$18M ‘Flying Sunset’ named Las Vegas’ Custom Home of the Year

An unfinished Spanish Hills mansion with European influences and valued at $18 million is Las Vegas’ Custom Home of the Year.

In the Silver Nugget Awards handed out by the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, the mansion also won in the category Design &Architecture. For complete coverage of the Silver Nugget Awards, look for the special section Nov. 7.

The nearly completed two-story home, a project of Growth Holdings, (which does business as Growth Luxury Homes) has a building envelope of 18,763 square feet, including space for a 10-car garage, a covered patio and roof deck. There’s 12,455 square feet of livable space that consists of five bedrooms and nine bathrooms on the 1-acre estate. It is expected to be completed early next year.

“When it’s done, it’s going to be one of the most impressive houses in Vegas,” said Steve Escalante, vice president of business development for Growth Holdings.

“Growth Luxury Homes (GLH) has a culture of thinking beyond, and using our projects as a platform to create something extraordinary for our clients.”

The Spanish Hills mansion goes by the name “The Flying Sunset” and will be used as a model even though it’s purchased, Escalante added.

The owner is an international business executive who is “well-travelled and who has seen the best of the best around the world and wanted to experience the best in the place he calls home,” Escalante said. “The Flying Sunset is nothing short of a home that, like it’s innovative owner, will push the envelope in design, material and also technology.”

Escalante said this vision came about with GLH’s design and architecture team featuring some of the world’s most talented designers from France, Spain, the Middle East and the U.S. That international collaboration resulted in a new style coming to Las Vegas, he said.

“The concept was to bring a different type of indoor and outdoor living and a lot of international flair throughout the property,” Escalante said. “We call the style, Eurolux. You have some modern elements with earth tone and organics, and a little bit of traditional. There’s some edginess. It covers a broad spectrum.”

It introduces a new perspective on how material, lighting and design can create spaces that “combine comfort with an international flare that feels like you just experienced the latest hot couture fashion drop when you are in it,” Escalante added.

This feels like a home where you can have an intimate setting, but you can expand the house and open it and (let it be) a place where you can entertain and have big functions. It gives you flexibility.”

The backyard will have what’s called a “flying pool.” The home faces the sunset in the west, and the pool will be like it’s flying off a cliff, Escalante said.

“When you’re sitting there, it looks out to infinity toward the Red Rock sunsets,” Escalante said. “The pool will have glass on the sides along the mountainside, so as you’re driving by the house on the 215 Beltway, you’re going to see water that looks like it’s floating.

“It’s not only bold, but something that had not been done in town.”

The backyard patio will have a sunken lounge. There’s going to be a garden below the pool in which it’s terraced down the hillside. There will be fruit trees and other plants to give it a European feel, Escalante said.

“There will be a walkway that terraces down, like in Europe. And there will be seating areas,” Escalante said. “With this flying pool and greenery, it will be like something you have never seen in Las Vegas before.”

As for the home’s interior, Escalante said it’s the use of space and design that’s seen in world-class hotels. There will be a floating staircase and a 16-foot fireplace.

“It’s like a floating fireplace,” Escalante said. “It’s massive. From the front of the fireplace it’s going to have water that comes from the front of the house to the back of the house. It gives an element of fire, water, earth and wind with the elements.”

The main level will have a bar and living room along with an office. That level also will have a theater and game room, entertainment lounge, kitchen, gym, family room and spa.

As for bedrooms, the upper level will have the master bedroom and three guest rooms. One guest room will be downstairs.

“For the master bedroom, think of the most uber-luxury type of world-class resorts and everything you would expect in one of those,” Escalante said. “It has a floating glass steam shower with large rain heads that comes down. It has floor-to-ceiling windows with a floating tub against it. The tub is set on what looks to be an organic rock setting where you walk on it. It’s very impressive.”

The master bedroom has a fireplace, bookshelf and television set up that resembles a seven-star resort, Escalante said. There’s a balcony that overlooks the Spring Mountains of Red Rock Canyon.

If you want more, there’s even 360-degree views on the roof deck.

“You’re going to see Red Rock and have Strip views, too,” Escalante said. “There will be a bar up there with beautiful planters. It’s going to give you that international rooftop setting where it’s open-air, where you can have dinner up there or entertain your friends with a fire pit.”

The mansion uses stone, furniture, fixtures, lighting and cabinetry (that) comes from across the world and includes Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia and the Middle East.

“It’s a collection of different elements of the home being sourced around the world,” Escalante said. “It’s going to have Armani plumbing fixtures. It’s the best of the best.”

The mansion, which has three entry gates, has a porte cochere. One gate takes you to the garage and another takes you to the motor court, Escalante said.

“When you come into that, you feel like you are driving into one of these big resorts,” Escalante said. “It will have that feel.”

Escalante said it was an honor for the home to win the Silver Nugget Award and considered in the same category as other luxury homes that were considered.

“We feel very blessed to be considered along with some of these exceptional builders in town,” Escalante said. “I do think Las Vegas has some of the best design and construction in the country. We are pushing the envelope here in Las Vegas, and it’s nice to challenge ourselves to come up with amazing new concepts and designs and to be recognized for it is fantastic.”