This beautiful home by Oz Architects is set in the Arizona desert in the United States. There are so many elements that really appeal to me, but the most appealing is that the house looks as though it would be a lovely cool and inviting space in which to take refuge from the hot desert days. It also blends so perfectly into its desert environment ... if the lights weren't on, you would hardly notice it.
I can relate to this environment as I grew up in a semi-desert area of South Africa called the Karoo. It has a very unique beauty and a home like this would have been perfect. My parents home was very different to this... a Cape Dutch style house full of Persian carpets and dark wood English antique furniture. It was beautiful, but perhaps not the best fit for the environment. The photo below is of the Karoo in South Africa.... very similar to the desert setting above.
..... and this is my childhood home.... see what I mean.
But... I digress .... back to the Arizona home...I love the muted colour scheme, the spaciousness, the beautiful rustic ceiling beams, the flagstone floors, I could go on and on.
Stone interior walls feature regularly, the perfect material to keep a home cool.
The plants look like they are all water-wise choices and there is no lawn to be seen - perfect for a desert setting.
One of the reasons why I find this home so appealing is because, as much as it suits its Arizona setting, it would look equally at home in the Provincal countryside and I'm a complete sucker for anything French.
I wonder how you feel about living in the desert? I think I could if it was in a home like this.
Till next time
Sharon x
Source: http://www.ozarchitects.com/2011/12/12/private-residence-at-silverleaf-scottsdale-arizona-2/
What an amazing, stunning home! It looks like it belongs in Tuscany or some other part of Europe, but it also fits in its Arizona desert setting as well. I lived in the desert six years (Las Vegas) there were parts that were beautiful, but I was glad when we moved away. I missed trees and green! I love your childhood home. Such a gorgeous architectural style!
ReplyDeleteI, too, dislike the terrain so much. But, the house is beautiful. It would be beautiful anywhere as Lisa said. I live in Houston, Texas, where it's HOT in summer, but our landscape is lush and green in these parts. As we go father West toward New Mexico it becomes the high desert, like Arizone. Not too populated out there. I think the people in Arizone live there during winter. They don't even like it in summer, kind of like Palm Springs, California. Beautiful post, Sharon. xx's
ReplyDeletei am reading this and thinking "i could never live in the desert", as i carried on i began to think "for this house i could live i the desert"
ReplyDeleteWOW, amazing inside and out with a real southern european ambiance
i too love your childhood home, so charming sharon!
xx
debra
Whoa Sharon..what a magnificent home! LOVE it...all the rich neutral texture is a feast for the sense....stunning!
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a home built by them...they are so talented!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in southern Ca, I spent lots of time in Arizona and Palm Springs ..hot,hot,hot and I don't think I could live there. The folks that maintain a residence there all seem to manage by staying indoors in the heat of the summer and living in homes with a similar sprawling appearance. The stone is a great idea because it probably works to keep the cool in. The soft colors and textures look beautiful against the stone. Love the beams and floor! It's fun the see the photo of the home you grew up in Sharon. Sounds like it was a beautiful home as well:) Have a wonderful week ahead! xxleslie
ReplyDeleteI love every inch of this home! Absolutely breathtaking and so fitting for the setting!
ReplyDeleteThe house is absolutely beautiful but I have to admit, I ADORE your childhood home. Being from the States it's a breath of fresh air to see such beautiful and original architecture with such character! Thanks for sharing! Susan N.
ReplyDeleteThe house is absolutely beautiful but I have to admit, I ADORE your childhood home. Being from the States it's a breath of fresh air to see such beautiful and original architecture with such character! Thanks for sharing! Susan N.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I visited Sedona area in Arizona and a lot of the homes and landscape was just like that. It was hot, but not humid like here in Texas.
ReplyDeleteSharon,
ReplyDeleteWhile this house is truly spectacular and I love so many of the architectural details indoors and out, I could not live in the desert. My folks retired to a very HOT area outside of Phoenix and I did not care for the climate at all. I can see the beauty in photographs of the sky and sand, just don't make me live there. I think I'd be most comfortable in your parents house with the Persian rugs and English furniture. :D
Karen
I think to can't live in a desert ... also if this is the house.
ReplyDeleteI prefer other type of green, but your pictures are really amazing, the house is beautiful but too fake, in the sense that its not typical of the place, is like you put a skyscraper in Provence.
These style of houses in France or in Tuscany are totally different. I like but I prefer to see houses that belong to the place where they are.
J'adore your parents house, more typical and transmits heat.
Bisou, Babi
Beautiful home and of course love the plastered walls!!xo leslie
ReplyDeleteMy brother and sister-in-law live in Palm Springs and they are boiling right now! But it is gorgeous in the winter.
ReplyDeletei really like the place and it's wooden ceilings
ReplyDeleteWow Sharon.This is my dream home .Have a plot in Prince Albert.You have confirmed my vision of the house I'd like to build on the plot.Thank you for sharing!
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