The New American Home 2022 (Orlando, FL)
The New American Home is a chance for a selected custom homebuilder to impress; as tens of thousands of the best design/build professionals attend the International Builders’ Show every year. To pull off the feat, designers step up to integrate the best in-home products at every turn.
The 2022 edition, built by esteemed builder Envy Homes, lives up to lofty expectations.
From the art deco formal dining chandelier and exquisite fixtures to the inviting pool lounge and wine cellar, it's an innovative project that showcases impeccable aesthetics and cutting-edge architectural prowess.
Design Challenge
The Project
The 4,674 square foot Florida home sits in an ultra-mod residential area of Laureate Park at Lake Nona that is primed for a real estate boom. Envy Homes & Builders Design worked together to achieve the perfect balance of innovation and functionality. This carried over to the wine storage. Picking the nook under the main staircase in the home for a glass wine room allowed for creative use of space.
The Challenge
When beginning design talks, Creative Director Alyssa Johansen, of Builders Design, aimed to create a “moment of intense drama” when entering the home. With the eye drawing directly to the staircase upon entry, she knew that that area would be the ideal. However, the space had a challenging narrow footprint and a steep 37-degree ceiling pitch that followed the slope of the grand staircase.
Designer Bio

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Years in the Trade: Since 2006
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BFA in Interior Design: Savannah College of Art & Design
The Solution
Johansen designed the room with clever thought to the glass, extending it from the wine room up to the second flight of stairs. The frameless glass now doubles as an elegant barrier around the wine cellar and the railing for the steps. To maximize the space inside, she used W Series Wine Racks on Frames to press bottles against the most visual side of the room. Using customized VintageView Angled Base Plates (our standard can cover angles up to 35 degrees), allowed the wine racking to follow the exact slope of the staircase.
Under the landing, she opted for the Evolution Wine Tower, but with a few custom twists to both fit it in perfectly to the unique space and allow for a shelf to be used for allocated case storage.
“With the design element always being in focus, one of the things we looked at was parting with VintageView with a wine storage system and wanted to use it in an impactful way,” says Steven Earl, president of Envy Homes.
Design Approach
The final touch to the cellar features an elegant marble wall with cubby holes cut out to hold another handful of bottles using the Perch vertical wine rack.
Perhaps the biggest statement of the room is Johansen’s decision to feature a two-tone look with Golden Bronze Luxe and Matte Black finishes combined.
“We didn’t want to do all gold and have it feel, you know, too bright. We also didn’t want to do it all black, and have it disappear,” says Johansen. “We wanted that contrast, that drama; when you walked in of having the gold and the black together.”
Remarkable.
all photos by Jeffrey A. Davis