Ventana House rises from the sloping Sonoran Desert terrain, its forms grounded, sculpted, and elemental. Walls of textured material and deep apertures frame the landscape, mediating between exposure and refuge, allowing the desert to be experienced as a composed and measured extension of the architecture. Light, shadow, and space are orchestrated to reveal the environment slowly, with a sense of discovery around every corner.
Designed by the renowned architectural firm HK Associates, the residence reflects the studio's disciplined approach to materiality, light, and form. The home has been featured in numerous international architectural publications, including Wallpaper Magazine, ArchDaily, dezeen, among others, underscoring its significance within contemporary desert modernism.
The home unfolds as a sequence of calm, luminous spaces defined by precision and restraint. A double height entry gallery is washed in filtered daylight, while a perforated steel bridge introduces a moment of suspension before arriving at the primary living areas. Materiality throughout is refined and intentional. Plank hardwood floors extend beneath the matching wood ceilings, creating a cohesive warmth that contrasts with smooth painted walls and crisp white millwork. Mechanical elements, ventilation grilles, and lighting are recessed and aligned to preserve visual quiet.The upper level accommodates the great room, a dedicated office, the primary suite, and a secondary suite, while terraces extend outward through expansive recessed glazing, softening transitions without overstating the connection. Living and dining spaces are situated beneath a sloped wood ceiling clad in wide plank boards that echo the contours of the foothills beyond. Integrated linear lighting and recessed fixtures are set flush within the ceiling plane, reinforcing continuity while modulating light throughout the day.Kitchen and baths are articulated with slab front millwork, concealed hardware, and integrated monolithic surface countertops with precision edges and minimal shadow line reveals. In the primary bath, ribbed wall tile, large format flooring, frameless glass, and integrated surface vanities create a spa-like environment defined by texture and clarity.The lower level is equally considered, housing an oversized three car garage, gym, office, den, laundry, and a third ensuite bedroom, each space composed to support both function and flow. Throughout, detailing is exacting, with tight tolerances and an emphasis on proportion and alignment.Set within the guard gated enclave of Ventana Country Club, the home is complemented by access to world class club amenities and a network of nearby hiking trails that trace the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. These surroundings provide a natural counterpoint to the architecture without competing for attention, reinforcing a lifestyle that values both leisure and quiet immersion.Ventana House is a modern desert retreat defined by clarity, restraint, and enduring craftsmanship - a residence where material integrity and architectural precision take precedence, allowing the landscape to be present, measured, and timeless.
Ventana House rises from the sloping Sonoran Desert terrain, its forms grounded, sculpted, and elemental. Walls of textured material and deep apertures frame the landscape, mediating between exposure and refuge, allowing the desert to be experienced as a composed and measured extension of the arc...
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Randi Mahar
Mel Bernstein
