Mediteranean
Magnificence
By Deb Rinard
Photography by Princely Nesadurai
Complete with wine cellar, large kitchen and raised pool,
this home is perfect for entertaining.
Tammie St. Cyr remembers when her family lived near 75th Avenue
and Union Hills. “But we were right next to the mall.
And we wanted to build a bigger house,” she says.
While nothing about Tammie and Ray St. Cyr's resulting move
to a 10,000-square-foot Arrowhead Lakes home is ordinary,
the back yard is, well, extraordinary. A raised Pebble Tec®
pool edged with flagstone is 9 feet deep at one end and features
both a waterfall cascading over a grotto and a descending
rocky stream. The accompanying roar of water is surprisingly
soothing.
Sunlovers can relax on a chaise lounge and admire Hedgepath
Hill rising to the sky behind the pool. Better yet, when the
St. Cyrs turn on the misters, a bit of fog creeps along the
lower edges of the faux stone border. Meticulously crafted
by James Lyle of J Pierre Construction, the border includes
a pathway to the grotto where you can curl up and meditate
on the rushing water. “J Pierre took pictures of the
rocks on the mountain and duplicated them on the pool and
patio,” Ray says. Just off the flagstone pool deck is
a spa and a freestanding gameroom/cabana. Complete with ping-pong
and pool tables, TV and refrigerator, it’s the perfect
hangout for daughter, Aimee, 18. Ray occasionally practices
his putting on the green outside the cabana, and Aimee likes
to bounce on the trampoline in the yard behind the green.
Plenty Of Planning
The St. Cyrs built the custom home five years ago. Architect
Rob Trop of Trop Design and Development designed a Mediterranean-style
home that takes up most of the cul-de-sac. “We originally
were going to build on top of the hill, but it took too long
for the road to be built, and it was windy up there,”
Ray says. “So I bought the cul-de-sac for the house
and adjacent land for parking when we have parties. We took
about 11/2 years to plan the house—we kept adding and
changing.” When they finished, the house had six bedrooms,
each with its own bath and patio.
Sons Marc, 24, and Jon, 22, are now on their own but enjoy
stopping by. When Ray’s mother visits from Cottonwood,
she stays in the wheelchair-accessible guest suite with its
own refrigerator and kitchen sink, not to mention a Jacuzzi
tub.
Nearby is the door to a winding stairway leading down to a
cozy wine cellar. J Pierre’s faux stone gives it just
the right amount of echo and atmosphere.
Back on the first floor, the large kitchen has a view of the
patio/pool and reflects Ray’s expertise as owner of
L&M Cabinets, a company that sells cabinets, laminates
and marble, including countertops. The kitchen’s maple
cabinetry is stained burgundy for a rich finish offset by
a large black kitchen island with cooktop and sink. Two refrigerators
(“they’re always packed,” says Tammie) and
two dishwashers are a cook’s dream. A curved breakfast
bar offers seating for five.
Splashes Of Color
The adjacent great room is painted a lovely shade of muted
teal and boasts a coffered ceiling. Huge windows on the first
and second floors let in loads of natural light and a view
of the patio and mountain. A curved wet bar at one end of
the room is perfect for entertaining.
The formal dining room also features a
coffered ceiling, this one painted a coppery rust color. The
focal point of the nearby music room is a white baby grand
piano. “My daughter and I play it sometimes,”
Tammie says. “But it can also play by itself,”
her husband adds. Upstairs is the spacious master suite with
a small seating area, fireplace and maple entertainment center.
Painted a muted purple, it’s a sophisticated room completed
by two patios. The larger patio features a spa, fireplace
and a spiral stairway to the backyard patio. Look down, and
you see the pool; look up, and you gaze on the beauty of the
looming mountain.
The master bath includes a large shower with multiple showerheads
and a huge closet with stacked washer/dryer. “We do
our laundry upstairs; Aimee does hers in the downstairs laundry
room,” Tammie says.
Soap Opera Railings
The nearby library, which overlooks the great room on one
side, has more beautiful cabinetry. A step-out balcony offers
a view of Hedgepeth Hill. Delicate black wrought iron in a
filigree pattern decorates the main stairway, the railing
overlooking the great room and foyer, and patio railings.
“I saw it on a soap opera, and called the architect
to tune it in,” Tammie says with a smile. “It
was just what I wanted.” She decorated the house with
the help of the architect’s wife, Karen Trop. “She’s
not an interior designer by trade, but she has a great eye,”
Tammie says. “We spent two years looking for everything
to complete the house and had a lot of fun doing it.”
Everyone who visits the home agrees the time spent was well
worth it.
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