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Tuscany’s warmth and relaxing charm translates into a sanctuary of an original home.
Kim Benson
Gavin Peters
It’s a home quite unlike any other. The story of this custom Ritchie-built residence begins with a well-traveled Wichita couple that regularly spends time in the Napa Valley, adores retreating to Portofino, Italy, and possesses a maturing, well-developed palate for wine. Add an affinity for a certain neighborhood in Wilson Estates, the appeal by the home builders to would-be neighbors to sell an empty lot next door (which, time would tell, had just enough room to set their dream home on), and you’ve got the makings of a year-long saga of how a one-of-a-kind home went up, stone by stone.
The term curbside presence hardly does justice in relating the visual impression of this five-bedroom, six-bath Spangenberg Phillips-designed house. After all, this is not your typical traditional cookie-cutter upscale home with three garages facing the street and a view-out basement in back. Five garages—two on one side, three on another—form a motor court out front, a European touch more commonly found in Southern California. In fact, so much does the house stand out from those around it that a sign reading “Private Residence” is posted at the curbside to ward off curious onlookers.
The house was built using rough-cut Arkansas stone. The entryway door is typically Tuscan: oversized, with a rounded arch and two smaller “peek-through” windows. (It makes good on the promise that something intriguing lies just inside.) Above the entryway, an angel overlooks all who enter; a clock on a pedestal draws immediate fascination. To the left is a formal dining room with a glass chandelier reminiscent of one of the homeowner’s favorite artists, Dale Chihuly. (A small portion of her glass collection has made the trip from their former home and adds a colorful splash above the kitchen cupboards.)
In the great room over the fireplace, a Guadalajaran import that made the voyage to Kansas in sixteen separate pieces, a massive mirror climbs the cathedral-high wall. An antique reproduction, its sister pieces have found their way into a Garth Brooks home. Overhead are massive cedar timbers. Hand-hewn and stained dark brown, the ten-by-twelve-inch beams are repeated in different rooms on the main level.
“The fireplace is the biggest we’ve ever done,” says Kevin Mullen, president of Ritchie Development. Capable of burning four-foot logs, the fireplace is immense. Its opening alone is eight by seven feet. The large size works because the room it’s placed in is, as well. “Everything just really fits,” Mullen says. “The style of the house and its massiveness, the wide-plank wood floors throughout—they all work well together and fit with the scale.”
In fact, Mullen says, what made this home unusual from the outset was that Ritchie suggested an architect, then both sat down with the homeowners and decorator. “Usually we start with a set of blueprints that have already been laid out,” Mullen says. “These homeowners were two of the most organized people I’ve ever dealt with, and also the most decisive.”
Two late-17th century king and queen chairs face the hearth, which is appropriately flanked by 17th century andirons. Antique rugs in this room, and others, add appropriate warmth and color. Much of the furnishings were gathered from an antique design district in Dallas by the homeowner and interior decorator Kim Dwerlkotte. What isn’t antique in the home, Dwerlkotte says, was custom-made, stained or designed.
At the back of the living room, two massive, dark wooden doors reveal a cozy wine nook. Underneath the cushions are rows of drawers and a small step up. A ledge mounted in between is the perfect place to rest a glass of wine in between sips. The built-in living room alcove was crafted in Dallas; another version downstairs with lighter wood tones and several bookshelves came from Brazil.
In keeping with the Tuscan tradition, two separate archways open up to a large, open area—a more comfortable hearth room, dining space with a long, family-style wooden table, and a kitchen area that comes complete with a brick pizza oven. (The latter is a first installation for Ritchie.) Over the range is a 17th century fireplace insert and copper hood. This great open area reminds one of Italian restaurants where customers can watch display cooking while they eat.
The walls of the great room are constructed like the rest in the house: stuccoed for texture and anywhere from eight inches to a foot thick, giving them a perceivable Old-World feel. The walls also allow for deep-set windows, which are covered by wooden shutters. Yet another California touch in the hearth room and kitchen area is the rough stone inlaid above the drywall that reaches the ceiling.
Overhead is another cathedralesque ceiling. Interspersed between more wood timbers are long, cylindrical lamps that add to an open, airy feeling and give this area a church-like effect. In this room and others throughout the house are crosses of different forms, including wall sconces. Not only does this give the home a sanctuary feel, it also echoes the strong spirituality that Italy is known for.
Perhaps the most relaxing corner of the house is the master bedroom and bath. Complete with fireplace, dry sauna and masseuse table, the homeowners’ sleeping quarters seem more like a spa vacation destination than a private residence. Another amenity: a walk-in double shower, lined with small tiles from floor to ceiling, resonating the larger stonework found throughout the rest of the house.
There are two staircases in the home. Railing made of intricate dark wrought iron leads the way up to the homeowner’s art studio and a teenager’s room, filled with guitars and a keyboard. (An ebony grand piano downstairs at one corner of the formal living room reportedly receives a regular workout.) This room leads out to a balcony and loft that overlooks the front of the house.
The home’s ceiling light fixtures, each on the grand scale of chandeliers, were purchased at a Dallas lighting show. “The homeowners knew what they wanted to achieve,” Dwerlkotte says. “I just helped them find the pieces to make it complete.” Dwerlkotte, who lived in Italy awhile, says she was excited to be a part of decorating an Old-World home.
Downstairs is a place to relax and play. To the right is a shuffleboard table, as professional as any found in an upscale pub; two stone columns are wrapped in wood, handy places to set a beverage on during play. To the left is the second wine nook and an ornately carved pool table. The wraparound bar bids the invitation for large parties, as does a family room complete with pinball machine, theater projection-screen TV, an interesting, oversized leather ottoman and yet another fireplace.
The basement’s crowning glory is the wine room. Sturdy wrought iron doors reveal warm light inside, as well as many built-ins for wine bottles. At the center is a large round table that, when not used for wine tasting, flips over to facilitate a poker game. This was yet another first for Ritchie, who worked with Randy Phillips of Spangenberg Phillips Architect to come up with the plan, and the company’s resident carpenter to build it.
The homeowners’ love for wine came later in life. A photo they took while in Portofino graces one wall. Nods in the decor are given to their current favorites, Cabernet and Pinot Grigio.
Once spring arrives, the patio just off of the formal living room will be completed with a hot tub set flush with the concrete, an outdoor dining area and a sitting area. Here, guests will be able to gather around dual fireplaces facing each other or watch a plasma TV specifically made for their outdoor viewing pleasure.
