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A room with a view Atop the entry portal , Chenin essentially created a glass box , referred to as the ‘ crown ’, to house a large entertainment lounge with a full-service bar , as well as a gym and spa along the periphery . The deepset , tinted windows of the ribbed black structure were designed to block the harsh summer sunlight , while allowing temperate winter rays in for a peaceful coexistence with the desert climate .
Outside of the box , so to speak , the structure is flanked by landscaped decks that continue the curated gathering spaces outdoors , with views extending across the canyon towards the distant Las Vegas strip to the East , and raw , untouched
desert vistas to the West . The formal layout includes a myriad of terraced outdoor dining and entertainment spaces , with a short descent to a bacchii ball court and a pool area , where fire pits and sofa seating provide several structured , yet casual , settings to experience the landscape and view .
A timeless concept The clients expressed their interest in an H-shaped layout for the interior of the house , allowing for opposing wings to provide a personal retreat on one side , and guest accommodations with a variety of configurational options on the other . The H-shape design also addresses an environmental option that allows for an entire side of the house to be shut down from a mechanical standpoint when the couple is home alone .
“ We were captivated by the very first design presentation ,” says the Client . “ The level of detail and the way the design renderings , sketches , and mood boards captured the quality of the proposed spaces was beyond anything that we had seen before .”
The clients also expressed their desire for the house to feature their large private collection of Hudson River School paintings , which marked a turning point in the conceptualization process of Daniel Joseph Chenin . From a theoretical standpoint , Chenin embraced the idea of curating the clients ’ art collection as a core element of the design . Drawing inspiration from the art , whose beautiful frames contain the life within the paintings , the firm embarked on an architectural approach to create portals that frame the life within the spaces , capturing the shared experiences and memories created in the home .
“ That was the impetus of how we started laying out the house , as a collection of portals , with each transporting one into a different container , or room , with a distinct function ,” explains Chenin . “ We codenamed the project Palladio , after Italian architect Andrea Palladio , who was famous for his 16th century villas that utilized cruciform circulation with a strong emphasis on symmetry , proportion , and balance .”