Las Vegas luxury realtor puts Canyon Gate dream home on the market — PHOTOS
Standing beneath an ornate chandelier in the circular, stone-walled foyer of his Canyon Gate dream home, broker Ken Lowman uses a description not common in the Las Vegas real estate scene. In a town filled with Tuscan and French-country references, he mentions a different region of the Old World.
“It’s Andalusian,” Lowman said, referencing the dramatic architecture of southern Spain’s Andalusia, a region which has been shaped by successive Roman, Visigothic, Moorish and Castillian cultures. It’s an Iberian blend that entrancingly mixes European and North African influences.
Lowman, who owns Luxury Homes of Las Vegas, built the residence for himself nearly a decade ago after significant success in the local market.
Walking into the great room, with its dark-toned, wooden beams accenting a sunny, half-cathedral-vaulted ceiling, a Spanish vibe is definitely alive in the home. However, this is not the ’hacienda’ look so popular once in the Southwest. It’s not low, white-stuccoed arches, bright-orange terracotta roofing and black, wrought-iron railings lifted from 18th century Old Mexico.
Rather, this home has been planned by Lowman to look like it could have been built a millennium ago in Europe itself.
This aesthetic is accomplished frequently by hand-painted tiles that Lowman imported from Italy. They are especially notable in the curving, central staircase that ascends to the second floor. Placed with their own motifs randomly on the riser of each step, they give the appearance of being mortared-in separately over a period of decades — an instant patina, as it were.
The main flooring is composed of sturdy hickory parquet, which lends a castle-like appearance. Another aspect that lends a handsome aura of age to the home is its very vintage interior doors.
“This is an exciting feature,” Lowman said. “These are 700- to- 900-year-old doors imported from Egypt. There are seven sets in the house.”
They are unlike average American portals, even in upscale homes. They are tall, narrow and decorated with carved motifs and curved metal filigrees. Their window pane openings have been filled with mirrors for privacy.
Lowman’s architect had to scale the house’s door jambs to match their proportions. They are a bit of an old Saharan souk detail in the modern Mojave.
The great room is a welcoming gathering place. It currently is set up as a media center. A double-facing couch ensemble looks both to a fireplace and HDTV screen, and also to the wide kitchen, which is adjacent without interrupting walls. Besides the copious windows that look onto the back patio, the space is lit by hanging cylinders of glass sketched out by Lowman.
“I couldn’t find the exact light I wanted, so I custom designed one,” he said.
There is a compact bar alcove that faces into a corner of the great room. It has a pair of gorgeous upright chairs padded with patterned, sturdy Brazilian leather. They, like most furnishings in the home, are included in the sale.
The kitchen is replete with high-end appliances, including four Wolf ovens. It has a large marble-topped island for seating and conversing with a home cook. In addition, the kitchen area comes with a great deal of cabinet space.
There is also a large informal dining area with an integral, high-backed and cushioned bench.
“I had a Spanish craftsman build in the banquette seating,” said Lowman.
For less-spontaneous entertaining areas, the home has a formal dining room just off the entrance foyer.
Lowman currently has it filled with a baby grand piano. Just to the side, the formal living room has windows onto the front yard plus an elegantly carved stone fireplace.
The master bedroom is substantial but not overpoweringly large. It is comfortable. Its attendant master bath has a large central bathtub and stand-up shower plus upscale touches like a bidet. It has a cavernous walk-in closet, too.
The junior bedrooms are all en-suite and sized well for guests or children.
One of the most unique accouterments in the home is found in the main floor hallway bathroom. Its sink is actually an authentic marble baptismal font imported from Italy. It has far more capacity than the average wash basin, and history to boot.
Close by is a home office, which Lowman uses for his real estate business. It has a separate front door so visiting clients do not have to pass through the foyer. A front-facing guestroom also has its own outside door, so overnighters can come and go quietly and easily at their own schedules.
Upstairs holds a large gym room overlooking the 16th hole of Canyon Gate Golf Club. It is filled with workout equipment including a Pilates reformer. This substantial gear comes with the home, jut like its hand-picked furniture.
In a rarity for Las Vegas, there is a basement hollowed out of the valley’s stony, caliche-fused ground. It has a surprisingly lofty 10-foot-high ceiling.
“You don’t feel like you’re in the basement,” Lowman said. Wide and deep window wells allow daylight to angle into the room, as well.
It’s definitely a room dedicated to entertaining. It has a large projection screen, a marble-topped bar, tables for dining or games and a large central couch. Plus, there’s another touch: an atmosphere-controlled wine cellar. It’s front-faced with a glass wall so bottle collections can be visually admired before vintages are uncorked.
“The wine cellar holds 1,700 bottles,” he said, adding that its floor is constructed with reclaimed oak from French barrels.
The backyard is exceptional on its own. While there is no swimming pool, a raised whirlpool spa takes up the center of the patio. It can hold at least eight adult-sized soakers. Adjacent, there is a sitting area with a fire pit for socializing in flickering nocturnal light.
Most interesting is the trellis-shaded, built-in barbecue area. It is sunken beneath the patio level to improve the moving-about flow of partiers and grill masters alike.
“It’s a great place to sit outside and drink some wine,” said Lowman of the backyard as a whole.
As something of an intangible’ benefit, the patio looks out onto the golf course’s mature trees and wide acres of water-laced landscape. It’s an impeccable sight.
The home is situated in a cul-de-sac, so it has ample street parking for friends’ automobiles during get-togethers. For residents, it has a three-and-a-half car garage.
So, why has Lowman put such a personally inscribed statement on the public real estate market? Even a workroom next to the kitchen has a trim of Italian tiles, just like the central staircase.
“I’m going to build another house in Vegas,” Lowman said. “I’ve got the itch to build again”
ABOUT THE ESTATE• LOCATION: The tree- and grass-filled Canyon Gate Country Club.
• PRICE: $2.75 million
• SIZE: 6,300 square feet, four bedrooms and six bathrooms
• FEATURES: Andalusian décor; vintage doors imported from Egypt; a gourmet kitchen with Wolf appliances including four ovens, basement theater room, bar and 1,700-bottle wine cellar. Home office with a separate exit. Gym room, outdoor whirlpool spa, patio fire pit and sunken grill area. The one-third-acre lot is next to the 16th hole.
• OWNER: Ken Lowman
• LISTING: Luxury Homes of Las Vegas
