How A Fresh Palette Breathed New Life Into This Arizona Abode

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present,” Sir Francis Bacon once said. It’s a concept readily apparent in this sprawling Paradise Valley home, where light-filled spaces sit in yin-yang harmony with their moodier counterparts, each made more striking by the presence of the other. “We wanted the day-to-day family spaces to feel bright and welcoming, then we dialed up the drama for the rooms that were reserved for entertaining and special occasions,” says designer Lauren Wallace, whose polished interiors prove what perennially perfect decorating partners black and white can be.

Employing a modern monochromatic palette was just one way Wallace—who worked with designer Brittany Swigart, now principal of Maeve Design Collective—brought the Spanish-style abode into this century. Typical of its era, the 1986 manse had an overly formal air and languished under the visual weight of too many Old World-inspired wood details. Still, the home offered a pleasing envelope for owners Daisy and Jon Tobias to raise their four young children. With over 13,000 square feet stretched across one level, there were long hallways for little feet to traverse and plenty of nooks to play hide-and-seek. Because it was “such a classic layout,” Wallace says, she kept the floor plan mostly intact but took the structure down to its framework with the help of her husband, general contractor Frank DiMaggio. 

Now fresh fenestration and steel-framed doors better connect the dwelling to its lush 2-acre setting, which features a Mediterranean plant palette shaped by landscape designer Kayla Sawada. Inside, new flooring varies from white oak to limestone, with flashes of marble and brick. Reconfiguring the kitchen and owners’ suite provided better flow and function, while the living and dining rooms kept their footprints. But Wallace is quick to point out that “even if a space stayed intact, it was gutted and redone cosmetically, so there’s very little left that’s original.” Perhaps what’s more fascinating is what remained in place: Instead of fighting the family and dining room’s elaborate coffered wood ceilings, she recast them as a feature, giving them a youthful tone-on-tone look thanks to coats of white and black paint, respectively. “Daisy and John wanted to keep the bones of the house but interpret them in a way that felt cool to them,” the designer explains.

With such palatial proportions, crafting a family home that would feel cozy and not cavernous proved a challenge. “It’s a large estate, so we wanted to make sure that the core felt comfortable,” Wallace says. Even the more formal living room, with its soaring ceiling, richly veined marble fireplace surround and arched steel doors, exudes an easygoing elegance, thanks to warm, woodsy accents and plump, marshmallow-y sofas. “While the scale is grand, it was important that they still feel like they can kick back and relax as a family,” she adds.

At the same time, the clients like to entertain, so company-ready spaces were a must. Wallace seized the opportunity to go bold, introducing edgier design schemes that would act as automatic conversation starters. Take the dining room’s dark-as-midnight Venetian plaster walls. “We knew it was going to be an evening space, and we wanted it to feel sexy,” she says. “Because it’s off the main hallway, it’s self-contained, so we could push the envelope with the drama.”

The designer expanded on that rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic in the bar area. A custom velvet banquette welcomes revelers under a neon sign that cheekily christens the space “The Bookclub,” an inside joke among the couple’s friends—though anyone who’s ever met under the guise of literary discourse while spending the evening drinking wine and chatting about everything but the book can surely appreciate the gesture. “The clients wanted to have fun with that space,” Wallace says. “They wanted it to be very lounge-y and have more of a hospitality vibe so you could feel transported every time you walk in there.” 

That the home manages to be many things at once—bright and cozy yet dark and sultry, kid-friendly yet sophisticated—speaks to Wallace’s talent not just for design but for really taking to heart the family’s creative brief and needs. “It’s about staying true to our clients and what resonates with them,” she reflects, “and giving them spaces that we feel confident will stand the test of time.”