Traveling the world and being exposed to a multitude of cultures has a way of transforming our lives in big and small ways. For movie producer John Leuthold, a trip he made to Morocco for a documentary on the country's golf courses took a dramatic turn once he returned home.
Leuthold became so enamored with Moroccan craftsmanship, especially of King Hassan's Royal Palace in Casablanca, that he commissioned a Rancho Mirage home that is an authentic mini-replica of the royal palace. The house was built by the same artisans and craftsmen who created King Hassan's palaces, as well as the Moroccan Court in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art – a medieval Islamic courtyard that's within the Met's galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia.
The home is sited on nearly an acre of land on the city's prestigious Clancy Lane and comes with part ownership of the nearby, four-acre Clancy Lane Equestrian Center.
Sited on nearly an acre of land on the city's prestigious Clancy Lane, the three-bedroom, 2.75-bathroom residence, which is currently on the market for $2,395,000, comes with part ownership of the nearby, four-acre Clancy Lane Equestrian Center, which also has two tennis courts.
As befits a royal palace replica, the interior of the home was designed with grand Moorish arches, sculpted plaster walls, ceilings with gold leaf inlays, a majestic living room, a silk-panelled dining room, Moorish light fixtures and furnishings, and detailed zelije tiles. (Zelije, also known as zellige, is mosaic tile work made from individually chiseled geometric tiles set into a plaster base.)
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The expansive kitchen is outfitted with blue granite countertops
The master ensuite has marble and hand-painted tiles.
The almost 3,800-square-foot home also features faux-marble porcelain tile flooring; a tiled fireplace in the living room; blue granite kitchen countertops; marble and hand-painted tiles in the master ensuite; remodelled bathrooms; and beautiful views of the San Jacinto Mountains.
Outdoors, there's a large pool, a spa, and fire pit, as well as a pool house that echoes the architecture and style of the main residence.
The home is being sold furnished per the seller's inventory.
For more information, contact Richard Bartholomew of The Agency.
The backyard includes a large pool, spa, and fire pit, as well as a pool house that echoes the architecture and style of the main residence.
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