Oz Architects Dreams Up A Modern, Collected Arizona Home

Perhaps a bit of magic was to be expected at the foot of Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. Formed millions of years ago, what setting could be a more entrancing backdrop for a life well lived? It was in these foothills that clients Gerri Summerville and Jeff Siegel decided to build their new home. Though the pair had experience in restoring old houses—she is an interior and furnishing designer; he manages the construction of large event venues—this new residence would mark their first ground-up endeavor together. The resulting dwelling embodies their shared love of architecture, design and—of course, given the grandeur of the site—the land itself.

The two initially envisioned a home with steel windows and wide-plank floors, plus a guest casita and garage nestled into sensitively landscaped surroundings. But to cloak all this in their preferred handmade modern style was a heavy lift in their golf community, where historically resonant Tuscan and Spanish Revival-influenced structures were the rule. The eureka moment, says architect Don Ziebell, came when “We found an image in Janet Ann Stewart’s Arizona Ranch Houses: Southern Territorial Styles, 1867-1900 of a cluster of small buildings with very contemporary geometric forms connected by covered outdoor porches and walkways.” This ranch-inspired dwelling—“historically based, but a very modern representation,” notes Ziebell, who worked with architect Zahir Poonawala and interior designer Inga L. Rehmann—recaptures the territorial era in materials such as copper, Texas limestone, board-formed concrete and stucco. Each one reveals their maker’s hands and patinates beautifully in the harsh climate.

Along a steeply sloping site, the house unfolds dynamically, with furnished courtyards and intimate garden areas linking inside and out. The entry courtyard hints at what’s to come with its inviting seating, reflecting pool and an equine mural backdrop. An early find, Gerri had the mural printed on a blue metallic ground, which, she says, “reflects the setting sun spectacularly.”

Inside, the handmade modern approach continues, making direct reference to the desert. Throughout, board-formed concrete walls tinted to mimic the coloration of traditional adobe meet walls finished in a hand-applied clay plaster, which the team loved for its “chalky character that absorbs and gentles the light,” Ziebell notes. These subtly energized surfaces set the scene for saturated hues inspired by watercolors Gerri painted on a boat tour of a local reservoir. “Everyone thinks the desert is brown,” she says, “but it has the most exquisite jewel tones.” Such rich colors make an appearance in the dining room, where amethyst-upholstered chairs are joined by a cream rug with inky blue swirls.

Bold color also draws the eye in the kitchen, with its orange Italian range—a hue that “reminded me of the desert lichen,” Gerri notes. The surrounding blackened-steel cabinets, stainless steel counters, reclaimed fir beams and open oak shelving “capture a good sense of the modern combined with the handmade,” Rehmann adds. That mix is further punctuated by the island, which Gerri crafted with wood salvaged from an 1860s Minnesota barn.

Wood goes from an accent piece to a co-star in the primary bathroom, with teak featuring on the concrete-topped vanity, Japanese soaking tub and outdoor shower. From the tub, “The two pool areas are within view,” Rehmann says. This Zen atmosphere continues in the casita’s white oak paneled sleeping niche enclosed by a hand-painted sheer. “It’s Japanese tradition to do these all-clad sleeping units,” the designer explains. “They create this sense of serenity because there are no competing materials.”

The covered poolside porch incorporates what may be the collaboration’s pièce de résistance: a series of pivoting perforated steel panels that screen the street and dampen the winds. To finesse the details, Gerri built a model with a cutout wave pattern, which Poonawala then pixelated for the final version. The space overlooks grounds by landscape designer Charlie Ray, who created a cohesive narrative for the property while establishing distinct atmospheres in the courtyards and gardens. “We strive to work with what I call an ‘elevated’ native plant palette, utilizing our extensive Sonoran Desert species while also curating water-wise plantings from other desert regions that are adapted to our climate,” Ray explains.

Thanks to all involved, the finished residence is worthy of its almost supernatural setting, inside and out—and is a completely immersive world of its own. “I love that the house doesn’t reveal itself all at once,” Gerri says. “You have to experience each of the spaces.”