There's nothing builder basic about a new Euro-modern mansion on Lake Minnetonka that will be featured on this year's Artisan Home Tour.
With more than 12,000 square feet of luxurious living space, the house is a showcase of high-end custom finishes, features and extravagant upgrades, from towel warmers in every bathroom to three flat-screen TVs in the media lounge.
"It's a curated home using talented artisans, fine craftsmanship and materials from all over the world," said Amy Hendel, director of marketing and design for builder Hendel Homes. Peter Eskuche, of Eskuche Design Group in Deephaven, designed the Orono residence. "Even the tile has a story behind it," said interior designer Aniuska Payares of Studio Brown Bag in Chicago.
The fully furnished three levels were custom-made for the art-collecting homeowners and their three teenagers.
Tourgoers will be greeted by a dramatic glass-paneled floating staircase. Inside, an amalgam of striking art, architecture and high-style interior design flows from space to space, showcasing "layers of upscale fabrics, textures and materials," said Rick Hendel, owner of Hendel Homes.
Rolls and rolls of wallpaper cover just about every wall of the seven-bedroom house.
Other luxe amenities include modern Italian Scavolini cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms, a swanky lower level lounge and bar and acoustical wall and ceiling panels for echo-free quiet spaces.
The owners also put in a swimming pool, hot tub and pool house against the backdrop of Stubbs Bay on Lake Minnetonka.
"The clients have a rich cultural background and have lived all over the world," Payares said. In fact, being inside the Artisan Tour home "feels like you're inside a luxurious international boutique hotel," said Amy Hendel.
A wide range of styles
This pinnacle of ritzy real estate is among the 21 new upper bracket homes and 11 remodeled residences open over three weekends in June. (Note: The featured Orono home is not open June 7-9.)
The new homes are valued at $1.2 million and up for the structure alone, said Katie Elfstrom, communications manager for the Builders Association of the Twin Cities.
The wide range of styles, from Mediterranean to modern Tudor, "are all about the custom and artfully crafted details," she said.
A luxe condo in the Edina Flats is also on the tour.
Amenity-packed outdoor living spaces "are huge," Elfstrom said, and feature retractable screen porches, wood-burning pizza ovens and stone fireplaces.
A family with dancers built a Prairie-style modern beauty in North Oaks equipped with a dance studio, theater and dance floor.
In Medina, you can visit a 5,000-square-foot, two-story "garage condominium," which houses the owner's car collection, as well as an entertaining space, kitchen, bathroom, office and workout area.
But the tour is more than a gawker paradise. It's also a showcase for the latest design and build trends, such as prep kitchens, flex spaces, mixing metals, unexpected color schemes and up-to-the minute finishes and materials. "It's a chance to see high-caliber homes and get ideas," Elfstrom said. "Or just have fun."
Orono highlights
Here are some highlights of the Orono home.
Mixed metals: The home creatively mixes nickel, copper, bronze and gold in light fixtures, furniture, hardware and wall installations.
Not wide-open spaces. The homeowners nixed the open concept for rooms that are defined by ceiling treatments, a see-through glass fireplace and architectural elements. "You discover spaces as you walk through them," Amy Hendel said.
Chef-worthy upscale kitchen: There are Italian Scavolini cabinets, a Wolf range and double ovens and a "scullery" prep kitchen.
Artistic tileworks: Every bathroom is a composition of tile patterns, shapes and colors, which play off light fixtures and hardware. "It gives it personality and creates an experience," designer Payares said.
Retro cool: A gold starburst light fixture is suspended above a leather sectional and energetic geometric-patterned wool rug in a family room off the kitchen. Automated draperies can be closed when the family watches movies.
Party central: The lower level holds a full kitchen and bar with a wall of copper-hued tile mimicking modern beehives. The TV lounge boasts three screens and steps out to the swimming pool and patio.
"Wow" wood floors: White oak connects spaces with eye-catching herringbone.
Fiery views: Every bedroom facing Lake Minnetonka has a door opening to a fire table on a shared upper veranda.
