The Tuscan Village on Juniper Hill. A 15,000 SF Italianate Villa complex located in Reno, Nevada.

My client had just come back from visiting the Tuscany region of Italy. So when I asked him what he wanted his house to look like, I expected the usual flurry of nondescript pictures.

But he had only one picture in his pocket. He brought it out and set it on the table. It looked like one of those beautiful pictures of a Tuscan village made for a tourist postcard. But he had taken this picture himself! And he was proud of it. He asked for his house to 'look like that'. I asked him which house he was referring to, and he said, 'the whole village!'. And I also want a bell tower like you would see in a Tuscan village, at the entry of the house,...I want the entry to really make a statement!

Yes, he wanted his house to look like an entire Tuscan village, complete with a bell tower and town square, but with a more formal Italianate slant. This was definitely a new request for me,...and one house, or village, or rather a house that looks like a village that we thoroughly enjoyed working on together.

The project cost had no limit, sort of,...and the residence size had no limit,...sort of. Where do you stop, cost-wise and size-wise when it comes to designing a home that looks like a village? Well, the site itself would need to lend a hand in that decision and it did. So when it was all said and done, the 15,349 SF of living area across three 2-story buildings and a two-story sunroom loggia fit nicely onto this fairly narrow 2.2-acre lot.

With five children needing their own en-suites, this plan starts big and ends big. And yet when it was all said and done, he realized that there were more things that he wanted in his 'village', and yet he was all too aware that we had to stop adding to the 'village'. One of his final comments on the design was to say, 'you would think that you could get everything you would want in 15,000 SF, but I guess that you can't'.

Next on the list was entertainment. But not just any entertainment. This village needed entertainment for adults and children, for family and friends, for inside and outside, for daytime and night-time. To that end, a swimming pool, poolside bar, poolside courtyard loggia, and outdoor bandstand or theater stage inside a protected enclosure was an obvious starting point. A custom-designed Hollywood-style lifeguard station and first aid unit would be one of the pool's focal points.

Another interior courtyard flanked on three sides by courtyard loggias welcomes guests and functions as a more intimate outdoor space for more reclusive times. This was the town square, complete with a wishing-well fountain with sculpture, outdoor fireplace, entertainment center, and BBQ. Interior gallerias open up to the three sides of this courtyard to allow summer breezes to help cool the home. A two-story music room, and craft room lend other activities for both young and old. And of course, a double-sized laundry room with double washers and dryers are a minimum for a family of this size.

A luxurious master bedroom suite comes complete with its own upstairs master retreat, library, office, and additional full bath, all looking down upon the two-story master bedroom fireplace. This retreat is connected to a sunroom loggia for quick night-time jaunts to the moon-lit swimming pool.

With a separate living room and family room arrangement, large family gatherings are easy to hold. A three-island kitchen helps keep both family cooks satisfied, while the large scullery keeps pantry items and kitchen accessories nearby. The morning room is the perfect spot to start or end a busy day.

A Casita and retreat function as bedrooms for the older children yet will be repurposed as guest areas when the children start their own families.

Lastly, the main residence sports a wine tower stair, with pockets along the exterior wall for vintage wine storage, that accesses a wine tasting loft fitted with a pool table overlooking the family room and fireplace. This space is finished with an upstairs galleria that overlooks the living room, music room, and dining room areas while connecting to the upstairs master bedroom retreat. A secret room or panic room complements the owner's need for the long-term security of his family, perfectly nestled along the bedroom wing of the home.

An attached four-car garage with multi-floor options functions as a gymnasium for the children's sporting events and for indoor winter activities.

A two-story pool building now comes into view on the opposite side of the swimming pool area connected to the main residence by the previously mentioned two-story sunroom loggia. Flanked on one side by the large swimming pool area, and another private courtyard with its own outdoor fireplace and entertainment area, and on the other side by the owner's desire for her own secret garden, this building is full of amenities.

A full-size media room with seating for 12-16 people welcomes family and friends with an old-time poster-filled popcorn lobby. A game room with pool table or ping pong table fills the bill for casual activities by the swimming pool. A pool equipment and storage room adjacent to a garden shed room round out the main level. The upstairs adds yet another guest suite to the complex for business associates while a formal aroma-filled cigar room gives business associates and friends alike a place to practice their trade around a grand yet inviting fireplace.

At the property's entrance, an elegant Carriage house welcomes visitors just past the tall entry wall and gates, complete with inviting entry ponds and a stone bridge. Housing four additional cars and an upstairs living unit for the property's caretaker, this structure sets the tone for what lies beyond.

Someone was once quoted as saying, 'be careful what you ask for, you may just get it'. He must have lived in the Tuscany region of Italy. He must have been a member of the royal Medici family. Or,...he could just be the person building this one-of-a-kind 'Tuscan village', for himself, his family, and friends.