Believe it or not, this award-winning home began as a speculative project. Typically speculative projects involve a rather generic design that would appeal to many in a style that might be loved by the masses. But the project’s developer loved modern architecture and his personal residence was the first project designed by architect C.P. Drewett when Drewett Works launched in 2001. Together, the architect and developer envisioned a fictitious art collector who would one day purchase this stunning piece of desert modern architecture to showcase their magnificent collection. The primary views from the site were southwest. Therefore, protecting the interior spaces from the southwest sun while making the primary views available was the greatest challenge. The views were very calculated and carefully managed. Every room needed to not only capture the vistas of the surrounding desert, but also provide viewing spaces for the potential collection to be housed within its walls. The core of the material palette is utilitarian including exposed masonry and locally quarried cantera stone. An organic nature was added to the project through millwork selections including walnut and red gum veneers. The eventual owners saw immediately that this could indeed become a home for them as well as their magnificent collection, of which pieces are loaned out to museums around the world. Their decision to purchase the home was based on the dimensions of one particular wall in the dining room which was EXACTLY large enough for one particular painting not yet displayed due to its size. The owners and this home were, as the saying goes, a perfect match! Project Details | Desert Modern for the Magnificent Collection, Estancia, Scottsdale, AZ Architecture: C.P. Drewett, Jr., AIA, NCARB | Drewett Works, Scottsdale, AZ Builder: Shannon Construction | Phoenix, AZ Interior Selections: Janet Bilotti, NCIDQ, ASID | Naples, FL Custom Millwork: Linear Fine Woodworking | Scottsdale, AZ Photography: Dino Tonn | Scottsdale, AZ Awards: 2014 Gold Nugget Award of Merit Feature Article: Luxe. Interiors and Design. Winter 2015, “Lofty Exposure”

Travis Peterson

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by John Sutton Photography.

Theo Baulig

Alex Hayden

Aspen Southern Ledgestone by Boral Cultured Stone

KM Pics

This bright living room is set off by a gentle off-white trim, vaulted ceiling and stained, exposed beams. A wicker ceiling fan and woven wooden blinds pair beautifully with the stained, dark walnut hardwood flooring and sisal rug. In the far left is a bit of the turquoise glass tile fireplace. At the room’s center is a cocktail table with grass insets, brass side tables and metallic silver lamps. The room’s textures are complemented by rattan bookcases, tweed chairs and matching solid, sand-colored sofa.

The open concept living room overlooks the pool outside and the mountains on the horizon. Interior walls never fully meet the ceiling, to keep a loft-like open floor plan. Photo: Jim Bartsch

Family room with expansive ceiling, picture frame trim, exposed beams, gas fireplace, aluminum windows and chandelier.

The clients desired an updated fireplace wall that would give a nod to the Mid-Century styling of their newly purchased 1958 home. The existing fireplace was faced with stack stone and included a raised hearth. The room was dark with the closest windows being on the covered back porch. Around the corner from the fireplace wall the hallway led to a small guest room with a wide opening and an existing, large modern barn door. This door, with horizontal panels served as the inspiration for facing the fireplace in clean, horizontal grained rift-cut white oak panels. The new fireplace design extended the horizontal wood design with 42” wide floating shelves above low enclosed cabinets for storage. The existing hearth was removed along with the existing stack stone, visually freeing up floor space and leaving the remaining firebox now a foot above the floor. The designer selected a custom, handcrafted Mid-Century style 4” circular pattern tile to be applied below the firebox as well as above and on each side. Honed Absolute Black granite slab was specified for the new floor flush hearth as well as framing the inside and front edge of the firebox and the countertops on the new adjoining low cabinets. Circular hardware pulls in a polished chrome finish added a reflective touch of jewelry to the expanse of the clean horizontal design as well as repeating the circular tile pattern. The millwork lighting in the floating shelves helped illuminate the fireplace wall which extend the space.

The residence offers a “winter room” – or a cozy second living room – allowing for intimate and large gatherings alike.

In the early days of the global pandemic of 2021, my client decided to leave a more densely populated city environment in favor of a more suburban atmosphere with fewer people, where things are less crowded. They found a Tudor-style home built in the 1980s and set about updating it to make it their own. When my client contacted me, one of her top priorities in the home was a complete kitchen renovation for which she already had some very clear ideas. She came to the project with colors and overall feel so it was a delight to collaborate with her to bring her vision to life. The original kitchen was wedged between a large two-story entry hall at the front, and a spacious beamed family room at the rear. Dated dark red oak and heavy 1980s cabinetry weighed down the room, and my client desperately wanted light and lightness. Working with Lewis Construction, we took down the walls that closed the kitchen off from the family room and the resulting space allowed for a generous island. We worked together to refine a cabinet color and a wood stain for the custom cabinetry by Schmitz Woodworks, and a tone of countertop material that would be a perfect compliment to our cabinetry choices. And I found lighting that speaks to the Tudor style of the house while bringing a sense of airiness—the seeded glass island pendants are perfect partners to the round wrought-iron fixture with candles in the adjoining dining room. Wood, brass, and abaca kitchen stools at the island bring a sense of history and California cool. In the adjoining bland family room, my client removed an ugly river stone fireplace and replaced it with a linear gas insert. I designed built-in bookcases flanking the fireplace to give the entire wall more presence. My client fell in love with a piece of dark soapstone and I used it to design a chunky, uniquely beveled surround to ground the fire box. The entry also got a makeover. We worked with a painter to disguise the ugly 80s red oak on the stairs, and I furnished the area with contemporary pieces that speak to a Tudor sensibility: a “quilted” chest with nail heads; an occasional chair with a quatrefoil back; a wall mirror that looks as if the Wicked Queen in Snow White used it; a rug that has the appearance of a faded heirloom; and a swarm of silver goblets creating a wall art installation that echoes the nail heads on the chest. Photo: Rick Pharaoh

Double height Sheer covered windows allow the entire room to flood with soft light. The sectional faces the fireplace and the TV, which is great for cozy movie watching. The twin demilune chests and artwork flank the fireplace keep with the symmetry of the room while adding the color the family wanted

Double height windows allow the entire room to flood with light. Smart layout and rich comfortable fabrics keep it casual and family friendly. Pops of color in the art and occasional chairs keep it fun and modern.