If you’re a design builder and a developer of custom luxury residences, chances are your own home address is never really set in granite. But when Chris Finlay of Palm Canyon Development Inc. built his highly automated contemporary home in Summerlin, one of Las Vegas’ most prestigious neighborhoods, he knew it would serve as his residence and show home for several years. He tailored it, therefore, to meet his own design and technology needs, and experimented with everything from an ultracool indoor bar, which morphs into an outdoor bar with the touch of a button, to several fire-related features and elaborate lighting. Basically, the developer pushed the envelope on every element of the home a tad further than he normally would have.

Just like some of his past projects, Finlay borrowed freely from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style of architecture for the 7,200-square-foot home dotted with small square windows and floating eaves. Desert contemporary is the prevailing style of architecture in The Ridges, Summerlin’s newest upscale development, which is, he claims, “the only place in Vegas where you can still see the stars.”

The homeowner designed the master suite’s entertainment center to include stainless-steel storage cabinets and illuminated niches for his art glass collection. The 60-inch rear-projection TV tucks away neatly behind doors of smooth mahogany and maple. (Click images to enlarge)

Although Finlay is known for building Mediterranean– style villas, he believes a design that reflects a current time and place makes for a richer experience. In fact, it’s so rewarding that the bachelor has become a nester. “I used to go out to dinner every night,” Finlay says. “With the beautiful architectural finishings and design, I don’t want to leave.”

In the executive-sized office, a slab of marble tops the cherry desk, concealing computer components, wiring and cables within a secret compartment. With the push of a button, the computer monitor rises from within the desk like magic. The hideaway space is equipped with its own audiovisual system, subwoofer and surround sound. (Click images to enlarge)

Let’s hope Finlay is a big tipper because the pizza delivery person has to pass clearance at a security gate, drive almost a mile and go through a second secure entrance to reach the house. And there, atop of one of Las Vegas’ highest elevations, the absence of street lighting means nothing competes with the starry sky. But just because the house enjoys a private, exclusive location doesn’t mean its creature comforts are elementary. In fact, Finlay can control nearly every electronic-related element in his highly automated home from his cell phone, including lighting, temperature, five gas fireplaces, pool lights and fountains, audiovisual equipment, and the bar’s sliding glass doors. Even the pizza delivery person standing outside the 10-foot-tall gate appears on the home’s five in-wall Crestron touchscreens.

To reach the home’s beveled-glass front door, stroll through the lushly landscaped courtyard and pass a stainless-steel sculpture and fountain. Inside, travertine flooring sets a luxurious tone; ledge-stone columns and fireplaces soar to the dramatic coffered ceiling. At night, halos of burnt-amber lighting emanate from the soffited ceilings, and flames flicker beneath an elaborate water feature near the pool. In the distance, the lights of Summerlin and west Las Vegas sparkle.

The great room is the home’s largest space and its heart. A study in multifunctionalism, the room is anchored by a 14-foot circular bar. With the simple touch of a button, the counter-to-ceiling glass wall on the bar’s back side opens up to the spectacular outdoor valley views. The bar’s step-down serving area allows the host to be center stage and can accommodate back-to-back bartenders. Sixteen guests can sit comfortably at the bar.

The circular bar’s motorized, counter-to-ceiling glass panel vanishes with a touch of a button, as does the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that separates the great room from the covered patio. (Click images to enlarge)

The media room, breakfast nook and 1,400-bottle wine cellar also integrate seamlessly into the space. Just beyond the bar is the home’s main theater system, which revolves around the 71-inch Toshiba high-definition TV and surround sound. Finlay designed the unit’s high-lacquer cherry cabinetry to reveal the state-of-the-art equipment on both sides of the screen. He also incorporated a leather sofa and love seat, and large, cushy swivel chairs upholstered in geometric patterns of gray and taupe.
“It’s been criticized by women,” Finlay says, alluding to the room’s visible gear. “But when you spend $150,000 to $200,000 on equipment, you want to see it. I guess it’s a guy thing.” In many other rooms of the house, including the master suite and the office, Finlay tucks TVs inside custom cabinetry equipped with motorized doors.

As an experienced developer, Finlay knows that buyers shopping in the 7,000-square-foot, $3.5-million range demand home theaters. He also understands that floor plans should create environments conducive to interaction, not isolation. “I don’t want to go into some dark closet and close the door,” he says. “I want to enjoy being in my home. And wives want their husbands around when they’re in the kitchen, not off in some faraway room. [My] friends who have home theaters say they use them only for special occasions, but I use my media room everyday.”

In the home office’s sitting area, a 36-inch NEC plasma TV magically appears and disappears behind a motorized wall. The rich, custom cherry-wood cabinetry is a recurring theme throughout the house. The pattern of the marble floor, inlaid with cherry wood, echoes the ceiling’s box-beam pattern. (Click images to enlarge)

Aside from the bar’s vanishing glass wall and the elaborate lighting, the real show takes place outdoors where five copper-coated bowls, positioned above a waterfall, add a touch of drama to the oversized geometric pool. The bowls pour water gently into the pool and, if desired, can be illuminated at night to create a dramatic effect that Finlay has nicknamed “the wet flame.” For a Zen effect, water cascades down some of the backyard’s ledge-stone privacy walls.
The 41-year-old design builder has built upwards of 20 multimillion-dollar dream palaces in Las Vegas and Palm Springs with business partner Ken Kite. And he’s lived in most of the show homes while they’ve been on the market. “It gives me the chance to learn what I did right and what I did wrong—what electronics really functioned well and what wasn’t worth using,” he says. But Finlay isn’t selfish about his home. He supports numerous charities in Vegas and often opens the doors of his showcase homes for fund-raisers. Most recently, he hosted a party for 450 guests.

Working in tandem with a draftsman and various craftsmen, Finlay designed all the architectural finishes, but invited Keven Weber of Martin Thomas Interior Design to consult on furniture, fabrics, bedding and accessories. In the past decade, the interior designer has orchestrated the decor of numerous private homes and public spaces in Las Vegas, from the chic restaurants housed within the Bellagio hotel to the private residences of various big-name Las Vegas businessmen. Donald Pisciotta of Audio Integration, also in Las Vegas, based the home’s automation system on Lutron and Crestron products. Apex of Palm Desert incorporated the motorized vertical blinds that shield the home’s fabrics and finishes from the desert’s harsh sunlight.

“It’s quite a show,” Weber says of the results. “You walk in and punch a code and the lights come up, the shades part, the music plays, the walls of the bar open up, the fire feature turns on above the swimming pool—the whole house comes alive. To stand there and watch it happen is a real trip.”