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Homepage / Architecture  / Two Condos Become One Beautiful, Functional Space on the Scottsdale Waterfront

Two Condos Become One Beautiful, Functional Space on the Scottsdale Waterfront

Adjacent individual high-rise condominiums become one harmonious home.

By Nora Burba Trulsson | Photography by Kevin Brost

It was all going swimmingly when a couple asked interior designer Kimberly Alonzo to update an upper-floor condo they had recently purchased at the Scottsdale Waterfront. “Our mindset was modern,” says Alonzo of the plan to refresh a dark, woodsy interior that had been in keeping with the building’s traditional aesthetic. “We wanted warm, caramel colors and a soft, approachable look.”

The project was already well underway when an opportunity arose—the condo next door went on the market. It was the chance for the owners, who were downsizing from a single-family residence, to nearly double their square footage. “It seemed crazy, but we decided to go for it,” explains the wife. “It let us do a larger office for my husband instead of the small one we were trying to squeeze into the first condo.”

But the owners and Alonzo knew that simply opening up a wall between the units could lead to a jumbled floor plan and odd spaces. They called in the talents of architect C.P. Drewett. “The owners are friends of mine,” explains Drewett, a Phoenix Home & Garden Master of the Southwest, “and Kim and I had done their previous home.”

The key was to create a plan that made sense without starting over. “They were already in the drywall stage in the first unit,” recalls Drewett, “and Kim had established the material palette, colors and aesthetic, but she stepped back to give me full rein on the layout.” Tackling what was a space-planning puzzle, Drewett worked around fixed elements, such as windows, balconies, ducts and drainpipes to create a cohesive, 5,550-square-foot, four-bedroom home that turned the second unit into the couple’s private quarters (including transforming its entry hall into a large walk-in closet) and the original condo into public spaces such as the living and dining rooms, kitchen and bar.

“Necessity was the mother of invention in this project,” says Drewett. “We got very creative with the spaces.” Says Alonzo, “The final look here is intentional. It does not seem like two units pushed together.”

Completed in 2023, the high-rise aerie gives the owners a serene setting with views the of city and mountains, as well as a front-row seat to activities along the canal banks below.

Architect C. P. Drewett and interior designer Kimberly Alonzo joined two condominium units at the Scottsdale Waterfront to create one cohesive living space for a couple. In the wife’s office, a contemporary painting adds a vivid note to the neutral palette. “The closet and shelf system in this room had to work like a Swiss Army knife,” Alonzo says. “The space serves as both the office and, when the sofa bed is pulled out, the secondary guest bedroom.”
Alonzo suggested leathered marble for the island’s countertop, done in a matte finish to minimize reflections from the many windows. The black soffit holds the exhaust fan and lights. The kitchen was designed around the two concrete columns that frame the entry’s grand piano. “Because this is a high-rise, there are things such as fixed columns and drains,” explains the architect. “During construction, we called it the ‘drain line du jour.’ Every day, we discovered something that made us pivot.”
An angled desk in the husband’s office reiterates the interior’s contemporary lines. The painting is a treasure from the owners’ previous residence.
Despite the constrictions of high-rise remodeling, Drewett managed to raise the ceiling line a few inches to add a sense of volume. In the private sitting area, he left part of the concrete ceiling exposed, adding perimeter lighting for effect. Alonzo suggested furnishings in comfortable textures and finishes to invite lounging.
A limestone surround defines the sitting room’s fireplace, while illuminated niches show off books and sculptures. The art on the wall is by Michael Kessler.
A teardrop-shaped mirror reflects light into the entry, while a commissioned wall sculpture by Pascal Pierme marks the entrance to the home’s primary suite.
The interior designer used bench seating instead of the usual captain’s chairs to add interest to the dining room, which has a view of Scottsdale’s Soleri Bridge, canal banks and the public plaza below.
The airy kitchen includes steel and glass cabinets that display the owners’ tabletop treasures. A back kitchen is now tucked behind the cabinetry wall. “We had some remnant space because of the building’s angled design,” Drewett says. “We turned that into the back kitchen and pantry.”
Warm woods add an organic touch to the kitchen, which opens to the dining area and bar.
Glass walls in the husband’s office connect it to the private sitting area just off the primary suite. “We transformed the second condominium into the owners’ private spaces, with the office, sitting room and bedroom,” Drewett says. “Even though they were downsizing from their previous house, we managed to give them a normal footprint for the primary suite.”
A coffee bar in the private sitting area is hidden behind doors that open and slide back.
In the living room, textured travertine and gray limestone provide the backdrop for the fireplace and TV. A leather sofa and a custom coffee table add to the cozy ambiance.
A faucet set in the ceiling is the “wow” factor in the dark, moody powder room. Circular-patterned floor tile adds a whimsical touch.
City and mountain views are visible from the corner bar, where an illuminated wine cabinet also serves the dining area. “Because the windows and balconies are fixed here, we had to design spaces such as the bar to make the most of these elements,” Drewett explains.

“We knew it would be a challenge to make the two condominium units work as one, but we came up with a wholistic design.” 
—Kimberly Alonzo, interior designer

SOURCES

  • Architect: C.P. Drewett, AIA, Drewett Works, Scottsdale, drewettworks.com.
  • Interior designer: Kimberly Alonzo, ASID, KA Designs, Scottsdale, kimalonzo.com.
  • WIFE’S OFFICE—Cabinetry and shelving: Copperstate Cabinet Company, Phoenix, copperstatecabinet.com.
  • KITCHEN—Cabinetry: Distinctive Custom Cabinetry, Phoenix, distinctivecc.com.
  • Appliances: subzero-wolf.com.
  • Marble countertop: The Stone Collection, Phoenix, thestonecollection.com.
  • Column surfaces: Surface Refinements, Scottsdale, facebook.com/surfacerefinementsinc.
  • HUSBAND’S OFFICE—Desk and shelving: Distinctive Custom Cabinetry, Phoenix, distinctivecc.com.
  • Chair: Boulevard Urban Living, Scottsdale, boulevardurbanliving.com.
  • SITTING ROOM—Sofa: Copenhagen, Scottsdale, copenhagenliving.com.
  • Coffee table: Boulevard Urban Living, Scottsdale, boulevardurbanliving.com.
  • Sofa table and gold sconces: John Brooks, Scottsdale, johnbrooksinc.com.
  • Wall treatment: Surface Refinements, Scottsdale, facebook.com/surfacerefinementsinc.
  • BAR—Barstools: Copenhagen, Scottsdale, copenhagenliving.com.
  • Wine cabinet: heritagevine.com.
  • DINING ROOM—Table: knowltonbrothers.net.
  • Chairs and benches: The Collector’s House, Scottsdale, thecollectorshouse.biz.
  • Light fixture: lindseyadelman.com.
  • POWDER ROOM—Faucet: gessi.com.
  • Sink: graff-designs.com.
  • Floor tile: Villagio Tile & Stone, Scottsdale, villagiotile.com.
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