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| Ross
Mason photo |
Kitchen
design features the efficient work triangle of refrigerator‑stove‑sink,
and convenient placement of the sink in the island allows
easy interaction between people in the kitchen and the
adjoining familiy room.
(Click
picture for full size image) |
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| Ross
Mason photo |
The
backyard waterfall is a spa feature, and a focal point
for landscaping designed to be in harmony with the surrounding
terrain.
(Click
picture for full size image) |
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Reflections
on a view
by
RaeAnne Marsh
ANTHEM
– As beautifully decorated as the foyer is, it is the
view on display through the windows of the formal living/dining
room directly in front of you that grabs your attention
when entering this home on the Anthem Country Club golf
course. Part of the effect is the manner of presentation:
The wall bows outward, and the windows, therefore, offer
a curving panorama past the backyard’s natural desert
landscaping to the sward of fairway and, beyond, to the
peaks of surrounding mountains.
This
architectural design is what sold the present owner on
this model when she purchased it new in 2003. And she
cleverly devised a secondary way to enjoy it as well.
“It’s
all done with mirrors” is the old put‑down of magic
shows, but this homeowner’s mirror “trick” is pure art.
A large, deep display niche is built into the living room’s
front wall and faces into the room. An ornately framed
mirror is mounted in the niche as if the niche was custom‑crafted
to hold it. But instead of mounting the mirror flat to
the wall, the homeowner has tilted it forward at a strategic
angle to reflect the window view to anyone seated on the
forward‑facing couch. Thus, she has been able to
arrange the furniture so the room offers a welcome
invitation to enter while still affording its guests the
commanding view out the rear windows. Believing the mirror
to be an integral element in fully enjoying the home and
its views, the homeowner is making it available with the
sale of the house.
But
back to the foyer from which we passed so quickly. This
is an ample space in a hub location, with doorways to
the master suite, the living/dining room, and a hallway
to the home’s other wing. The homeowner has given it added
elegance by fauxing one surface –not the walls, which
might have overpowered the space, but the ceiling. The
side wall of the dining area is finished to match, a décor
element that contributes to the home’s coherent interior
design. And the two rooms’ light fixtures are likewise
coordinated in “Italianate” style. Although one is a single
large lamp and the other a multi‑tiered chandelier,
both are ornate Tuscan‑inspired wrought iron with
opalescent glass.
From
the dining room, a butler’s pantry connects to the kitchen
and, open from the kitchen, the family room. The serving
counter in the butler’s pantry features a granite slab
countertop and tumbled‑stone tiled backsplash that
match those on the kitchen perimeter. For accent, the
homeowner gave the kitchen island a different but complementary
granite countertop.
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The
kitchen is designed with the optimal work triangle of refrigerator,
range and sink, with the ovens (regular, convection and
microwave) built into cupboards on a side wall. As the sink
is set into the island, anyone working in the kitchen can
easily be part of conversation in the family room. And the
family room’s entertainment center, fitted into the room’s
deep niche side by side with the room’s fireplace, faces
directly into the kitchen.
A
second bowed wall of window is designed in the rear of the
kitchen, again providing a broad view of the surrounding
scenery in an alluring breakfast nook. A sliding glass door
comprising the nook’s side wall leads to the sheltered patio,
at the far side of which is a built‑in barbecue.
Landscaping
in the backyard includes a heated spa with a boulder waterfall
and, outside the kitchen window, a natural gas fire pit
with attendant stone benches. “I didn’t want to do anything
that would interfere with the view,” says the present homeowner.
Controls for the spa and waterfall are conveniently located
in the house, along with controls for outside speakers integrated
into the home’s surround‑sound system wired to family
room, living/dining room, master bedroom and patio.
The
three‑bedroom home
features a split plan. The master suite, accessed
through double doors from the foyer, is larger than it seems
from the doorway as it extends forward to include a sitting
area with fireplace. Flat‑fronted, the fireplace features
a granite‑tile surround that matches the granite of
the family room fireplace and the primary countertops in
the kitchen, butler’s pantry and master bath.
From
bedroom to bath is a connecting space, with a storage closet
on one side. The bathroom is designed with his‑and‑hers
sinks flanking the deep soaking tub (“hers” corners to a
vanity counter, with a lower countertop and leg room below).
Likewise are there his‑and‑hers closets, both
with windows to allow natural light into the space. Built
against the wall between the two closet doors stands a large
shower stall with doors on both sides, two rain‑showerheads,
and a glass‑block front wall. The master bath’s deep
display niche was decorated by the present owner with mementos
and photographs of her parents, taking advantage of the
private location to create a display deeply meaningful to
herself.
The
hallway across the foyer from the master suite leads to
the family room. Along the way, it passes a recess that
opens to a room suitable for an office. Found in this recess
is the powder room, where the homeowner created a unique
antique effect by fauxing with a wire brush on the textured
walls.
At
the near corner of the family room, the hallway makes a
sharp right turn and runs to the secondary bedrooms, the
spacious laundry room with ample cupboards, and the door
to the two‑car garage (also attached to the house
but with no connecting door is a single‑car garage).
The two bedrooms are suites, the front bedroom with a three‑quarter
bath and the other with a full bath. Both feature walk‑in
closets. The front bedroom is the only room in the house
with a ten‑foot ceiling (the others are all 12 feet),
but its closet’s ceiling is 12 feet high, making extra space
available for shelf storage. In addition to the natural
light the rooms enjoy, each is well‑illuminated by
lights installed in the ceiling.
The
home, approximately 3,900 square feet, is offered at $1.1
million by Susan Roberts of RE/MAX Integrity (623) 210‑7253.
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