PHIL KEAN UNBOUND
WITH THE 2017 NEW AMERICAN HOME, THE AWARD-WINNING BUILDER WAS ABLE TO REALLY INDULGE HIMSELF — WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS.
If you've seen Phil Kean's sleek, contemporary homes — and most Central Floridians have, since they?re invariably award-winners that garner heavy media coverage — then you probably could have guessed who designed the 2017 New American Home.
The project, located in the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, allowed the Winter Park-based architect and builder to really indulge himself.
"Yep, that's a Phil Kean home," you may have thought while marveling at this 8,200-square-foot modernist masterpiece with the clean lines, open spaces and retro mid-century ambience.
It's a home that Frank, Dean, Sammy and their hard-partying Rat Pack buddies would have appreciated. But the technology contained within couldn't have been imagined in the 1950s or 1960s. Most of it is hard to imagine today, until you see it.
For example, there are retractable glass walls — which instantly transform some rooms from indoor to outdoor space. There are also several bars, a swimming pool with a swim-up hot tub, and flickering glass-enclosed gas fireplaces with programmable lights.
Sure, it's a great place for a Vegas-style blowout worthy of Sinatra after a show at the Sands. But it?s also a great home for an active family or for older empty nesters to age in place.
"I was inspired by the ranch-style houses I saw in Palm Springs, and liked the idea of designing a contemporary-style take on those homes," Kean, principal of the Phil Kean Design Group, told the Washington Post. "The one-level house makes it easier to age in place, while at the same time this is a very cool house that's great for parties."
That psychic connection with the Palm Springs ethos is why the home was named Palm Court, Kean added.
The New American Home, constructed in conjunction with the annual International Builders' Show, showcases state-of-the-art new home technology, materials and design trends.
Partners in the 2017 project included landscape architects Mills Design Group of Oviedo; green building consultants Two Trails of Sarasota; healthy home environment consultants Wellness Within Your Walls of Atlanta and technology consultants Habitech Systems of Ormond Beach.
The Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, located in southeast Orlando, is one of the state's premier luxury addresses. It has particular appeal for professional athletes, more specificially golfers such as Annika Sîrenstam, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.
Perhaps that's why Kean turned what started out as a home theater into a bar with a golf simulator and installed a putting green in the central courtyard.
The wing at the front of the house has a living area, a kitchenette, a full bathroom, a laundry room and a private outdoor patio. There's a separate wing ideal for a live-in nanny, an adult child who lives at home, or guests who have dropped in for a month or two.
Palm Court has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a four-car garage with a dog-washing station.
Every space in the home features glass pocket doors, blurring the distinction between indoor and outdoor rooms. With a push of a button, the glass walls open and screens slide into place. The walls can also be adjusted to accommodate large groups and more intimate gatherings.
Adjacent to the putting green are three bedrooms with glass walls that face the green and offer views across the swimming pool to the lake and golf course beyond.
At the center of Palm Court is a glass-enclosed great room with a covered lanai on either side. At one end of the great room are a bar and a glass-enclosed, temperature-controlled wine room. A doorway near the bar leads to the kitchen and family room.
The contemporary kitchen boasts glass and glossy white cabinets, a hidden door that leads to a pantry, and state-of-the-art appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero. There's also a built-in coffee maker, a hidden refrigerator and freezer, dishwasher drawers and an induction cooktop on the center island.
The kitchen opens onto the family room, in which a glass wall faces the pool. Just beyond the family room is an outdoor kitchen and bar with areas for dining and lounging. A game room is on the other side of the outdoor kitchen. On the opposite side of the great room is a four-sided, glass-enclosed gas fireplace.
The master bedroom, which (of course) has two glass walls, is connected to an outdoor sitting room with a fireplace. The bedroom has a corner fireplace, two walk-in closets, a private laundry room and a morning bar. The master bathroom has a free-standing soaking tub set in front of a glass wall, and an open shower with multiple, programmable shower heads.
Beyond the outdoor sitting room is the spa, which features a glass-enclosed exercise room facing the swimming pool, a steam room and a bathroom. The beach-entry pool and hot tub boast programmable colored lights. Just past the master bedroom is the golf simulator room, which has a built-in bar and seating.
Although Palm Court is a one-story home, a set of stairs and an elevator lead to an open roof with an outdoor kitchen and bar flanked by two terraces, each with its own fire pit.
Palm Court was built to achieve Emerald status, the highest possible designation by the National Green Building Standard. It's also certified by Energy Star, EPA Indoor airPlus, the Building America Program and Wellness Within Your Walls. There are solar panels, and all the lighting is LED for added efficiency.
Kean is one of just two builders who've been selected to spearhead the New American Home twice. The first time was in 2012. And his company is one of just a handful in the program's 34-year history that has been both the architect and the builder.
Palm Court won the Grand Award for Best Custom Home during the annual Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Greater Orlando Builders Association. It would be almost impossible to count the number of awards Kean's homes have won over the years, but this one is among the most prestigious locally since the category is highly competitive.