Photos by Hudson Wright A wooden figure salvaged from a Santa Fe church fills a niche in the entry hall. Wood flooring throughout main living areas is hand-scraped hickory.

A new house meets the needs of an expanded family

The homes that cling to the rugged, rocky mountainsides in Phoenix may likely infuse a little fantasy into the everyday commutes of many. But for one family, moving out of their custom house on a hill was the dream. “We needed to come down off the mountain to more flat land,” says the lady of the house. “We needed more space together. We needed more room outdoors, and you just don’t get that on the mountain.”

When they built that mountainside house, the couple had two teenagers, and it suited them nicely. Then the family grew unexpectedly but happily when they adopted a nephew. “We wanted all the kids together, with more space for the older ones to hang out with their friends,” the wife says. Her husband, too, wanted a room of his own, a quiet area where he could set up his easel and paint away the stress of a demanding career. Frequent hosts to gatherings of family and friends, the couple also desired more parking space for guests, as well as more romping room for their dogs—three Rottweilers and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Once their mountainside home sold, the couple set off on their bikes to get up-close-and-personal with Phoenix neighborhoods and scope out houses on the market. “We had four weeks to find a house and move. We had to get serious,” they recall. One look at this spacious home on a perfectly flat lot, and they were sold.

“It was beautiful, and it had everything we were looking for,” the wife says. “The kitchen was the selling point of the house for me. And the breakfast patio. I absolutely love that patio. We use it all the time. It’s so European feeling.” A spec home, with architecture by Clay Scrivner and construction by JM Wall Development, it also had a game room for the kids, space for playing basketball and a large backyard.

With its red, gold and terra-cotta color palette, the formal living room sets the tone for the rest of the house. Designer Paula Den Boer chose silk for window coverings but opted for more family-friendly upholstery. The piano is an antique.

Since the couple sold their hilltop home fully furnished, one of the first people they called after moving was interior designer Paula Den Boer, whom they had worked with on their previous residence. “We only brought a handful of furniture from the old place,” recalls the lady of the house. “The new one looked like an art gallery before we called Paula. All we had were my husband’s paintings, some other artwork, a piano and a carved wooden bench.”

Den Boer stepped in and worked her magic with furniture, fabrics, window coverings and accessories gathered from across the country. “Their old house was Southwestern, rustic and very, very casual,” the designer says. “This one is decidedly Spanish, so I used more carving, more fringes, tassels and swirls.”

The homeowners gave Den Boer free rein, offering simple “yes, no, maybe” answers to suggestions she made. “We’re easy,” says the wife. “The only things I asked for specifically were high dining and kitchen tables because I’m tall, and it’s one of my pet peeves to not be able to cross my legs under my own table. And I asked Paula for kid-friendly fabrics. Everything has to be durable, with the kids and dogs.”

With the house fully furnished and enjoyed both indoors and out, the homeowners know they made the right choice in moving. “My husband still misses the views sometimes,” says the wife. “But for us, for the kids, for the dogs, this is the right home.”

Water from the “wet-edge” pool spills over into a hidden trough and recirculates. “It’s ideal for a flat lot where you can’t do a negative edge,” says builder Jon Wall of JM Wall Development. Behind the pool wall is a seating area with a fire pit flanked by firepots on tall columns.

A tassel hanging on a sofa corner lends a touch of formality in the family room, where everything is easy-care and casual. “Soft, rich chenille on the furniture is durable, but it’s also comfortable and luscious,” notes interior designer Paula Den Boer. The hand-carved cantera fireplace is one of eight in the home.

Terra-cotta tile floors and custom knotty alder cabinetry add Old World charm to the kitchen. The heavily carved range hood echoes the look of many of the home’s custom furnishings. A small raised fireplace warms the table area.

A tiered cantera fountain is situated in view of the kitchen. The patio beyond is a favorite of the family. “The home’s Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was inspired by the homes and palaces built in the arid region of Southern Spain,” explains architect Clay Scrivner. “Courtyards offered protection from the sun and provided security, giving the Spaniards a place to live and entertain. Our climate here is very similar and offers the same enjoyment . . . most of the time.”