For starters, let me back up a bit. I set out early on a tuesday morning at 4 AM to try and arrive at this home by 9 AM. I arrived at 8:30 and was extremely tired. However, even a Red Bull wouldn't have even excited me or awoken me as much as the excitement of seeing this palace in person. Upon entering St. George, you see southward in front of you and to the right an enormous castle. Upon closer inspection your eyes depict that there are in fact two separate homes, but wait... I am headed towards the massive one on top.
So as I arrive at this monumental home, I notice several features that you don't find as often in Utah. Firstly, the exterior design of the home reminds me of a custom european home (as we call it in the US) that has been met by the elegance of roman architecture. There are pillars and water features around the front and steps that lead up to grandeur.
Next, once we are inside the home, you are wowed by this entrance. The entrance of the home would work for luxury hotel let alone a large family. The first thing that came to my mind was Clarke Gable walking up the stairs at Tara in "Gone With The Wind". Talk about wow factor! From every angle on this wing of the home you see this amazing staircase flanked by rooms that seem very appropriate for the style and design of the home. Around the staircase are two, three-story water features that cascade from the roof to the basement. Past the water features is a beautiful two-story family room that has gorgeous views and stages the homes position perfectly.
While I was walking around the home with the builder I had a hard time concentrating on what we were talking about. How could I focus? At every turn, the home demands your fullest attention. As I walked around the next corner here was a kitchen that was unlike any I have ever seen before. There was a picturesque view through to the entrance and the family room from the dining nook and kitchen. Not to mention custom... everything, surrounding it. I love this kitchen!
Of course there was an amazing Master Bedroom, did you really have to ask? I personally loved the furniture arrangements of the master and the design flow. What I loved best about the master was the seamless glass bay window that over looks the pool and views of St. George. But this wasn't my favorite part. No, the master was amazing but it wasn't the feature that stopped me dead in my tracks. Nor was the first movie theater I saw, designed specifically for the kids. Nope not even the second movie theater, designed for the adults. It was the sheer fact that an entire wing of the home is dedicated to family entertainment.
So first on the list of entertaining features was a bowling alley. Thats right a bowling alley. Oh and this wasn't just a bowling alley, it was an arcade, dance hall, fun zone. This area was complete with a DJ studio and lights that were automated to the beat. I didn't count but my guess was around 25 arcade machines. In the center of it all was two bowling lanes. If you can pry yourself out of the fun zone and walk down the hall you will enter the kids movie theater. In my opinion, this was a genius move. Making a movie theater for the kids ensures that only kid friendly movies will play, the kids wont ruin your really nice theater and they can use it freely without interrupting your movie.
Further down the hall is what many a men got trapped in during the parade of homes... "The Sports Bar!" I walked in and was obviously in heaven. What made the experience even better was when the builder revealed to me that he was a San Diego Charger fan (I am a huge Charger fan). On every side of the pool table was a flat panel TV for watching the game. The walls in this bar were wrapped in brick and was even lit to feel like a sports bar. Right next to the sports bar was the adults movie theater. Obviously this room gets my attention as I love seeing the way homeowners put their touch on movie theaters. But how could anything have been more exciting than knowing that the entire area of this home was dedicated to entertaining family and friends.
The home had many more wonderful features like a swimming pool, an outdoor dining and entertaining area, a massage and spa room, amazing bedrooms and more. In order to fully understand and know this home, one only needs to call the people that know it best... Rick and Riley Richardson.
