Photo by Werner Segarra

Two hallways—one that’s circular, one that’s straight—meet up in the best of ways, thanks to clever decorating ideas.

First, the rotunda ceiling was given the Southwest/Spanish Colonial appeal that New Jersey transplant and interior designer Dian Weisman desired for her family’s north Scottsdale home. A fool-the-eye delight, the ceiling adornment appears to be heavy ironwork, but it is lightweight resin, she says.

Tired of cold Eastern winters and gray skies, Weisman wanted to bring the feeling and mood of the sun-splashed desert inside. The warm, golden hue of faux-treated walls in the two converging halls was the first step. An arched mural by artist Thomas Riker depicting the desert and blue sky was the next. “I wanted it to look like a window to the outside,” explains Weisman.

While he was at it, Riker used some trompe l’oeil magic to add two more “legs” (painted on the wall) to extend the width of a real metal table placed beneath the “window.”

GETTING THE LOOK:
1. Round resin ornamental ceiling piece resembling ironwork 
2. Faux-finished walls 
3. Windowlike desert mural 
4. Metal table with trompe l’oeil legs