitchen both feature NanaWalls, or moving glass wall systems, to the back patio.
Between the covered patio, long balconies, terrace, pool, and sitting areas upstairs and down, there are myriad film-worthy spots to entertain in this home. McGovern’s favorite space is the glass-walled sitting room, which looks out at the front yard’s Japanese maple trees. “I just love the setup of it,” he says. The conversation lounge is an ideal spot for chatting with friends, reading the morning newspaper over coffee, or grabbing a drink from the room’s bar. “If you buy this house, you probably have to start drinking scotch” in this space, he says. (Or a martini, shaken, not stirred.)
Although much of the home remains true to Welch’s original design, some things have changed over the past 22 years, McGovern says. The current owner added the pool a few years ago. “It’s a simple design but it blends well with the house itself,” he says. They also updated the bathrooms and put in new countertops and built-ins throughout They opened up several spaces, like the kitchen and primary bedroom, by removing several walls and cabinets. The biggest change is the covered patio, which was converted from the home’s original screened-in porch.
Besides the overall look and design, the house has plenty of luxe features worthy of a sophisticated protagonist. The kitchen includes a Bertazonni range, Miele dishwasher, and more. The current owners added a full bath and steam room off the pool. And all the smooth walls are perfect to display an art collection.
If that’s not enough to draw you in, then the location will. Zoned for Lakewood Elementary, “it’s a beautiful neighborhood,” McGovern say, with big trees and big lots. Plus, it’s only a five-minute walk from White Rock Lake—and you don’t have cross any major streets. “Obviously, White Rock Lake is the big draw,” McGovern says, but the house and the property, which borders a creek in the back, is special.
“As far as what’s available for sale right now,” he says, “there’s hardly anything like this.”
Scroll through the gallery to see more of the home.
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