Designed as 3 distinct and separate volumes perched above the desert floor, Levin Residence was oriented by Ibarra Rosano Design Architects to take advantage of the sun, frame the views and trap the breezes of the Arizona, USA desert location. The 3 volumes that comprise the home are first the parking volume which leads to the 2nd social and master suite volume which leads to both the pool and terrace – which has an awesome viewing veranda – as well as to the 3rd volume which houses the guest bedrooms complete with ensuites.
The desert terrain is not flat and in order to minimize disruption to the site, the architects chose to work with the terrain rather then against it, incorporating central foundations, steel posts and cantilevers.
A covered bridge fitted with lights connects the garage volume with the social volume.
The bridge meets up with a second covered and lit walkway that travels the width of the building before it meets up with the extended side facades.
The kitchen inside the social volume is on one end and a floating L shaped island separates it from the dining zone. The room is sleekly modern with its pale wood and stainless steel cabinetry and only bold pops of red within the artwork bring in added color.
The kitchen island has a raised, deep backsplash that incorporates additional storage kitchen side while also keeping the cooking zone screened off from the dining area. The L shaped island counter also wraps around the dining side of the backsplash to create a serving counter.
Beside the serving counter on the kitchen island is a series of long drawers that hold miscellaneous items for the dining room – this is the functional side of the room, the pretty side is the stunning cluster of light pendants.
Behind the dining area is the living room which opens up to the pool, terrace and viewing station.
The fireplace / media wall is as sleekly modern as the kitchen.
The viewing station on the far end of the pool cantilevers out and over the landscape.
The platform is accessed by a series of concrete steps that also cantilever over the edge of the terrace, although not nearly as much as the viewing station.
The third volume has two guest bedrooms, each with their own ensuites and a common room next to the viewing platform. With the guest rooms contained in their own building, the 3rd volume can be closed off when not being used.
Both the pool and the guest bedroom look out over the natural fauna and flora of the Arizona desert floor.
The master suite on the right side of the main volume also overlooks the desert, although both the 1st and the 3rd volumes interrupt the views.
The master ensuite has both a skylight and a floor to ceiling window to flood it with natural light, and because of the visibility of the guest building, a beautiful window shade breaks up the visual while creating a graphic block of serine blue at the same time.
The blue of the window treatment is picked up in the blue mini subway tiles within the shower’s inset shelf, and although the shower is a closed and private space, it is still filled with natural light due to the skylight above.
The home is on a corner lot but with all 3 buildings located on only one half of the property and the terrain left in a natural state, the non-access road seems far removed.
Rosano Design Architects
Photography by Bill Timmerman
