Inside this $10 million home tucked away in Bloomfield Hills
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (WJBK) - This edition of Love This House takes us to a rare and special find tucked away in Bloomfield Hills.
The home is the centerpiece of the exclusive, gated Turtle Lake Community. Turtle Lake is the last "private" lake in Oakland County.
The home was built in 1926 by the Green family, and once encompassed 250 acres. Now, it's been owned by the Celani family since 2000. When they bought the home, they spent two years on a state-of-the-art renovation. They also added an attached three-car garage and several bedrooms. The home now rings in at 18,500 square feet, and sits on seven and a half acres.
"The grounds here feel like you're in northern Michigan and we're at Square Lake and Telegraph. We're so close to getting anywhere in the Detroit metro area," Vicki Celani says.
In all, now, the home has six bedrooms, eight full baths and five half baths.
"You start to do a project and one thing leads into the next thing," Vicki says. "You find these amazing artists who do this incredible work, and we say, 'Well, we did this, why don't we do that?'"
The renovations stay true to the home's timeless feel and remarkable craftsmanship. Tiger eye maple is used extensively in the family room with dual lounge areas and a full granite bar.
Michigan limestone from the original quarry used in 1926 can be found on the home's exterior and multiple terraces, including an outdoor fireplace and pizza oven.
Down by the lake is a private dock and the estate's original 1920s poolhouse.
"It has a "Great Gatsby" feel about it. There's an Olympic size swimming pool, 12 feet deep; you don't see pools that deep anymore. It's entirely Pewabic tile. It's most incredible piece of architecture. [The pool house] has got a full kitchen, changing rooms for 10; it's a masterpiece in itself," Vicki says.
This home is made for entertaining. The couple frequently hosts charity events and have had as many as 500 guests at one time.
"It is a large home but it's meant to be enjoyed in special small vignettes, and every time someone new comes to the house they say, 'I feels like they could curl up on the couch and be comfortable here,' and that's what we wanted to create," Vicki says.
The kitchen is a chef's dream, with custom cabinetry and top of the line appliances.
"It's made for someone who really loves to cook. It's a large kitchen but one that feels cozy. It has a large island that kind of divides the space without closing it off," she says.
Upstairs is an expansive master wing, featuring a domed ceiling office, exercise room and master bedroom with a private balcony offering sweeping views. Separate his and hers bathrooms and massive custom walk-in closets complete this luxurious upstairs oasis.
Owners of the Celani Family vineyards in Napa, Calif., the couple designed a truly spectacular wine cellar.
"We wanted the wine cellar to have this feeling of an old European cave."
The have a collection of over 5,000 bottles from both Europe and California.
"For someone who is an avid collector, you'll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful wine cellar," Vicki says.
Again, Michigan limestone is featured throughout the cellar with dining for up to twenty, a bar and cigar room with ventilation and a full catering kitchen. Overhead, the arched ceiling is a work of art.
"It almost looks like corks in the ceiling," Vicki says. "It was done by two Romanian artisans who, basically, laid on their back on a false floor for nine months and laid each brick by hand. It's just incredible work."
With their children now grown and living out of state, Vicki and her husband are ready to downsize. The house is now on the market for $9.9 million.
"It has the charm of a house built in 1926, but it also has the amenities to entertain and live as people live today," Vicki says. "We loved the life in this house, and this house deserves life and we just feel someone else needs to enjoy this house and love it as much as we did."
Love This House is a FOX 2 special project to show you homes in and around Detroit that are interesting in some form. Some are multi-million dollar homes and some are just quirky - but they're a bit different.
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