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Homepage / Interior Design  / Inside a Designer’s Vibrant, Cheerful Midcentury Townhome

Inside a Designer’s Vibrant, Cheerful Midcentury Townhome

Preparing for the future, an interior designer creates his own retirement destination.

By John Roark | Photography by Steve Craft

“The first time I came into this house, I thought, ‘Oh God, what have I done?’” recalls interior designer and Utah transplant Gregg Hodson, whose decision to buy in ScottVilla Monterey was based solely on online photos and the recommendation of a friend who lives in the same neighborhood. “There were things I didn’t know about that I couldn’t see in the pictures. A flipper had done the bare minimum, just enough to make it presentable. When I saw it in person, I knew I would have to undo all of that, but I loved the space, and I liked the funk.” 

Gregg planned to relocate to Arizona and make the two-bedroom townhome his retirement locale. “This is intended to be the home I grow old in,” he says. “We all want to stay young, but it doesn’t help to ignore the process of getting older. I want to be here as long as I possibly can, and I redesigned this house with that in mind.” 

To that end, the one-level floor plan fit the bill. While the designer made only minor structural adjustments to better use the space, he replaced outdated 1960s-era aluminum windows; updated the kitchen; reconfigured the guest bath and overhauled the backyard. Thresholds were removed at the front and back entrances; a more efficient air conditioner was installed; and plumbing and electrical systems were replaced throughout. “I did all of this to ensure that I will live more easily in the years ahead,” he says. “By the time you get to that place where you need to address these things, it’s an ordeal for you to figure it out. Now it’s all done, and I don’t have to worry about it.”

In reimagining the 1,600 square feet he had to work with, Gregg went with a midcentury modern aesthetic for the interiors—without overlooking the home’s pseudo-Spanish Colonial exterior. “I had to give some thought to how to marry the outside and the inside,” he recalls. “There are ways to be more contemporary while still respecting the traditional. You need to figure out how to make the two worlds come together.” 

While the renovation was a bigger project than he anticipated, the homeowner had fun with it. “I enjoy the process of transforming,” Gregg says. “It’s exciting to rip a place apart and start over. I believe you can always make things better. Do it right once, and it’s going to last.”

Interior designer and homeowner Gregg Hodson added the walled front patio and replaced the bedroom window with sliding doors. The room, which is now his office, has easy access to the quaint courtyard.
Before
The walls near the entry are clad in geometric putty-colored tile that adds an Arizona Biltmore vibe. Commercial-grade wallpapers and cabinetry were used throughout the home. “Every wallcovering in this house could be used in a hotel,” Gregg says. “They’re cleanable, they wear better, and they come 54 inches wide, so you have fewer seams.” The printed ceramic tile flooring suggests terrazzo and extends outdoors to the back patio.

Built between 1961-1969, Scottsdale’s first community of connected townhomes presents a curious sight today. The façades of Villa Monterey’s one- and two-story units include a panoply of styles including Southwestern, Spanish Colonial, farmhouse and territorial revival—there are even embellishments reminiscent of New Orleans’ French Quarter. The vision of builder David Friedman, the “casita colony” was originally designed to be the low-maintenance answer for post-war newly married couples and retirees. The development had a strong influence on the future of townhomes in Arizona and was designated a historic district in 2011.

“People don’t give hallways enough attention,” the designer says. “This was just a small space with a bunch of doors. Now it’s a room that introduces you to other rooms.” A crisp white ceiling makes the space feel taller, while a mirror makes it appear larger and brings in reflected light. Gregg leaned into a midcentury modern aesthetic for the townhome’s interiors—with nods to his unit’s Spanish Colonial exterior. The original kitchen was tucked behind a dining room wall, which Gregg removed and replaced with a banquette. “Back when these homes were built, kitchens were hidden from view,” he observes. “Now they are so beautiful, you want to show them off.”
The coffee table, which has been with the designer for many years, was originally bar height. For this living room, he had the Herman Miller base shortened and re-topped with white marble.
Before
“A home should give you a sense of who lives there. It’s got to be real, to have integrity. Otherwise it’s just like a stage set.”

—Gregg Hodson, interior designer and homeowner

Gregg increased the size of the living room by removing a wall that divided the space into an Arizona room, and installing sliders on the exterior wall that open to the back patio. The gallery wall includes artworks that have been gathered over many years. “Just start collecting,” he advises. “Find things that you love. Don’t worry about where they’re going to go; that will all happen later.”
Faced with the budgetary conundrum of finding a bookcase long enough for the living room’s gallery wall, Gregg found inexpensive metal-and-glass cabinets on Amazon, but they were too tall for his needs. He had the legs shortened and placed five of the units end-to-end. “I’ve learned to customize on a budget,” he says.
Gregg converted the front guest bedroom into his office. He found the 1960s-era table lamp on Etsy. “There were no dimensions given in the listing, and it turned out to be much taller than I expected, but I love it,” he says. Twin 27-inch-wide chairs fit the scale of the small room without dominating it.
The guest bath was brightened considerably with the addition of a ceiling-height window above the redesigned walk-in shower.
Gregg maximized space in the narrow laundry room by adding storage around the smaller-scale washer and drier. A built-in drying rack offers additional functionality.
“I like a bedroom that is sexy, dark and moody,” Gregg observes. A linen coverlet complements a linen bedframe with a nail-head trim. The designer elevated inexpensive hollow-core slab doors by adding simple frames made of molding trim.
A raised garden bed filled with sour orange trees was added to the back wall, along with a linear fountain to mask nearby noise.
Gregg’s vision for the backyard was a private oasis, a destination beyond the house. “This was another opportunity to think about aging,” he says. “Will I want to spend my time doing yardwork? If I loved gardening, I would have made a different yard.” The curvy beach-pebble channel conceals a French drain to protect the patio from flooding.
Natural wood pieces bring rustic warmth, and personal mementos are contained within a hutch. “I’m not one for spreading family photos all over the house,” the designer says. “They’re private, and I don’t think they belong in the more public areas.”
Sources
  • Interior designer: Gregg Hodson, Gregg Hodson Interior Design, Scottsdale, gregghodsondesigns.com
  • ENTRY—Floor tile (“Fragmento”): emser.com. Wall tile (Modan): emser.com. Cabinet: Leicht Kitchen Showroom, Scottsdale, leichtscottsdale.com.
  • HALL—Laural leaf teak mirror: sutherlandfurniture.com. Bench (custom): gregghodsondesigns.com. Wall covering (Glitterati): momentumtextilesandwalls.com.
  • LIVING ROOM/ DINING ROOM/KITCHEN—Sofa: knoll.com. Dining table and chairs: hermanmiller.com. Cabinets: leichtscottsdale.com. Kitchen backsplash (“Mizu”): emser.com.
  • LIVING ROOM—Wall covering (MDD 3071): mdcwall.com. Swivel chair: westelm.com. Drapery fabric: kellywearstler.com.
  • OFFICE—Wall covering (“Resort Raffia”): momentumtextilesandwalls.com. Chairs: hookerfurniture.com.
  • GUEST BATH—Wall tile (Color Wheel Linear): daltile.com. Cabinet: leichtscottsdale.com. Sconces: build.com.
  • PRIMARY BEDROOM—Wall covering: momentumtextilesandwalls.com. Bed: bernhardt.com. Mirror: mirrorhome.com. Lamp: mgbw.com.
  • PATIO—Cocktail table: crateandbarrel.com. Lantern: lowes.com.
  • LOWER PATIO—Porcelain pavers (Caminar White): emser.com. Fountain: campaniainternational.com.
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