Todd Andrews
The Guide: Scottsdale Arizona
March 1, 2007
Architects/Designers/Builders
Mediterranean, ranch and contemporary homes
rule in Scottsdale, but no matter what the style, the most important aspect for
homeowners is to have a design that allows them to move easily from indoors to
outdoors. “We can live outside if we do it right,” says Cathy Hayes of Hayes
Architecture/Interiors. Outdoor living rooms and sleeping rooms as well as
accents such as fire pits and pools with water features allow Scottsdale
homeowners to entertain on their terraces throughout the year.
Top: Vernon Swaback’s Skyfire home. Bottom: Another Swaback design. Photography by Dino Tonn Photography. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Vernon
Swaback (480.367.2100, www.swabackpartners.com). This Frank
Lloyd Wright apprentice is responsible for planning some of Scottsdale’s
most exclusive communities, including DC Ranch and Silverleaf. “My homes
celebrate the desert and the indoor/outdoor connection,” says Swaback,
whose firm’s mantra is “design never stops.”
Cathy Hayes (602.840.2553, www.hayesstudio.com). “There are a lot of
homes in town worth renovating,” says Cathy Hayes. Her architectural and design
firm specializes in custom homes of all styles, paying close attention to
historical accuracy. “I took my clients who wanted a Spanish Colonial to
Montecito and Santa Barbara and encouraged them to go to Spain.” She also urges
her clients to use green recycled materials.
Top: A condo by Cathy Hayes. Photograph by Christian Blok. Bottom: A Neal Jones residence in Estancia. Photograph by Tim Hursley. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Neal Jones (602.264.2941, www.jonesstudioinc.com). “The desert is
a harsh climate, so the building materials have to be durable—no wood or paint
because the sun will eat them up,” says Jones. He works with concrete block,
rusted metal and titanium zinc, but not stucco.“Stucco is fragile—it cracks
and it needs paint.” Rainwater harvesting is also important to Jones. “We try to design our roof structures to
collect rainwater so it can be stored for landscape irrigation.”
Craig
Wickersham (480.609.6766, www.craigwickersham.com). Specializing in
high-end custom homes, Wickersham caters to couples with diverging lifestyles.
“Bedroom design is based on their sleeping schedules, with a living room and two
adjoining retreats,” says Wickersham. Minikitchens are also big in the bedroom.
“In the morning they get up, push a button and start making espresso.” His most
current project is the clubhouse at the Sereno Canyon community.
Top: Inside the Silverleaf Country Club. Photograph by Steve Walker. Bottom: The library of an
11,000-square-foot Mediterranean home designed by Craig Wickersham. Photograph by Rick Brazil. (Click images to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Don Ziebell
(480.443.4904, www.ozarchitects.com).
Known for incorporating antique building materials to help give a property a
sense of place, Ziebell designed some of Scottsdale’s most notable resorts,
including the Royal Palms and the clubhouses at Silverleaf and Superstition
Mountain.
Camelot Homes (480.367.4300, www.camelothomes.com). This family-run
business has a 35-year history of building high-end homes in Scottsdale. Current
projects include homes at the Verandah at Silverleaf and the Villas at Desert
Camp.
Monogram Builders (480.513.9600,www.themonogramcompanies.com). Founders and
native Arizonans Don Allison, Russ Hermann and Dan Hellman created Scottsdale’s
Turquesa Equestrian Estates. The company specializes in developing and building
infill residential communities.
advertisement
