Out of a fairytale

To create the impression a house or interior has evolved over time, disparate elements are often gathered together in the design. However, when the suggested history follows a specific path with architectural elements implying an actual train of events then the sense of heritage and character is that much more effective.

This grand Tuscan mansion is built on top of a hill with views to an ornamental lake. The owners had asked architect Haitham N Haddad and interior designer Tamara Bickley to create a rustic, Italian-style residence that would include several distinctive features. On the wish list was a great room, suitable for entertaining, a two-story library, and a master suite on the ground level, with the children's bedrooms and media room upstairs. The owners also wanted their house to have a strong connection to the outdoors and an air of adventure traits reflected in all of Haddad's residential homes. The architect responded with a design that tells its own story.

The residence follows a traditional form often seen on the rolling hills of Tuscany it is essentially a large U-shaped building that encloses a courtyard at the rear, says Haddad.

"We pretended the original structure had been added to over time, with the courtyard covered over and claimed as interior space for use as a great room," says Haddad. "This is why the two-level volume has wood ceilings the change in material suggests an addition and alludes to the natural quality of the outdoors.

"Similarly, the breakfast room is built half inside and half outside the glazed wall to the great room, as if the wall had been added later. This idea is continued on the level above, with a bedroom balcony bisected by the same glass."

The architect says the home's asymmetrical nature lends itself to this idea. It is quite common for Mediterranean homes to be designed from the inside out, which results in interesting groupings of windows on the exterior.

However, besides a rustic, rambling appeal, the house has a marked contemporary presence. The interior is organized along strong linear axes. From the double-height entrance foyer, guests can look right through the interior and out the glazed arches to the pool area beyond. Behind them, the view from the front door is straight down the steps to the curved sweep of the driveway and the artificial lake.

"While the house is spacious, open and filled with natural light, I also wanted to create areas of mystery," says Haddad. "For example, in the foyer, stairs from the master suite to the children's areas and from the kitchen to the upper level seem to appear from nowhere. In addition, a secret passageway runs between the library and master suite with access hidden behind an operable curved wall of books."

Designer Tamara Bickley says the owners love water and the outdoors, and also share a penchant for fine furniture and refined finishes. These interests are reflected in the interior.

"The sculptural fountain inside the entrance was designed by the architect and provides an intimation of the overall design a rewarding juxtaposition between the old and the new," says Bickley. "Visually, the blue square connects with the lake at the front, the patch of blue rug in the covered great room and with the series of pools to the rear. These azure splashes lead the eye ahead through the house.

"Haddad set the fountain directly on the front-to-back axis, so the visitor has to deviate from this line to move forward this subtle feeling of discovery runs right through the home."

Many areas of the interior are informed by the rustic design, such as the plastered walls and stone flooring seen throughout. These add to the old-world feel, and in the case of the great room, accentuate the idea of outdoor living areas that have been walled in.

"Low, contemporary Italian day beds and couches were introduced in the great room to contrast and accentuate the vertical scale and provide optimum comfort," says Bickley. "In fact, most rooms have been given a light, modern treatment with the exception of one powder room and guest bedroom, where we employed a richer, more ornate aesthetic."

The double-height library is another area to combine the classic and the clean-lined to create a space of visual charm. Touches of turquoise are carried through here in a custom fabric on the Crescent Moon sofa chairs. The fireplace is backed with glass tile, accentuating the flames. Custom wooden window seats line the lower level, and fine silk drapery on the windows above contribute to the peaceful, ethereal effect.

The scale, surprising details, and the sense that nature is creeping in around the eaves, all combine to give this residence a resort-like feel.

Story by: Trendsideas