One of our latest projects is a warm, inviting Old World style home nestled into a hill overlooking Christmas Lake. The topography is unusual as one can walk out on each of the three levels. Our client's home of 20 years was badly damaged, so they started over with a completely different style. From the beginning, our client wanted a tower that would let light in from all sides and they wanted to "live in the roof". The tower looks as if it had been sitting there for many years and someone built a new home around it. They desired a unique facade with tall, sweeping roof lines and the air of a castle while using exterior materials and colors that blended with nature. Every square inch of the 8700 sq. ft. interior is meticulously planned for how the client will use the home with selections that are durable and livable and at the same time beautiful. The home features a stone arched entry leading to the Great Room, with a soaring 27' vaulted ceiling framed with hand hewn, arched timber trusses. The Great Room also features an authentic wood burning arched fireplace with an over-sized stone mantle. The Study has a built-in day bed overlooking this room and the office oversees this room as well. The Kitchen is any chef's dream with granite tops and a fourteen foot island bordered in butcher block ends adorned by a striking piece of furniture that houses a separate refrigerator and freezer. At the far end of the home is a "tree" room with 270° views of the lake and landscape, topped with a steeply vaulted wooden ceiling with porthole windows.

The Master Bath is one of the most beautiful rooms with its breathtaking views of the lake from its private balcony. It features a hand-painted barreled ceiling, chromatherapy steam shower, and a whirlpool bath with wrap-around bench in the center. The lower level features an Entertainment area behind stone arches, complete with a theater and fireplace. There is also a bar built into stone arches with inspiration from an Irish pub. Two staircases and an elevator make it easy to get from level to level. No room is the same and there's a surprise around every corner in this magnificent home!
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Nestled in the charming neighborhood, Executive Woodlands, located between Plymouth and Wayzata, this residence represents the epitome of fine architecture, design and detail. Seeking a different home building experience, the clients came to Hendel Homes to have their team of experts, in their respective fields, created a formal French masterpiece. This serves not merely as a home, but as a respite from the daily grind.

To hone in on the overall look, feel and design details that would make this Parisian city-home fit everyone's desires both on the exterior as well as the interior, many meetings were held prior to and during construction to create through, thoughtful selections of materials, finishes and furnishing/fabrics. This created the desired feeling in each of the spaces. Covering every detail architecturally and otherwise, these meetings included the placement of the client's original furnishings and fixtures as well as discussion of new furnishings. With over 11,000 square feet under-roof, the interior of the home is besieged with design details. Some of these intricate details included arches, vaults, an impressive 4' tall plaster cove in the Great Room, coffered ceiling in the Office and domed ceilings in the private quarters' vestibules. The details aren't merely for show; they provide transitions and set-the-tone for each of the spaces throughout the home. The massive solid iron front doors, a limestone staircase, featuring custom designed iron railings, leads to the main level Gallery. Many are in awe walking under the multiple groin vaults aligned with double French doors, which overlook the courtyard. Illuminating the walk down the gallery are hand-blown, amber-colored, Italian Murano Glass pendants and impressive 4' tall gas torches. Throughout the home is a mix of 18th and 19th Century French antique lighting fixtures as well as the highest quality reproductions, providing a balance and lending authenticity and intrigue to the home. Additional features of the home include:

• Hendel designed custom cabinetry
• Impressive sized, custom LaCornue Chateau Series Range
• French plumbing fixtures
• Custom leaded glasswork
• Custom millwork
• Mantels of Cast Limestone, Pewter, Marble and wood
• Parquet, antique French oak, floors in the Dining Room and Butler's Pantry
• Hand-scrapped walnut in the Great Room and Office
• Antique French door in the Wine Cellar
• Numerous styles of Baldwin Estate Hardware
• And so much more...

Having lived on both coasts, the client desired a private, low/no-maintenance approach to life. The materials selected are mindful of this request, some of which on the exterior include:

• Eco-Star synthetic slate Mansord-style roof;
• Rhenzinc details (versus the typical copper) on: pitch-change, window sills, gutters and down spouts;
• Azec for fascia, dormer faces, and soffit details (crown & cove)
• Stucco
• Cast stone for window trim and details
• Custom-designed, 8' tall solid iron front doors
• Exterior iron railings
• Heated driveway
• And so much more...

Finally, the home was created with a fully-enclosed, private, rear courtyard and noticeable absence of a suburban lawn. Beautiful, eight foot tall, double French doors blend interior and exterior living spaces welcoming the Lutz's and their guests into the courtyard as an extension of the interior. The courtyard features a fully covered outdoor pavilion producing an additional living area with a custom designed fireplace. This adds ambiance and practicality to the space on cool evenings.

There is no doubt that these spaces provide the client with the 'vacation-like' respite, truly making this their dream home.