Nashville Home and Garden Jan 2007
Publication Date:
January 2007
Article Synopsis:
A couples dream home in Nashville is inspired by their travel to the French and Italian countryside.
Nashville Home and Garden
Jan/Feb 2007
A Glimpse of Tuscany in the Rolling Hills of West Nashville
By Kathryn C. Swords
Photography By Terry Sweeney
Styled By Hearthstone Interior Design
"Inspiration with regards to the exterior details and massing came from the villas and estate homes of the French and Italian countryside; details from such Tuscan villas as Villa I Bonsi and Villa Niccolini, and massing from Chateau des Ormeaux and Chateaus des Avenieres in eastern France," residential designer Jack Herr explains. "Because the design is influenced by both French and Italian architecture, the style is best labeled as Mediterranean Revival."
The Source of Inspiration
After falling in love with the Italian villa style while honeymooning in Venice and Lake Como, Italy, almost 10 years ago, Dr. Mark Houston and his wife Laurie Hays, started planning meticulously for their dream home. They collected photos and clippings, sketched ideas and took many vacation and research trips to Europe. "Every item was designed, every casual detail painstakingly planned," Hays says. "We did not want to build a new house that would look old, we wanted a new house that would feel old."
Builder Stan Pope of Pope Properties, Inc., and his associate Mike Garner, residential designer Jack Herr and landscape architect Doug Arnold worked closely with the homeowners to turn their dream home into a reality. Houston and Hays, who chose to build in the Laurel Brooke community just south of Nashville, directed most of the interior design based on their many trips to and photographs of Italy. "The result: a 26,000-square-foot Old World stucco house that is reminiscent of an Italian villa overlooking the beautiful vineyards and rolling hills of Tuscany," the owners say.
Upon First Approach
Blasting through solid rock to create the perfect setting was Pope, Arnold and Herr's biggest design challenge. The exterior, executed by Steve Pataki, is "enhanced with Old World European stucco in a muted yellow tone which changes with the seasons and with the light. As a result, it is pale yellow, dark cream, light tan or off white," Hays says. A red terra-cotta style roof and decorative wrought-iron railings complete the Italianate look.
Landscaping, outdoor lighting and irrigation decisions are three of the major areas addressed by landscape architect Doug Arnold, ASLA; and Jackie Medvecky of Landcraft, LLC. European-style light fixtures from Graham's Lighting give an aged look to the home. "Ten-foot high arborvitaes line the circular drive and the surrounding hillside, "Arnold points out, along with the colors of the vineyards--all true to the Italian color palette," Hays describes.
For Formal Gatherings
It is only fitting that the foyer feature elements of design such as hand-carved wooden doors with arches, circular motifs and flooring in hand-laid mosaic stone, establishing the home's color scheme.
Houston and Hays enjoy many options for entertaining guests, including a grand salon and dining room for formal entertaining. This area features 26-foot ceilings and a two-story, two-sided cast stone fireplace with antique mica mirrors. A level of intimacy is added with division of the main area into two separate seating areas.. Oversized cushy furniture upholstered in tan chenille and topped with a variety of antique tapestry pillows welcome family and friends to stay a while.
A second grouping of furniture surrounds an aged pine entertainment center with a plasma television and Crestron sound system, above which hangs the largest tapestry in the home, an 18th-century French Vendure display. "We are very lucky to have Ken Kashani of Persian Galleries in Brentwood as a friend and resource for the magnificent rugs and tapestries he has located for us from Europe," Houston and Hays say. One of Hearthstone's interior designors, who also wore the hat of photo stylist, collaborates with the homeowners to accessorize, adding finishing touches throughout. Zia of Nashville provides the floral arrangements.
The dining room overlooks a front courtyard and beautiful Harpeth Valley, "which resembles the rolling hills of Italy's Tuscany," according to Mark and Laurie. A hand-forged iron chandelier from Arte de Mexico offers Old World appeal. A circa 1890 Flemish tapestry features a bucolic forest scene with various flora forms. An Italian mirror with hand-carved walnut hangs over the buffet.
For More Casual Entertaining
A large country kitchen, "the historical heart of an Italian home," provides the perfect spot for casual evenings. "Our goal was to create a home filled with warmth and beauty, good food and great wine" Hays explains. Hays, who loves to cook, armed the kitchen with top-of-the-line equipment including Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezers, a copper farmhouse style sink, Viking wine cooler, Fischer & Paykel dishwasher drawer and six-burner Wolf cook top with Tuscan-style stucco grotto hood.
Antique reproduction chairs in a robin's egg blue surround the farmhouse-style table. This area overlooks a two-sided cast stone fireplace. A Caucasus Karabagh rug with "hybrid curvilinear and rectilinear format" and "intricate corner and sunburst medallion designs," reflect not only the colors but also the curves and linear architecture in this inviting kitchen.
Off the kitchen is a walk-in pantry, a laundry room with dog bath for cocker spaniel "Duchess," Hay's office and a screened-in porch overlooking the Iroquois Steeplechase. "After a long day, it is nice to retreat to the swing, pour a glass of wine, and listen to the birds and our water fountain that is continuously flowing," Mark and Laurie reflect.
After dinner, they can entertain in the billiard room, view a movie in the home's theater or enjoy a bottle of wine from their private collection. The home theater houses a 130-inch Stewart screen with three-position electric curtains, five Swedish electric reclining theater chairs and a wrap-around leather sofa on the lower-level seating area. The audiovisual system is the new JBL Synthesis sound system with a three-chip Runco projector with special lens system for maximum theater experience. A remote Crestron control allows control allows for immediate display of DVDs and CDs housed in a central computer control room designed and installed by High-Tech Innovations.
"Adjoining the billiard room is a 750-bottle wine cellar with a stone veneer encasing each bin to give the appearance of a true winery in the northern region of Tuscany," Houston says. To transport delicious edibles and potables directly upstairs from the kitchen and butler's pantry, a "dumb waiter" was ingeniously added. A nearby sitting room opens into an enclosed portico with fountains, flowers and piped-in music.
Quiet Spaces
Chocolate brown and pale blue colors fill the master suite, seen in design choices such as imported Italian bed linens, the luscious silk duvet and pillows from Nashville's Bella Linea. Colorful antique rugs are layered on a light tan wool carpet. A large Italian stone deck, 1,000 feet above the lower entrance to Laurel Brooke, offers stunning 180-degree views of Harpeth Valley and the Iroquois Steeplechase.
"While at Hotel Tremazo on Lake Como, Italy, we were enamored with the bathroom suite which had a set of French doors that overlooked the lake, the beautiful Italian villages nestled in the mountains along the lake and the Swiss Alps," the homeowners recalls. Pope and Herr designed a similar set of French doors. "This way, we can continue to wake up every morning and open the doors to our own piece of Italy."
Hays enjoys her office near the kitchen where she can easily prepare meals and check e-mails. Houston relishes retreating to a quieter spot for his work. His office, with a circa 1890 Persian Sarouk Faraghan entryway rug, contains more than 5000 books. A large credenza and hunter green leather-topped desk face the fireplace. The walls are paneled with rare Honduran mahogany and capped with olive-green textured Italian Damask upholstery. Houston add, "An antique chandelier discovered at Herndon & Merry is from a stately library in upper New England."
Olive-green velvet drapes dress the windows of the office's den area. Ample seating is provided with an Italian black leather sofa and chair with nail-head detail. A club chair is upholstered in a rich gold, olive, red and a touch of lapis blue. A stately hand-carved wood fireplace topped with black marble commands center stage. Atop the mantel is an original Greek stone carving of the healing ceremonies at the temple of Askelipious.
In the library portion is an "ark-shaped" bookshelf with lapis blue granite top and a mahogany conference table from Spain. On the bookcase, Houston placed a hand-carved bust of Hippocrates, father of modern Greek medicine. The two-story upper office level has a 23-foot ceiling. In an illuminated ceiling dome, artist Keith Tucker painted a spectacular mural featuring a section of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel masterpiece.
Other features of the home: a 15-car garage housing the Houston's collection of imports, Jaguars & Mercedes for example, and American classics, such as Corvettes & T-Birds; a complete wood working shop; and heated indoor/outdoor pool area including endless pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, full bath and exercise room. The home is equipped with a Smart Home System and the Creston computer advanced touch-screen system, designed by High-Tech Innovations. Bruce Wollaber and co-owner Jim Napolitano of Comfort Engineered Systems, Inc. installed "A 9,600 feet of underground tubing. It delivers superior comfort and saves up to 50% over conventional system operation."
"We wanted the best of the indoor and outdoor worlds, and our residential designer Jack Herr helped us find the harmony in balancing the two. And our builder Stan Pope was able to create a house that looks as though it had always been here," Houston and Hays conclude. After years of planning and collecting furniture, antiques and artwork that reflect their personal style, the Houston's can now enjoy the fruits of their labor. Their five-acre lot in Laurel Brooke seems to have been lifted from Italy's countryside and gently placed in the hills of Nashville. The homeowners have taken great pleasure throughout their journey, and now enjoy sharing the result with family and friends.
