A majestic cathedral ceiling measuring 90 feet in length crowns the grand hall and adjacent spaces, ornamented with medallions and hand-painted details, banner image above:An elevated stonewalled outdoor spa overlooks San Diego Bay

Castle In The Sky — Palazzo Del Cielo

In olden days, kings and members of the nobility erected castles on hilltop precipices in the European countryside.

In downtown San Diego, Jim and Jerilyn Shaw converted the top two floors of a high-rise condominium to an indoor palace patterned after 18th century Italian castles — and with equally commanding views.

"We had gone to Italy about ten years ago, and subconsciously I took everything in," says Jim, who designed this remarkable remodel, oversaw a team of Old World craftsmen and artisans, and did much of the elaborately detailed work himself.

Jim formerly indulged his creativity artistry solely through his tree-trimming business, Sahara Palms. Later, he and his wife remodeled another downtown condo in an Old World motif.

When the current unit went on the market, the developer couldn’t find a buyer because of an awkward floor plan, Jim recalls. So the developer made him an attractive offer to purchase the property and unleash his creativity.

Jerilyn was not enthused at first. "I cried after we closed escrow," she admits. "It was horrible!"

After escrow closed, Jim drew up plans that included arches and cathedral ceilings, blowing out a central wall, opening up a central kitchen, and reconfiguring a staircase to dramatically enhance the space and maximize bay views.

"I got hammers out and started breaking this apart," he says. "A week later, I was offered $600,000 just to walk away." He turned down the offer, because "this needed to be built."

Three years after conception, Palazzo del Cielo is now for sale — for $8.5 million. If sold at that price, the 4,500-square-foot unit with a 1,500-square-foot outdoor terrace will fetch the highest rate ever for a condominium in San Diego County. Moreover, Jim has started a new business — Palatial Design — designing Old World homes for other aficionados of historical architecture and design.

Sparkling like a jewel, the foyer walls are adorned with acanthus leaves, scrolls, and carvings. Mirrors framed with hand-carved wreaths and berries reflect a grand hall beyond, where a towering wall of arched windows and doors afford sweeping vistas of downtown and the harbor.

A majestic cathedral ceiling measuring 90 feet in length crowns the grand hall and adjacent spaces, ornamented with medallions and hand-painted details so elaborate it had to be assembled, numbered, disassembled, painted, and then fully reassembled. "We flew a guy in from Barcelona to paint them. These are engineering masterpieces," says Jim, gazing up at the opulent display. "We have 50,000 sheets of gold and silver leafing, all hand-applied, plus a glazing and aging process."

An ornately gilded fireplace designed by Jim was built onsite, with massive plaster ornamentation and molded composite ornaments by J.P. Weaver over a wood frame. "This fireplace took four artists working over two months, just painting ornaments," says Jim. A niche above stands vacant, for the moment. "We had a Jesus statue there, but it was too much," he says, shrugging. "It felt like we were living in the Vatican."

A 19th century Spanish revival table fit for a castle of yore occupies the center of the grand hall, illuminated by candelabras. In addition to pull-out extensions on the main table, two reproductions of the original table line up end-to-end, enabling the homeowners to host elaborate feasts.

"We do big dinner parties. Our guests tell us it’s like having dinner in Hearst Castle," says Jim, who sets the mood with Andrew Bocelli music played through a central sound system. "This is a technologically advanced, 21st century castle."

A home theater tucked off the great hall has been appointed in Baroque and Renaissance elements. Hit a "showtime" button and motorized brocade curtains slide closed as the lights dim. A sectional sofa/chaise, designed by Jim in rich red and gold fabric, provides a sumptuous spot to watch movies on a 70-inch Sony TV built into an elaborately ornamented wood wall.

"We went through 10,000 board feet of walnut," says Jim, who set up a wood shop to mill all lumber onsite. Whimsical paintings by Valerie Yershow depict animals in Renaissance settings, completing the theatrical display.

Jim’s study, located behind the home theater, features a desk built from the "best of three desks" combined. An antique store replicated an 1880s cabinet, enabling the creative homeowner to extend storage space and hide traces of modern life such as a fax machine and other office gear. A bronze lamp with frog base and tortoise shell shade provides vintage-style lighting, while faux doors conceal a pull-down Murphy bed.

Two curved radius bars flank the home’s central kitchen, which is now open to adjacent spaces. "It’s great for entertaining," says Jerilyn, who enjoys hosting charity events with her husband. The new configuration enables the couple to enjoy cooking and talking with guests. Catering crews also appreciate the La Cornue oven and range from France, which Jim describes as "the finest cooking instrument in the world." The kitchen has three ovens as well as an appliance wall complete with steamer, warming drawers, and espresso making machine. Nearby, arched glass doors open to reveal a 750-bottle wine cellar.

Plaster walls with antiqued and glazed finishes add to the Old World ambience throughout the home, while hand-etched marble floors from Italy feature basket weave mosaics and floral leafs in a Moorish design. "We made rugs out of stone," Jim says of the elaborate first-story flooring.

A chandelier suspended from a recessed domed ceiling in a downstairs guest room originally hung in a Chicago church. The restored and enhanced light fixture from the roaring ’20s initially caused Jerilyn some doubts.

"He sees things I don’t," she says of her husband.

"I see everything finished — all the parts and pieces — and how it goes together," he says. "It’s like I’ve done this for three or four hundred years."

A flatscreen TV above the guestroom’s fireplace is framed ornately to match the fireplace surround of plaster, wood, and marble. A 19th century Italian bed with carved headboard and twisted posts also sports intricately carved faces. "Our guests would like to move in," Jim quips.

Stepping into a guest bath with gold and carmel-hued marble, he observes, "Our bathrooms are beautiful pieces of art. It’s all about layering stone; the smaller you get, the more movement. I use all six by six inch tiles, or less, in all of my work. We had tile saws run nonstop for a year, just cutting down stone to size." Walls of layered stone, an arched shower enclosure, and stone ceilings enhance the room, along with a 60-pound solid bronze sink and opulent gilded toilet.

A powder bath features an onyx mosaic border and marble-topped vanity with cherub ornamentation. A circa 1810 writing desk has been converted to a vanity cabinet; old iron sconces and a stone-framed arched mirror add to the aura of antiquity.

"This is my favorite part," says Jerilyn, pulling out pantry drawers in a hall. Unlike many downtown condos with minimal storage, the Shaws’ home has 170 dovetailed drawers custom-built for their belongings.

A floating, ornately carved staircase ascends to the second story, installed by a 270-foot crane that required closing down streets nearby. A hand-forged iron railing was inspired by a 17th century Italian Villa depicted in the Robb Report. "One guy sat at an anvil and hand-tapered all these pieces of iron," says Jim.

Upstairs, a former cramped bedroom has been converted to a spacious game room complete with carved billiards table, poker table, nail-studded leather chairs, and barstools by Hancock & Moore — the company that designed chairs for every president to occupy the Oval Office at the White House. Nearby, arched doors hide pool cues and a gilded crest; another cupboard opens to reveal a dartboard. Behind a Black Beauty granite-topped bar, a flat screen TV is recessed into a molded composite wall of miniature rosettes. "The recipe for this has been handed down for generations," Jim observes.

Hand-hewn wood plank floors set a rustic undertone to an upstairs guest room with a fireplace salvaged from a Chicago church. Jim designed an extension to the fireplace surround to frame a flat screen TV above, including carved faces and scrollwork. Built in 1880, the bed also features carved faces, as well as black and bronze bedding that suits the regal castle theme. The upstairs guest bath has masculine stones in dark hues, accentuated by Asian black and gold marble, a mosaic splash, and winged dragon candelabras. As a finishing touch, Jim found a dusty mirror in an antique stop and restored it, complete with carved grapevines and fruit basket elements.

Passing through an upstairs gallery hall/library with additional wine storage and a Richard McDonald sculpture, Jim enters yet another guest bath. "This is my favorite," he says, pointing to Rosso Levanto stone in rich burgundy hues. Intricate tile work includes designs laid in brick, diamond, and square patterns as well as a stone arch over the sink with small pieces to form a tight radius. "The toughest engineering challenge is to cut stone on a radius; these fit like a glove," The bath also conceals a marble-encrusted laundry room.

For this man’s castle, walls of limestone, travertine, and marble line the master suite. "This is so warm in the evening," he says. "Stone doesn’t have to be cold. It can be as warm as you want, with color and texture."

Cherub candle sconces and a custom Gothic-style frame for the TV add to the room’s majesty, along with a lion’s paw dresser that was originally part of the dining set. Lion’s feet and heads adorn an 18th century bed, along with a carved knight and coat of arms. A French chaise from 1790, the home’s oldest antique piece of furniture, has intricately carved roses. A domed ceiling and balcony overlooking the grand hall and bay-view windows afford dramatic vistas for the lord and lady of the manor.

A massive oval spa tub encased in granite and crackled glass mosaic also overlooks San Diego Bay in the master bath, where 18th century Italian bronzed sconces illuminate his-and-her vanities and arched stone mirrors. Walls of gold travertine, Verde Real limestone, and Giallo Real cornice moldings add to the ambience, along with a shower clad entirely in Verde Bargonia granite. Coffered ceilings crown the adjacent hall, where pull-out drawers and doors reveal 40 feet of closet for clothing and shoes.

Jim traveled to China to open his own production plant for making a stone mosaic tile he engineered for the condo’s outdoor terrace, which also features twisted junipers, urns with agaves resembling torches, and stone benches built to conceal window-washing tubes for the high-rise.

The Shaws also elevated a stonewalled outdoor spa to overlook the bay. "With a glass of wine and friends, it’s a great way to start or end the day," says Jim, who believes the home’s $8.5 million price tag is "well worth it," not only for the lavish fruits of his labors, but also because "San Diego’s downtown is still in its infancy."

Jerilyn says the remodeling project "got more grand as we went along." Despite her initial doubts, she now describes the finished home as "beautiful."

She has grown to appreciate her husband’s talent and vision. "It’s a gift," she concludes. "I’m very proud of him." — Miriam Raftery

Cool And Contemporary
Mid-century modern design is hot again. Clean lines, inspired forms, and simple materials all make for good design. Less equals more, and clutter is non-existent. Plastic and acrylic can be shaped into interesting textures, colors, and surfaces. Lightweight and easy to clean, these materials are practical, too. Colorful glass, hand-blown into many shapes and sizes, becomes art. Many mid-century pieces of furniture and glass are collected today from the ’50s and ’60s. Add a touch of hip to your pad.
— Lynn Hoaglin, photo by Vincent Knakal

Plastic "Ice" chair, "T-Table," and medium glass bottle from Lawrance Furniture in Encinitas; tall Italian glass bottle from Roche-Bobois in La Jolla; and vintage Italian glass pitcher, circa 1950, from Esteban Interiors in La Jolla

Modern Metals
Stainless steel and aluminum can be polished and hammered into beautiful and unique shapes, and they highlight the beauty of their surrounding forms. These metals are both strong and durable, and don’t need polishing. They will stand up to everyday use and will last indefinitely. Used in many handcrafted pieces today, these metals will be the collectibles of tomorrow. — Lynn Hoaglin, photo by Vincent Knakal

Large stainless bowl by Mary Jurek Design, stainless salt and peppers, square tray, and candleholder from Nestlife in La Jolla; Spanish handcrafted aluminum and brass fruit platter and Spanish handcrafted pitcher from Siena Julia in Flower Hill Promenade; polished aluminum with stainless steel wine cooler by Michael Aram from Seaside Home; and salad tongs by Nambe, and pears from The Poached Pear in Flower Hill Promenade