Spacious Mediterranean Home with Room to Work and Play
Are you sequestered? Staying home with family in a cramped environment? When you are searching for a home that is both spacious and intimate with Mediterranean influence, the desire to look must stop here at the Valencia plan (HPP #2729). This home by Frank Snodgrass of Living Concepts House Plans has over 9000 square feet, and the design begs you to meander through the rooms as you would through a garden of herbs that release their aroma as you brush by them. The front of the home is embellished with natural stone with cast stone trim around all of the windows and doors. The plan includes two garages that offer storage and protection for your three vehicles. There are three levels with five bedroom suites (master on main), two laundry rooms, a large kitchen, rooms to work, relax, exercise and entertain, and a breathtaking entrance which captures you from first glance.
Walking up the front stairs through the portico and into the large foyer, your vision stops at the Scamozzi columns which separate this space from the grand room. (Vincent Scamozzi was an Italian Renaissance architect, hence the name of the columns). Your eyes are drawn upward to the stunning groin vault ceiling, yet there is so much more to explore.
On the first floor you will find a large kitchen with room for a Viking range and an island, the perfect place to execute large parties or small dinners, with room for more than one chef. The breakfast nook overlooks the covered terrace, which extends the width of the home, and leads to the family room. The pantry, where you can stock your bread making supplies or that case of Malbec you’ve been saving for the next cookout, is between the kitchen and the office. The family room and grand room, both having fireplaces, will give you that freedom to spread out and relax. The formal dining room opens to the gallery and to the foyer. The master suite, which extends the entire depth of the home, is located on the right side of the first floor and includes a fireplace, walk-in closets and tub with a walk behind shower. A laundry room, one of two in this home, completes that space.
The capacious lower level offers opportunities for entertainment and well-being. An elevator transports you from the basement to the first and second floor, especially convenient after a hard workout or when you wish to carry bulky items from one floor to the next. The recreation room with a corner fireplace centers the basement. After using your Peloton in the exercise room, it is only a few short steps to your own spa and sauna, where you can steam those tired and achy muscles away. The walk-in closet nearby stores your workout clothes as well as any small equipment you might want to put away. The billiards room and bar in the basement (soft drinks for the kids, a cocktail for the grownups) open up to the office on the left or to the covered terrace on the right. Stairs lead upward into the kitchen area for the protein boost needed before or after that workout (opinions vary on which is best- you choose!). You can walk out onto the covered terrace and either relax in a rattan lounge or step into the pool to swim laps or float idly on a summer afternoon. A guest suite, perfect for teenagers or your college bound young adult, with its own closet and bathroom, a game room where you can put that vintage pinball game, and extra storage complete this multipurpose basement.
Three bedroom suites, all with their own walk in closets (California Closets is just a click away) are located on the second floor; they are not clustered but spaced to give your family the privacy it desires. The second laundry room can be found on the right side between the two suites. The second floor is open and inviting, with stairs that lead to the foyer below and another that leads to the kitchen area where you can grab that late-night snack. A study/office is one of two and overlooks the front of this home.
The rear elevation requires you to pause and glance up at the details along the eaves. Corbelling and a barrel tile roof draw your eyes upward. The covered terraces with the intricate wrought iron railings embrace the back of the home, giving you a space that you can use to relax and dine in. This open area also welcomes intimate parties as well as family gatherings. A fireplace where you can ease the chill of a fall morning or evening is nestled into the corner.
This is a Mediterranean inspired, executive home that, at the end of the day, lends calm and respite from a day’s hard work or entertains a crowd of friends, family and clients. If you are staying at home not because it is necessary but desired, your family needs a space that is open and inviting, functional and intimate. Work hard? Thank yourself. Play hard. Relax well in your new home.