Compass Homes is looking for its Parade home to be a hub for design ideas, and with 17 interior designers’ work wrapped up in one consistent package, it’s hard to dispute its dedication.
The company partnered with the American Society of Interior Designers on the five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom house, which offers 5,294 square feet upstairs and 1,570 on the lower level, some of which is unfinished. It’s the biggest house Compass has ever built for a Parade.
Pet accommodations are a major feature, with highlights including a “doggie den” with built-in dog shower off the mud room and a dog run with artificial turf that simplifies cleaning up after the animal.
“We’ve been joking around, saying that this year, Compass’ house has gone to the dogs,” says Pamela Cinelli, director of sales and marketing for Compass.
The basement floor in particular is a point of pride – it’s an epoxy finish by Columbus Garage Floor Coating, initially designed to resemble marble, that has never been used in a house before.
The basement itself features a pub-style bar in a large entertainment area, a projection-screen theater designed to be brighter and more inviting than the typical man cave and a bedroom with full bath.
“Ours is more welcoming, it’s a lot brighter, it’s a lot more family-oriented,” Cinelli says.
The tile work is another aspect Compass expects to draw visitors’ attention. Multiple complex patterns can be found in a number of locations; one can be seen going into a library on the first floor that could be converted into an in-law suite.
“It’s not your typical Columbus ‘50 shades of beige’ tile,” Cinelli says.
Also on the first floor is a kitchen that opens into a great room and a morning room, an eat-in kitchen extension that’s a signature touch in many Compass homes. Antique rush-seat chairs and plenty of windows fill out the morning room.
A 48-inch top cook griddle, exotic granite and ledgestone backsplash, and a distressed Lyptus wood island with hand-rubbed glazed oyster cabinetry around the perimeter are among the highlights of the kitchen.
A widescreen draft vent fireplace, with floor-to-ceiling tile surround and no mantle, is the centerpiece of the great room. Several unique chandeliers hang throughout the house, including a “branchler” (antler/twig design) chandelier in the entry hall.
Upstairs, the colossal master bedroom offers a comparably colossal walk-in closet sporting built-ins with an equestrian theme and an island for shoes and purses, as well as a wine and coffee bar with a floating furniture vanity between it and the master bathroom. The bathroom has farmhouse sinks and a free-standing bathtub placed over tile designed to resemble a rug.
In addition to three more bedrooms, the second floor also has a sitting room, a laundry room with old-fashioned wall-hanging laundry tubs and a mom’s retreat – an artistic space for the woman of the house.
Each room, no matter who designed it, features local artwork, as all Compass Parade homes do. Contributing artists include painter Rocco Pisto, photographer Patrick Affourtit and sculptor Mac Worthington.
Sight isn’t the only sense Compass hopes to stimulate. The kitchen will host cooking demonstrations by Williams-Sonoma, and the Candle Lab will provide distinct scents for each room as well as children’s activities.
Garth Bishop is editor of CityScene Magazine. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
