Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/692319
120 vegasmagazine.com PhotograPhy by Luxury EstatEs IntErnatIonaL (2801 VIa tazzoLI); rEndErIngs courtEsy of hoogLand archItEcturE (ascaya) minimalist effort In the valley's newest homes, It's out wIth faux med, and In wIth real mod. By Andy WAng The city of Las Vegas, with its desert surroundings and breathtaking views of both mountainous nature and the glittering Strip, is a perfect setting for stunning architecture. But at new luxury locations like Ascaya (ascaya.com), with its million-dollar home sites, it's often what you don't see that really counts. Gone are the days of gilt-covered everything, the massive ornate houses that Michael Gardner of Studio G Architecture (studiogarchitecture.com) refers to as "stucco-terranean." "It really isn't anything except a bunch of stuff," Gardner says about the McMansions of the past. "The age group starting to be able to afford luxury properties don't want what they grew up in." Minimalism and clean modern designs are what's hot now. And despite the pristine appearance, these homes are equipped with the latest technology hidden inside their bones. "The biggest push is really for technology, appliances, and other unsightly-but-necessary items to be discreetly and seamlessly integrated into the overall design," says architect Daniel Joseph Chenin (djc-ltd.com). "Clients are demanding smarter and smarter homes," agrees architect Henry CJ Hoogland (hooglandarchitecture.com). "We try, as much as possible, to make those things go away: switches and lighting controls and sensors and window shades. We can basically control the entire house off an iPad." An iPad, of course, is itself a triumph of minimalist design, something packed with functionality when you need it but that easily disappears from mind when you want to stare out the window—which is the guiding philosophy of design at Ascaya. SPACE SURREAL ESTATE