In the Tuscany region of central Italy, a region made famous around the world for its history, landscapes, traditions, artistic legacy and fine wine, perhaps nothing is more universally recognized than the old world villa’s that are nestled into the rolling countryside. Standing at approximately 10,500 square feet, this custom residence has all of the elegance, style and craftsmanship of those old world homes, but with all of the modern amenities of a new modern luxury home. This stunning residence was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the best custom built home in the country in 2010, a testament to the skillful designers and craftsmen who brought the homeowners vision into reality. When Chad Haas, Founder of VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com), a company that prides itself in furnishing some of the most beautiful garages in the world, was brought into the project, the home and garage had already been built. The accolades of the gorgeous villa already awarded. But the homeowner felt that the exterior and interior of the garage lacked architectural harmony with the rest of the home and so he flew Mr. Haas out to visit the space directly so that he could assist hands-on with re-designing a new look and to add furnishings to accessories the space. “When I first approached the villa from the street, I knew that I’d have my work cut out for me. Everything looked so perfect exactly the way it was designed and built. I questioned myself ‘how was I going to improve upon perfection?’, since remarkable attention was paid to even the smallest of details in the home” asked Haas. The client’s goal was to engage Haas to design and furnish a garage where he could relax, separate from the home, enjoy his growing car collection and entertain family and friends. After spending a short weekend together with the home owner to gather his ideas, Haas returned back to his Beaverton, Oregon-based company with a clearer vision: create the ultimate gentlemen’s retreat through the look of a turn-of-a-century Tuscan ‘car barn’. Absolutely nothing in the garage was overlooked – and it shows. Every design element in the garage for color, texture and material was meticulously thought out to elicit just the right feeling and emotion in everyone that enters what may be one of the most beautifully elegant garages in America, a space commonly overlooked in the construction of homes today. A main focal point of the exterior of garage is the beautiful view from the courtyard, where all three carriage doors can be seen. While the existing wood doors looked acceptable, it was agreed that something more befitting of the quality and beauty of the home were appropriate. Haas designed luxurious castle-style doors handcrafted from solid Mahogany and bathed in a rich dark brown stain that was complemented by hand-wrought iron grills, clavos and door pull hardware. The double-wide door, in particular, is truly remarkable in both its elegance, as well as its one-of-a-kind operation. “The client was concerned in this area of having mounting hardware and a motor on the ceiling. Because the cars in this area do not get brought out on a regular (daily) basis, the doors open manually by hand and operate accordion style on a track”. The homes main overhead garage doors feature jack-shaft operation which removes the clutter of a motor on the garage ceiling, but offers the convenience of powered operation. These extraordinary, custom-made castle doors look just as beautiful on the inside as the out and their unparalleled design and craftsmanship take the exterior of the home to even greater heights than before. On to the interior, a black and white epoxy coating was stripped and replaced with porcelain tiles that resembled Italian travertine stone. To give the car barn a rustic feeling and a presence that it was older, not modern, Haas worked on the development and concept directly with the home owner to collaborate with a local millwork company that designed and hand-finished substantial wood beams from distressed Doug Fir. All of the walls were hand-plastered by a local artist using straw that was harvested from the immediate area surrounding the home and incorporated into the plaster to give it a rustic antique quality. Haas conceived and designed a bar area and cabinetry for a work area that pulled inspiration from old ice boxes of the 1920’s that utilized heavy nickel-plated hardware, again to give storage spaces a rustic appearance. The warm glow from several custom porcelain neon signs, each one meticulously built entirely by hand by VAULT, are dispersed throughout the space and transform the entire room and bring it to life. The client had never previously owned a neon sign before and along with the carriage doors felt that these items have transformed the space more than any other feature. Several antique gas pumps, restored in the client’s favorite petro bran, and a few additional porcelain signs will eventually furnish the rest of the space to complement the clients amazing car collection. In addition to the countless details that set this showcase garage apart, its ability to seamlessly blend with the rest of the home and the natural, rustic setting of the Colorado Rockies, yet house modern automobiles in a manner in which they feel well placed and belong, is also noteworthy. GARAGE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS To learn more about VAULT visit them at: http://www.vaultgarage.com/ And on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VaultGarage PHOTOGRAPHY All photographs were used with the permission of photographer John Vanderpool (john.vanderpool5@gmail.com) You can visit John Vanderpool on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JVanderpoolPhotography ARCHITECTURE Jerry Gloss, Principal, KGA Architects: http://www.kgarch.com/ HOMEBUILDER Thomas Sattler Home: http://thomassattlerhomes.com/ VEHICLES Here is an overview of the cars that were photographed in this article: 1. 2014 Ferrari 458 Italia 2. 2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport 3. 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 4. 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS 5. 2008 Porsche GT3 RS 6. 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo S (997) 7. 2014 Porsche Panamera GTS 8. 2013 Ford SVT Raptor (6.2L CrewCab)’ Overview of project reprinted with permission of DuPont Registry.

The goal of this project was to build a house that would be energy efficient using materials that were both economical and environmentally conscious. Due to the extremely cold winter weather conditions in the Catskills, insulating the house was a primary concern. The main structure of the house is a timber frame from an nineteenth century barn that has been restored and raised on this new site. The entirety of this frame has then been wrapped in SIPs (structural insulated panels), both walls and the roof. The house is slab on grade, insulated from below. The concrete slab was poured with a radiant heating system inside and the top of the slab was polished and left exposed as the flooring surface. Fiberglass windows with an extremely high R-value were chosen for their green properties. Care was also taken during construction to make all of the joints between the SIPs panels and around window and door openings as airtight as possible. The fact that the house is so airtight along with the high overall insulatory value achieved from the insulated slab, SIPs panels, and windows make the house very energy efficient. The house utilizes an air exchanger, a device that brings fresh air in from outside without loosing heat and circulates the air within the house to move warmer air down from the second floor. Other green materials in the home include reclaimed barn wood used for the floor and ceiling of the second floor, reclaimed wood stairs and bathroom vanity, and an on-demand hot water/boiler system. The exterior of the house is clad in black corrugated aluminum with an aluminum standing seam roof. Because of the extremely cold winter temperatures windows are used discerningly, the three largest windows are on the first floor providing the main living areas with a majestic view of the Catskill mountains.

Staircase - rustic staircase idea in Charlotte

Large X rolling door - light chestnut
Large mountain style dark wood floor hallway photo in Nashville with brown walls

This gorgeous modern home sits along a rushing river and includes a separate enclosed pavilion. Distinguishing features include the mixture of metal, wood and stone textures throughout the home in hues of brown, grey and black.

By relocating the entrance to the walk in closet where the original shower was located provided the room to design a long double sink vanity. Their wish list was....living edge wood vanity top and a bathroom that can be their sanctuary to relax after a hard day at work and skiing.

Mid-sized mountain style backyard patio kitchen photo in Other with decking and a roof extension

Example of a large mountain style medium tone wood floor enclosed dining room design in Other with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a wood fireplace surround

Large mountain style brown three-story wood exterior home photo in Denver

Wrought iron accents add interest to the hand-fitted timbers of this staircase. Produced By: PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes Photos By: Longviews Studios, Inc.

Example of a large mountain style u-shaped medium tone wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen design in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, multicolored backsplash, paneled appliances, two islands, granite countertops and stone slab backsplash

phillip harris
Inspiration for a rustic u-shaped open concept kitchen remodel in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets and paneled appliances

Large mountain style medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Denver with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, wood countertops, paneled appliances, an island and black countertops

LAIR Architectural + Interior Photography
Inspiration for a rustic patio remodel in Dallas with no cover

This is an example of a rustic wood railing outdoor kitchen porch design in Charleston with decking and a roof extension.

Living room - large rustic formal and enclosed light wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Other with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and beige walls

Mountain style l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Other with glass-front cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, multicolored backsplash and an island

This country feel kitchen enhances the great outdoors with it's calm yet bright colors throughout the space. Having a custom tile backsplash pulls out all the earth tones throughout the kitchen.

Plush Image Corp
Example of a small mountain style 3/4 white tile and ceramic tile bathroom design in Philadelphia with open cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, gray walls, a vessel sink and wood countertops