ARMONIOSA: A “WOW!” MINIMALIST HOME & SHOWHOUSE MASTERPIECE

Home of Glass Walls, Innovation, Passive Home Building Concepts,

Energy Efficiency & Luxurious Interior Design

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: After a supremely successful “unveiling” during the recent 2020 International Builders ’Show (IBS), the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), and the Winter Las Vegas Market (LVMKT), the magnificent Armoniosa estate received rave and resounding reviews from the more than 650 industry-only professionals who came to view its modern residence grounds. Attendees loved the serene architectural and the interior design. For four days, the 2020 Las Vegas Armoniosa Showhouse was available only to professionals attending these trade shows. Located in the Las Vegas Historic District, Armoniosa sits majestically as a 10,000 square ft modern, minimalist estate of largely glass walls, reflection water ponds, glorious plants, palm trees, and metal cacti sculptures. Armoniosa boasts a great room, chef’s kitchen, office, spacious loft, five bedrooms (including two hobby rooms), 3.5 baths, fitness room, cabana house with large swimming pool, guest house, and a three-car garage. Extensive use of “rusted” steel creates a warm amber glow visible throughout the home and grounds. Just like the meaning of its name, Armoniosa sits in “harmony” with the exterior world, and within its own world.

Armoniosa was designed by architect Richard Cuen, AIA, and constructed by Dane Isenmann Builders, both of Las Vegas. KNB Associates, also of Las Vegas, worked with the homeowners and design team to select products that would meet or exceed the stringent project goals and objectives for performance, reliability and design. KNB is a marketing company that helps develop and promote innovative real estate projects with property owners, building-product manufacturers, and development teams. KNB’s Mike Brenesell says, “The massive scale of Armoniosa is typical of the stature of homes that we work on, and our specialty niche, with our celebrity clients, and those that wish to remain anonymous.”

The interior design was created by HGTV personality and celebrity designer, Donna Moss, and Las Vegas award-winning designer and past national president of the Interior Design Society, Kimberly Joi McDonald. A special VIP Event, hosted by Unique Loom Rugs and KNB Associates, was held during the Las Vegas Market with special guest appearances by HGTV Host Sabrina Soto and Bravo TV’s Real Housewife of New York Alumni Jill Zarin, both of whom have rug collections with Unique Loom. Their rugs were one of many featured products in the interior design which showcased several featured companies (see below).

Architecture and Building Design

Architect Richard Cuen, AIA, designed Armoniosa with the homeowners ’priority to live in harmony with both the outdoor and indoor environments, and to control the impact the dwelling has on the land. To minimize this impact, they collaborated and designed a highly efficient, well-performing home, inspired by the guiding principles of modern building science and the Passive House movement. Cuen says, “We succeeded in creating a design that brings the outdoors in, with soaring walls of glass extensively throughout, providing beautiful views of the 2-acre lot from every room.” It would seem difficult and cost prohibitive to build such a comfortable and energy efficient home in a desert climate with over 6,000 square feet of window glass. Advanced products, however, including passive house windows, effective roof overhangs, and innovative exterior venetian blinds that automatically track the sun, help make this possible. The homeowners ’vision and well-being lifestyle is reflected in this organic, and energyefficient home that utilizes Passive House building methods and materials. Passive House is a voluntary standard for maximizing a structure’s sustainability and energy efficiency by reducing its ecological footprint. Armoniosa’s energy efficiency is aided by the insulation and the air tightness of the building envelope. Rigid foam insulation was efficient and cost effective compared to other products. Heat recovery ventilators (HRV’s) ensure fresh air is circulated into the home, through HEPA filters. The HRV’s use the outgoing air to either heat or cool the incoming air, depending on the season, to up to 88% efficiency. This system works in conjunction with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprised of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and Mini Split systems to create a comfortable interior temperature year around. This zoned system is highly efficient and a perfect fit for the seasonal temperature swings in Las Vegas.

Sixty solar panels and multiple batteries handle the power needs seamlessly year around. Interior Finishes State-of-the-art technology and mechanical wonders of the home are complimented by the stunning interior finishes throughout the home. The entertainer’s kitchen is a cook’s delight, with beautiful sleek matte grey German engineered cabinetry that integrates the functions of the kitchen with the architecture, perfectly and unobtrusively. The column refrigeration is flush with the cabinetry, creating a stunningly sleek and contemporary look. Push-to-open-door-assist technology makes it a breeze to open the refrigerator and freezer, even though each door is 36 inches wide. Beautiful, yet durable, Staturario Gloss Porcelain countertops complement the kitchen materials. The kitchen island features an induction cooktop with superb heat control and a sleek appearance. All the tile and stone surface materials were sourced from a single supplier, resulting in simplified selection, ordering and delivery.

Interior Design

To create the interior design for staging the temporary showhouse, KNB Associates approached Kimberly Joi McDonald in October 2018. “In the beginning, our goal was to stage one or a few rooms that would help showcase what was behind the walls; such as, the smart home technology and fixtures, but the notion of actually staging a full-blown showhouse became a perfect fit and an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” Mike Brenesell said. This showhouse was to be available for viewing during IBS, KBIS and LVMKT trade shows in January 2020. McDonald then contacted Donna Moss about the opportunity, remembering that Moss had told her that in June 2018 that she wanted to do a showhouse in either Las Vegas or Palm Springs. Thus, this Dynamic Design Duo, also affectionately called the “Sparkle Twins,” was formed. They created the luxurious interior design of the 2020 Armoniosa Las Vegas Showhouse. The interior design was inspired by the homeowners ’vision and organic lifestyle. Moss and McDonald designed a sophisticated modern minimalist, Zen, organic, and tranquil residence, artfully coupled with bold, unexpected nuances reminiscent of Las Vegas ’vibrancy and showhouse worthy flair. Kimberly McDonald said, “Donna Moss and I created the interior design of the Las Vegas Armoniosa showhouse to be a distinctive Las Vegas showhouse. A showhouse that was chic, bold and unexpected, yet true to environmentally-conscious and sustainable principles.”

Armoniosa Showhouse featured in Moss’s “Best of Show” Reality TV Series & HDTV The Armoniosa showhouse, were filmed as part of Moss’s new network of which she co-founded with TV producer Josh Mills, the Home Design Television Network (HDTV). The new network anticipates airing the show in the future. Armoniosa was also published in Moss’s “Best of Show” book.

PRODUCT PROJECT PARTNERS:

Aerobarrier - Apollon Windows - Aquor Water - BernieSound - Best Range Hoods - Broan - Dacor - DalTile - Danver - Desert Steel - Dunn Edwards - Emtek - Galleher - Infinity Drain – Inovelli - Kohler - LifeSource - Misters Unlimited - Modern Fan - Nutone – Phyn - Precis Solar - Progressive Foam - Rinnai - Rust-Oleum - Samsung Electronics - Samsung HVAC - Siematic – Today’s Energy Store – Turf Advisors - Uponor - Warema

INTERIOR DESIGN PROJECT PARTNERS:

Benjamin Schmitt - Billiards N More - Botanical Mix – Cloud 9 Design – Designing JOI, LLC – Diamond Sofa - Donna Moss Designs - Dorit Schwartz Sculptor - Forever Luxury - H Studio – InStyle Gallery Lighting – Jackie Jones Art - Jaipur Living Rugs - Leftbank Art - Lili Alessandra Bedding - Linda Allen Live Anywhere Outdoor Lighting – Matt Sampson Art - Nourison Rugs - Olivia Riegel - Palecek - Phillips Collection – Somar Creations - Somers Furniture – The Pillow Goddess – Todd Sunderland – Unique Loom – Walker Furniture - ZUO Modern