Traditional Design Meets Contemporary Flare

What would a builder build for himself? Gino Piccioni chose a fusion of traditional design with contemporary flare to create what he calls a “transitional look” in his one-and-a-half storey French-country-inspired home.

Piccioni is the founder of the multi-award winning Lasalle-based Timberland Homes. His firm, which specializes in custom homes, serves Windsor and the surrounding area.

Piccioni and his wife Danielle have created a sophisticated, yet practical home, built for both comfort and entertaining. Gino says that in building his own home, he used himself as a “sort of guinea pig, to stay on top of today’s trends with cutting-edge technology,” that he can then offer to his customers. He likes to stay a “couple of steps ahead” in terms of design, and to offer his customers something unique.

The couple opted for clean contemporary lines for the interior of the home, warmed by earth tones and dark wood cabinets and trim work (Frank Cremasco Fine Cabinetry).

While they like to incorporate a lot of stone throughout the interior of their home, Danielle and Gino’s overall concept was to create a “modern feel with warm colours.” Plants and various natural arrangements throughout the home offer a calming Asian influence (Vernacular Floral Images).

Gino and Danielle love to entertain. For more formal occasions, they welcome family and friends in their Asian-inspired dining room.

Entering the home through the front foyer, the eye is drawn to the impressive fireplace (Forest Glade Fireplaces) with quartz stone surround (Rose City Tile) that soars to the 18-foot ceiling in the great room. The great room is the focal point of the house. Puzzled by homes that feature a staircase at the entrance, he purposely “tucked away” the stairway to the three bedrooms upstairs. Artwork in the great room and throughout the house was chosen with the help of their interior decorator, Jodi Mason, of Urbanhome.

Above the front door, an expansive decorative plant shelf is crowned with Jeldwen windows (all doors, windows, and trim: Rona Angileri Building Centres). An impressive three-tiered, sheer organza, pyramidal-shaped light floats from the 20-foot-high ceiling (all lighting from Lighting Boutique). Hand scraped five-and-a-quarter-inch maple boards (all floors: Rose City Tile), imitating the rich look of leather, cover the great room floor. The room is furnished with modern cream couches, a leather chair, oversized cut-oak coffee table and matching hutch. (most furnishings: Bertoni Chairs & Things).

One wall is decorated with stained, square maple wood panels – a background for the wall-mounted television. A theatre system (Factory Auto Sound), ensconced in recessed shelving, is connected to a touchscreen panel featuring a menu of music in the couple’s en suite bath. Working independently of each other, rock’ n roll can be enjoyed in the bathroom, while jazz plays in the great room.

The glazed antique finish of the maple cabinets, the granite countertops and the professional stainless steel Viking appliances make the kitchen a cook’s dream.

“Open concept with privacy” is provided by the maplewood and glass cabinets, flanked by quartz pillars (Rose City Tile), which partially separate the great room from the kitchen. Outfitted with stainless steel Viking appliances (Lighting Boutique), it features an eating area overlooking the backyard.

Piccioni specifically designed the house with “back of the home living” in mind, by installing “a huge amount of glass so we can appreciate the yard, pool and bar area.”

The maple kitchen cabinets (Cremasco) are stained with a glazed antique finish. All countertops are quartz (Europa Marble & Granite), providing the “look of limestone with the durable quality of quartz.” The centre island features a Blanco double sink with gooseneck faucet (Brizo line faucets throughout the home are from Windsor Factory Supply). An organza-shaded crystal light illuminates the isle. Both foyer and kitchen floors feature oversized earth tone porcelain tiles.

A clean-lined formal dining room is framed by dark maple trim. Featuring a pillared butler’s pantry, the room’s main wall is clothed in grasscloth wallpaper (Merlo’s Paint & Wallpaper). An innovation Piccioni calls a “nice novelty,” is a built-in wine room with double glass doors nestled near the staircase.

Cutting-edge technology for the bathroom. With a touch of a screen, music plays in the oversized glass and limestone shower.

The home office boasts a limestone-framed fireplace (Forest Glade Fireplaces), surrounded by an impressive dark brown, stained maple shelving unit.

Entrance to the 900 sq. ft. master suite is via a mini circular ‘cul de sac.’ The suite includes a makeup room, master bedroom, dressing room and stunning bathroom. Encased in limestone floors and walls, the room has a therapeutic air-jet bathtub, and extended wooden planter Piccioni says he and Danielle incorporated to bring greenery into the room and “add life to the stone and wood.” The vanity is maple, with raised ceramic vessels and wall-mounted faucets. An oversized limestone and glass shower completes the exotic getaway, replete with music at the touch of a screen.

The dressing room has a walk-in closet with custom laminate shelving (Ron’s Hardware, LaSalle), built-in hamper, shoe closet and decorative track lighting.

An entrancing component in the home is discovered upstairs. A generous catwalk with maple floors and a decorative wrought iron railing overlooks both the great room and foyer. Wide enough for a reading area, it is one of Gino’s favourite spots.

Monochromatic, Asian-inspired accessories, punctuated with occasional splashes of turquoise, give the home office a professional, yet tranquil ambiance.

A mini shag carpeted stairway leads to a vast earth-toned recreation room on the lower level, created “strictly for entertaining.” Big enough so that all their guests can be together in one room, it has a large granite bar with fridge, dishwasher and sink, as well as a pool table, poker table and lots of seating. Off the recreation room is a large exercise room floored in walnut-look laminate. Lower level floors feature radiant heating (Select Mechanical Plumbing & Heating).

The Piccionis’ home is a skilled, eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary design. Combined with all modern technology has to offer, this brick and stone home is indeed unique. It is a true haven for the builder and his wife, co-owner of La Te Da Beauty Bar, to come home to after a long day of work.