John and Kathy Scott spent nearly two years looking, thinking and planning, and then working several more months with builder Romanelli & Hughes’ architect Steve Jones to create blueprints for the completely custom home that would be theirs for the long haul. Last fall, the couple and their daughters, Madison, 6, and Macie, 4, moved into a striking two-story home on a wooded lot in Trotter’s Gate, not far from O’Shaughnessy Reservoir and Powell.

They selected Romanelli & Hughes after touring model homes and finding detail and workmanship that appealed to them. Besides Jones’ plans, they also rounded up ideas from the homes of builder Brad Hughes and his parents, and received input from one of the company’s interior designers, Lesli Kintner.

The result is a 5,000-square-foot home with a first-floor in-law suite. The exterior is framed by two 2-car garages at the top of a broad semi-circular drive.

The Scotts wanted all large rooms, regardless of purpose, “rather than a bunch of (smaller) rooms,” Kathy says. John says every room is used, whether the family is in the finished 2,000-square-foot lower level or any of the four upstairs bedrooms. They purposefully made the house larger so that the family could grow comfortably, Kathy says.

Inside the double-door entrance is a wide, porcelain-tiled foyer with a dining room to the left. Stately pillars on either side of a high, wide opening define the separation of the two. By pre-planning, it was designed for a table that seats eight. Striking, deep- red painted walls are further complemented by the faux-painted trey ceiling that’s bordered with white trim.

Through another large, pillared opening straight ahead is the living room, with handsome custom-designed trim that highlights a window wall and matching wood on the fireplace. Sconces on the wood mantle include a lion’s head the carpenter added at Kathy’s request.

Artistic patterns of wood trim applied to drywall are glaze painted and add an exquisite appearance to the painted trim living room and adjoining kitchen. Both have 12-foot ceilings. The kitchen is in full view through a high opening accented by pillars. In both rooms, trim and cabinets are finished in hazelnut glazed, oil-based paint, with a brown accent in crevices. The kitchen cabinets reach nearly to the ceiling with some glass-front top shelves. A huge island with a black granite top that matches bordering countertops commands the center of attention in the well-appointed kitchen.

Off the kitchen, the dining area has four windowed exterior walls and was specifically designed to comfortably hold a round table. John says the arrangement provides plenty of space when members of their large family visit.

Commercial grade Jenn-Air appliances include a six-burner range with double convection ovens, a convection microwave and a double-door refrigerator-freezer.

Off the kitchen is the Scott’s mudroom from one garage and a half-bath. A back staircase to the second floor is off the connecting hall. The porcelain tile floors are used in much of the first floor, with different accents and patterns in various areas. Other predominate living areas have a neutral, plush carpet.

Opposite the kitchen, off the living room, is the in-law suite where Kathy’s father, Don Rarick, lives. With its own living room, kitchen and dining area, bedroom and bath, and garage access, it’s like a small apartment. The décor matches the rest of the home with one exception: Don’s a big Ohio State sports fan, so the bedroom has a special scarlet paint job by interior artist Todd Brausch.

Brausch also added several unique applications throughout the rest of the home, including faux-painted living and dining room ceilings, master bath and bedroom walls, murals in the kids’ basement play room, and special designs in their bedrooms.

A landing-walkway at the top of the stairs from the living room area leads to the master suite and three large bedrooms, all of which have their own full bath. Each girl has a room, neatly decorated in pink and lavender, with the prominent colors reversed between rooms. Another is a guest room. The laundry room, with countertops, a sink and cabinets, is conveniently off the hall between bedrooms and the master suite.

The master suit encompasses space that probably could be allotted to two bedrooms. John’s office is off the sleeping room, a preference because he doesn’t like many visitors in his private workspace. A corner cabinet is wired for charging and storing his numerous portable electronic devices. The enlarged bath off the bedroom has an elevated two-person Whirlpool tub at one end, a large glass-doored, multi-head shower with seating at the other, with twin sinks along one wall that are separated by an elongated cabinet. The walk-in closet is off the bath.

A feature of the shower is the ultimate example of today’s technology, which John sells and which he used to tie the large home together. The shower is rigged with remote controls that regulate the flow and water temperature from the eight body showerheads in the walls and two overhead.

The home’s technology begins with a small camera at the front door so visitors can be seen on small wall monitors in every room. Those monitors also are touch-screen panels to control lights, sound and temperature. The home’s atmosphere is automated so that it goes on and off or up and down at appropriate times in different zones. Universal remotes allow control of all utilities or amenities at any place in the home. The system’s so simple his children can use it, John says. If they leave the basement with the television and lights on, for example, he can hit one button and turn it all off.

The lower level has a theater featuring a huge projection screen with cushioned seating. The basement, with 10-foot poured walls, also features a well-crafted bar with concrete countertops. A game room has a pool table and dart board for personal recreation and for guests. A small niche houses a tanning bed. Another space, once contemplated as a workout room, is a playroom.

Only a few months into their home, the Scotts “love it,” Kathy says. They plan to live there a long time and jokingly allude to moving into the in-law suite after one of the daughters has a family that lives in the main home.

Duane St. Clair is contributing editor for Luxury Living Magazine.