July 7, 2012 (Naples FL) When you start touring model homes, many of them start to look alike. There’s the entry into family room that leads to a lanai and pool area with bedrooms on the sides. With the new Cianti III it is a totally different look. This model home is built around an interior courtyard that features a pool and gardens in a very private setting. When the sliding glass doors on all sides of the courtyard are open it’s like a giant indoor/outdoor living space. The design is so new that right now there is only a model and one home currently under construction, but London Bay Homes hopes the concept will take off and soon they will be building more of this unique design.
“We wanted to bring something different to the marketplace,” said Dan DiComo, head architect for London Bay Homes.
London Bay worked with Scheurer Architects of California to create the new design.
“Even though we have our own architects, we look for others to bring new styles,” DiComo said.
The new style includes a family room that not only opens onto the courtyard, but the backyard, giving it views and open living space in two directions.
“From the moment you walk inside the house it’s like being outside,” DiComo said. “It’s a very livable house.”
DiComo said the spread of indoor/outdoor space makes it great for entertaining.
“You can have 100 people in here and it’s not crowded,” he explained. “It makes the house three times larger just opening up all the doors.”
The upstairs is just as unique as the lower level. Instead of one big second level area, the house is divided into little upstairs nooks. For example, one staircase leads to a big recreation room and balcony. Another staircase leads to a bedroom.
The $4.2 million, 6,000-square-foot home is DiComo’s favorite design. It features three or four bedrooms, an office, game room and 4½ baths.
“The plan inside to outside is the best we have,” he said.
The house can be customized for buyers. The Cianti III now under construction off Gordon Drive is 8,500 square feet and features two guest rooms in a casita and a media room.
Nikki Weston, marketing manager for London Bay homes, says the Cianti III is also one of her favorites. She likes the privacy of the upstairs rooms and the uniqueness of the floor plan.
“I love the third story overlook,” she added. “It’s definitely not your typical floor plan.”
