Nestled into the foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, a couple from Chicago found the lot – and the creative team – that would bring their vision for a second home in Arizona to fruition in stunning form. Their goal was for a warm and vibrant home they could enjoy on their own that also offered ample gathering spaces and private guest quarters for when their children, friends and family visit. The result is a collected and personality-rich private oasis that’s meant to be shared, a respite from city life with unobstructed views of landscape and sky.
The client’s initial connection was to interior designer Stephanie Wohlner, who turned to architect Erik Peterson and builder Anthony Salcito to complete the creative team. The trio had collaborated on Wohlner’s own Arizona home and were eager to do so again. From the first conversation with the clients, Salcito knew the place – a plot of land he had kept on his radar due to its specialness. “It’s an amazing lot,” he shares. “It sits on the border of an established neighborhood and a mountain preserve where no one can ever build. It checked all the boxes.”
The plot in play and the views to capture decided, attention progressed to how the home overall should look, feel and function. “This was really meant to be a more casual home, not formal,” Peterson recalls. “They wanted a Spanish Colonial-style house, but with a more modern interior. The intent was for a feeling of something that was established and timeless in character, but that had been updated a bit.”
The architect points to Wohlner as perfectly capturing the desired modern traditional vibe throughout the interiors, noting her acumen at using “color and patterns and texture that are a bit more modern, but in a way that’s still honest to the traditional style.”
Wohlner notes the house is “interesting, as it’s not a typical Arizona house in terms of design. It’s much more whimsical,” she explains, noting the client herself is “very whimsical. When I first met her, she had on pink shoes and turquoise sunglasses, and I knew exactly how I was going to do this house.” The client shared desires for an industrial, almost rustic feel, nothing overly formal. Throughout, the new home and its individual spaces bring in elements like antique and vintage finds, rich textures and a connecting palette of blues – inspired by those sunglasses – that bring history and warmth to the just over 6,000-square-foot home. And ceiling treatments in multiple areas, like decorative wood beams and wallcoverings, serve to bring a coziness to large-scale spaces. “I don’t love enormous homes,” the designer shares. “Wallpapering the ceilings brings them down and makes you feel like you’re kind of surrounded, almost womb-like. That connected feeling is so important in a bigger home.”…