Desert House

Sante Fe, NM

Set in a hillside outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Desert House feels like a modern hacienda composed of a series of courts and pavilions nestled into the desert terrain. Designed around the owner's extensive art collection, the house sought to provide a carefully tailored and controlled display space for art, while also capturing the surrounding powerful mountain views. The raw simplicity of rusted metal, concrete and stucco forms feels timeless in the desert environment.

There is a clear contrast between materials. In this case, heavy masonry walls are juxtaposed with the weightlessness and light created by expanses of glass throughout the home and with rusted corrugated metal roofs and generous overhangs. Direct sunlight is controlled to protect the homeowner's extensive contemporary art collection while maintaining a sense of connection with the surrounding terrain and sky.

Gussie Fauntleroy

Contributor, Trend Magazine