Long a symbol of prosperity and peace, olive trees make a bold decor statement at the latest estate from ROI Development in Orlando’s Bay Hill community.
“When you first walk into the home, you have these beautiful olive trees that are real. It creates that really grand entrance. It has that resort feeling,” said listing agent Mark Anthony Buot of Roi Avenue. “People walk into the house, and as soon as they walk down the hallway [with] the skylights right above it, you feel like you’re somewhere else, like you’re transported to a different country or a different place or time.”
The hallway just off the front entrance is lined with live olive trees, utilizing skylights and an indoor drip irrigation system, to create a stunning first impression. (Photo by DevMedia Solutions)
It’s the first time the people at ROI Development have put live trees inside a house, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. The trees have their own irrigation system and get sunlight from the skylights above them.
But the plan wasn’t always to have live trees.
“The original design was supposed to be a water feature, like you’re in Vegas, like at the Bellagio something,” Buot told GrowthSpotter. “Towards the end, the developer decided to do the trees idea instead of having a water feature there. They just felt like maybe it was too extra.”
The flora is just one feature of the 5,428-square-foot new-build house on Bay Cove Court that is listed for $4.55 million.
“So most modern architecture is usually very stark and very white and not very welcoming or feels too clean, like walking into a hospital or something. This one, they did modern, but when you’re inside, it feels so warm,” Buot said about the mostly wood interior with brown and beige tones.
“The floors are so soft. If you walk on it barefoot, it feels so nice. Sometimes, when I do showings in this house and if they’re wearing easy-to-take-off shoes, [I say] do me a favor, take off your flip flops or your sandals and walk on this floor. And everybody is just like, wow, this feels bouncy and soft.”
The trees, rounded furniture and warm wood tones balance the sleek, European-style cabinets in the kitchen. (Photo by DevMedia Solutions)
There are six bedrooms and six full bathrooms. Four are ensuite, while the other two bedrooms offer some flexibility for different uses, like an office or home gym, with a bathroom down the hall but not attached.
Another living space off the primary bedroom could also be converted.
A wetroom in the primary bath features large windows overlooking the backyard, with trees for privacy. (Photo by DevMedia Solutions)
“Let’s say somebody was coming into this home and they wanted like a Gucci store inside their house, like a bigger closet or something like that, then it could be changed,” he said with a laugh, adding that a sliding door could connect the space to the primary bedroom.
The kitchen is open with high-end Dacor appliances and a butler’s pantry.
“Tons and tons of cabinets go almost floor to ceiling, and when you open them up, it already has all of the organization already, like an organized closet,” Buot said. “Everything is kind of hidden.”
The kitchen opens into the main living space with 20-foot ceilings. The whole house is automated.
“From the inside going out with all the glass doors, you could open it all the way, and you could really feel that indoor, outdoor type feeling with a beautiful lanai,” Buot said. “You have your summer kitchen there, nicely laid out. The entertaining spaces are perfectly suited for this home.”
Outside, the Amazon green limestone pool is 65 feet long with a sun shelf and spa.
Expansive glass doors open onto the lanai and 65-foot pool to create a seamless transitional space. (Photo by DevMedia Solutions)
“It’s really for entertaining. It’s not too deep, so people can lounge and have fun back there.”
The lot is almost a half-acre and is close to Lake Tibet and the golf course. There are more olive trees outside.
“[They’re] symbolic, symbolic of prosperity and abundance and stuff like that,” Buot explained, adding that there are other shrubs that will grow quickly. “As it matures, you will have this beautiful green wall that surrounds the backyard that provides tons of privacy.”
But it’s the entry that Buot says makes him yearnful.
“It’s just so grand as soon as you walk in. The experience changes. It just has this beautiful feeling to it. Every time I walk into that home, it’s like, I want this to be mine,” he says with a laugh.
When asked why he doesn’t buy it, he responded, “We make cool homes, but we live in normal ones.”
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