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Homepage / Interior Design  / Inside a Colorful, Eclectic Desert Mountain Home Transformation

Inside a Colorful, Eclectic Desert Mountain Home Transformation

A Desert Mountain house is revived to capture views and showcase a sophisticated interior.

By Nora Burba Trulsson | Photography by Austin LaRue Baker

Interior designer Mary Meinz’s distinguished career has led her to develop a plethora of pithy sayings related to the chic settings she creates. Many of her mottos, such as “the foyer is just the appetizer for the rest of the house,” are clever enough to be embroidered on a stylish throw pillow. But for a recent project in Desert Mountain, this Phoenix Home & Garden Master of the Southwest skipped the slogans and went full-steam ahead to create a coolly elegant winter getaway for a Utah couple.

“When I became involved, this house was a blank slate,” Meinz explains. “We needed to bring in their personalities through the furniture, art and accessories.

The 5,000-square-foot home dates back to 1988, when it was designed as a Santa Fe-esque residence. “This was one of the first homes built at Desert Mountain,” says William “Bill” Schoettker, an architect and builder who bought the abode a few years ago. “It was dark, compartmentalized and had no rooms that took advantage of the views.” Embarking on a gut renovation, Schoettker opened the kitchen to the living room, added window walls to capture mountain and city views and modernized the finishes, cabinetry and fixtures.

When the redo was almost complete, the present owners purchased the house, reeled in by views, natural light and the single-level layout. They quickly brought in Meinz to do the interior. Suggesting a lighter wood floor than the one that had originally been specified, Meinz worked with the neutral background and sleek cabinetry to develop an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary furnishings, rich textures and, as she puts it, “explosions of color.” With a foundation of custom area rugs in different hues, Meinz crafted room settings filled with unique art and accessories that invite the couple, family and friends to enjoy the desert setting.

“We didn’t want a house that looked like everyone else’s,” recalls the husband. “Bill gave us a house with the views, and Mary gave us a great mix of contemporary and transitional furnishings with a lot of color.”

In the living room, the new zinc-clad fireplace and window walls update the 1980s home. “We transformed something that was not very good into something spectacular,” says architect and builder William Shoettker. Interior designer Mary Meinz leads the eye through the space with pale hues and sparks of color and pattern, including in the light fixture. “I set up the two swivel chairs like a tête-à-tête,” says Meinz. “You can watch TV or talk to the person in the kitchen.”
Bright floral graphics frame the living room, where the interior designer delineated the space with a custom area rug. “I chose two acrylic coffee tables here to let you see the rug,” says Meinz. “Why cover it up? This allows the rug to be part of the conversation.”
Meinz incorporated the owners’ vintage Queen Anne dining chairs by reupholstering them and adding two new head chairs with more contemporary lines. “I like the juxtaposition of old and new,” she says.
A runner adds color to the sleek kitchen, where Meinz suggested acrylic barstools so the backs would not block views out the windows.
Meinz left color out of the equation for the outdoor spaces to keep the focus on desert views. She brought in a show-stopping tree trunk as the coffee table. “There are enough flat surfaces on the trunk so that you don’t need a glass top,” says Meinz. “We have two trays specifically sized for the table in case the owners want to serve something like charcuterie.”
A corner of the living room was designed as a space to enjoy, with coral chenille chairs that swivel to take in views. “The chairs pick up the color in the rug and nearby artwork,” says Meinz.
“Let’s not create a tossed salad here with a lot of design elements. Instead, let’s pare things down with a few simple ingredients, like a Caesar salad.”

—Mary Meinz, interior designer

In the primary bath, the interior designer leaned a tall mirror against one wall to slyly reflect the black-and-white poster of a bathing beauty on the opposite side. An upholstered stool adds warmth.
A gray-washed poster bed with an upholstered headboard softens the primary bedroom, where hints of chartreuse reflect the hues of desert plants seen through the window. “The bench is a custom piece I designed to be big enough to roll back the bedding or to use it to put on your shoes,” explains Meinz.
In one of the guest bedrooms, Meinz energized the space with touches of black and lipstick red. A rush bench adds a rustic touch.
A mirror with a wood totem-inspired frame anchors a guest bathroom.
“I thought of this guest bedroom as one big, soft marshmallow,” says Meinz. “It’s tone on tone, but with texture in the art and furniture for interest.”
A burled oak desk and credenza, plus a leather chair, add gravitas to the home office. Meinz had the husband’s career-related memorabilia framed and displayed in the room.
Meinz commissioned Phoenix artist Jennifer Hollack Raboin to create a three-dimensional piece for the foyer. The sofa table and fringed stools are custom designs by Meinz.

SOURCES

  • Renovation architect and builder: William Schoettker, Ardeco, Cave Creek, (480) 473-3000
  • Interior designer: Mary Meinz, ASID, Mary Meinz Design, Scottsdale, marymeinzdesign.com

LIVING ROOM

  • Furniture, art, lighting and accessories: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Area rug: David E. Adler Fine Rugs, Scottsdale, davideadler.com

PATIO

DINING ROOM

  • Table, end chairs, art and lighting: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Area rug: davideadler.com

KITCHEN

  • Barstools: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Runner: davideadler.com

PRIMARY SUITE

  • Furniture, art, lighting and accessories: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Bedding: sdhlinens.com
  • Area rug: davideadler.com.

GUEST BEDROOMS

  • Furniture, art, lighting and accessories: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Area rugs: davideadler.com

OFFICE

  • Furniture, art, lighting and accessories: marymeinzdesign.com

FOYER

  • Console and stools: marymeinzdesign.com
  • Art: Jennifer Hollack Raboin, JHR Art, Phoenix, jhrart.com
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