Architectural Artistry: The Symingtons’ Trailhead

Western Art & Architecture, June/July 2017

The Symington family of Paradise Valley envisioned their home as a celebration of their passions, heirlooms and artworks and a life shared with family and friends: It is their “Trailhead.” Designed by Arizona’s Gerry Jones, a master of residential desert architecture, the 10,380-square-foot-liveable home was completed in June 2014 by Scottsdale’s La Casa Builders. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom three-level comprises four main-floor ensuite bedrooms; a second-floor master bedroom and its Japanese-inspired bathroom; and a wine cellar in the spirit of Old Portugal. Above the Moroccan-themed pool house is an upper-level view patio with a seating area and a fire pit, offering views of Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain, the McDowells and the Superstitions. “This home is a model of elegance and superlative craftsmanship,” says former La Casa partner, Ron Steege. “Its coordination of architectural artistry and art is simply extraordinary.”

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The Herbergers’ Points of View

Sophisticated Living, March/April 2015

A sky island, the 8,000-plus 8,000-plus square-foot Scottsdale Waterfront residence for long-time Valleyites, Judd and Billie Jo Herberger, celebrates the couple’s diverse passions: for Arizona, travel, for the arts and beauty. The couple’s Los Angeles-based interior designer, Bonnie Sachs, ASID, helped, and continues to unite the three individual units into one. Among the unique joys is a dining room with a ceiling evocative of the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Not only do the Herbergers enjoy the building’s luxurious amenities, such as the rooftop pool and a first-floor club room, but they have found downtown Scottsdale convenient for restaurants, boutiques and events. “We love all the colors, textures, the art, beauty and creative energy that we are surrounded with every day,” Billie Jo says.

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The Power of Light

Western Art & Architecture, Fall 2013

Light, and full of light: This Contemporary home in Desert Mountain, the luxury north Scottsdale golf community, expresses clarity of design, sensitive site integration for views and privacy as well as effective materials coordination. Completed in 2009 by Andy Byrnes, AIA, Construction Zone, Phoenix, and designed two years before by Ted Flato, FAIA, Lake|Flato, San Antonio, the one-level includes a master bedroom; two casita suites; a two-car garage; an open kitchen/family room; and an adjacent living/dining area. Says Flato: “Wherever we go as a firm, we connect a home with the climate and the weather, taking advantage of what an area has to offer. In the Arizona desert, sun and desert are always conspiring for your attention — and this home showcases their remarkable power.”

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Touchdown Touches

Arizona Foothills, August 2013

This Contemporary Paradise Valley estate was owned by former Arizona Cardinals star quarterback, Kurt Warner, a future National Football League Hall of Famer, and, before him, Sandy Alomar Jr., a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Designed by Edward Chavez, the 11,300 square-foot showplace blends a modern style with a stylish entertaining layout, characterized inside and outside by engaging asymmetries, angles, curves and vari-shaped windows. At the base of Valley landmark, Mummy Mountain, the two-level home features four bedrooms, four garage bays and a theater. In the back is a 62-foot-long lap pool, a water feature, spa and separate casita. Touchdown!

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Hacienda de Primavera

Scottsdale Living, Spring 2013

The owners call their desert mountainside home “Hacienda del Sueño” (“Dream Home”), but the moniker could also be “Home of Spring” — “Hacienda de Primavera.” Built by Scottsdale’s La Casa Builders, the 7,248-square-foot Modern Hacienda eloquently expresses the owners’ vision, flexing for a multi-faceted lifestyle that finds them as much outside as in — particularly in spring, when the desert effloresces before it sizzles. The three-bedroom one-story, plus single-bedroom semi-attached casita, is meticulously sited in north Phoenix on a one-acre triangular lot, delivering imposing southside views of Camelback Mountain. The owners, for sure, joy in their home: “It makes it easy to have sweet dreams,” the wife says.

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