Portrait by David Fenton

A talented architect who listens well, Daniel Eastburn designs homes that delight the mind, respect the purse, and consume the intellect. He depends as much on good business sense as on his personal design innovations, creating inviting environments that reflect the unique personalities of his clients.

“My job is really to get into how people live—there’s almost a psychology to it,” says the mild-mannered 51-year-old. “An architect becomes a personal friend—someone who gets in the middle of your life to find out what makes you tick. There has to be chemistry.”

The son of a minister, Eastburn grew up in Texas. He mowed lawns as a teen and fondly remembers clients who were architects. Mesmerized by their work, he went on to graduate from Texas Tech University’s College of Architecture. He honed his design skills in New Mexico and California before launching his own firm, Design Barbarians Architects, and settling in Arizona.

“Design Barbarians got its start in L.A., with three of us moonlighting,” Eastburn says. “We’d meet at this bar that had great Happy Hour food and long tables that were perfect for laying out our plans. And, of course, there were some cocktails involved.”

Eastburn works primarily in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, Ariz., creating luxury homes for discriminating clients. This Master of the Southwest also is architect for the Phoenix Home & Garden Idea House at Talking Rock in Prescott, to be unveiled later this year. His homes exhibit a craftsmanlike quality of construction, with fine attention to detail and a sensitive handling of space, light and form.

The architect says the ideas for his projects are largely derived from a client’s lifestyle. “I take ‘impressions’ of the people we design for—what their needs are, desires and goals—and base the design in a root style, such as Santa Fe, Tuscan, Old World or Contemporary,” he explains. “I add the Arizona/Southwest ‘impression’ of that style, using geometry driven by the site layout and views, finally resulting in Southwest Impressionism.”

Confident yet humble, Eastburn is quick to acknowledge the talents of his staff. “Some people have a preconceived idea that architects are arrogant prima donnas, but my goal has always been to put people at ease. I don’t know how to get things done without being a barbarian and working in the ditch with the regular guys,” he comments. “There’s a time to dress up and look nice, and I can play that role, too; but if you’re accessible to the building team, they’re more likely to make your project the best it can be.”

Despite 12-hour days that often begin at 4:30 a.m., Eastburn finds time to pursue his passion for music. “It’s cheap therapy,” he says with a laugh, adding that his band often plays at clients’ housewarming parties. “Music takes me somewhere else and allows me to relax. I find architecture is a lot like writing songs, too. I start out with a small sketch and let the geometry play off each other—just like in a song, where you write the chorus or a verse and it all supports each other.

“My main goal has always been to keep everyone happy, no matter what it cost me,” he adds. “And sometimes, it’s cost me dearly. But there is such incredible satisfaction. When we finish a project and we’re all friends and we’re all proud, that’s the best reward there is.”

Photo by Michael Woodall Architect Daniel Eastburn combines a groin-vaulted brick ceiling with a stone wall to create a Tuscan feel in a Scottsdale residence.

Photo by Michael Woodall Sculptural corbels of his own design are showcased here, along with pine latillas, fir beams, clerestory windows and an asymmetrical fireplace, also of the architect’s design.