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6.26.08

Fantasy Open House #6: The Artisan

exterior front of large brick house with fountain in front

Before we continue with our house tours, keep in mind that Homearama houses are almost always over the top and a little ridiculous if you try to compare them to normal houses that are built for regular folk like us. It’s like they’re on decorating steroids.

Basically, you’ve got 10 homebuilders who all want to make the biggest impression, be the most memorable, and get the most votes. After the show, everyone who toured the houses votes on their favorites, and awards are given out to the homebuilders who got the most–sort of like what we’re doing here this week! This one really went out of its way to get noticed.

House #6, built by Artisan Estate Homes, features a whopping 9,000 square feet and is on the market for $2.1 million. The home was planned, built, and decorated by Rick Seitz, who has won Best Interior Design awards multiple times at Homearamas past. (I think you can catch a glimpse of him in the kitchen.)

The home was intended to exude “an atmosphere of French and Italian lakeside living.” Check it out for yourself and see what you think!

exterior front of large brick house with fountain in front

What do you think? Would you buy this house if you had $2.1 million?

Categories Fantasy Open House

exterior front of large brick house
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Fantasy Open House #4: Pavan Kunj

Comments

  1. Bonnie says

    6.26.08 at 11:19 am

    Other than the outdoor spaces, I hate it.

  2. Susie says

    6.26.08 at 12:40 pm

    I think my favorite so far was the first one this week. Of course I would move right in today if I had the chance. Thanks for the peek! Susie H~

  3. Jen says

    6.26.08 at 12:50 pm

    I would be so freaked out trying to use the bathroom next to that statue. And I’m not sure I’d be comfortable trying to watch a movie in the dark with the other characters watching me either. I did like the rest of the media room, though. Like you said, the house is pretty over the top. Too ornate for me! 🙂

  4. Summer Kitchen Interiors says

    6.26.08 at 1:05 pm

    Like the gardens & fountain / pool. We’re not to sure about that statue in the bathroom either! That movie theater does’nt look like the type to watch “Cars” in… they should of had “The Godfather” or something else playing!
    Karla & Karrie

  5. Lynn says

    6.26.08 at 1:24 pm

    No thank you. Only room I like is the theater room.

  6. wanderluster says

    6.26.08 at 1:33 pm

    Oh boy, you Homearama folk really like your frescoes, don’t you? This really is over the top. Every surface is gilded, frescoed, coffered, trimmed – and some are all of those things! The ceiling details in this house are just too much. That library – I don’t think I could relax and read a book in there. I guess I just like simpler things.

  7. Valerie Kramer says

    6.26.08 at 1:41 pm

    Oh Julia! Throw in a suit of armor, and you’ve got Buckingham Palace! I was wondering where the Queen might be lurking, when, oh my gosh, I saw the theater! It’s Madame Tussauds!

  8. Shay says

    6.26.08 at 1:47 pm

    I was trying to find something I liked, took a second look at the tv’s mounted above that bar (I thot it was scoreboard sfor a minute) and then saw Rocky and Darth Vader peeking out of their corners in the media room and it scared me and I was outta there!
    blessings, Shay

  9. PlantingOaks says

    6.26.08 at 2:00 pm

    Wow. It’s a bit much (particularly the library and the theatre…the statues are downright disturbing) but at least it’s an impressive much, as opposed to a boring trendy beige much.

    Also, not a fan of the wood-and-tile lattice floor trend you see nowadays.

    But sure, I’ll bite. I don’t love it to pieces, but it’s the most interesting so far.

  10. CC says

    6.26.08 at 2:59 pm

    Whoa baby! Can you say, “Over the top.” 🙂

  11. Amy says

    6.26.08 at 3:24 pm

    Wow! It is absolutely beautiful, it’s just really hard to imagine myself living there. I love the outdoor space and my kids would definitely use the fountain as a pool 🙂

  12. Amy Jo Trager says

    6.26.08 at 4:15 pm

    I really liked the detailing on the master bedroom walls. What was that? Hand painting? I saw it on one of the ceilings too. Beautiful…. I really liked the outdoor areas and the pool would be perfect for small children. I never thought about that before!

  13. Darla @ UltraBeautyBoutique says

    6.26.08 at 5:19 pm

    Too ornate. Blech.

  14. Kristen Olsen says

    6.26.08 at 6:32 pm

    My favorite parts were the covered entry and the freestanding area in the backyard. Guess that means I won’t be moving into this anytime soon. In no sense at all would I want to live here – it felt cold.

  15. mom in high heels says

    6.26.08 at 7:43 pm

    Did Donald Trump design this? Way over the top. I wouldn’t mind having a life size statue of Harrison Ford though. 🙂

  16. Dawn Gahan says

    6.26.08 at 8:21 pm

    Julia, first of all thanks for visiting my blog! I am such a sucker for built-ins, although I found out with the ones in my study that they ain’t cheap, otherwise I’d have them in every room of my home, especially the bedroom.

    Have loved looking around your site. My family is a huge fan of home tours in our area. The new and non-occupied homes are fun to tour but we really love the home tours of actual inhabited houses. I’ve gotten such great ideas (and a good case of house envy!)

    Dawn

  17. Leigh Ann says

    6.26.08 at 8:21 pm

    This house creeps me out. It should have been where Tony and Carmella Soprano lived. The sports bar would kinda be fun for big parties, though.

  18. Mark says

    6.26.08 at 8:25 pm

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo

    I really rather liked the over the top interior. Again, a silly kitchen like all the other silly kitchens, useless to people who cook a lot and clean their own space. The exterior design just seems ugly. Silly. Inelegant or even clumsy

    If you’re going to go that far over the top (and I think that they did that very well), why not get a architect with some talent and taste?

    Still of all the homes, this one was the most appealing. I’d only entertain at night, I guess. 😉

  19. Jana says

    6.26.08 at 8:52 pm

    I feel repetitive, saying that I love the ceilings. But I do, so very much. I also firmly believe that things with eyes do not belong in the bathroom. My MIL has a picture of Jesus Christ facing the toilet. He looks at me, and I feel awkward. That statue, while not Jesus Christ, is skeletal looking and weird. What is she doing, anyway? Playing a serenade in tune with my tinkles?

  20. Kathy :) says

    6.26.08 at 9:54 pm

    YUCK…..I do love the out door space though. Think Tony Soprano lives there ??

    Kathy 🙂

  21. Fifi Flowers says

    6.26.08 at 11:19 pm

    You make it so hard to choose… another great house today!

  22. Jrizzo says

    6.26.08 at 11:45 pm

    Love all of the handpainting and I actually really like the shashes on the lamp shades! But the theatre with those giant dolls creeps me out and so does the statue in the bathroom…. That’s like a set up of a bad horror film in of itself. I want to know who could afford this house?… Thanks for the great tour! Jen R

  23. Brandee says

    6.27.08 at 1:26 am

    Oh, I hate it. It’s disgustingly beautiful.

  24. Julie says

    6.27.08 at 7:30 am

    Too dark. Too stuffed full of stuff. Too much faux painting. Walk away and get a old farmhouse somewhere in the country….something light and airy! 🙂

  25. Meredith says

    6.27.08 at 8:44 am

    Run. I’d feel like I was living in the Vatican.

  26. Pat says

    6.27.08 at 8:47 am

    Didn’t care for this one.

    Pat

  27. Susie says

    6.27.08 at 9:12 am

    Ok … it’s the perfect house for someone. Dont get me wrong I would love to live in it but it’s just missing that “home” ness about it. It’s very grand indeed ! Maybe a bit too grand for my taste. Thanks for taking us on this tour of homes, I looked forward to it everyday and walked away with some very neat ideas I want to try. thanks Julia, Susie H~

  28. TraceyB says

    6.27.08 at 10:27 am

    YUCK!! this is almost tacky! I keep picturing Wayne Newton living there.

  29. Lisa says

    6.27.08 at 12:20 pm

    This reminds me a little of Hearst Castle in central CA. Fun to look at and maybe vacation at, but not an everyday home, really.

  30. Kellye says

    6.28.08 at 12:01 am

    Another one where the facade and the interior don’t really mesh. I ADORE the interior, though. True, it’s not an “everyday” home, but that’s what I like about it. It reminds me of a (much) smaller version turn-of-the-century home of the Morgans, Vanderbilts, et al. I’d just throw out those tacky mannequins. 😉

  31. alison says

    6.28.08 at 10:50 pm

    beautiful facade–I don’t get the interior–its too busy for me. I can see where a lot of time and craftsmanship was invested though.

  32. rue says

    6.29.08 at 2:44 pm

    It had me at hello and I said goodbye in the bathroom…. What is that?! ugh.

    The rest of it was WAY over the top like you said, but some of the room were beautiful. The theatre really creeped me out though.

    Pass!

    rue

  33. Angela says

    6.29.08 at 9:17 pm

    I’m speechless. That is a lot of stuff going on.

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