Read article : Award-winning PGI Homes' Casa de Antigua boasts 'wow' factors
The chandelier in the great room is one of the wow factors at Casa de Antigua.(Photo: Blaine Johnathan Photography, Blaine Johnathan Photography)
It took 34 hours for gloved workers to string the 2,000 crystals on 790 strands to create the chandelier that hangs as a focal point in the family room. Yet that is not the only "wow" factor. There’s a secret room, an elevator that is similar to a bank chute, and a floating wine display.
These "wow" factors were some of the reasons that PGI Homes’ Casa de Antigua in Cape Coral recently won two Aurora Awards. The home won for Best Single Family Detached Home in the 4,000 to 5,000 square foot category, and for Best Master Bathroom in a home priced between $1 million and $2 million.
"It was like putting together a puzzle," said Anthony Farhat, president of PGI Homes as he spoke of the intricate chandelier.
The chandelier has more than 2,000 prisms. (Photo: Andrea Stetson/Special to The News-Press)
His wife,Tia Farhat, designer director of PGI Homes, said that chandelier is definitely one of the biggest wow factors in Case de Antigua. There is also a smaller crystal chandelier in the kitchen.
"That is my thing," she said. “I think the chandeliers are the jewelry of the house and I love bling and I blinged it out on that one."
Another focal point in the great room is the wine room that has glass walls and wine bottles that are filled with crystals, suspended in layers and look like they are floating.
"We took that inspiration of the bling again," Tia Farhat explained. "We custom made the wine rings. I know whoever purchases the house will fill it with real bottles. Those bottles have crystals."
Around the corner is a very unusual elevator.
100 percent vacuum operated like the" width="180" height="240" />The elevator is 100 percent vacuum operated like the ones in a bank drive-thru. (Photo: Andrea Stetson/Special to The News-Press)
"The elevator is 100 percent vacuum operated," Anthony Farhat described. "It is a pneumatic tube like the one that's used in a bank drive-thru. It is 37 inches and 360 degrees of glass."
The tube takes up much less room than a standard elevator and is also a unique visual feature.
"The pneumatic tube, that is super cool," Tia Farhat added. "It is like when you are at a bank teller and it just sucks it up like air pressure. It is also cool that it is open with all the glass. You still have that open feeling. I love it. It is a good use of space."
Farhat believes one of the reasons the home won for best master bathroom is the secret room. Behind a set of high double doors is a hidden room with a washer and dryer and a small sitting space. Farhat said a safe can be installed there or it can just be used as a small private room.
"We are starting to do more secret rooms in homes now," Anthony Farhat said. "We are seeing more people liking it."
The other advantage is this small laundry room is right in the master bathroom. While there is another larger laundry room at the other side of the house, Farhat said having one in the master suite is very convenient for the homeowners.
Another convenience is the European-style kitchen cabinets that open up instead of to the side. Farhat said that makes it easy to leave all the cabinets open while cooking and no one will hit their head on a door.
Farhat added another little touch when he created a pool caddy just inside the door leading to the pool bathroom. This area has cabinets for towels and other pool supplies.
There are other features that led to the design award in Casa de Antigua. The home has two, two-car garages for a total of four garages. A dual fireplace has two sides that can be seen in both the great room and the den. It burns ethanol which is scent-free.
Huge 24-by-24 inch shiny white porcelain tile makes the floor look almost like an ice skating rink. White quartz by the fireplace and a flat-screen television add to that modern white look.
Casa de Antigua in Cape Coral won two Aurora Awards" width="540" height="405" />Casa de Antigua in Cape Coral won two Aurora Awards this year. (Photo: Blaine Johnathan Photography, Blaine Johnathan Photography)
The four-bedroom, five-bathroom home features two bedrooms downstairs and two more upstairs. All the bedrooms are en suites. Farhat describes the home as having one master bedroom and three mini-masters.
An upstairs living room and one of the upstairs bedrooms leads to a large covered terrace that overlooks the pool and canal. The pool area includes an infinity-edge pool and spa, a summer kitchen, and a terraced area leading to the water. There is also a boat dock and a little sitting area near the water.
The upstairs terrace has a view of the pool and canal. (Photo: Andrea Stetson/Special to The News-Press)
Farhat said there is no other home like Casa de Antigua.
"We never build the same house twice," he said.
Casa de Antigua spans 4,036 square feet under air and a total of 6,001 square feet of living space. It is priced at $2.39 million, fully furnished.
Farhat said he was honored to receive the Aurora award for Casa de Antigua. He also won Auroras for another Cape Coral house, Casa de Nautica, that is already sold.
The 36th annual Aurora awards cover homes in the Southeastern United States, offering awards in 55 categories. More than 400 entries were received this year. Judges are from the homebuilding industry, and represent the many areas of building and design, as well as geographic diversity.
Double doors in the master bathroom lead to a secret room. (Photo: Blaine Johnathan Photography, Blaine Johnathan Photography)
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