Explore The Southwestern Nouveau Aesthetic At This Phoenix Shop

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Seating vignette in store with orange sofas, hanging rugs and blue lamp.

PHOTO BY SARAH RHODES, THE FOUND HOUSE

In many ways, The Found House actually found its owner, Sarah Rhodes. Rhodes had started off flipping houses before parleying that work into an interior design company. Then the pandemic struck. “It was a bad breakup that I didn’t want to happen,” she says with characteristic candor. Her company was shuttered, and Rhodes found herself with a lot of leftover inventory and not a lot of direction. Fast forward to April 2021 when she stumbled upon the perfect space for a shop to hold all those products at 7th and Highland Avenues in Phoenix. Today, The Found House purveys furnishings, art and accessories that adhere to what Rhodes describes as a Southwestern Nouveau aesthetic. It’s a little bit modern, a little bit retro and a little bit desert, with lots of vintage rugs thrown in for good measure.

Tell us about your shop’s location in the Melrose District. The building itself has tons of natural light, and I love my neighbors. The Melrose area is so welcoming and wonderful. 

Do you have a favorite object in your store right now? There’s an old runner in rust, brown and black that’s kind of minimalistic as far as Turkish rugs go. No one’s looked at it to buy, and I’m OK with that. I’ve never seen another one like it.

What about the desert makes it friendly to a variety of styles? We have these elements in nature that contrast, like soft grass and cactus. They don’t seem like they should go together well, but they do. In design, that sets the tone for the idea that there’s room for everyone at the table.

If you could offer one piece of design advice to our readers, what would it be? I would encourage people to stop looking at trends and think about what they really like. Challenge yourself to mix it up.