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Homepage / Architecture  / From Outdated to Outstanding: Paradise Valley Home Becomes Glass-Walled Retreat

From Outdated to Outstanding: Paradise Valley Home Becomes Glass-Walled Retreat

A 1970s Paradise Valley house rethinks its blue-chip view.

By John Roark | Photography by Gibeon Photography

A homeowner had one primary wish when renovating the dated Paradise Valley house that she and her husband purchased specifically for its stellar backdrop: “I wanted to live in a glass bowl, because everything around us is so beautiful,” she says. As the couple weathered the COVID-19 pandemic there, they found that the dwelling didn’t suit them well. “It was very 1970s swanky,” the wife says, recalling the sunken living room, multiple floor levels and outdated finishes and color palette. “As we spent time there, we discovered that it just didn’t work for the way we live. Windows facing the mountain did not come close to celebrating what was right outside. We needed to rethink the property and give that view its due.”

In the hands of architect Scott Carson and builder Rick Stark, the renovation took the structure down to the slab. Carson and his team updated the flat-roofed, low-slung front elevation but reworked the floor plan, while landscape designer Nadia Rico created a backyard that includes pickleball, a golf simulator, bocce ball, pool table, putting green—even an oversized chess set. “It’s our private resort,” the wife says. “We added everything we could think of, so that our guests wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”

In the sloping backyard—and unseen from the front elevation—Carson designed a two-story guest casita with a second-floor viewing lounge that puts the iconic backdrop front and center. The second story, accessible by exterior stairs or an interior glass elevator, comprises the homeowners’—and virtually everyone’s—favorite spot: a viewing lounge and bar with a panorama that includes both Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak.

Interior spaces are cool and elegant, but warm and inviting. “The spaces are not necessarily grand; they’re comfortable,” says interior designer Beth McGehee, also a Master of the Southwest. “Our mission was to keep the interiors from competing with what the home was purchased for, which is the view. We didn’t want anything to pull your focus, and I think we accomplished that. There is a modern language with this house that speaks to its setting. You walk in and think, ‘This is what I expected to feel.’”

Carson agrees. “There is a cohesiveness between the architecture, the interiors and the landscape,” he says. “This language ties it all together, and now this house feels like it belongs exactly where it needs to be.” 

As the sun sets and the interiors give a cozy glow, the backyard transforms into an artfully lit entertainment destination. “The lighting in the floor of the pool looks like a starry sky,” says landscape designer Nadia Rico.
The house (which originally had a mustard-yellow exterior) is unassuming from the front and complies with Paradise Valley’s low height restrictions. The white facade was an intentional contrast to the vista behind it. “We wanted this vision of a beautiful white structure with the red rocks behind it,” says architect Scott Carson. “It becomes a striking juxtaposition of the natural and the manmade.”
The resortlike vibe begins at the home’s entry but gives no hint of what happens beyond. “We thought consciously about the progression of arriving, walking up to the house, entering the front courtyard with its beautiful water features,” says Carson. “Then you open the door and bam, there’s Camelback Mountain.”
To hide the television in the living room, builder Rick Stark designed motorized doors integrated into the polished granite fireplace surround. “I’ve always considered myself a problem solver, and I love the challenges that come with whole-home renovations,” he says. “This project took me to a new level and tested my skills.” The console table was sourced from the same Italian craftsmen who created the kitchen’s wood-slab buffet counter.
The den’s fireplace is clad in petrified barnwood. Discreet cabinetry opens to reveal mirrored bar storage. “There is a limited amount of paint and drywall in this home,” says interior designer Beth McGehee. “We used a lot of wood, stone and steel, and those finishes transition from the exterior to the interiors. The more layers you incorporate into wall finishes, the more intimate, cozy and elevated your space will feel.”
The decision to not place a lighting fixture above the dining room table was intentional— the homeowner did not want anything to pull attention from the panoramic view.
A complete back kitchen is used for food prep and catering when the homeowners host parties.
Kitchen appliances are hidden behind custom cabinetry. The homeowner found the chipped-edge wood slab used for the buffet in the Dolomite region of northeastern Italy. Countertops are polished white marble. “If you want real marble, you should either be comfortable with the way it will age with use, or seal it to protect against stains,” advises McGehee.

The house unfolds as you experience it—it flows. There are no clumsy, awkward moments. It just feels good.

Scott Carson, architect

The primary bedroom features two private decks. “The homeowners wake up, and the mountain is right there,” says builder Rick Stark.
The primary bath’s floor-to-ceiling window looks onto the poolscape and frames the mountain beyond. As an alternative to cabinetry, open shelving keeps the space visually spare.
The casita’s second story includes a full kitchen, putting everything for entertaining within reach. The striking chevron-patterned floor alternates between light- and dark-stained engineered oak.
Accessible by exterior stairs or an interior glass elevator, the property’s showstopper is the casita’s second-floor viewing lounge, which boasts panoramic views of both Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak. “When we entertain, we put the music on and have sunset happy hour up here every evening,” says the homeowner. Doors open to a covered deck with a fire table for cooler weather.
Not part of the site’s original footprint, the two-story casita is not visible from the front of the home and does not obstruct neighbors’ views. “It’s almost like a hidden, floating jewel that you discover,” says Carson.
With an entrance separate from the home, the casita offers full privacy for visiting guests. The first floor includes two bedrooms and baths, laundry and kitchen, which disappears behind integrated cabinetry. “The build was much more complex than you would think by looking at it,” Stark observes.

CAPTURE THE MOUNTAIN (Sources)

  • Architect: Scott Carson, Cosan Studio, Scottsdale, cosanstudio.com
  • Creative director: Adam Kostis, cosanstudio.com
  • Builder: Rick Stark, Starion Custom Residences LLC, Phoenix, starioncustomresidences.com
  • Interior designers: Beth McGehee and Joe Viterbo, SB Design LLC, Scottsdale, sbdesignaz.com
  • Landscape designer: Nadia Rico, N.R. Design+Build, Peoria, nrdesignbuild.com
  • BACKYARD—Outdoor furniture (by Holly Hunt): John Brooks Inc., Scottsdale, johnbrooksinc.com
  • ENTRY—Front door (custom): starioncustomresidences.com
  • LIVING ROOM—Fireplace (natural quartzite slab): The Stone Collection, Phoenix, thestonecollection.com
  • Sectional (by A Rudin): johnbrooksinc.com
  • Sofa console: Andreas Mayr Kondrak, Phoenix, andreasmayrkondrak.com
  • Lounge chairs (by Mattaliano), bench (by Alexander Lamont) and lamp on console (by Holly Hunt): johnbrooksinc.com
  • Rug: davideadler.com. Wood floors: legnobastone.com.
  • DINING ROOM—Table (by Holly Hunt) and dining chairs (by Mattaliano): johnbrooksinc.com.
  • Rug: davideadler.com
  • DEN—Cabinets: publichousecreative.com
  • Fireplace (petrified barnwood): Cactus Stone, Phoenix, cactusstone.com
  • Sofa and coffee table (by Vladimir Kagan) and lounge chairs (by Holly Hunt): johnbrooksinc.com
  • Rug: davideadler.com
  • BACK KITCHEN—Cabinets: publichousecreative.com
  • Plumbing: Clyde Hardware, Phoenix, clydehardware.com
  • KITCHEN—Bar stools (by Holly Hunt): johnbrooksinc.com
  • Cabinets: publichousecreative.com
  • Marble counters (Arabescato Vagli): cactusstone.com
  • Wood floors: legnobastone.com
  • Carved wood island top: andreasmayrkondrak.com
  • Plumbing: clydehardware.com
  • PRIMARY BEDROOM—Lounge chairs/ottoman (by Vladimir Kagan) and bed (by Holly Hunt): johnbrooksinc.com
  • Rug: davideadler.com
  • PRIMARY BATH—Plumbing: clydehardware.com
  • Wood floors: legnobastone.com
  • CASITA BAR—Wood chevron floors: simplyoakusa.com
  • Bar stools (by Skram): Town Studio townstudio.com
  • Dining table: Peter Thomas Designs, Phoenix, peterthomasdesigns.com
  • Fireplace (petrified barnwood): cactusstone.com
  • Cabinets: publichousecreative.com
  • VIEWING LOUNGE— Rug: davideadler.com
  • Lounge chairs (by Planum), drink table (by Charleston Forge) and ottomans (by Verellen): Alexander Sinclair, Scottsdale, alexandersinclairshowroom.com
  • CASITA LOWER LEVEL—Stools (by Porada): alexandersinclairshowroom.com
  • Sofa table: (by Skram): Town Studio, Scottsdale, townstudio.com
  • Plumbing: clydehardware.com
  • Cabinets: publichousecreative.com
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