States of Style: Arizona's Grand Appeal

The Houzz series States of Style puts a spotlight on the design elements of individual U.S. states and the influences that make homes there unique.

Arizona, the 48th and last contiguous state admitted to the Union, has a long history of individual spirit and substance. Its natural features are a mix of beauty and brutality, from the breathtaking sunsets to the rugged terrain. Its style is both a reflection of and reaction to the environment, which has drawn the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright in creating modern marvels that pay homage to the state’s boundless character.

Arizona at a Glance

Statehood: 1912
Capital: Phoenix
Population: 6.73 million
Nicknames: “The Copper State” and “The Grand Canyon State”

State flower: The saguaro cactus, seen above at sunset in Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, is native to Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Its blossom was designated the state flower in 1931.


State mineral: Arizona is the leading copper-producing state in the U.S., accounting for 60% of the country’s copper production. Spanish explorers first discovered copper, but because it was considered much less valuable than gold and silver, it was largely ignored for centuries. It wasn’t until the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1800s that copper became widely mined and shipped.

Today, Arizona’s state mineral is used in a multitude of products. All U.S. coins are now made from copper alloys. Due to its ability to conduct heat and electricity, copper is the main metal used in electrical wiring and motors. It’s also a prized material for cookware.


State fossil: Arizona has three national parks, the most famous being Grand Canyon National Park. The lesser-known Petrified Forest National Park covers 146 square miles in northeastern Arizona, and its petrified wood fossils have helped inspire numerous furniture designers and other artisans. The fallen fossilized trees of the forest date to the Late Triassic period, about 225 million years ago. Today, Arizona’s state fossil is a popular material for furniture because of its strength, durability and beauty.

Petrified wood table: custom, Mel McDaniel Design

Browse a collection of great petrified wood furniture


State gemstone: Turquoise, considered one of the oldest gemstones, is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral. Since 200 B.C., Southwestern Native Americans and many of the Indian tribes in Mexico have used the stone in making beads, carvings and inlaid mosaics.

The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of turquoise, with a majority of the finest-quality stones coming from the Southwest. Arizona designated the blue beauty its official gemstone in 1974.


Architectural Icons

Listed as a National Historic Landmark, Mission San Xavier del Bac in Tucson was founded as a Roman Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current mission began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.

The Baroque-style edifice, the oldest intact European structure in the state, is made of low-fire clay brick, stone and lime mortar and roofed entirely with masonry vaults, making it unique among Spanish Colonial buildings in the United States.


Mission San Xavier del Bac’s’s interior is filled with original statuary and murals. Though little is known about the people who decorated it, it’s believed that the artwork and sculptures were created by artists from New Spain (now Mexico) and then carried by donkey to the mission.


The Arizona Biltmore hotel was built in 1929 by Albert Chase McArthur, a former student of Frank Lloyd Wright, who collaborated on the project. It was constructed entirely of pre-cast blocks, known as Biltmore Blocks, which were made on-site from desert sand in 34 patterns inspired by the trunk of a palm tree. The resort, which encompasses 39 acres of gardens and pools, has played host to numerous celebrities and presidents.


Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps tired at age 70 of enduring the harsh winters at Taliesin, his home and studio in Wisconsin, purchased 160 acres in Scottsdale in 1938 to create a winter home and studio. Inspired by the Southwestern landscape, he sought a “nobly simple” architecture for Taliesin West.

Taliesin West expanded over the years to include studio, residential, dining and performance spaces, all of which served the the Fellowship, the community of architects that apprenticed under Wright.


The living room at Taliesin West features a low roofline and built-in seating, staples of Wright’s architecture.


A dining area in a corner of the Taliesin West living room includes a table with a cutout that allows for a plant to grow.


Arizona Homes on Houzz

Over the last few years, Houzz has featured many homes in Arizona. Here’s a collection of some of our favorites, along with quotes from some of the state’s interior designers, architects and landscape designers describing their take on Arizona style.

1. Jerry and Desi Winter initially reached out to Ibarra Rosano Design Architects to design a spa-like master bathroom for their 3,500-square-foot house in Tucson, but the project quickly ballooned into something much larger.

The architects made selective cuts to open up the interior and created a cohesive wrapper for the exterior composed of stucco over brick and slatted stainless steel bars.


The living area, which used to be divided by a fireplace, is now one open space that includes contemporary furniture, a grand piano and breathtaking views of the surrounding desert.


A former kidney-shaped pool that awkwardly pressed up against the house is now a lap pool with plenty of space for guests. The outdoor fireplace is a strong draw and a natural gathering spot on chilly nights.

Floating concrete planks form a bridge that connects one side of the backyard to the other. The tile wall at the end of the pool is a great way to enclose the area and frame the stunning views.

View the entire house here

“Outdoor living is what Arizona is all about. From enjoying our swimming pools and outdoor patios in the summer to enjoying cool winter nights by our fireplaces, we know how to live life outdoors.” — Chris Griffin, Unique Landscapes and Custom Pools


2. This striking pavilion of glass and steel emerges from the desert landscape, making the most of the views and light while protecting the homeowners from the blazing sun. The house, in Desert Mountain, was designed by Lake Flato Architects, which used large panels of glass, inviting outdoor living spaces and a system of overhangs and shades that shield the interior from the sun.


The house easily transforms into an open-air pavilion. Large custom pivot doors have a minimalist aesthetic. When they’re closed, the line between inside and out is difficult to see; when they’re open, the line disappears.

The open-air feel continues throughout the interior. Walls float, with spaces left open above and below. This strategy lends proportion and division to the spaces, while light and air circulate from one room to the next.

“Arizona style comes from its harsh environment and embraces the desert’s raw honesty. Sun, shade and dynamic simplicity create clean, powerful forms with organic details.” — Calvin and Claire Costello, The Ranch Mine


Lofty ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass provide soaring views of the landscape from almost everywhere inside the home. The furniture and walls point your eye toward the outside; this shot looks almost like a one-point-perspective drawing with a distant cactus as the center point.

Tour the rest of the house here


3. Inspired by her love of Bauhaus design and couture clothing styles from the 1940s, interior designer Jamie Herzlinger designed her home to combine these two very different styles. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Camelback Mountain foothills, the home was created as a family oasis.

Herzlinger designed a large, open kitchen using white Calacatta Luna marble for the counters and a durable Lagos Azul limestone for the floors. A dark wenge wood with a walnut stain was used for the rich and glossy cabinetry.


This simple but luxurious breakfast nook is the perfect setting for the family. Herzlinger surrounded the table with chairs and a sofa in lieu of chairs alone. The space is full of light in the morning, with a chandelier providing the glow in the evening.

Table: Holly Hunt; chairs: Michael Taylor; sofa: Ebanista; chandelier: Marian Jamieson

Modernize Your Chandelier With a Shade


A velvety chaise and chair from Donghia’s Geneva collection sit just inside from Herzlinger’s retro-style pool. A perfect view of the Camelback Mountain foothills is visible in the distance.

Explore the entire house here

“Arizona style is modern, relaxed, richly textured and incorporates indoor/outdoor living.” — Susan Hersker, Design Directives, LLC


4. Dave Frazee of Broken Arrow Workshop designed this structure in Scottsdale when he was a graduate student at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Most desert shelters that Taliesin students build for themselves are temporary; this one is permanent and still serves students.


In this view, the shelter appears like a house in miniature. The yard is defined by side walls, the large glazed wall capturing views and the solid service core anchoring one side.

“Arizona style is embodied by strategies that blur the lines from indoor to out and materials that are enduring in our harsh climate, suh as concrete, stone, steel and glass.” — Kirk Bianchi, Bianchi Design


In the bedroom, the shelf can be used to hold books, but candles at night are more important since the shelter is off the grid.

The wood-frame walls and ceiling are finished in a plaster that gives the interior a cave-like appearance.

View more images from this project here


5. About 30 miles north of Phoenix is the Pond House, a 1,775-square-foot weekend house designed by Will Bruder, an architect who trained under Paolo Soleri (famous for devoting much of his life to realizing the experimental desert town of Arcosanti). Perched above part of Cave Creek, the Pond House is skillfully integrated into the landscape.


The home’s living area includes a flagstone wall, polished concrete floors and a collection of modern furniture situated to make the most of the lovely outlooks throughout the home.


At the break in the curved Cor-Ten site wall, a water feature rises from the patio. Water flows over the concrete walls of the fountain to descend toward the house’s entry.

In this photo, the descent to the entrance is clear, as is the way in which the stones follow the angle of the wall, something Bruder says gives “a sense of mythical ruins of past cultures.”

Explore the entire Pond House here

More:
States of Style: Alabama’s Icons Leave Their Mark
States of Style: The Alaskan Frontier

URL: States of Style: Arizona's Grand Appeal http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26388.html