NHI DREAM HOME | DETAILS
BY CORNELIA RUSSO/PHOTOS BY RAY STRAWBRIDGE
WINTER 2005 ISSUE

Oenophile’s Dream

With the current wine refrigerator rage being so pervasive, how about going one better? A see-through wine room! At first, it is visible from the living room through a large, tinted glass panel located over the wet bar—a “dreamy” way to showcase the feature. This viewpoint magically captures the wine room’s atmosphere and its internationally represented bottles stacked from floor to ceiling. On another side of the temperature controlled wine room is a long glass door providing walk-in access and a glimpse at a spicy and epicurean still-life oil painting. Salut! Cheers!

The Heat is On

With winter’s chill in the air, the outdoor elevated fireplace overlooking the woods and pool just might be the ticket. Topped by a television perched in an arched area, it is fronted by stainless steel glass fireplace doors. Wood flooring has been used as a ceiling material. The design features wood strips laid on the square within a larger square of diagonally laid wood. Warm brown wicker furniture provides comfortable seating, rain or shine. As if all of this isn’t enough, the sound of the waterfall adjacent to the pool below truly makes this an experience! Enjoyed with friends or alone, the outdoor fireplace becomes a “hot” new décor element!

Round and Round We Go…

“Where we’ll stop…” is right off the foyer in the round powder room. The walls are pearly gray with a hint of pale blue, and carry the eye upward to the trey ceiling. The toilet fits well in a bowed area because of its triangular-shaped tank while the floor underneath is tumbled tile. But wait! The room is so much more, a study in contrasts! An oversized contemporary disk-shaped light, antlered mirror, a feathered arrangement in a décor niche, European inspired boudoir table, lamp and side chair, updated pewter bath appointments, and an earthen sink bowl poised upon a pedestal are but a few examples. Amazingly, this diversity creates unity. The unexpected is always wonderful!

Crystal Clear

As you enter the NHI Dream Home, your eye cuts across the foyer and into the living room whose curved and angled end wall is a 12-foot wide and 16-foot high window wall. The five across and three up window configuration appears to be taller than the 50-foot plus trees beyond. This beautiful private and wooded view is framed by the wide, detailed molding which trims each window.

The Fifth Wall

Everyone knows about the four walls of a conventional room, but what about the fifth wall, the ceiling? Americans rarely decorate their ceilings, but the NHI Dream Home has gone about it big time and in grand style! Rising above a huge turret area and a majestically curved staircase, a beautifully crafted stained glass window graces the fifth wall. About six feet in diameter and fashioned in a rosette pattern consisting of petal, flower and curved shapes, the design is a series of circles within circles, recessed in a circular ceiling. The backlit, mottled shades of green, lavender, wheat yellow, cinnamon, magenta and royal blue act as jewels in this truly foyer-crowning tiara. ▪

 

CORNELIA RUSSO IS A LOCAL INTERIOR DESIGNER AND DECORATOR WHO ENJOYS WRITING ON DESIGN TOPICS.

Next>> Water System


© 2005 Lone Wolf Publishing. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed.