IN PILLOW TALK, ROCK HUD-son had the ultimate swinger’s retreat. With the simple push of a few buttons, the lights came down, the music crooned, the mood was set. That fanciful, automated apartment was his and his alone-until he desired an invited guest. Suave, sophisticated, private, romantic, personal, sexy: These are words worthy of describing the bachelor pad.
In Dallas, you can throw in pampering service, a view and a few thousand extra square feet to please bachelors and bache-lorettes.
In a former life before he hap-pily remarried and became a daddy, adman Pete North way of The Northway Group considered The Stoneleigh Hotel, 2927 Maple Ave., the ultimate bachelor’s pad. “I lived there twice, once prior to marriage and once immediately after marriage,” North-way recalls. There he founded The Stone-leigh Hearts Club, for those of similar circumstance. Members met in The Den at The Stoneleigh, where there were, alternately, nonstop cocktails and pampering care from consummate waitresses and “den mother” Minnie.
“The actual pads themselves were great. Where else can you have food sent to you and taken away and maid service 24 hours a day?” Northway asks. “And there’s something about hotels that make women frisky. But it’s really all about a low-main-tenance lifestyle.”
Not surprising, a woman’s idea of a great pad is so near and yet so far from a man’s idea of home sweet home. Barbara Buzzell, executive vice president of the public relations firm Laurey Peat & Associates, moved smoothly into the single apartment life from a more spacious and married past by choosing Terrace House, 3131 Maple Ave.
“I wanted to create a home that didn’t have the feel of a leased apartment,” Buzzell says. “And I wanted a view of downtown.”
What she got was one of the best views in town, 1,500 square feet, high ceilings, a full-size kitchen and attention far better than any husband could provide with a doorman, a concierge and a houseman to serve and protect, fix and carry at her beck and call. Imagine only having to ask once…
For some single folks, the ultimate bachelor pad translates to maximum square feet. Or 13 fireplaces. Divorce lawyer Robert E. Holmes Jr. of Holmes Shelton and Garza, is building a 12,000-square-foot home at 9420 Hathaway in Preston Hollow that will have 13 fireplaces. This house is ready for romance in practically every room. Pillow Talk’s Brad Allen would approve.
“It’s not as big as Troy’s,” Holmes says. (The ultimate Dallas bachelor, Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, is building a 14,000-square-foot home in Willow Bend.) “But it will have a big circle drive with a fountain, a grand entry area with a spiral staircase, a media room, two master suites and a billiard room.”
Even before Holmes moves into this bachelor pad, it will be full of women. It’s been chosen as the 1997 Theta Showhouse, to be adorned by 19 different Dallas interior designers. If you’re interested, watch for details of the May 1 gala opening.
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