Come summer, most Arizona desert dwellers daydream about a place to escape the sultry temperatures, a getaway up north, in the mountains. For one lucky couple, their dream became a reality when they commissioned a new rustic-meets-modern retreat in the pines of Flagstaff, designed by architect Scott Carson. The two-level, 4,700-square-foot home balances a sense of intimacy with an open plan, window walls and access to balconies and patio spaces.
“The husband was just driving around one day and saw a guy putting up a ‘For Sale’ sign,” says Carson, explaining how the clients found the 1-acre property in a golf course community. “A few days later, they bought the lot, which is a sloping site surrounded on three sides by golf greens.”
Carson, principal of Scottsdale-based Cosan Studio, went to work designing a vacation home for the couple… — a place where their adult children and grandchildren could gather during the summer, as well as winter holidays. Aided by architects Adam Kostis and Tom Bell from his studio, Carson also collaborated with Flagstaff builder Mike Tullos of Stilley Tullos Design Build Group and Utah interior designer Kimberly Parker.
Siting the house to take advantage of the views and to save as many Ponderosa pines as possible, Carson drafted a floor plan that placed the great room, kitchen, dining area, primary suite and a guest bedroom on the main level. He took advantage of the site’s slope to create a walk-out lower level that includes a lounge with two guest suites and a bunk room for grandchildren. Window walls on both levels connect to outdoor spaces, ensuring plenty of evenings listening to the pine trees whistling in the breezes and enjoying the glow of fire pits.
Eschewing a cabin-in-the-woods design, Carson came up with an architectural style that pleased both the wife’s traditional tastes and the husband’s desire for a more modern aesthetic. “We used traditional massing for the house,” Carson explains, “and elements like dormer windows and shed roofs for a classic look. To make it modern, we did cleaner lines and elements like steel details and large glass openings.” Cedar siding and stone cladding, he notes, , help blend the home into the woodsy landscape.
Though Carson does most of his work in a desert climate, this Flagstaff home wasn’t his first north woods project — he’s done many in northern Arizona and the mountains of Utah. Those designs, he points out, need to reflect the winter extremes. “You have to understand the climate,” the architect says. “We specify details like heated gutters to prevent ice buildup and take a look at where the rooflines are going to shed snow. If you use steel that goes from outside to in, you have to include a thermal bridge. Otherwise, condensation and cold are issues.” Forest wildfires are also a consideration, with building materials following code, Carson notes, and the landscape design (here, done by Kaibab Landscaping) keeping the home’s perimeter free of brush.
Indoors, interior designer Parker complemented the home’s modern mountain architecture, exposed-truss ceiling and rustic stone details with a neutral palette, plush upholstered pieces that invite lounging and simple, no-fuss accessories. Natural wood cabinetry and flooring, along with pale countertops, provide a soothing backdrop.
The completed home has become a welcome gathering spot for the owners, family and friends; a place where even in July and August, sweaters and roaring fires are welcome once the sun goes down. Says Carson, “This house is a truly timeless retreat for the owners to escape the hot, dry summers of the desert below.”
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