Montecito, California, is about 500 miles from this parcel in Fountain Hills, Arizona. But emotionally? It might as well be next door. “The house started as a Santa Barbara-style home with subtle Spanish Colonial influences,” recalls John Schmelzel, the senior designer for NoMad Design, who was enlisted by the homeowners on their new build overlooking Sawick Mountain, with architecture by Scott Carson of Cosan Studio. “And then it evolved into a modern Mediterranean home with Belgian influences that you would find in the hillside of Montecito.”
The vernacular of Montecito has a European precedent; it feels collected over years (no quick-hit installs) and is shaped by light and craftsmanship meant to endure, which suits desert living perfectly. “We love when you drive up to the house. The architecture reminds us of a little village,” says one of the homeowners.
Perhaps most importantly, this couple—who winter here from Canada and sought a larger estate to host their grown children and grandchildren—were willing to let the house tell them what it wanted to become. “The clients’ openness and familiarity with the design process allowed for us to push the boundaries and create a home that is uniquely theirs and reflective of their lifestyle,” Schmelzel says. A consistent use of materials—wire-brushed rift-sawn oak, gilt detailing and wrought iron—creates a rhythm that unites the rooms. “We tried to incorporate unique finishes in each area of the house, so it was cohesive,” the designer explains. Earthy fabrics, including linen and hemp, appear throughout, their nubby textures reinforcing the kind of European undertone that, in the States, Montecito has beautifully emulated. The architecture “captures the quiet romance and enduring simplicity of hillside estates in southern France and Italy,” Carson says. Many of the exterior materials they chose—from the hand-laid stone to clay roof tiles—allow the home “to feel as though it has quietly belonged to the hillside for generations,” he adds.
Home Details
Architecture:
Scott Carson, Cosan Studio
Interior Design:
John Schmelzel and Kinga Felker, NoMad Design
Home Builder:
Anthony Rotta and Mitchell Rotta, Golden Heritage Homes
Landscape Architecture:
Harrison Hoffman and Stella Dzudza, Roots First
Certain choices were essential for creating an Old-World-in-the-New-World feel. Marmorino plaster walls and ceilings by Saguaro Interior Finishes wrap the main living spaces and primary suite in mineral-rich depth and “add so much softness,” the designer says. “I love that the warmth of the texture envelops you.” Reclaimed beams span ceilings rising to 16 feet above tumbled limestone floors, all lending the house the quiet gravitas of something older—another Montecito hallmark, where new construction often masquerades convincingly as something storied. “Golden Heritage kept us involved and informed every step of the way,” says the wife. “They were a pleasure to work with.”
The home’s dramatic views are meant to sing, so inside, color was handled with restraint. “The palette is drawn from the natural environment,” Schmelzel says. “Any of the colors that were introduced in the interiors were influenced by the surrounding desert habitat.”
Antiques and found objects with Mediterranean and Belgian influences complete the narrative. “It was creatively challenging in that we were combining old and new, and clean-lined pieces with more traditional pieces,” says Schmelzel. “So it was an exercise in restraint.” There are both reproductions and found pieces with decades or even centuries of patina, including a Willy Guhl planter in the kitchen and a carved Italian gilt chair in the primary bedroom, their surfaces timeworn. Above all, this house knows how to live. As one of the homeowners relates: “We had some of our kids and grandkids come stay with us this winter, and we loved the sound of the house filled with laughter and chatter, cooking meals together and kids swimming in the pool. It was heaven.”
In the primary bedroom, a Minton-Spidell chandelier has a romantic, Old World silhouette, as if imported from a European château. The chair is by Jasper Furniture, purchased at John Brooks; tailored satin-weave Mokum window treatments, also from John Brooks, soften the light.
French Art Deco–inspired wrought iron stools by Design Frères via 1stdibs are tucked under a weathered oak console by Gregorius Pineo purchased at Kneedler Fauchère.
Climbing the stair risers in this secondary foyer is hand-painted terracotta tile by Ticsa, purchased at Craftsman Court Ceramics—a counterpoint to the whitewashed reeded pedestal table by Palecek. The art piece is a reproduction of Espera by Paul Meyer.
The living room channels the classic symmetry of a European estate with a facing pair of Italian linen sofas from A. Rudin and seagrass rope–wrapped chairs from Formations. The coffee table is from Lily’s Living, and the chandeliers are by Paul Ferrante, acquired at John Brooks.
Custom-stitched leather shades by Paul Ferrante draw eyes toward the high ceilings in the kitchen. “The client wanted very large, dramatic hanging fixtures there,” recalls designer John Schmelzel. The countertops are Taj Mahal quartzite from MSI Surfaces; the island, made by Distinctive Custom Cabinetry, is cerused, wire-brushed white oak.
In the primary bedroom, a Minton-Spidell chandelier has a romantic, Old World silhouette, as if imported from a European château. The chair is by Jasper Furniture, purchased at John Brooks; tailored satin-weave Mokum window treatments, also from John Brooks, soften the light.
Wide-planked European white oak floors from Studio Ressource ground the primary bath. The soaking tub and burnished nickel tub filler were purchased at Studio41 Home Design Showroom.
Custom Daisy Deco cement pavers from Arto lend an age-old look to the pool, as do the iron-framed chaise lounges from RH. The side table, with a waterfall edge and plaster finish, is also by RH and completes the scene with sculptural simplicity.
Outside, native plantings by Roots First, such as San Pedro cactus, blue yucca and creosote, suit the locale.