The two story Highland’s model blends transitional with Andalusian. There are modern touches such as a fan that looks like a propeller and there are cozy nooks along with spacious places to socialize.

grand | MODEL BEHAVIOR

HOMEAT VILLA D’ESTENew Highlands model is understated

elegance in golfer’s paradise

AT

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2017 | 27

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The open floor plan has the great room separated from the kitchen by the large island. Tiles form the backsplash throughout the kitchen.

• The Highlands is one of 12 planned homes in the gated section of Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. Randall Mitchell Custom Homes is building the villas in the Villa d’ Este neighborhood. • The upstairs master bedroom is as luxurious as the one downstairs. Many people who visit the home prefer the upstairs master.

• The den is more of a cozy nook for socializing and watching television. The interior decorator said today people are not anchored to a desk for work so she

wanted the den to be less of a study and more of another comfortable room.

28 | DECEMBER 2017 | grandeurmagazine.com

STORY BY ANDREA STETSON

PHOTOS BY ANDREW WEST

estled along a lake and the 18th hole

of the Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf

Club golf course is a new enclave of 12

planned homes in a gated section of the

community. Randall Mitchell Custom

Homes is building the villas in the Villa

d’ Este neighborhood, and are all walking

distance to the clubhouse and golf course.

The company has already sold its first

home and is now touting its latest model

called the Highlands.

The two-story model painted in a

Sherwin Williams “Silvermist” looks

like a light modern version of a Medi-

terranean house with a bell tower type

of structure out front and a second-story

balcony hidden behind that tower.

“This really blended the transitional

with Andalusian,” says Mitch Melheim,

president of Randall Mitchell Custom

Homes. “It is Old World European style,

but not heavily Mediterranean. This will

stand out and age well.”

Chrissie Porter Forbes, president of

Accessories Etc. Design Group, says she

had a different philosophy when creat-

ing the interior style. Unlike homes that

focus on entertaining, the Highlands

focuses on the homeowner’s comforts.

“The villas are a little bit more relaxed,”

she explains. “They want to be comfort-

able at home. They will do less enter-

taining at home and spend more time at

the club.”

That’s why she created a wet bar area

and designed the home for someone

who may have friends over for drinks

before heading to the clubhouse for

dinner.

The Highlands boasts four suites,

two of them master suites. The down-

stairs master bedroom features 10-foot-

high sliding glass doors under 12-foot

ceilings that lead out to the lanai. The

room faces west so the homeowner can

watch the sunset over the lake from the

master bed. Remote sensor lights turn

on when someone enters the his-and-her

master closets. The master bathroom is

modernized with a stand-alone tub and

lots of stone and tiles.

“I like the detail of the master bath,”

Chrissie says. “I like the wall with all

the detail with the stone. The shower

is on the left and tub on the right—and

the stone wall connects them all into

one.”

grand | MODEL BEHAVIOR

for Everyone on Your List

UP TO 70% OFF RETAIL PRICES

*Subject to monthly maintenance fee. Terms and Conditions of the Card Agreement are set forth at MiromarOutlets.com.Copyright © 2017, Miromar Development Corporation. Miromar Outlets is a registered service mark of Miromar Development Corporation.

1217-2646

HolidaySavings

Voted the Best Shopping Mall andBest Factory Outlet Mall in Southwest Florida

Visit MiromarOutlets.com for special holiday hours • I-75, Exit 123(239) 948-3766 •

C O M P A N Y S T O R E

GIFT CARDS MAKE THE PERFECT

HolidayGift

OVER TOP DESIGNER AND BRAND NAME OUTLET STORESAND AN ARRAY OF RESTAURANTS

140

MIROMAROUTLETS®

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2017 | 29

The downstairs bedroom and

den—more of a cozy sitting area than a

traditional den—both have sliding glass

doors that lead to a small patio. “We

embraced the fact that we don’t all sit

down at desks,” Chrissie says. “The study

is more of a place to sit down and watch

television. I can see them having games

and books in there, but not anchored to

a desk. You can use your laptop or tablet

anywhere because that is the world we

are living in.”

It’s the upstairs VIP suite that Mitch

loves. During Hurricane Irma, that’s

where he set up an air mattress to keep

safe from the storm. It’s from that room

that he watched the storm blast over the

lake and golf course, while feeling safe

inside the sturdy building.

The VIP suite has sliding glass doors

that lead to a large terrace that overlooks

the lake and golf course. That patio has

a concrete bench running along one side

with pillows. The room’s 10-foot ceilings

slant along the edges, giving the room a

cottage feel.

“What I love about this house is it has

two master bedrooms, so everybody is

comfortable under one roof,” says George

Mato, Miromar’s vice president of sales.

“This is understated luxury elegance.”

Chrissie says many people prefer the

upstairs master suite to the one below.

It is actually the largest bedroom in the

home. The balcony has rails that don’t

block the views. “I wanted to take ad-

vantage of the water view and the golf

course beyond it,” she says.

The other second-story bedroom leads

to a small patio. In between is a wet bar

with refrigerated drawers. The balcony

at the top of stairs leads to a small terrace

behind the bell tower area.

“It is kind of a Juliet balcony,” Chris-

sie says. “If you were upstairs, you

could open up the door and say ‘I’ll be

right down.’ And when the weather is

nice, you can open that door for great

ventilation.”

“You could live up here,” Mitch

added.

You can also live well downstairs.

The open floor plan has the great room

separated from the kitchen by the large

island. A round glass table sits in a nook

off the kitchen, featuring glass doors

on two sides leading to the lanai. The

designer added some fun details to the

home. An eight-blade fan in the great

room looks like an airplane propeller and

the coffered ceiling looks like inlaid rect-

angles. The iron front door is rounded

on top. “I wanted to have clean look, but

also good scale for the space,” Chrissie

explained.

Outside, the lanai features a firepit be-

side the pool with an integrated waterfall

into the pool. There is also an outdoor

kitchen. “We always want to focus on

outdoor living,” Chrissie explains. “You

get a beautiful sunset view. The lake has

lights and fountains. It is like living at a

resort.”

Mitch says there are lots of hidden

extras in the house. The moldings on the

lanai are lifted a bit to hide the drains.

Air-conditioning ducts are hidden in the

home’s ceilings. Insulation spray foam is

used over all parts of the house, includ-

ing the lanai and garage. Concrete block

walls are recessed into the slab to prevent

potential water intrusion from conden-

sation. “There are a lot of little things

in our homes that we like to integrate,”

Mitch says.

The home features oversized base-

boards and custom window sills. The

French oak flooring in the home matches

grand | MODEL BEHAVIOR

30 | DECEMBER 2017 | grandeurmagazine.com

the color of the cypress wood ceiling

on the lanai and covered entry. There

is a dog shower in the laundry room.

The stairs were engineered not to

creak. The Highlands also features an

audio system and programmable light-

ing along with a security system with

internet-accessible camera systems.

There is also a three-car garage plus

extra space for a golf cart. Every home

sold in the Villa d’Este section comes

with a golf cart.

While the Highlands is spacious, it

is not humongous. The air-conditioned

living area spans 3,665 square feet and

the total living space is 5,267 square

feet. “Bigger is not better,” Mitch says.

Villa d’Este will have four basic

plans for the 12 sites, but each has

variations so they won’t be the same.

Both one- and two-story homes will

be available. “Randall Mitchell is not a

tract builder,” Mitch stresses. “We are

a custom builder. This is a stretch for

us. We don’t usually go in and build

models. We have been just a custom

builder.”

Adds Mitch: “It should be a really

intimate enclave. We envision this be-

ing a golfer’s paradise.”

The fully furnished Highlands is

priced at $1.895 million.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Highlands is so close to the golf club that the designer considers the home a place where friends come for a drink before heading out to the club, rather than entertaining with full meals. That’s why she created a luxury wet bar area. • The lanai with its pool, outdoor kitchen and multiple sitting areas is adjacent to the lake and golf course. • The Highlands has four suites, two upstairs and two more downstairs. This bedroom leads to a small patio.

FloridaSkinCenter.com 239.454.4738

OFFICES: FORT MYERS | CAPE CORAL | LEHIGH ACRESCOMING IN 2018 TO PUNTA GORDA

Pediatric Dermatology | Teen Skin Facial Rejuvenation Skin Cancer Screening & Treatment | Anti-Aging | Ethnic Skin

Men’s Therapies | Skin Care Products

The gift we hope you give yourself is a skin care regimen

that’s preventive, protective and corrective. At Florida

Skin Center, we focus on prevention. That’s why we

encourage annual skin exams by a board-certified

Dermatology Center. Protect yourself by minimizing sun

exposure and applying broad-spectrum SPF daily. And

see us for corrective therapies the minute you notice even

a minor symptom or change in your skin.

BE FLORIDA SKINSATIONAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS!CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE TODAY.

Hablamos ESPAÑOL1

H E R E ’ S W I S H I N G Y O U AH E R E ’ S W I S H I N G Y O U A

H O L I D A Y S E A S O NH O L I D A Y S E A S O N

GRANDEUR | DECEMBER 2017 | 31