Villa with a View

the exterior of a largeMichelle Baltus is a St. Paul freelance writer and editor.
Photos by Jon Huelskamp, Landmark Photography

Old World charm joins high-tech comfort.

A rural hillside offers the ideal location for an Old World estate. Perched on a sloping sliver of land in St. Joseph’s Township, Wisconsin, this 5,225-square-foot home recalls an Italian villa, with its faux plaster walls, reclaimed lumber beams, and hand-scraped hickory floors. The owners, empty nesters who love to entertain, had a Tuscan haven in mind when they chose builder Michael Hartman, owner of Hartman Homes. The pitched lot was suited to the rustic architecture they desired and afforded them a unique floor plan.

“There’s a steep slope in the backyard, which made for a home with less depth than other houses this size and for some definite character in the rooms,” Hartman says.

Mediterranean-influenced exterior elements include faux-clay roof tiles and intricate balcony railings. The cultured stone and stucco façade follows a peaked roofline worthy of the dramatic landscape. In fact, the site was formerly a ski hill. “The views from here are amazing,” Hartman says.

A stone archway heralds the home’s 8-foot mahogany and wrought-iron front doors, which feature a forged scroll pattern that appears again on interior staircase railings. Hand-painted walls mimic aged plaster, adding texture and depth to the main floor public spaces. Contrasting antique timbers and heated wood and tile floors add to the atmosphere.

“It’s like you stepped into something that was built years ago,” says Hartman Homes interior designer Karen Graeve. Weathered sconces and ornate furniture-style vanities lend experience to the home’s three bedrooms and five bathrooms. “I always try to create a sense of place, and I think, despite its size, this home radiates the warmth and comfort of Old World design,” Graeve says.

A row of picture windows with backyard views links the great room, the dining room, and a family room, where a romantic balcony and spiral staircase lead to the patio below. Two gas fireplaces with limestone surrounds bookend the main hall, which centers on a large, round dining table. The dining chairs feature scroll details similar to the front doors, which are repeated again in the glass fronts of the built-in cabinetry.

Floating alder cabinets accent the adjacent U-shaped kitchen, highlighted by a granite-topped island with icemaker. A built-in refrigerator, stove and prep faucets, and a stone backsplash with metal accents are among the many gourmet amenities. “The man of the house loves to cook,” Graeve says of the lucky homeowner.

Awning windows near the floor engage the eye and allow for airflow in the dining room and soaring great room. The latter features a window bay that adds structural interest and foreshadows similar alcoves in the master suite and posh vaulted loft. A steam shower and circular tub topped by a lighted, cloud-painted, domed ceiling make for a dreamy master bath. The owners also enjoy a bedroom fireplace and attached laundry with stylish stainless-steel farmhouse sink. The upstairs office and bathroom have a dramatic Bavarian lodge ambiance, complete with dark-stained wainscoting and woodwork, crimson walls, and animals everywhere—in the fabrics, the artwork, even in the relief tiles of the shower, which is tucked under the eaves.

The heavy molding and stained concrete floors in the loft continue to the lower-level recreation room, where a spacious pub with a stamped copper ceiling, a mobile island, and a hammered copper sink occupy the same footprint as the kitchen upstairs. An elegant hand-carved arched door leads to a climate-controlled wine cellar with space for 500 bottles. Two guest bedrooms, an exercise room and sauna, and a three-season screen porch round out the lower level.

Ironically, the home’s outward charm belies its high-tech construction, which includes state-of-the-art insulating concrete forms and geothermal heating and cooling. Other atypical amenities, such as a tuck-under garage with built-in beer taps and an interior kennel and shower for the couple’s golden retriever, will likely prove more invaluable. There’s even a raised bocce ball court. Bellisimo!

BUILDER
Hartman Homes, Inc.

HOME LOCATION
St. Joseph’s Township, Wisconsin

SUPPLIERS
Cambria® Natural Quartz Surfaces
Freier’s Electric & Heating
Guyer’s Builder Supply
Industrial Door Company, Inc.
LaCosta Architectural Imports
Molin Concrete Products Company
Roth Distributing Company
Rubble Tile

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