To the left of the large pool is a cozy and functional outdoor kitchen, complete with a grill, a long bar top, a sink and a full dining table that seats eight. Best of all, this pavilion space is completely roofed by an upper-level deck off the primary suite, meaning the homeowners and their guests can gather outdoors even during summer rainstorms. “They can enjoy the whole backyard experience,” John Klimmek says. “They wanted to take in nature and enjoy the backdrop.” On the adjacent side of the pool, a fire table made of dark porcelain is a perfect place to toast marshmallows. Photos: Spacecrafting
One serene Orono property brings home the amenities of a spa resort.
It’s something most of us have wished for: to bottle the essence of a luxury travel experience and bring it home. One Orono family brought this dream to life in their 6,540-square-foot house, which backs up to the Luce Line State Trail and a wetland preserve. John Klimmek is a project manager at Gordon James, the home’s builder. “The homeowners fell in love with the lot and wanted to design the house around the setting,” Klimmek says. “They travel a lot, and they wanted their own Four Seasons spa-resort feel.”
The homeowners worked with Gordon James and Everson Architect to design a home that would function for their active young family of five and as a place to entertain friends and family. “The main floor is the living area with a secluded primary suite on one side and the kids’ rooms on the other side,” Klimmek says. Visitors enter through a walnut timber door to the main level, a serene space with clean, straight lines and a neutral color palette of black, dark gray, dark walnut and light, creamy wood tones. The open-concept kitchen and living room are airy with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of the pool and the surrounding wetland preserve; the home itself sits on more than 8 acres.
But it’s the lower level, built into the hillside, where the home really packs a punch. Inspired by the owners’ love of luxury travel, including health clubs, the lower floor feels like a resort with a bar, an indoor gym for kids’ basketball practice and dance parties, a sauna and a yoga room. Sliding glass doors separate a grand outdoor patio and pool from the indoor spaces and let the views take center stage.
The heart of the home is the “floating” central staircase, which features white oak timber treads suspended on a steel stringer. “We made it so there are no connections to the outside wall,” John Klimmek says. The bottom well of the staircase features an indoor pebble garden with plants, adding an understated, organic touch. “It’s your little zen moment,” he says. The dark pebbles are the same stone that fills the home’s electric sauna heater, one of many details that give the house its luxury-resort-esque cohesion.
Whether working through a solo yoga flow or hosting guests for a mini retreat, the homeowners make use of their lower-level yoga room, which offers plenty of space for mats and a great view of the serene pool area. A walnut slat wall separates the studio from a lounge space, which is outfitted with three comfortable chaises. “This really became a great relaxation space,” John Klimmek says. Bamboo half-globe light fixtures echo the organic colors of the wetland preserve beyond the yard.
On the lower level, a full bar for cocktails (or post-yoga juice) backs up to the scene-stealing staircase. The dark porcelain slabs that form the vertical backdrop of the bar are made by Porcelanosa, a traditional Spanish tilemaker, and are carried all the way upstairs, where they form the back side of the main-level fireplace. “There are 27 slabs of porcelain in that wall,” John Klimmek says. “It took one stone mason six weeks to install it, and it’s just beautiful.” The bar stools are upholstered in creamy fabric, contrasting with the dark porcelain.
The cherry on top of this home’s spa-resort vibe is the luxe sauna, situated on the lower level off the yoga lounge. Rather than traditional cedar, which can have an orange tone, this sauna was built from teak, stained with a special wax treatment to match the darker wood in the rest of the home. The bench features soft lighting underneath, and the space is outfitted with a Swiss-made Huum heater. A shower room next door lets sauna-goers cool off after a steamy sesh, and they can grab towels and water from the sink area right outside the sauna door.
Gordon James
5159 Main St. E., Maple Plain; 763.479.3117
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